| |
The Championship - Week 6 review/Week 7 preview
Tuesday 15 September 2009
The result of the weekend undoubtedly came at Selhurst Park where Crystal Palace were hammered by visitors Scunthorpe. Having lost both their previous away games 4-0, Scunny ripped up their personal form book and cashed in against struggling Palace. Jonathan Forte opened the scoring early on against his former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock’s current side. After Paul Hayes had doubled the Iron’s lead, former Palace trainee Sam Togwell notched against his old club. Michael O’Connor completed the scoring before Freddie Sears missed a penalty for Palace after Togwell handled in the box. It was the Marek Cech show at the Hawthorns as West Brom beat Plymouth for their fourth win in five matches. The Slovakian left back had never scored for the Baggies but opened his account in style with a long range effort, having seen a second strike ruled out for offside, he then doubled his tally with a header before missing a good chance to grab a hat-trick. Jamie Mackie had given the Pilgrims an early lead only for Shelton Martis to equalise before Cech took over.
After seeing West Brom lead the table overnight, Newcastle returned to the top of the league on Sunday with a narrow win in Cardiff. It was the second defeat in a row for the previously high-flying Bluebirds and the league’s top scorer Michael Chopra failed to notch against his former club. Fabricio Coloccini’s first half header was enough to give the Magpies victory for the fifth game in a row, a period in which they have not conceded a single goal. Alan Smith was sent off late on for a second yellow card, the 12th dismissal of his career, but Newcastle held on to continue their impressive start to the season. Reading have now failed to win at home in the league in their last 11 attempts after Doncaster keeper Neil Sullivan’s heroics earned Rovers a goalless draw. Brendan Rodgers fielded three debutants in Shaun Cummings, Brian Howard and Darren O’Dea and both Howard and O’Dea came close to opening the scoring for the Royals, as did another recent signing, substitute Gregorz Rasiak. There were home draws as well for Sheffield Wednesday, QPR and Coventry, Wednesday having fought back from an early Dexter Blackstock goal for Nottingham Forest.
Newly promoted Leicester kept up their 100% home record with a 2-1 win against previously unbeaten Blackpool. Last season’s top scorer Matty Fryatt notched both the Foxes’ goals, taking his tally to 50 career strikes for the club. There was a 50th career strike too for Watford’s Danny Graham as the Hornets beat Barnsley 1-0 at Vicarage Road. The Tykes had Mark Robins in charge for the first time but the ex-Rotherham manager was unable to break the team’s run of defeats that now stretches to five. Elsewhere, there were wins for three promotion-chasing sides. Middlesbrough beat Roy Keane’s winless Ipswich, with Jeremie Aliadiere scoring twice for Boro. Preston were 2-0 winners against Swansea whilst Sheffield United inflicted a first home defeat on Derby.
Full list of results
Cardiff 0 – 1 Newcastle
Coventry 1 - 1 Bristol City
Crystal Palace 0 - 4 Scunthorpe
Derby 0 - 1 Sheffield United
Leicester 2 - 1 Blackpool
Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Ipswich
Preston 2 - 0 Swansea
QPR 1 - 1 Peterborough
Reading 0 - 0 Doncaster
Sheffield Wednesday 1 - 1 Nottingham Forest
Watford 1 - 0 Barnsley
West Brom 3 - 1 Plymouth
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Coventry v Sheffield United, 19:45
Derby v Barnsley, 19:45
Ipswich v Nottingham Forest, 19:45
Leicester v Peterborough, 19:45
Plymouth v Watford, 19:45
QPR v Crystal Palace, 20:00
Scunthorpe v Preston, 19:45
Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough, 19:45
Swansea v Bristol City, 19:45
West Brom v Doncaster, 19:45
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Blackpool v Newcastle, 19:45
Reading v Cardiff, 20:00
Reading’s hunt for a home win continues with the second match at the Madejski Stadium in the space of a few days. Brendan Rodgers’ side already bears little resemblance to the team that started last season under Steve Coppell, with many comings and goings over the summer. Out have gone several big earners and in have come several graduates from the youth team alongside a surfeit of new signings late in the transfer window. Having kept three clean sheets in six games so far, it is in attack that Rodgers must focus his attention. Wednesday’s match with Cardiff should come too soon for newboy Jobi McAnuff to return from injury but Gregorz Rasiak will push for a start after nearly scoring the winning goal against Doncaster. Cardiff will look to get back to winning ways having lost their last two fixtures and will hope seven-goal Michael Chopra can overturn his mini goal drought after firing blanks in both the defeats.
Two of the sides promoted from League One meet at the Walkers Stadium as Peterborough travel to Leicester. The fortunes of the two clubs have been markedly different with the Foxes sitting in the play off places and Posh one place above the relegation zone. Nigel Pearson’s side have a 100% record at home and will be favourites to extend this sequence against a United side who have just a solitary point on the road so far. Darren Ferguson and his team are yet to taste victory in the Championship but will be lifted by both Aaron Mclean and George Boyd having scored three times each in all competitions this season. Ferguson has publicly stated that he is still aiming for the play offs this season, but whilst there is still a long way to go, he will be anxious to get in to a winning habit sooner rather than later.
Two misfiring London clubs meet at Loftus Road as QPR host Crystal Palace. Both clubs have just five league goals each, and although Rangers’ Wayne Routledge has five goals for the season, all but one have come in the Carling Cup. Palace suffered a humiliating defeat in their last outing, going down heavily in front of a sparse home crowd against Doncaster. Being on the road might come as a comfort to Neil Warnock’s men as their away form has surpassed their home form. The two clubs have six draws between them so far and a tie would be welcomed more by Palace than their impatient hosts. The league’s stingiest defence comes up against Blackpool’s Charlie Adam, scorer of three goals in his last three games. After five straight clean sheets, Newcastle will be confident of keeping Adam quiet as they look for their third straight away win. With a permanent manager still not in place, Newcastle’s early season form is all the more impressive. With a starting eleven filled with Premier League quality players, caretaker boss Chris Hughton will be hoping to avoid too many injuries as the squad does not run much deeper and they will be unable to replace that quality. With Alan Smith suspended, Nicky Butt should return, but the loan market could prove key to the Magpies sustaining their excellent start.
The Championship 2009/10 Week 1 review / Week 2 preview - August 12
Week 2 review / Week 3 preview - August 18
Week 3 review / Week 4 preview - August 20
Week 4 review / Week 5 preview - August 26
Week 5 review / Week 6 preview - September 2
Week 6 review / Week 7 preview - September 15
Related Articles
| |
