Blades cut Leeds' lead, Walsall wobble, TWO clubs sack managers and by 'Eck, Preston beat Burnley
3 March 2025 | Weekend Notes brings you the biggest stories, stats and insights from the EFL weekend.
● BIG STORIES ● CHEAT SHEET ● 5IVELIGHTS ● THE VIEW FROM ● FANTASY FOOTBALL ●
When Sam’s away…
…Weekend Notes will carry on as normal. Don’t worry, WN editor Sam Parry hasn’t been sacked – he’s having the holiday of a lifetime. I’m your substitute teacher. But hey, you can relax: I’m a pretty cool guy. <sits backwards on chair>
It’s been another quality few days of EFL football, full of surprises, goals, heroes and villains, including the joint-fastest red card on record. Leads have been snipped or extended, relegation scraps have taken new turns, and Preston North End are partying like it’s 1889 with their eyes on FA Cup glory. Oh, and TWO players made their 300th appearances for EFL clubs — Ali has written about the beauty of long-term club-player relationships in The View From.
There’s no need to revise, no need to cram – everything you need to know is in here. Enjoy yourselves. Let’s put the books away and play some bloomin’ Boggle, shall we?
Welcome to Weekend Notes.
🚨 Big Stories
A selection of decisive moments from across the EFL, from Huw Davies and Matt Watts
⚔️ Blades make their point — QPR 1-2 Sheffield United — Last week, AK Bets paid out on bets backing Leeds to win the Championship, so sure were they that the title race is over. Sheffield United took that personally. Their win at QPR wasn’t always convincing, as Hamza Choudhury wobbled on a red-card tightrope at right-back while his team scored with their only two shots on target, but they’re back to within three points of Leeds, and that’s what matters. The league leaders had drawn 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion in the lunchtime kick-off, and Blades capitalised with Ben Brereton Diaz heading home a fine Vini Souza cross and Tyrese Campbell netting a truly unstoppable strike.
😮💨 …and breathe — Luton 1-0 Portsmouth — ‘Necessary’ is the word to describe this victory. Luton had won none of their new manager’s first eight fixtures, fallen from 20th to 24th, and knew that (Pompey’s good form notwithstanding) they have tougher opponents to come, so if Matt Bloomfield’s side were going to shake the monkey from their back, it had to be now. And they did. Set pieces have long been Luton’s succour, and this time it wasn’t even one of their own: a Portsmouth free-kick went wrong, allowing Jordan Clark to carry the ball from one box to the other before reacting fastest to a double rebound. The Hatters kept things tight, and when they didn’t, Connor Ogilvie headed over from six yards – job done, and back up to 22nd.
🧗🏽♂️ Coventry, try and try again — Oxford 2-3 Coventry — Twice they led, twice they were pegged back, then Ellis Simms saw his penalty saved and Jake Bidwell’s follow-up hit the bar, but eventually Coventry beat Oxford to complete their ascent to Best of the Rest status. They may still sit 12 points behind 4th-placed Sunderland but climbing to 5th is no molehill: the Sky Blues were 17th when Frank Lampard came in on 28th November and have picked up 36 points from 18 games since. There was natural variance to be reaped from Mark Robins’ reign but Lampard has also simplified the gameplan and improved Cov in both boxes, so credit where it’s due.
👀 It’s behind U’s — Crawley 0-2 Cambridge — They couldn’t, could they? Cambridge snuck up on Crawley and won 2-0 to climb above their hosts in the League One table, making it two wins from two for Neil Harris. The new boys at the bottom are Shrewsbury, who fell to a 3-1 defeat at Peterborough; not only were Gareth Ainsworth’s side without John Marquis for 99.9% of Saturday’s game, thanks to his straight(forward) red card, but they’ll also miss him for massive upcoming clashes against Bristol Rovers, Exeter and Burton.
Speaking of Burton, they survived a second-half onslaught to draw 1-1 with Mansfield. The visitors’ Lucas Akins (~350 appearances for the Brewers) cemented his legendary status in East Staffordshire by sending a late penalty into orbit.
💀 Kill your darlings — Wigan 1-2 Reading — Following their eighth league defeat at home, Wigan have parted company with Shaun Maloney. An FA Cup winner during his time as a player with the club (nostalgia, hey!), Maloney leaves the Latics 15th in League One, but only six points clear of the drop. Tyler Bindon’s late winner was essential for Reading in their attempt to keep pace with the play-off chasers: Stockport (4th) came from behind to beat Blackpool, Huddersfield (5th) won away at Stevenage, Charlton (now 6th) stunned Leyton Orient (now 8th) in stoppage time to leapfrog the O’s into the play-off places, Bolton (7th) earned a good point at Wrexham, and Barnsley (10th) held on to see off Lincoln 4-3. Breathless.
🕶 Mr D’s Beautiful Blues — Birmingham 1-0 Wycombe — It’s a good thing there’s plenty of drama elsewhere in League One, because the title race is all but over. Chris Davies’ table-topping Birmingham beat 2nd-placed Wycombe thanks to Taylor Gardner-Hickman’s deflected 20th-minute strike, as the visitors, who were reduced to 10 men just before half-time, gave a good account of themselves after the break but failed to find an equaliser. Blues are now 12 points clear of their nearest rivals and 14 points clear of Wrexham with a game in hand over both.
🤢 Shrimps sick to the Gills of losing 1-0 — Gillingham 1-0 Morecambe — If it wasn’t painful enough to give fellow League Two strugglers Gillingham their first win in 15, and John Coleman his first since joining them on January 5th, Morecambe lost by a familiar binary scoreline. This was their 12th 1-0 defeat in the league this season, i.e. more than a third of their results, and at Priestfield we saw why: 3 shots, 0 on target, their total xG less than 0.1. Morecambe are still within a win of clambering over Tranmere to get their heads above water, and Accy are theoretically within reach after losing 2-1 defeat to a now-safe Harrogate, but they can’t do it without scoring goals.
Carlisle aren’t helping matters. The Cumbrians’ fifth consecutive league derby triumph over Barrow, for Mark Hughes’ first win, took them level on points with Derek Adams’ Shrimps.
😮 “Wait, is that MK in the bottom eight…?” — MK Dons 0-1 Colchester — It sure is, and after their 11th defeat in 16 matches, the Buckinghamshire club have disposed of Scott Lindsey’s services, leaving Messrs Orsi, Kelly, Williams & Co. wondering where they’ll end up next. That run has taken MK from 3rd to 17th, in one of the most dramatic collapses we’ve ever seen, anywhere, in history, ever (now that is dramatic). Tune into the NTT20 Monday pod for a fuller lowdown on that debacle.
🌓 Walsall’s good news and bad news — The bad news first: a 1-0 home defeat to Swindon (now 14th and closer in points to the automatics than to relegation), coupled with Michael Mellon squeezing in a 94th-minute winner for Bradford away at Salford, reduced Walsall’s lead at the top of League Two to four points.
However, the good news outweighs it: none of the teams in 4th, 5th or 6th won, so the Saddlers retain a healthy buffer above those chasing their automatic promotion spot. Notts County drew at Fleetwood and Port Vale drew at Tranmere, continuing their terrible record there. Wimbledon were at home but, after five consecutive wins to nil there, they lost to Bromley and, with it, their EFL club-record 12-match unbeaten run. Before this season, Wimbledon and Bromley last met in the Conference South in 2008/09, and before that, in the Isthmian League Premier Division play-offs.
🗡 THERE CAN BE ONLY PNE – And Preston North End are the EFL’s sole representatives in the FA Cup quarter-finals, having beaten Burnley 3-0 to cause a meltdown among statisticians and a fair chunk of Clarets Twitter. It wasn’t a likely scoreline, considering that those three goals were more than Burnley had conceded across their last 15 matches combined, but Robbie Brady’s beautiful free-kick got the ball rolling, curling, dipping, before Milutin Osmajic and Will Keane finished the job. The meeting with Aston Villa will be PNE’s first FA Cup quarter-final since 1966, and Paul Heckingbottom’s second in three seasons.
Elsewhere, Cardiff were resilient at Villa Park but lost 2-0. Plymouth gave Manchester City an almighty shock at the Etihad before losing 3-1 – no shame there – while Millwall lost 3-1 at Crystal Palace after Liam Roberts had volleyed off Jean-Philippe Mateta’s face, so some shame there.
📊 Monday Morning Cheat Sheet
From the WhatsApp group to the watercooler: stats to keep you ahead of the game.
⏱️ Thank Shrew kindly — Peterborough had a little help from Shrewsbury in recording their first back-to-back league wins since August: John Marquis’ 13-second red card equalled an English league record, and the elbow itself landed 4.6 seconds after the first ball was kicked.
🔟+🔟 First to the Finn-ish — Finn Azaz is the first player in the EFL this season to hit a double double (10 goals, 10 assists), and it’s for the second season in a row, making this a double double-double. Dan James (10G 9A) is runaway favourite for 2nd place.
🗓️ Three years and no more counting — Rotherham United won a Saturday 3pm kick-off away from home for the first time since 26th February… 2022.
🐢 Slow and steady — For the first time this season (and then a second), promotion-chasing Crewe scored an away goal before half-time.
😡 Seeing red against the Blues — Xavier Simons’ red card for Wycombe represented the third time in Birmingham’s last six league home games that a visiting opponent has been sent off.
🫗 All dried up — Derby have played four league games in succession without scoring, their longest barren run since March 2021, and have found the net just twice in 10 fixtures since New Year’s Day.
🎁 Grecians bearing gifts — Exeter’s 1-1 draw with Northampton meant they’ve still kept only one clean sheet in their last 18 League One matches.
🙅 Access denied — Their 0-0 draw with Stoke marked the first time that Watford have kept three consecutive clean sheets in a season since December 2022.
🤦 Carry on, my wayward sons — Wrexham’s 0-0 draw with Bolton produced 3.26 expected goals, 4 big chances, 29 shots… and only 2 shots on target.
💥 All or nothing — There has never been a draw between Cambridge United and Crawley Town in the Football League, despite a fairly even share of wins: 5 for Crawley and now 8 for the U’s.
🐎 De-Saddled — Walsall’s defeat to Swindon ended their run of 12 league home games without a loss (W8 D4).
😐 No, but seriously… — Frank Lampard’s Coventry have won eight of their last nine, which is as many victories as they had collected from their previous 34 Championship fixtures, stretching back to April last year.
🎦 5ivelights
In no particular order, a collection of our favourite goals or clips from across the 72.
Top-bins Tyrese - Campbell’s soup-er strike seals Sheffield United’s fifth consecutive away win.
Golden Brown - Jordan Brown’s pile-driver for Leyton Orient, before…
Old habits die hard - Nathan Jones celebrates with the travelling fans after Charlton’s dramatic comeback against Orient.
Happy thunder-clappers - Introducing Stockport’s 19-year-old Icelandic striker, Benoný Breki Andrésson: coming on at half-time and scoring twice.
“F**king Micky Mellon!’ - Michael Mellon’s 94th-minute winner for Bradford sparks wild scenes in the away end.
The View From…
The 300 Club: A paean to O’Nien & Co.
On Friday night, Luke O’Nien made his 300th appearance for Sunderland. On Saturday, Ashley Barnes came off the bench to reach the same number for Burnley. For Barnes, the circumstances (a cameo as sub in a 0-3 defeat to rivals Preston North End) has so far led to a lack of fanfare for the achievement. For O’Nien, it was a happier occasion: a win at Hillsborough and an ‘O’Nien 300’ shirt to hang on the wall.
This instinctively feels like an old-fashioned achievement, more 1920s than 2020s, so it’s fitting that Barnes and O’Nien both demonstrate some old-school qualities on the pitch. But it’s the latter’s impact off the pitch that, along with consistency and versatility on it, is highlighted time and time again: positive energy, desire to improve, willingness to help others. Role model. Culture setter. Team spirit animal.
The purpose of this ‘View From’ isn’t (just) to eulogise O’Nien, but to appreciate The 300 Club. Which other current EFL players have reached this milestone? How rare is it in the modern game?
I make it 22 players across 19 EFL clubs:
Luke O’Nien, Sunderland - 300
Ashley Barnes, Burnley - 300
George Thomson, Harrogate Town - 301
Jack Muldoon, Harrogate Town again - 312
Cameron Brannagan, Oxford United - 316
Kyle Naughton, Swansea City - 326
Jonny Howson, Middlesbrough - 329
Lukas Jutkiewicz, Birmingham City - 349
Ben Hinchliffe, Stockport County - 363
Craig Forsyth, Derby County - 371
Seamus Conneely, Accrington Stanley - 373
Jake Cooper, Millwall - 374
Warren Burrell, Harrogate Town (yet again) - 381
Pierce Sweeney, Exeter City - 390
Jonathan Hogg, Huddersfield Town - 399
Joe Ralls, Cardiff City - 406
Sam Hoskins, Northampton Town - 409
Nathan Smith, Port Vale - 415
Max Ehmer, Gillingham - 436
Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday - 438
Liam Palmer, Sheffield Wednesday - 458
Dean Lewington, MK Dons - 915
What a great list of EFL veterans! Here are a few shards of analysis:
Only four of the players are attackers: Jutkiewicz, Hoskins, Muldoon and Thomson. There aren’t many full-backs, either, and in the cases of Forsyth, Palmer and Naughton, all have been repurposed in recent years, as centre-backs, defensive midfielders, things of that nature.
This isn’t a great surprise on either front. For attacking players and full-backs, the waning of physical attributes such as athleticism and ability to cover ground at speed is likely more impactful, in general terms, when compared to those in the middle of the park, who are generally part of defensive or midfield units where such things can be more easily mitigated or even hidden.
For attacking players, the reality is that anyone performing well is a flight risk, likely to attract interest from higher divisions rather than stick around for 5+ years. In the EFL, there’s always another level to get to. Are attackers also more liable to be dropped due to poor form, judged quicker and treated more disposably? I believe so.
More of a surprise to me was how few of these players are academy graduates of their club. Perhaps due to high-profile One-Club Players at the top level — Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher — I thought there would be more instances of a local lad just sticking around, being appreciated more by his hometown club than other clubs, and feeling less flighty than an average player.
But on our list, only Liam Palmer, Nathan Smith and Joe Ralls were formed in their club’s academy. Although Dean Lewington has been in Milton Keynes for MK Dons’ entire existence, he was already a professional player when the club spawned.
And so we are reminded once again that, while for the majority of fans football is intensely local, for professional players it can be a free ticket to travel the country, the world, and find a new home. There’s Luke O’Nien, cheeky chappy from Hemel Hempstead, now a Wise Man of Wearside. Craig Forsyth, baptised in the River Tay (figurative), now fishing in the River Derwent (is that a thing?). Pierce Sweeney: Dublin to Devon. That’s a made-for-iPlayer travel show.
There’s something special, I think, about a player hitting 300 appearances (or more) for one club. In a world, and an industry, that always offers more options, better options, for all parties, these long-term commitments between a player and a club are remarkable in a way that’s pleasingly mundane: you’re good enough for us, we’re good enough for you, and that’s all there is to it. This lot are generally loved by fans, but there’s likely something newer and shinier to make the fans’ hearts beat faster.
Playing in 300+ games necessitates at least six years of service, but realistically more. These players have avoided or survived injury, loss of form, competition for players, managerial changes and ownership whims. This is a significant achievement on a physical and mental level, and speaks to exceptional professionalism.
Professionalism. Dressing room culture. Leadership. I rarely discuss these aspects, not because I don’t think they’re important, but because I recognise how little I truly know about individuals and dressing room dynamics, and I don’t like expounding on matters I can’t accurately measure. With this lot, though, we can celebrate the intangibles with confidence. No ‘per 90’s, here. Nothing ‘expected’. No fuss about resale value, nor tactical fit. Just contributions. Output. Performance. However it’s needed, wherever and whenever it’s needed. Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. For half a dozen years or more.
Most of the players on this list wouldn’t be considered the ‘star’ of their team. But they raise the floor of a club in a way that has an impact on and off the field. Every club should have one.
🏆 Fantasy Football
Go head-to-head against team NTT20 in our EFL Fantasy Football league
Huw, writing in the third person here, was handed control of the fantasy team with the responsibility of continuing NTT20’s strong run of form and remaining in the slipstream of the league leaders.
Double gameweek in Leagues One and Two, selections made entirely from those divisions, and the now-standard 3-2-1 formation with plenty of interceptors and clearance-makers to please the game’s scoring system – bish bash bosh, this game’s a piece of picks.
Oh. Tyler Bindon scored, but on the whole that isn’t a brilliant team performance. Still, there’s always the second half of this double gameweek to save face / our week / my job. Just don’t tell Sam what happened, OK?
Kudos to Mr Browne’s Boys, still top of the NTT20 league table and 2nd in the global game, and to Gnonto’s Gnaughty Boys for leading this gameweek so far, one point ahead of the superbly named Stop - Hamer Time.
Alan Browne - 417 - [formerly] PNE. Good chance of making the 500 club if Sunderland continue to stay down…