Championship
- Comeback of the day came at Pride Park, where Derby County rallied from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Bristol City. Matty Taylor’s first goal for City and a Tammy Abraham double, taking his league total to 18, left the home fans stunned at half-time. Steve McClaren’s team talk clearly did the trick, as two goals for Darren Bent, either side of Tom Ince’s 11th goal of the season, earned the battling Rams a useful point.
- Also fighting back were Fulham, who fell 2-1 down at home to struggling Wigan Athletic, but won 3-2 thanks to a 94th-minute winner from Neeskens Kebano. That goal completed a late change of fortune for Blackburn Rovers, who snatched a point at Rotherham through Stephen Kelly’s own goal.
- Preston North End had managed just three goals in their last four games, but went one better inside 90 minutes against Brentford. Aiden McGeady scored twice as Preston won 4-2 to keep themselves in with an outside chance of grabbing a play-off spot.
- Brighton returned to winning ways with a 4-1 thumping of Burton Albion. Tomer Hemed scored twice as the Seagulls edged six points clear of third place, having recently dropped points at Brentford and Huddersfield. In the late game, Aleksandar Mitrovic’s strike just before half-time saw Newcastle United return to the top with a 1-0 win at Wolves.
- Huddersfield Town climbed to third with their fourth league win in succession. Izzy Brown and Nahki Wells gave them a 2-0 lead at QPR before Luke Freeman’s consolation. David Wagner’s team overtake Reading, who were held to a goalless draw by Barnsley.
- Unlike Brighton, Leeds United have been unable to shake off their FA Cup embarrassment. They slipped to a 2-0 home defeat against Cardiff City, with Liam Bridcutt sent off on a day to forget for Garry Monk. Aston Villa were also upset at home, Emyr Huws earning Ipswich victory. It’s now seven league games without a win for Villa, whose January spending is yet to pay off.
- Norwich City extended their unbeaten run in style, firing five past Nottingham Forest. The Canaries took the lead through a Jonny Howson screamer and were 3-0 up after 18 minutes, before Alex Pritchard’s second-half double.
- Gianfranco Zola claimed his Birmingham side “played well” and were unlucky against Sheffield Wednesday, but the net result on Friday was another defeat. Zola has won one game in 12 since taking over, with the Blues now equidistant between the play-offs and the bottom three, and only heading one way.
League One
- Shrewsbury Town were unbeaten in five league games, but few gave them much hope of ending Scunthorpe’s 26-match unbeaten run at Glanford Park – but Freddie Ladapo’s fourth goal in six sealed a shock away win. That result means Sheffield United are five points clear at the top, but Chris Wilder’s team needed an 87th-minute Billy Sharp winner to see off Peterborough United.
- Oldham Athletic climbed out of the bottom four with victory over Coventry, who now appear doomed to drop into the fourth tier. Ryan McLaughlin got the winner in a five-goal thriller, while Bury dragged Swindon into the relegation zone thanks to James Vaughan’s winner from the penalty spot. Elsewhere, Northampton eased their relegation worries with a 3-1 win over Chesterfield.
- Bolton closed on second place with a 4-1 home win over Walsall, Gary Madine and Liam Trotter on the scoresheet for... the Trotters. Fourth-placed Fleetwood were held to a goalless draw by Rochdale, which allowed Millwall to climb into the top six, Fred Onyedinma’s second-half header proving enough to defeat ten-man Southend United. Bradford City picked up a point at Bristol Rovers, Nicky Law’s goal cancelling out Chris Lines’ well-taken opener.
- Tom Elliott had an eventful injury time for Wimbledon, scoring his 12th goal of the season to equalise against Charlton – then getting sent off for a second booking after over-celebrating. Also leaving it late: Kane Hemmings, who scored an 88th-minute winner for Oxford against Milton Keynes, and Gillingham’s Josh Parker, who equalised in stoppage time against Port Vale.
League Two
- Plymouth emerged triumphant from a high-stakes Devon derby, ending Exeter City’s seven-game winning run with a 3-0 victory. Matty Kennedy, Ryan Taylor and Jake Jervis got the goals as Argyle moved 11 points clear of fourth place. They are also just three points behind leaders Doncaster Rovers, who were held to a goalless draw by bottom club Newport County on Friday.
- Carlisle United are hanging onto third place, but now have just one win in seven games after collapsing to a 4-1 defeat at home to Blackpool. Luton Town closed the gap after fighting back to beat Crawley, a Danny Hylton double earning victory at Kenilworth Road. Portsmouth, who saw off Accrington Stanley at Fratton Park, and Mansfield, who thrashed Hartlepool for their fourth straight league win, added to the pressure on Keith Curle’s team.
- Crewe faced Grimsby Town without a win in 12 games, but left their relegations fears behind with a thumping 5-0 win, George Cooper and Chris Dagnall both scoring twice. Notts County edged out Cheltenham in a basement battle, leaving Leyton Orient in further trouble despite Gavin Massey’s late goal earning the O’s a point at Yeovil.
- Stevenage comfortably defeated play-off rivals Wycombe, Matt Godden’s eighth goal in eight games setting up a 3-0 win, Morecambe beat Cambridge 2-0, and Colchester got back to winning ways with a home win over Barnet.
Comments (…)
Sign in or create your Guardian account to join the discussion