Ali Maxwell
Good bloody morning.
There were 115 goals this weekend. 32 in the Champ, 40 in L1 (stepping up at last), 43 in L2 (hold my beer, L1). But this was the first time in a while that EFL results stopped me in my tracks — a cold, crisp, beautiful Saturday of expectations defied, runs ended and surprises aplenty.
Football so often feels like it has an internal logic, with a churning engine that spits out the outcomes we expect. Not this weekend. Portsmouth - first loss of the season. Mansfield - first loss of the season. Stockport - on the cusp of a record-breaking 13th consecutive win, lose a game.
In the Championship, the seeded batch, the squeezed middle - call ‘em what you will - emerged once more in a compelling constellation. That is 16 teams grouped together within a 10-point bracket!
So many questions. So many answers. So many cats amongst so many pigeons.
All of that and more in the latest edition of Weekend Notes. Settle in for the 5iveLights and Top Lines.
Point of order: our ‘Player and Manager of the Month Awards’ will drop on Thursday for paid subscribers. Where should we be looking to find the biggest achievers and best performers? Manager/Player/Young Player for each league —drop us a comment and let us know.
Shane McLoughlin ended Stockport’s winning streak in style.
Four-nil at Pompey, Blackpool? That’s insane.
Taylor. Gardner. Hickman. Holy. Hell.
Juninho by name… Bacuna’s stunner.
Manning the Bristol City fort. A first win.
Championship
Ali Maxwell
Let’s lead with the performance of the weekend. It’s time to talk about West Bromwich Albion and their manager Carlos Corberán.
On Saturday evening, Ipswich Town came to town, with their 2023 league record reading: 26 wins, 10 draws, 2 defeats. Kieran McKenna has built a side with a clear identity and a game plan that the players know inside out. Not only that, Ipswich have shown themselves to be adaptable, and good at solving the problems that arise within games.
But for the first time this calendar year, Kieran McKenna and Ipswich Town had no answers. For the first time this season, Ipswich had less than 10 shots. For the first time this season, Ipswich didn’t have a shot on target. West Brom’s defensive half was nothing but dead ends, closed roads, brick walls.
It’s really fun to watch a Corberán team when they’re locked in like this. His absolute obsession with football tactics bears fruit when he achieves buy-in from his players. Since the first international break, WBA have taken 22 points from 12 games. Their eight clean sheets are the most in the league.
But they’re beginning to warm up going forward, as well. A set-piece goal. A lightning counter attack. An attacking unit playing with growing confidence, energy and work-rate, epitomised by Jed Wallace. Wallace, Thomas-Asante, Diangana and Phillips are dovetailing well, and there’s Jeremy Sarmiento and John Swift coming off the bench. Josh Maja, Daryl Dike should be available soon.
In 2021/22, Corberan’s Huddersfield lost only two games from December onwards, once his constant tactical drilling became fully programmed, instinctive. If Saturday night’s performance is the blueprint, West Brom are going to be part of the Championship promotion conversation.
Two Championship managers got over the hurdle marked ‘First League Win’ on Saturday. Wayne Rooney had tripped on the same obstacle in his first five games in charge of Birmingham City, so going 0-1 down at home to bottom-side Sheffield Wednesday wasn’t ideal.
Not for the first, or even fourth time under Danny Röhl, Wednesday started brightly, clear in their game plan and putting a strong foot forward.
Not for the first, or even fourth time under Danny Röhl, the flame was snuffed out once the opposition scored - Juninho Bacuna returning a clearance with interest, walloping home a much-needed equaliser to stop the anticipated half-time boos. 19-year-old Wales international Jordan James came off the bench to win the game for Birmingham, driving forward and showing composure to round Cameron Dawson after his first effort had been saved.
A first win for Rooney. A highly impressive performance? Perhaps not.
Liam Manning vaulted the First League Win hurdle at the second time of asking - his Bristol City side grabbed a 3-2 home win against Middlesbrough. The game’s tranquil opening was ended when Taylor Gardner-Hickman scored the Championship’s best goal of the weekend to put City ahead. A Tommy Conway penalty meant that it was 2-0 at half time. Within ten minutes of the second half, Boro were level: Zak Vyner scored the Championship’s best own goal of the weekend, and Matt Crooks’ confident finish levelled it up.
As everyone knows, momentum is the most important thing in football. Middlesbrough undeniably had it, so surely they flew the Magic Momentum Carpet all the way to victory? No. Mark Sykes smashed home a rebound to win it. A peculiar game, an exciting scoreline, and three points for Manning and Bristol City.
There was only one winner among the Top Six heading into the weekend: Leicester City. Back in business after consecutive defeats, a nerve-settling performance against Watford led - eventually - to a deserved victory.
Maresca’s preferred equation was playing out at the King Power: confidence and quality = dominance. But as much fun as ‘dominance’ feels, someone still needs to stick the ball in the net. Enter: Jamie Vardy. After missing what was, by the standards of a former Premier League Golden Boot winner, ‘a bit of a sitter’, Vardy stabbed home the first and slammed home the second from the spot.
Leicester regain their three-point lead at the top while extending the gap to third to ten points, because Leeds United drew at Rotherham on Friday night. Flying out the traps, they went ahead when Crysencio Summerville was released by an excellent Georginio Rutter pass, and scored his sixth league goal in eight matches. But the ‘cruise control’ technology wasn’t functioning for Farke’s Whites. Hakim Odoffin fired in a left footed shot at the end of the first half, and the difference in confidence was tangible. A new lease of life for Rotherham, and a second half performance which merited the point that they earned, as Leeds struggled to turn possession into meaningful chances.
Southampton also drew in Yorkshire, 1-1 at Huddersfield. A strong start and controlled performance translated into a 1-0 half-time lead courtesy of a piece of clever movement and finishing from Adam Armstrong. But, with recharged batteries post-international break, Huddersfield did a much better job of giving it a go than they had done recently. Josh Koroma and Sorba Thomas fired shots across the bows of HMS Saints, before wing-back Ben Jackson cut inside and… scored a cross. Sometimes, you just need someone to cut inside and score a cross! 1-1!
Wins for Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle saw them inflate the cushion currently keeping them comfortably away from the four-way fight to the death down at the bottom.
Coventry went to Millwall and had the sort of afternoon they’ve been strangely lacking this season. On their side, for once, was the rub of the green… the bounce of the ball. Specifically, two rebounds that fell kindly for Matt Godden and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto to finish. At the other end, poor Millwall finishing and good Brad Collins goalkeeping, and the consequence of all that is a 3-0 away win. Joe Edwards has experienced two ends of the Managerial Spectrum already: a 4-0 away win and a 0-3 home defeat. Call it even?
Plymouth Argyle beat Sunderland thanks to a first-half double salvo. Their most lethal weapon, Morgan Whittaker’s Left Foot, fired a deadly blow. Struck powerfully, swerving violently, it was another to add to Whittaker’s personal Goal of the Season competition. Finn Azaz showed his own special blend of quick feet and composure to make it 2-0. All the while, Sunderland were peppering the Argyle goal - 24 shots, 5 on target, two off the woodwork, 0 goals. Mike Cooper alert as ever. What can you do? Argyle’s 5 home wins in 9 is lifting them away from danger at the moment.
It’s fair to say that Stoke didn’t cover themselves in glory in an insipid 0-3 home defeat to Blackburn. Almost immediately, Sam Szmodics raced clear but missed the target. It was a warning that didn’t focus the mind, as Scott Wharton headed home an opener after 4’.
Stoke showed a modicum of huff and a touch of puff, but ran out of steam. First Andrew Moran, and then Szmodics iced a delicious cake for Rovers fans. Not only has Szmodics rebranded himself as a #9 to become the top goalscorer in the Championship, he also appears to have switched from Sam to Sammie to reflect his position as Serious Goalscorer.
90+6. 90+9. 1-0 to 1-2, and another memorable match to add to a growing list for Cardiff City 2023/24.
This was a bizarre game, really. Preston North End offered very little, but took the lead early in the second half. Mark McGuinness was caught in possession, and Milutin Osmajic had space to move into.
I can’t quite get over how huge his touch was… and I can’t avoid the feeling that Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson is too focused on backpedalling, and misses a chance to clear his lines or get there first. By the time Osmajic catches us with his XL first touch, Rúnarsson is poorly positioned.
Robbie Brady’s red card did PNE no favours, and Cardiff came on strong. Karlan Grant’s equaliser is equally weird. Duane Holmes clears the ball onto him and it flies into the bottom corner. Check out Grant at the moment of impact - he’s turned his head completely - a no look goal!
There was still time for Ike Ugbo to head home a Ryan Wintle cross. Ugbo played it cool. The Cardiff fans didn’t.
Norwich 1-0 QPR was a poor match, but I’ve a lot of time for the winning goal. Hwang Ui-jo spuns and made a run from deep with great pace. Gabriel Sara timed the ball over the top and judged it to perfection. Hwang’s first touch was quality, right into his stride, the finish unerring.
There wasn’t a lot else for Norwich fans to cling to - it was their only shot on target, and QPR dominated the ball. However, a number of openings never quite made it into opportunities, and Norwich take the points.
Swansea and Hull shared some spoils in an entertaining game of two halves. Swansea raced into a 2-0 lead off the back of Jamie Paterson’s electric performance, but Hull pegged them back with quality goals of their own, from Jaden Philogene and Tyler Morton.
League One
Dan Ghorbal
Houston, we have a new leader: Bolton Wanderers. Ian Evatt’s side have been bubbling along nicely and were in a ruthless mood when dismantling Exeter 7-0.
They didn’t start the rout until the 34th minute, but their patience and precision in delivery became decisive. Josh Sheehan pulled the strings, dragging Exeter players out of position and freeing up the explosive Bolton forwards.
After the break, white-hot confidence coursed through Bolton's veins, reaching a crescendo (well, sort of) in their third and fourth goals. Brentford loanee Paris Maghoma slammed one into the roof of the net before Dion Charles rounded off an excellent team move.
By the 7th goal, there were no more types of goal left to score, so Bolton settled for a carbon copy of the aforementioned Charles goal. This time Dan N’Lundulu was on the end of it, rounding off a complete move and completely dominant performance.
Where Exeter go from here is anyone’s guess. Gary Caldwell is under immense pressure and Tuesday’s game vs Shrewsbury could be make or break.
Bolton’s rise to the summit came as a result of Portsmouth finally slipping up and losing a league game for the first time since March. Pompey were stunned in a 4-0 thrashing by Blackpool at Fratton Park. The Seasiders have been much improved in recent weeks and caught Pompey off guard when former loanee Owen Dale opened the scoring.
One of the keys to Blackpool’s growing success has been the emergence of Karamoko Dembélé. He’s found the form that saw him become so highly rated as a teenager, he’s growing into a League One player, and in this game, he only went and curled one in (off the back of Jake Beesley) to double the Blackpool lead.
After that, the Portsmouth wheels fell off. Joe Morrell was dismissed for a reckless second yellow. And that left it up to CJ Hamilton and Albie Morgan to put a gloss on the scoreline with two more goals from outside the box. A special day for the travelling Seasiders.
Reading Football Club have won a match away from home.
REPEAT! Reading Football Club have won a match away from home.
It has been a horrible season for the Royals, but they have finally broken a run which has stood since 12 November 2022. Huge relief for them, with Wycombe on the other end of it.
Reading’s opener epitomised their calamitous form in a fortuitous way. Sam Smith miscontrolled a Femi Azeez pass and his errant first touch… ended up going into the net. They all count, Sam. The lead only lasted two minutes, though, as Killian Phillips curled in a beauty to level things.
Then a former player came back to haunt Wycombe. Lewis Wing’s deflected strike was the sort of luck Reading had been craving all season, and they defended resolutely after the break to finally end the rot.
Another team taking advantage of slip-ups around them were Peterborough, who saw off Burton Albion 4-0. Right now, there’s an argument to suggest that Posh and Bolton are the division's two best sides. And like Bolton, the results are starting to follow more regularly for Posh.
It’s becoming a bit déjà vu writing about Ephron Mason-Clark and Kwame Poku. Two of the shining lights in the division, they are adding goals and assists to their game and Burton didn’t know how to handle the pair. Between them, they have 23 goal contributions so far this season and have taken the burden off Jonson Clark-Harris. So much so, that you’ll find him on the bench.
For Burton, it’s a bit of an “eek” moment - they don’t play another bottom-half club until January 6th.
One of the weekend’s strangest games came at Highbury between Fleetwood and Stevenage, with the Steve Evans train rolling on in a 3-0 win away from home.
So, where does the strangeness come from? Well, Stevenage scored from three of their eight shots. Their counterparts Fleetwood, however, had a whopping 31 shots, accumulating an xG of 2.32.
None of those were big chances though, and they were punished at the other end. A combination of deadly finishing from Jamie Reid, and two clinical counter attacks rounded off by Ben Thompson and Elliott List - your standard Stevenage stuff.
They sit in 4th - three points off top - and are well in the promotion mix.
Another team in the mix is Oxford United. New mananger Des Buckingham was in the dugout for this clash against a much-improved Cheltenham Town.
Since Darrell Clarke was appointed, they have learned how to score goals and concede fewer. Shock horror, that’s a winning formula. Rob Street’s stunner from outside the box gave the Robins a first-half lead, but his afternoon was brought to an end just before the interval, seeing red for an elbow.
Oxford did not make the extra man count, though, and received a red of their own later on. Ruben Rodrigues missed an open goal first and was then dismissed for a very cheap second yellow. Not his afternoon. Will Goodwin made sure of the points with a nicely taken shot across the keeper, as Cheltenham showed those around them that they are truly in the fight.
Next up, back-to-back wins for Northampton Town!
It has not been a great season for the Cobblers but they have found form at home. In Sam Hoskins, they have one of the league’s most deadly finishers. However, it was his strike partner Kieran Bowie who opened the scoring in this 2-1 victory over Cambridge, capitalising on a simply woeful mix-up at the back to tap into an empty net.
There was nothing fortuitous about Hoskins’ goal though; he slammed home in typical fashion when presented with an opportunity in the box. Cambridge pulled one back late on through Gassan Ahadme, but it never truly felt like they would threaten further, and a poor afternoon was concluded by the dismissal of Paul Digby. Cobblers move up to 15th and move above Cambridge to boot.
Michael Skubala recorded his first victory as Lincoln boss in midweek against Leyton Orient, but he knew an even bigger test awaited his side as Barnsley pulled into the LNER Stadium. What followed was an entertaining 2-2 draw.
A Danny Mandroiu penalty separated the contest until midway into the second-half, but then Barnsley came alive, levelling first through Barry Cotter and then taking the lead through a John McAtee tap-in.
Those two quickfire goals had looked to send them on their way to a hard-fought victory. Frustratingly for Neil Collins, that was undone by a really cheap leveller, as Timothy Eyoma was left unmarked from a set-piece and tapped in the rebound of his free header. 9th v 8th in the table and a game which reflected that.
Derby v Bristol Rovers never truly sparked to life, but when performance levels drop, that is when you need key players to step up. That man for Derby was Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who delivered two moments of quality to record a crucial three points for the Rams. He forced Jack Hunt into an own goal with a good run and ball across, and he scored a 90th-minute winner himself just moments after Chris Martin came back to haunt his former employers.
Derby are showing real grit at the moment. Paul Warne knows his side is yet to get going this season, but they sit in the play-off places and his teams tend to click into gear and go on long runs of form. That’s three wins in a row now with trips to Port Vale and Leyton Orient to come.
On current form, a trip to Port Vale should yield three points. Andy Crosby’s outfit find themselves in a really tough period. It’s fair to say that the clash between Shrewsbury and Port Vale wasn’t one which whetted the appetite, but what couldn’t be argued is the significance of the fixture.
The home side, Shrewsbury, were the ones that took a grip of the contest, and in Max Mata and Daniel Udoh, they have two strikers that are more dangerous than their goal return suggests. Both of them were on the scoresheet here, Mata recording his first for the club for a nice header. Udoh’s solo effort reminded me of his brilliant form from the 21/22 season, and if he can rediscover that then Shrewsbury will be in a decent place. Ben Garrity pulled one back for Vale, but the reality is that they are firmly in a relegation battle.
It has been a great week for Carlisle United off the pitch. The takeover of Castle Sports Group was confirmed in the week, creating a buzz around Brunton Park and attracting a 10k plus crowd for the clash with Charlton Athletic.
Despite that much-needed positivity, Carlisle find themselves in 22nd in the table and have a real battle on their hands to remain in the division. They picked up a point here though, coming from behind against a dangerous Charlton side.
Sam Lavelle never really impressed at the Valley, but his finish from close-range was not one you’d associate with a centre-back. Zach Varah of the NTT20 Squad said:
‘Need to get to January with the gap no bigger than it is now but the change in budget is going to give us a fighting chance. Positive times ahead for Carlisle, but short-term fixes are needed.’
Wrapping things up in League One, a frustrating one for both Leyton Orient and Wigan as they only come away with a draw despite both teams having opportunities. Stephen Humphrys missed a penalty once again, and they fell behind not long after.
Shaq Forde looks like a real talent on loan from Watford, and got his 3rd of the season with a brilliant, arrowed drive into the top corner. The O’s had most of the game after that, however failure to add to the lead invited Wigan back into it, and Humphrys made amends for his early miss with a low-driven strike from outside the box.
Although performances aren’t the worst, that’s now six without a win for Orient with frustration growing.
League Two
Tom Bourke
Just the 44 goals in League 2. By now, we’re used to high-scoring games, but this league continues to find new and wonderful ways to excite us. This weekend we were served with:
Eight goals in stoppage time
One hattrick
Seven braces (two of them from centre backs!)
Unbeaten Mansfield LOST.
Oh and Stockport County DIDN'T WIN.
The league leaders lost 1-2 at Newport. A win for Stockport would have set a record-breaking 13 consecutive wins in League 2, but they settled for parity with Luton’s 12-win streak after a sluggish performance at Rodney Parade.
Stockport dominated the ball without capitalising, and the Exiles took the lead at the end of a rather non-eventful first half. Shane McLoughlin teed up Bryn Morris on the edge of the area and his side-footer found the net through a sea of Stockport defenders.
McLoughlin took centre stage midway through the second half, showing composure to chest down Lewis Payne’s cross and then lash in a brilliant left footed half volley into the far corner. Isaac Olaofe’s late tap-in was only a consolation for Stockport, who left their shooting boots - and their record books - at home.
The same can't be said for Wrexham, who climbed up to second with a ruthless 6-0 win at home to Derek Adams-less Morecambe. *Hattrick alert* - this one from Paul Mullin.
From the get-go, the Red Dragons got after John McMahon & Ged Brannan’s damp squib Shrimps. Joel Senior was forced into heading into his own net early doors. Not good. Morecambe keeper Adam Smith was at fault for both Mullin’s first and second goals. Double not good.
There was nothing he could do to stop Jacob Mendy’s magnificent solo effort following a mazy run. Nor was he at fault for Mullin’s third or James Jones' late strike, as Wrexham sliced through Morecambe’s miserable midfield and defence.
That win puts Phil Parkinson’s men above Nigel Clough’s Mansfield who lost in the last minute thanks to a Jake Young injury-time winner.
Swindon snatching all 3 points didn’t feel on the cards. They had been in poor form. Stags were unbeaten. Young gave Michael Flynn’s side an unlikely lead with a sliced volley in the 37th minute. Their fourth half-time lead in a row. They’d not won the previous three.
Mansfield replied shortly after half time, Lucas Akins reminding the Swindon defence that even at 34, his athleticism and finishing ability are a threat. Akins really should have then put Mansfield ahead, but saw his close-range header hit the bar following a set piece.
The draw looked likely until a beautiful goalmouth melee in the dying embers. Charlie Austin went agonisingly close twice before the ball found its way to Jake Young who was on hand to tap in the winner.
Wimbledon beat Notts County at Plough Lane in a cracking game at Plough Lane.
Astonishingly, the Magpies had 75% possession and completed four times as many passes as the Dons. But poor defending saw Wimbledon 2-0 up by half time, with Jake Reeves dispatching a penalty and Ali Al-Hamadi taking advantage of sloppy play at the back.
Luke Williams' men were rejuvenated in the second half and were level at 67 minutes thanks to strikes from Macaulay Langstaff and Aaron Nemane. At 2-2, it looked like the Magpies would find the winner and only a brilliant reflex save from Alex Bass denied Langstaff from close range.
Then with four minutes to go, Wimbledon’s Jack Currie was brought down in the box from a corner - penalty! Reeves stepped up again, and Al-Hamadi even found time to help himself to his second.
Salford’s poor home form continued as they lost 2-4 to MK Dons at the Peninsula. Other continuations that were apparent in this game include Max Dean flourishing under Mike Williamson – he gave MK the lead after ten.
Hesitancy in the Dons area allowed Dutch teenager Kelly N’Mai to head home the equaliser after 36 minutes. It was double Dutch when N’Mai was brought down in the box just before halftime, with Ryan Watson stepping up to make it 2-1 to Salford.
But in the second half Salford threw it away, made to pay twice for not picking up MOTM Joseph Tomlinson on the right side of the box, who showed composure with both feet to turn the game on its head. Ellis Harrison took advantage of a woeful Watson pass to then put the game to bed.
Barrow left it late to put Colchester to bed. But after Jayden Fevrier’s late sending off they scored three times to win 1-4 at the JobServe Community Stadium.
Cameron McGeehan took advantage of keeper Paul Farman’s fumble to give Col U the lead after 20 minutes. Pete Wild lived up to his surname and was sent to the stands at half time, the Barrow boss was angry with the referee for not giving his side a first half penalty.
At least Wild had a good vantage point to watch his team battle back in the second half, with set pieces playing a pivotal part. Seven minutes into the second half, Will Greenidge was in the wrong place at the wrong time to score an own goal off his thigh.
The rest of the drama came in the last 10 minutes, Elliot Newby made the most out of Fevrier’s foul to ensure he got a second yellow. It was defender George Ray who took advantage and won the game for Barrow, finding himself unmarked twice to score an unlikely brace. Zach Mitchell made it 1-4 with an unwanted brace for Col U players.
Rob Apter certainly wanted his brace, which saw Tranmere secure another much-needed home win against Gillingham, it finished 3-1 at Prenton Park.
The young winger found the roof of the net just before half time, with his powerful left footed angled strike too hot for Jake Turner in the Gills’ goal. Connor Jennings chose precision over power with his header, making it 2-0 shortly after the restart. But Apter sealed the three points with his second and Tranmere’s third on the hour. That made Connor Mahoney’s pinpoint free-kick nothing more than an injury-time consolation.
That wasn't the case for Crewe’s Conor O’Riordan, another centre back who scored a brace. Another goal in injury-time that sealed three points against Doncaster, it finished 3-2.
Mo Faal gave Doncaster the lead in this close-knit contest, only for The Railwaymen to rally and go into halftime 2-1, thanks to Luke Offord and O’Riordan’s first. Joe Ironside made it desmond just before the hour mark, rising high to expertly find the top corner with his glancing header.
But it counted for nothing as centre back O’Riordan showed the instincts of a centre forward. He played the ball out wide and continued his run into the box, Rio Adebisi then picked him out at the front post to win it for The Alex.
Big win for Bradford, they ended a five-game losing streak by beating Accrington 1-0. It gives Graham Alexander his first win as the Bantams boss.
It was by no means a classic at Valley Parade as both sides cancelled each other out. It took a moment of class to split them and that came from Tyler Smith, who got on the end of Ciaran Kelly’s punt upfield and lobbed Accy keeper Jon McCracken.
Another run was ended at Broadfield, as Crawley beat Harrogate 2-1 to end a run of four away wins for Simon Weaver’s side.
After an abysmal October, Crawley are showing life again and were good value for this win. Captain Ben Gladwin, filling in at centre-back, took matters into his own hands, opening the scoring midway through the first half with a 30-yard daisy cutter. Just before the break, Jack Muldoon levelled for Harrogate, nodding in an Anthony O’Connor corner.
The winner came from another corner with 20 minutes to go. Harrogate keeper Jonathan Mitchell got caught underneath Liam Kelly’s cross, allowing Harry’s brother Laurence Maguire to head on target. The final touch came off Klaidi Lolos, who didn't know much about it.
Grimsby and Sutton finished 1-1, a result that does little for both sides at the wrong end of the table. Both goals were scored in the first half, with Harry Smith cancelling out Rekeil Pyke’s opener for the Mariners. Sutton created the better chances to win the game in the second half. Smith should have headed the winner for Sutton, only for Harvey Cartwright to save well and keep it level.
And finally, another dreaded draw at the bottom of the table takes us to the Bescot, where Walsall and Forest Green Rovers finished goalless. Walsall haven’t won in five, and they will be kicking themselves that they didn't win this game after creating the better chances. That being said, Walsall only had two shots on target compared to Rovers one.