Championship talking points: Race for second hots up as Coventry take step closer to PL

There is so much life in the race for second

Blackburn 0-0 Middlesbrough
Ipswich 1-1 Millwall

With Middlesbrough, Ipswich and Millwall all in action at Saturday lunchtime, all eyes were on the Championship and the battle to finish as runners-up to champions-elect Coventry. It could have been a decisive day.

Instead, the two games the trio were involved in ended in draws, so it’s as-you-were. For the neutral at least, it was probably the best way to leave things before the international break.

Boro will probably be the most disappointed by that. They could have cemented their position as frontrunners, but failed to score against Blackburn despite creating 1.5 xG. Kim Hellberg’s men have won just two of their last eight now. The dip could barely have come at a worse time.

Millwall – who switched to two up front for the second half – had a glorious chance to win the game late on against Ipswich at Portman Road, when Christian Walton made a save to deny Femi Azeez, before Mihailo Ivanovic slammed the rebound off the underside of the crossbar.

The Lions are still the underdogs in this race, despite Alex Neil saying earlier this week he did not like the ‘little old Millwall’ narrative. And the main reason for that is that Ipswich still have a game in hand. They still have to win that, but if they do, they will be in the driving seat for second.

For now, they take a break for a fortnight. But when the Championship fires back up again, this battle across the final weeks is sure to be gripping.
Dan Long

Clinical Coventry show Champions mentality

Swansea 0-3 Coventry

The first 30 minutes at the Swansea.com Stadium was one-way traffic in favour of the hosts. Yet, by the time the half-time whistle blew, they were three goals down.

That is the difference between top of the tree and languishing in midtable. It is a result for Coventry that both shows why they are so comfortable at the top of the table and all but guarantees automatic promotion to the Premier League.

While Josh Tymon and Melker Widell were hitthing the woodwork with their golden opportunities, the visitors were making the most of half-chances. The second and third goals especially weren’t clear cut, but who cares when the ball goes into the back of the net.

It completely stunned both the home sets of fans and players, which meant that Coventry didn’t even need to get out of neutral, let alone first gear. While there is an international break to follow regardless, for Frank Lampard to have the luxury of not having to exert his players in that second half is exactly what he would’ve dreamed of.

It can often be harder to be the late kick-off, but with results earlier in the day going their way, the league leaders made sure to punish those chasing them as good champions should do. It’s another little message to send to their rivals, but they are so far clear that message might not even reach those behind them.
Callum Bishop

Hull, Southampton in pole position in close play-off race

Were we 12 months in the future, then it would be likely that Hull City, Southampton, Wrexham and Derby County would all be heading for the expanding play-offs.

But for now, it looks like it will just be two from four. Hull got their job done against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, having initially fallen behind to remain right in the driving seat.

Southampton saw off Oxford with no questions asked to continue their relentless recent form. No mean feat considering who the U’s have taken points off on the road in recent weeks, it needs to be added.

Wrexham lost sixth spot in midweek, and looked as though they would be slipping further away. But they came from behind to win at Sheffield United to stay right on the heels of the Saints.

And Derby, who went first on Saturday and found their way past Birmingham, will also have hopes of squeezing through the traffic and bursting in. It could go any way still, but all sides seem in decent nick heading into the international break.
Simeon Gholam

Questions raised as to whether Pompey have what it takes to survive

QPR 6-1 Portsmouth

A seven-goal thriller was not expected between two sides who had lost four of their previous five.

But QPR supporters who had suffered three straight home losses were treated to a feast at Loftus Road to seal their Championship status – if any doubt had still remained.

Portsmouth’s troubles this season have largely centred around a lack of quality in front of goal – with only relegated Sheffield Wednesday having scored fewer. Yet a six goal thumping resulting in one point in six matches raises real questions as to whether they can beat the drop.

John Mousinho’s side still have to play the top three sides in the division. Home matches next month against fellow relegation candidates Oxford and Leicester will surely define their season.
James Savundra

But West Brom are doing what needs to be done

Bristol City 0-1 West Brom

It seems hard to believe but for the first time since their opening two league games this season, West Brom have won back-to-back matches, and boy has it come at the right time.

No away win in 15, no problem for James Morrison, who is clearly doing something right with this team.

It certainly wasn’t a classic, but West Brom more than deserved all three points at Ashton Gate – the only disappointment being they only scored one from their 20 attempts at goal.

Morrison said to me before the match he wanted energy, tempo, aggression, high press and a committed performance, he certainly got that and more.

West Brom were rigid, hunted in packs and knew when to push forward. Defensively they looked very solid as well. It’s now back-to-back clean sheets as well, which is straight out of the Sam Allardyce school of survival.

West Brom have really put themselves in a healthy position when it comes to staying in the Championship. Right now, no one would want to play them.

The performance wouldn’t have been the same without the West Brom fans, who were outstanding from minute one. If ever there was an example of a fanbase getting behind a team in need, this was it.

The less said about Bristol City the better. Just four shots in the whole game, only one of those on target, at home; this tells you all you need to know.

West Brom have gone from being right in the heart of the bottom three to four points clear. They can breathe a huge sigh of relief, but they know that buffer to the relegation zone can disappear in a heartbeat. This is the Championship after all.
Mark McAdam

Preston claim much-needed win to end dismal run

Preston 3-1 Stoke

A season that had promised so much at one point for both Preston and Stoke until around the turn of the year has faded into obscurity.

And it was, to all intents and purposes, a game with virtually no stakes at Deepdale on Friday night. Both sides marooned in mid-table, both realistically neither going up nor down.

But Preston, particularly, needed a result. They had just one win in 12 before the visit of the Potters, and there have been uneasy similarities to how they collapsed last season as well, when they somehow ended up in a final-day fight for survival after just one victory in their final 15.

That was never going to happen this time around as they had done simply too much already. But Paul Heckingbottom knows the fans needed a lift. A message to show the club aren’t just happy to exist indefinitely in second-tier status.

“It’s about the wins because nobody’s interested in what you say when you’re not winning,” the Preston boss said. “It’s about the win. We have played well in previous games and not got over the line.

“The performance was excellent from start to finish. We turned this game around from that difficult start and there wouldn’t have been just been me thinking, ‘Here we go again’ [after the Stoke opener].”
Simeon Gholam

All Championship weekend results

Friday

Saturday

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