P is for Coventry, Cardiff and Bromley, while Leicester and Wimbledon look desperate and League Two is electric thanks to Harrogate
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Championship
⚽ SCORES
Blackburn 1-1 Coventry
Bristol City 2-4 Norwich
Derby 1-0 Oxford
Hull 1-1 Birmingham
Ipswich 2-2 Middlesbrough
Millwall 2-0 QPR
Portsmouth 1-0 Leicester
Preston 0-2 West Brom
Sheffield Wed 1-1 Charlton
Swansea 1-2 Southampton
Watford 0-2 Sheffield Utd
Wrexham 2-0 Stoke
✍️ BIG STORIES
Huw Davies
On Friday night, the Championship wrote the final chapter in a 25-year EFL story, before letting Leagues One and Two dictate the drama on Saturday.
Coventry City were relegated from the Premier League in 2001, after so many narrow escapes (including nine final-day survivals in their 34 consecutive top-flight seasons) that The Telegraph wrote, “There was a suspicion that it was written in the Premier League rules that Coventry could never be relegated”. In 2012 they fell into League One; in 2017, into League Two. But within a decade of that nadir – a period that took in two seasons playing in Birmingham, amazing progress under Mark Robins, back-to-back shootout defeats at Wembley and Frank Lampard more than justifying his surprise appointment – Coventry are back into the Premier League.
It was a 1-1 draw at Blackburn wot won it. Various qualities have driven Cov’s title-winning season – Carl Rushworth looking every inch a Premier League goalkeeper, attackers hitting form at different times, a supporting cast stepping up – but a defining asset in the first half of the campaign was set-piece goals, so it was fitting that they returned to finish the job. As a wide free-kick was swung into the box in search of a promotion-winning equaliser, Bobby Thomas rose highest, and Coventry rise with him.
In their endeavours to join them, Ipswich and Middlesbrough played out a ding-dong Desmond on Sunday. After each side scored a beauty in a first half Ipswich dominated, Boro retook the lead and looked like throwing their hat of cats into a massive ring of pigeons. At that moment, a single point separated four teams between 2nd and 5th. But Adilson Malanda impeded George Hirst and Jack Clarke tucked home the penalty, so Ipswich are back in the top two with a game in hand.
Elsewhere in the promotion battle, Millwall, Wrexham and Derby all won to nil, against QPR, Stoke and Oxford respectively, but Hull were denied by a brilliant Tomoki Iwata equaliser for Birmingham. Cameron Archer’s 90th-minute strike against Swansea gave Southampton an eighth consecutive win in all competitions. Having taken 42 points from the last 48 available (W13 D3 L0), Saints are just one point off the automatics. Surely they couldn’t…
In the race to avoid relegation, Portsmouth beat Leicester 1-0 despite losing two players to injury in the first 15 minutes. They’re safe, thanks to three consecutive wins, but for Leicester this was yet another dire performance devoid of pride and purpose. They threatened only from throws and corners before Ibane Bowat bundled in a set piece; you could say, ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword’, but set pieces aren’t bringing Leicester much life, either. Rowett has picked up nine points from his 11 games while blunting the attack, failing to inspire his players and giving 16-year-old livewire Jeremy Monga just half an hour of football across 10 matches. Bleak.
If Leicester have it all to do, Oxford have it… most to do? There was some to-do when Yunus Konak turned this golden opportunity to equalise against Derby…
…into this desperate slash at goal:
Konak missed, Jeon Jin-woo went spare at his Yellows team-mate, and Derby held on to their 1-0 lead.
West Bromwich Albion made it eight games unbeaten with a 2-0 win at Preston that lifts them five points clear of the dropzone… for now. A potential two-point deduction looms with quiet menace. More happily, Daryl Dike scored his first goal since the final day of last season (his third in three years). Fingers crossed that his injury nightmare may finally be ending, because he has been in every WBA matchday squad for the past six months.
Blackburn played well in their 1-1 draw with Coventry and Charlton, well, played in their 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday. The Owls are now three unbeaten, and it’s a sad state of affairs when that is a noteworthy statistic.
Finally, some fun in the sun. Norwich came from behind to beat Bristol City 4-2 thanks to a prime poacher’s performance from Mohamed Touré: four shots, three goals, two passes attempted, one pass completed. Son of Lineker?
Touré’s first goal – after Bristol City had one strangely disallowed – came at the precise moment that the Sun emerged from behind a cloud. That’s just clumsy scriptwriting. His third wasn’t even a shot, as the ball just ricocheted in off his hand.
Son of Maradona, then.
📊 STATS
🔵 Pompey rolling — Portsmouth have won three straight league games at the most critical time, and it’s just the second time they’ve managed that feat since their return to the Championship in 2024.
🦁 Millwall mark — Millwall’s 76 points is their third-highest ever second-tier tally; the other records to beat are 82 in 1987/88 and 77 in 2001/02.
🌟 Touré takeover — Since February, Mohamed Touré has 10 goal involvements for Norwich City, more than any other Championship player.
🎯 Windass run — Josh Windass has scored in four of his last five for Wrexham; his 13 goals are his best return since 2015–16.
👟 Marching in - Southampton have averaged 2.625 ppg over the past 16 matches – more than a third of the campaign.
🦉 Owls are not what they seem - Sheffield Wednesday had their joint-highest possession share of the season against Charlton (67%), despite trailing for only 27 minutes of the game.
🦊 A sheep in fox’s clothing - For the first time this season, Leicester would be in the Championship relegation zone even if they hadn’t received a six-point deduction.
📺 HIGHLIGHTS
Nothing banal about Jaydon Banel’s winner for Derby.
What a goal from Tomoki Iwata for Blues.
🧮 LEAGUE TABLE
League One
⚽ SCORES
AFC Wimbledon 1-3 Plymouth
Barnsley 2-2 Bradford
Bolton 3-3 Huddersfield
Exeter 3-3 Stockport
Leyton Orient 0-2 Rotherham
Mansfield 2-2 Luton
Northampton 1-3 Doncaster
Peterborough 1-1 Burton Albion
Port Vale 0-0 Wigan
Reading 1-3 Cardiff
Stevenage 2-2 Lincoln City
Wycombe 0-1 Blackpool
✍️ BIG STORIES
Matt Watts
Spare a thought for Reading fans. In the last fortnight, two sides have won promotion at the Select Car Leasing Stadium – and neither of them have been Reading. Cardiff followed in Lincoln’s footsteps by beating the Royals and celebrating promotion in Berkshire. Purple Turtle, anyone? Fittingly, two of the three Cardiff goals were scored by two of their eight players on show aged 23 or younger; the pick of the goals, however, was the clincher scored by Perry Ng.
For much of the afternoon, it looked like the Bluebirds might have to wait a little longer to get a (P) by their name, because Stockport were 2-0 up and then 3-2 up at Exeter.
Then, something quite incredible happened.
After Pierce Sweeney had been denied by Corey Addai from the previous corner, Exeter goalkeeper Jack Bycroft headed home a 96th-minute equaliser to send St James Park into raptures and seal Cardiff’s promotion. Bycroft won’t have to buy a pint in the Welsh capital for the rest of his days.
As for Exeter, Bycroft’s impression of a Geordie No.9 who used to light up a stadium with a very similar name moved them a point closer to the teams who currently find themselves above the dotted line with two games remaining.
AFC Wimbledon are now only two points ahead of the Grecians after they fell to a sixth successive defeat – this time, to play-off chasers Plymouth. Leyton Orient are three points ahead of Exeter after they lost 2-0 at home to recently-relegated Rotherham. A point further clear, you’ll find Peterborough and Burton, who drew 1-1 on Sunday. It’s been a disappointing few days for Posh, who lost 3-1 at home to Port Vale on Thursday night thanks to two breathtaking free-kicks from Ethon Archer.
It was another good weekend for Blackpool, who picked up their fourth win in their last five games (and their first away win since before Christmas) by beating Wycombe 1-0 at Adams Park, thanks to Luke Leahy’s own goal – and on his 600th career appearance, too.
Back at the top, Lincoln’s wait for the title goes on – but so does their unbeaten run. The Imps are now 26 league games undefeated, after Rob Street’s late equaliser in their 2-2 draw with Stevenage. Michael Skubala’s side will be promoted with a point at Doncaster on Tuesday. Stevenage are now only two points clear of Argyle and three points clear of Luton, who came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Mansfield.
With Stevenage, Argyle and Luton all having three games to play, Huddersfield’s play-off dream effectively died after they let a 3-1 lead slip in their 3-3 draw with Bolton. Ibrahim Cissoko’s stunning left-footed strike in the 11th minute of stoppage time leaves the Terriers four points behind Stevenage. Quite remarkably, there have been seven goals in the 90th minute or later in Huddersfield’s last five games and they’ve conceded late equalisers in their last three.
Finally, Barnsley announced that Conor Hourihane would be leaving the club at the end of the season in a statement released at 9:30 am on Saturday morning. Despite Vimal Yoganathan’s eighth-minute red card, the Tykes drew 2-2 with Bradford thanks to Leo Farrell’s 96th-minute equaliser.
📊 STATS
🌊 Seasiders surge — Blackpool have won five of their last seven to steer clear of the relegation storm; it’s as many as in their previous 18 combined.
🔄 Hatters fightback — Luton Town have avoided defeat from 2+ goals down three times, the joint-most in League One.
🧤 Keeper chaos — Exeter City’s Jack Bycroft is the first goalkeeper to score in a League One match since Iain Turner for Preston against Notts County in August 2011.
⏰ Cozier clutch — Amario Cozier-Duberry has six goal involvements after the 90th minute for Bolton Wanderers, creating more added-time drama than any other player.
📺 HIGHLIGHTS
BYCROFT! Jack’s 96th-minute equaliser that was celebrated in Devon, Reading and Cardiff.
A Perry Ng strike from range that was celebrated in Reading and Cardiff.
Ibrahim is HIM – Cissoko with the latest late goal to haunt Huddersfield.
🧮 LEAGUE TABLE
League Two
⚽ SCORES
Barrow 1-3 Walsall
Bromley 0-0 Cambridge
Cheltenham 1-0 Newport
Crawley 0-0 Shrewsbury
Crewe 1-3 MK Dons
Fleetwood 1-1 Chesterfield
Gillingham 1-4 Grimsby
Harrogate 1-0 Colchester
Notts County 1-2 Barnet
Oldham 1-2 Salford
Swindon 2-2 Accrington Stanley
Tranmere 1-2 Bristol Rovers
✍️ BIG STORIES
Sam Parry
Choose your own adventure: Ali and I were at Hayes Lane on Thursday night to watch a) Bromley clinch promotion, b) Cambridge spoil the party and insert themselves into the title conversation, or c) Kelland Watts doing this…
It was c) on the night during a 0-0 draw, but Andy Woodman’s Ravens will now be leaving the League Two tower after Notts County lost on Saturday. The collective noun for Ravens? An “unkindness”. No such malevolence here.
Bromley have ensnared teams week in and week out. They squash play into the central third, choke the life out of opponents, swing in crosses, fire in corners and fling in throw-ins. They score first. Often – 27 times in 44 games. They are giants. They are set-piece empresarios. They are, quite simply, a League One team for the first time ever. What a story. What a club.
The permutations that sealed the deal? Let’s keep this chronological.
Two teams without any real incentive to win football matches made a big impact at both ends of League Two in the early kick-offs on Saturday.
“Pump three, please.”
Fine at the petrol station. Less so at 14:30 on a Saturday afternoon at Holker Street, where a Walsall side with zip to play for did exactly that to Barrow. One small crumb of comfort was the consolation goal to make it 1-3, which could really matter.
At the same time, Accrington drew 2-2 with Swindon after taking the lead inside 30 seconds and then equalising in the 91st minute – two crash-bangs that walloped Swindon’s automatic hopes. By five o’clock, it called into question their grip on the play-offs.
Right, take a breath.
Hold it.
And consider that a couple of hours later, at 16:34, I sent this message into the Weekend Notes group chat, imagining – pah! – that I was onto a quiet one.
Tranmere had equalised against a Bristol Rovers side that had won seven on the spin, but then Yusuf Akhamrich, who looks a bit too good, jinked and found the bottom corner. Crawley and Shrewsbury remained 0-0. Poor old Newport conceded in the 82nd minute and fell to defeat against Cheltenham despite a good performance and winning the somewhat hollow shot battle 17-8.
That left Harrogate with an opportunity to get another opportunity to save their season. The clock read 90’+9 when they took it, as 21-year-old Jacob Slater, on loan from Brighton, flicked out a boot to meet a mini post-corner melée. Results could hardly have gone better for Simon Weaver’s side. They have a chance.
But that still leaves the top, which was also bloody turvy.
MK Dons won 3-1 against Crewe to edge very close to automatic promotion. Then it was one for sorrow and two for Kabongo Tshimanga as Notts County lost 2-1 to Barnet. It leaves the Magpies with work to do to secure a top-three finish, while the Bees remain just outside the play-off hive.
Salford climbed into 4th with an impressive 2-1 win away at an Oldham side who had looked like mounting a real play-off push. Speaking of the play-offs and pushes: Grimsby were pushy. Mariners stuck their fingers into the Gills, poking at wounds about as fresh as, I don’t know, the 8th of November (see stats). Anyway, Grimsby battered them 4-1 (cue goal difference klaxon) to set up a mouthwatering game-in-hand clash with Cambridge on Tuesday.
And it’s all the more enticing because Chesterfield, a goal down to Fleetwood and playing with 10 men, equalised in the 89th minute.
Breathless stuff all round.
📊 STATS
📉 Ainsworth it? — After taking 25 points from their first 15 games (1.66 PPG), Gillingham were four points off top spot on 8 November. Gareth Ainsworth’s side have managed the same total across their next 29 since then (0.86 PPG).
⏱️ Start to finish — Accrington Stanley scored in the first minute and after the 90th in their draw with Swindon Town; only the second such instance in the EFL this season, after Grimsby Town v Newport County in August.
🔥 Signing of the season? — Jaze Kabia has 15 league goals in his first League Two season for Grimsby Town – if he adds one more to the tally, he’ll equal his record haul of 16 from last season for Truro in the National League South.
⚽ Tshimanga streak — Kabongo Tshimanga has 7 goals in his last 6 games for Barnet and now has three braces in 2026, more than across his previous nine years combined.
📺 HIGHLIGHTS
Harrogate leave it late to keep the Football League dream alive.
Backheel for Kabongo: Tshimanga at the double
🧮 LEAGUE TABLE
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