Norwich end Wrexham run, Ballard bags another hat-trick, Stockport go back-to-back, Mansfield roll on, Salford beat Swindon, and Lee Grant sacked...
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Championship
Sam Parry
In one of the most intriguing games of the weekend, Eric Ramsay’s new-look West Brom side started fast against Middlesbrough. They went close in a frenetic opening when a Luke Ayling error allowed Aune Heggebø through on goal.
As the half wore on, West Brom looked increasingly flustered rather than fluent, more instructed than practised when trying to break at pace, and Middlesbrough began to suss them. A Charlie Taylor own goal put Boro ahead in the first half, and when Sammy Silvera drilled a second through a defender’s legs for 2–0 on ‘58, it felt as though they had West Brom in a chokehold.
The arrival of Jed Wallace and Josh Maja, and Mikey Johnston moving to the left wing, helped Baggies find some cut-through. An Isaac Price free kick from the edge of the box and a Wallace finish from a loose clearance hauled them level. A 2-2 draw would’ve made the Baggies the first side to deny Boro victory after they’d led.
Instead, Boro found another answer. Crisp interplay between Morris, Hackney and Silvera carved out space for Delano Burgzorg, who finished calmly to make it 3–2 and finally settle a game that had swung wildly but ultimately, and just about deservedly, tilted Boro’s way. Baggies, it should be said, are only 3pts off the relegation zone.
Early errors proved decisive at Portman Road, where Blackburn were undone inside the opening 15 minutes against Ipswich. An inviting cross saw Eiran Cashin slide home an avoidable own goal on his Championship debut for Rovers. The second was just as preventable, Blackburn failing to clear a corner and allowing Jack Taylor to prod home.
The game was effectively over long before the 88th minute, when a sumptuous counter-attack ended with Sammie Szmodics tapping in against his former club. Kieran McKenna’s side needed that, having seen both Coventry and Middlesbrough win.
Coventry’s victory was harder-earned because Leicester struck first with a flowing move involving many of their brightest sparks this season: Fatawu dribbling into the box, Bobby De Cordova-Reid flicking the ball round the corner, and Jordan James firing home inside ten minutes.
Looking vulnerable to Foxes pressure in the first half, Coventry flipped the contest just after the break when Ellis Simms deflected in an equaliser. That goal sparked them into life. Frank Lampard’s side dominated the second period, with Romain Esse hitting the post and Coventry registering ten shots inside the box. In the 84th minute, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto shrugged off Luke Thomas and fired goalwards, where substitute Haji Wright was on hand to secure all three points.
One of the strangest matches of the weekend unfolded at the Valley, where one goalmouth caught all the action. Sheffield United dominated the first half, with Tom Cannon and Patrick Bamford denied by Thomas Kaminski in the Charlton goal, and Djibril Soumaré rattling the post.
Gravity flipped late in the first period, not with Soumaré’s red, but when Blades captain Japhet Tanganga was also dismissed for a clumsy-at-best forearm smash. At 11 vs 9, Charlton dominated the second half. Sonny Carey opened the scoring within a minute, finishing neatly from debutant Lydon Dykes’ headed knockdown. It was attack-v-defence stuff from there. A huge result for Nathan Jones’ side, who secured only their second win in eight games. Significant for Sheffield United too, who lose players and ground in their bid to crash the play-off party.
Elsewhere, a second-half double gave Millwall a deserved win over Watford, whilst a familiar name to Preston fans, Patrick Agyemang (not that one), missed an open net for Derby before going on to score the winner. Portsmouth, meanwhile, had to beat Sheffield Wednesday, and did so, but only just.
Norwich ended Wrexham’s winning streak with a 2–1 away victory. It does not lift the Canaries out of the relegation zone, but at 1.5 points per game under Philippe Clement, they look well placed to stride clear of danger.
And finally, Southampton’s struggles under Tonda Eckert continued as they trailed Hull 2–0 at half-time. Ross Stewart pulled one back after the break, but the Tigers threw bodies in front of everything to hold firm. It is now one win in eight for Saints, while Hull sit in the play-off mix with a game in hand on many around them.
League One
Matt Watts
The EFL’s middle child did its best to take centre stage on Saturday with Big Stories everywhere you looked.
Table-topping Cardiff beat Bradford 2-1. A stunning strike from David Turnbull gave the visitors the lead, before Calum Chambers diverted in an Ollie Tanner cross to double their advantage inside the opening half an hour. Another sumptuous effort from young Jenson Metcalfe halved the arrears after the break with what proved to be Bradford’s only shot on target. The result meant Bluebirds extended their lead at the top of the table after Lincoln let a two-goal lead slip in their draw at Luton. Crucially, Cardiff are also now nine points clear of Bradford - albeit, the Bantams do have a game in hand.
Stockport moved within one point of Bradford by beating Rotherham 3-2. There may have been five goals scored, but only two of them were in the right net. Struggling Rotherham scored two own goals, but the pick of the bunch belonged to Stockport’s Joseph Olowu after Ben Hinchliffe fired his clearance into Olowu’s backside. “Bring back the 90’s Bloopers VHS!” we say.
A word of warning for those above Stockport - this is the first time that Dave Challinor’s Hatters have won back-to-back league games since October and yet they’re still only four points off 2nd.
Bolton climbed up to 5th after Josh Sheehan’s late strike at Wigan gave them a) the bragging rights in a local derby and b) their first win since Boxing Day. Sheehan’s drive from the edge of the area certainly moved and it did come through bodies, but super Sam Tickle will want this one back.
Huddersfield’s 3-1 defeat at Burton proved to be the final game in charge for Lee Grant, who was sacked on Saturday evening. Grant leaves the Terriers 6th in League One and ten points off the automatic promotion places after a run of four league games without a win. As for Burton, this result, in their 750th game in the Football League, saw them end a run of three league games without a win (and without scoring). It also catapulted Gary Bowyer’s Brewers out of the bottom four and up to 19th.
There’s a new name at the top of the League One scoring charts and that name is Dominic Ballard. The 20-year-old scored his second hat-trick of the season as Leyton Orient beat Reading 3-1 at Brisbane Road. It was a perfect hat-trick for Ballard and a pretty perfect afternoon for Richie Wellens, who celebrated his 100th win in charge of Orient. In addition to his three goals that stood, Ballard also had two goals disallowed and he hit the post. Yes, he really could have scored five or six!
How do you respond to a 10-1 drubbing? By winning and, crucially, keeping a clean sheet. Exeter beat Stevenage 3-0 thanks to a Jayden Wareham penalty, an Ethan Brierley strike from distance and a debut goal for Timur Tutierov. Despite their off-field issues, Gary Caldwell’s Grecians are 13th after winning five league games to nil since the start of December - albeit, they’re still only four points clear of the bottom four. As for Stevenage, they’re now six without a win and, without stating the obvious, they aren’t Manchester City.
Finally, is it too early in the year for a Stag Party? Mansfield made it five wins in a row in all competitions by beating Port Vale 3-0. Spurs loanee Oliver Irow marked his senior debut by scoring twice either side of a Will Evans tap-in. Irow’s second goal in particular was certainly one that he won’t forget in a hurry. The Stags are up to 10th, but they’re only four points behind Huddersfield in 6th and they have not one, not two but three games in hand over the Terriers.
League Two
Huw Davies
League Two had an as-you-were weekend. The only wins for a lower-placed team were 4th away at 2nd and 12th at home to 11th (Grimsby beating Barnet 1-0) – hardly upsets worthy of the name.
That 2nd v 4th encounter was a biggie, though, as Salford went to Swindon and won 3-2. In a fun first half featuring three goals, a corner hitting the crossbar and an open goal missed from the touchline, they led through a set piece and a great move taking the ball from their own half to goal in just three touches – Jorge Grant’s long pass, Ryan Graydon’s unspeakably good first-time lay-off, and Kelly N’Mai to finish.
Salford finished the job to go level on points with Swindon in 2nd. They’re also six points off the top with a game in hand, thanks to Bromley drawing at Chesterfield in a 0-0 with plenty of goalmouth action. Bromley had an 89th-minute penalty to win it but Zach Hemmings saved from Nicke Kabamba. How significant could that end up being?
The other two BIG GAMES, worthy of all-caps, were relegation-based. Newport started fast again away at Gillingham: having scored in the first minute of their first meeting, they scored in the fourth minute here. And lost both times.
Losing 3-2 to goals on 90’+1 and 90’+9 sounds worse than it was, as a lengthy stoppage resulted in 18 minutes of injury time, but it’s still painful for Newport. Cameron Antwi’s fine goal to put them 2-1 up was assisted by debutant Tanatswa Nyakuhwa, who then gave away a clumsy penalty on Garath McCleary, and that rather sums up County. At times, they impress in attack. At no time do they impress in defence. Ryan Delaney, returning to the Exiles, was too weak under McCleary’s aerial challenge and the veteran nodded home.
Gillingham could/should have won it earlier anyway. Though the game’s 41 shots and 13 on target were fairly evenly shared, the five big chances (per Opta) all went to Gills. Of course, Opta may have decided that Josh Andrews’ 0.98xG miss represented five big chances in one.
Finally, Shrewsbury saw off Harrogate with some help. Jack Evans’ second booking was pivotal and perhaps a little harsh; delaying the restart is one thing, but dropping the ball behind your opponent for a throw-in as you run back to your mark is just standard practice. After that, Taylor Perry’s long-range drive went through the despairing fingers of young Henry Gray, who’d made several good saves up to then, and that was enough.
And Shews really are doing just enough. This was their fifth win of 2025/26 and three have been 1-0 at home to 22nd, 23rd and 24th. Incredibly, Harrogate haven’t won a league fixture since September – that they’re one point from safety is a damning indictment of two-up-two-down.
🎦 Our Top 5 clips from the EFL weekend
Kaikai can can — Super satisfying freekick kisses the crossbar on its way in.
Irow take a bow — Stag’s debutant hits a stunner.
An OG for the ages — Rotherham nab one from the most unlikely source.
Just three touches — Salford link up: Jorge Grant > Ryan Graydon > Kelly N’Mai
Owura’s Brazil aura — Wonder strike for Col U in the yellow and blue.
📊 Your Monday morning cheat sheet
🔥 Nombe en Flambe — Sam Nombe has scored three goals in his last three appearances, all as a substitute as he’s eased back from injury; no League One player can better his 0.97 goals per 90 — albeit from just 556 minutes on the pitch.
⚖️ Level pegging — The Championship’s joint top scorers are locked on 11 goals, but not all totals are created equal: Adam Armstrong has scored his tally from 11.39 xG, with Žan Vipotnik bagging his from just 4.2 xG.
🚍 Mill travelling well — Millwall, who haven’t lost a game by a single goal this season, won their first away league game by more than one goal since November 2023; each of their previous 14 away wins had come by a single-goal margin.
🏠 Grecian’s Mount Olympus — Exeter City have won four straight home games, their longest run at St James Park since 2022.
🔄 Loss leaders — After coming from behind to beat Leicester City 2–1, Coventry City have now recovered 16 points from losing positions this Championship season — Watford (23) have rescued more though.
📉 Smereing it on thick — Tranmere Rovers have lost five of their last seven league games (W2), the same number of defeats as across their previous 22 matches.
🚫 Brom stopped — Bromley failed to score in a league game for the first time since September, ending a 15-game scoring run; the draw at Chesterfield also halted a seven-game League Two winning streak.
❌ Crawling on empty — Crawley Town are winless in 11 league games (D4 L7), losing four straight for the first time since October 2024.
📉 Tangerine nightmare — Blackpool’s 2–1 defeat to Barnsley leaves them on three consecutive league losses for the first time since October 2024.
SkyBet Championship
Charlton 1-0 Sheffield Utd
Coventry 2-1 Leicester
Ipswich 3-0 Blackburn
Oxford Utd 0-0 Bristol City
Preston 0-1 Derby
Sheff Wed 0-1 Portsmouth
Southampton 1-2 Hull
Stoke 0-0 QPR
Swansea 1-1 Birmingham
Watford 0-2 Millwall
West Brom 2-3 Middlesbrough
Wrexham 1-2 Norwich
Sky Bet League One
AFC Wimbledon 0-1 Doncaster
Barnsley 2-1 Blackpool
Bradford 1-2 Cardiff
Burton Albion 3-1 Huddersfield
Exeter 3-0 Stevenage
Leyton Orient 3-1 Reading
Luton 2-2 Lincoln City
Mansfield 3-0 Port Vale
Northampton 1-2 Wycombe
Peterborough 0-1 Plymouth
Stockport 3-2 Rotherham
Wigan 0-1 Bolton
Sky Bet League Two
Accrington Stanley 0-2 MK Dons
Bristol Rovers 0-1 Colchester
Chesterfield 0-0 Bromley
Crawley Town 1-2 Notts County
Crewe 3-1 Barrow
Fleetwood Town 1-2 Cambridge Utd
Gillingham 3-2 Newport County
Grimsby 1-0 Barnet
Oldham 2-1 Cheltenham
Shrewsbury 1-0 Harrogate Town
Swindon 2-3 Salford
Tranmere 1-3 Walsall
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