Bristol City's Struberball shocks Sheff Utd | Exeter & Wimbledon stick two fingers up at 'unfancied' tag | Tranmere tantalise
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Championship
How important are first impressions? In one Championship fixture, they felt so significant as to be potentially season-defining. For Bristol City players and fans, a 4-1 win at Bramall Lane banished the painful memories of their 0-6 aggregate defeat to Sheffield United in the play-off semi-final three months ago.
For Gerhard Struber, it was the perfect start. For Rubén Sellés, it couldn’t have gone worse – Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United didn’t ship four in a game even once last season. Coming under fire, among other things: Sellés’ tactical balance, the club’s summer recruitment, the ownership’s big-picture decisions, and Rhys Norrington-Davies in general. In transition, the Blades backline showed the constitution of a wet biscuit, though the defenders may argue they weren’t protected by those in front of them.
Struber himself acknowledged that quality finishing underpinned this shock scoreline. City scored with four of their first six shots, which included a Scott Twine Free Kick™ and a Ross McCrorie laser. Debutant Emil Riis added plenty with his movement, Radek Vitek made five saves and the returning Rob Atkinson stood strong at the back. City fans could make plenty of positive comparisons to the less exciting aspects of Liam Manning’s Top Six Robins, which always feels nice to do as a jilted lover.
These were strong first impressions at either end of the scale. Will they set the tone for the season or end up being an aberrant footnote?
Millwall boss Alex Neil went back to Norwich carrying the specific pressure of being that team that everyone seems to consider dark horses. Like most things, Neil handled it well. The goalless first half was spent sitting off, settling, lulling Norwich into a sense of control. In the second half, Millwall landed jab after jab in attack. After Camiel Neghli’s opener was cancelled out by a Josh Sargent ‘charge-down’ goal, Millwall responded brilliantly and won it through Macaulay Langstaff. One Championship goal last season for the forgotten Langstaff, equalled here.
In a highly-entertaining opening slate, the Championship also treated us to injury-time winners in Southampton 2-1 Wrexham, Stoke 3-1 Derby and Charlton 1-0 Watford.
League One
Despite finishing no lower than 16th in the past three seasons, Exeter City began the season as one of the favourites for relegation – a fan-owned club, finding it difficult to compete financially at this level, whose planned increase to the playing budget had to be scrapped. On opening weekend, they lost to a late penalty.
Here, they owned Blackpool. Ahead early after some endeavour from Jack Aitchison opened up the Tangerine defence for Reece Cole to score, Exeter didn’t stop until the full-time whistle, not long after scoring their fourth in a 4-1 win. When you don’t have deep pockets, your transfer success rate is crucial, and strong performances from new signings Sil Swinkels, Ethan Brierley, Jake Doyle-Hayes and Jayden Wareham bode well. Blackpool’s start to 2025/26 has been a horror show.
Wimbledon also began the season as one of the favourites for relegation – another fan-owned club, finding it difficult to compete financially at this level. And, on opening weekend, they lost to a late own goal as well.
Here, they beat Lincoln 2-0 to get their season up and running. When you don’t have deep pockets – and when star players such as Josh Neufville and James Tilley leave for clubs higher up the food chain – your transfer success rate is crucial, and strong performances from new signings Nathan Bishop, Steve Seddon and man of the match Nathan Asiimwe bode well.
Elsewhere, Barnsley came from 0-2 to beat Burton 3-2, and are joined on maximum points by Luton (2-0 vs Peterborough), Stevenage (1-0 vs Rotherham), Huddersfield (2-0 vs Reading), Stockport (2-1 vs Wycombe) and Doncaster (2-1 vs Mansfield).
League Two
Tranmere didn’t score four goals in a league game last season until Matchday 41. It’s taken them just two attempts to do so this time. The gulf in energy, intensity and attacking verve between Andy Crosby’s side and opponents Shrewsbury was stark, and summed up by Nohan Kenneh winning the ball in midfield to start attacks for the first two goals. New boys Charlie Whitaker and Taylan Harris dovetailed well in the #10 positions behind Josh Davison. Omari Patrick had one of his world-beater games, hitting the post from 30 yards before scoring from 25. With a draw at ColU and this thumping win, Crosby’s Rovers have started 2025/26 as strongly as they ended 24/25.
There are three teams on maximum points after two games. Crewe have started fast in both games so far, blitzing Accrington to go two up after half an hour and seeing it out cosily. Fleetwood and Chesterfield join Crewe at the top after beating Bristol Rovers and Cheltenham respectively.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Stoppage time bedlam, part one.
Stoppage time bedlam, part two.
Stoppage time bedlam, part three.
Kelly. Hampton. Charles. Hemp. Champions with EFL connections.
Railwayman. Traction engine.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
🕘 There were 5 (five) 90th-minute winners scored in the EFL on Saturday – the joint-most on record in a single day since Opta started checking such things in 2013/14.
🎯 Scott Twine scored his 17th direct free-kick goal in English football. No player in professional football – at least that we can find – has scored more free-kicks than Twine since the 2020/21 season.
🪄 Aged 37, David McGoldrick scored a league goal for the 20th consecutive season from 2006-07 to 2025-26, with Barnsley the 11th different side he has scored for in that time.
🦁 Millwall beat Norwich away from home for the first time since March 1970, following 21 winless attempts.
🟥 57th minute: Shrewsbury’s Will Boyle is booked for a foul on the touchline. 58th minute: the resulting free-kick is aimed at Josh Davison, who is fouled by Will Boyle. Second yellow within a minute: red card.
🏴 Newport named seven Welsh players in their starting line-up yesterday. Identity.
🧤 According to Transfermarkt, Glenn Morris’ clean sheet with Gillingham was his 121st in League Two – the most in the fourth tier since the rebrand (2004/05), overtaking Scott Brown.
🤦♂️ Wigan’s Steven Sessegnon was the first player in League One history (from 2004-05), and the first in any of England’s top four tiers since February 2021, to score an own goal and be sent off in the same match.
⚡ Crewe Alexandra scored only 18 goals in the first half of league games last season. This season: five first-half goals in two matches.
👴🏻 Ipswich Town’s Ashley Young played in the Championship for the first time since the 2006 play-off final for Watford against Leeds, 19 years and 79 days ago; it’s the longest gap between Championship appearances for one player since the 2004/05 rebrand.
👑 A number of captains scored big goals. Winning goals: Jack Stephens, Dael Fry, Owen Bailey. Other: Eoin Toal (1st in a 2-0 win), Alex Gilbey (1st in a 2-0 win), Reece Cole (4th-minute opener).
🔄 Swindon Town came from behind to beat Cambridge United 3-2; since the start of last season, they’ve gained more points from losing positions than any other side in the top four tiers (28).
💤 There were only 9 shots total in Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea: one more than in Luton 1-0 Wimbledon in the opening weekend and two more than last season’s snoozefest record in Stevenage 0-0 Leyton Orient.
Sky Bet Championship
Birmingham 1-1 Ipswich
Charlton 1-0 Watford
Coventry 0-0 Hull
Leicester 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Middlesbrough 1-0 Swansea
Norwich 1-2 Millwall
Oxford 0-1 Portsmouth
QPR 1-1 Preston
Sheffield United 1-4 Bristol City
Southampton 2-1 Wrexham
Stoke 3-1 Derby
West Brom 1-0 Blackburn
Sky Bet League One
Barnsley 3-2 Burton
Bolton 2-0 Plymouth
Exeter 4-1 Blackpool
Leyton Orient 2-0 Wigan
Mansfield 1-2 Doncaster
Northampton 0-0 Bradford
Peterborough 0-2 Luton
Port Vale 0-0 Cardiff
Reading 0-2 Huddersfield
Stevenage 1-0 Rotherham
Wimbledon 2-0 Lincoln
Wycombe 1-2 Stockport
Sky Bet League Two
Barrow 0-2 MK Dons
Bromley 2-0 Barnet
Cheltenham 0-2 Chesterfield
Crawley 1-2 Newport
Crewe 2-0 Accrington
Fleetwood 2-1 Bristol Rovers
Gillingham 1-0 Walsall
Harrogate 3-3 Grimsby
Notts County 1-2 Salford
Oldham 1-1 Colchester
Swindon 3-2 Cambridge
Tranmere 4-0 Shrewsbury
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Top 5 Scorers
Scott Twine (MID) - Bristol City - 22pts
Owen Bailey (MID) - Doncaster - 20pts
Nathan Asiimwe (DEF) - Wimbledon - 18pts
Anis Mehmeti (MID) - Bristol City - 16pts
Jack Whatmough (DEF) - Huddersfield - 16pts
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1️⃣ Premier Spires - 162
2️⃣ Dons Stop Believin - 151
3️⃣ Far From The Madden Crowd - 148
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