Category: Championship League

Leeds and Burnley are trying to hold off Blades at the top and thrilling race for playoff spots must be whittled down

Ao Tanaka sat in the away dressing room and started crying. The Japan midfielder had just helped Leeds win a vital match at Middlesbrough this month but they were not tears of joy. “I asked Ao: ‘Why?’” said his manager, Daniel Farke. “He said: ‘I don’t know boss, I’m just so empty.’”

Given it is April and, with four games remaining, a gruelling, painfully tight, Championship promotion race is drawing towards a denouement, no one seemed too surprised. “It’s hard for all my players at the moment,” said Farke, whose team could, like Burnley, be promoted as early as Easter Monday. “We’re working for the most emotional club in the UK and the outside world is always nervous and panicking.”

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Frank Lampard watched on from the stands as his playoff-chasing Coventry side were held to a 1-1 draw at struggling Hull. Lampard served a one-match touchline ban at the MKM Stadium and was fined £2,000 after his sending off at the end of the defeat by Burnley earlier this month for an outburst at referee James Bell.

While Coventry largely dominated Hull and went ahead through a deflected strike from Matt Grimes, who earlier produced two goalline blocks to deny Kasey Palmer, substitute Abu Kamara equalised. Lampard’s side therefore stay sixth, moving three points clear of seventh-placed West Brom, and the manager may rue his team’s lack of a clinical edge as Hull goalkeeper Ivor Pandur made several important saves.

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• Defeat is blow for Blades as Leeds beat Preston
• Sunderland lose 1-0 at home to Swansea

Miron Muslic praised his Plymouth side for a remarkable late 2-1 Championship comeback victory over promotion-chasing Sheffield United.

Muhamed Tijani scored an 88th-minute winner after in-form Ryan Hardie – with nine goals in his last 11 games – cancelled out Jesurun Rak-Sakyi’s 44th minute opener. That boosted Plymouth’s survival hopes but dented the Blades’ automatic promotion ambitions as they slipped five points behind joint leaders Leeds – who deservedly beat Preston 2-1 – and Burnley with four games remaining.

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• Sky Blues snatch late victory over Portsmouth
• Bottom club Plymouth well beaten by Swansea

Coventry moved into the Championship play-off places after a dramatic 1-0 victory over visitors Portsmouth.

The game seemed destined for a frustrating stalemate from the Sky Blues’ perspective, but Jamie Paterson had other ideas.

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• Sheffield United third after home defeat by Millwall
• Sunderland seal playoff place with draw at Norwich

Burnley were knocked off the top of the Championship on goal difference after yet another goalless draw – their 12th of the season – against Derby.

On a night of more twists and turns, the third side in the automatic promotion chase, Sheffield United, slipped to third after a 1-0 home defeat against Millwall.

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• Leeds held by Luton; Sheffield United lose at Oxford
• Plymouth beat Norwich as relegation fight intensifies

Scott Parker said he was “immensely proud” after watching his Burnley side go top of the Championship with a hard-fought 2-1 win at Coventry on a day when their title rivals slipped up.

Haji Wright put the hosts in front after five minutes before Jaidon Anthony scored either side of half-time to make it 27 games unbeaten.

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With delays in paying players and an owner who has lost the faith of fans, the Championship club urgently need a plan

It is highly unlikely a statement including the phrase “impacted on the club’s immediate cashflow” can result in anything positive. Sheffield Wednesday announced their latest financial issues on Monday after failing to pay their players on time at the end of March, putting the Championship side under a dark cloud.

This is the latest cause for concern among Owls supporters who have become increasingly frustrated by the ownership of Dejphon Chansiri, and the longer the players are not remunerated the greater the risk of punishment. An English Football League charge could come next week if the players remain unpaid. A fine, transfer ban or points deduction would then be among the options open to the league, which is in dialogue with Wednesday, if the matter is not resolved quickly, which the club is confident it will be.

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• Chairman Dejphon Chansiri working to resolve issue
• Latest in a series of financial challenges for Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday have failed to pay their players their salaries for March on time due to “cashflow” problems.

The Owls say the delay in payment is only temporary and chairman Dejphon Chansiri is attempting to resolve the issue.

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• Drama at Elland Road as Vipotnik strikes in added time
• Flemming free-kick helps Burnley maintain top-two tilt

Leeds missed the chance to return to the top of the Championship as they conceded in the sixth minute of added time to draw 2-2 at home to Swansea.

The hosts made the ideal start as they looked to respond to Sheffield United’s Friday night win over Coventry, with Brenden Aaronson bundling the ball home inside a minute. Swansea were handed a chance to level from the spot in the 14th minute, only for Illan Meslier to turn Josh Tymon’s penalty behind.

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Sheffield United made light work of playoff hopefuls Coventry at Bramall Lane as a 3-1 win swept them back to the top of the Championship.

Gus Hamer opened the scoring against his former club with a brilliant free-kick and after Tyrese Campbell had put the Blades 2-0 up at half-time, Rhian Brewster slammed home a game-clinching third.

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• Preston forward has to provide response by 25 March
• Osmajic clashed with Burnley player in February game

The Preston forward Milutin Osmajic has been charged by the Football Association after an allegation of racist abuse.

The incident took place during Preston’s Championship match against Burnley on 15 February, where Osmajic was alleged to have made a racist comment towards the Clarets midfielder Hannibal Mejbri.

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• Leeds held 2-2 by QPR while Burnley go second
• Coventry beat play-off rivals Sunderland 3-0

Daniel Farke blamed himself after his Leeds side were forced to battle back from two down to salvage a 2-2 draw against QPR. Farke considered starting with the defensive midfielder Ilia Gruev but instead opted for a more attacking approach, which backfired as goals from Koki Saito and Steve Cook put Rangers, who had lost their previous four matches, into a surprise lead.

Morgan Fox’s own goal gave the visitors a much-needed boost before the interval and Jayden Bogle equalised soon after the restart. QPR ended the match with 10 men after Saito was sent off in stoppage time for a studs-up challenge on Dan James.

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Manager opens up on losing his baby son, how close he came to quitting and the Premier League promotion push

After victory at Middlesbrough in October, Bristol City’s players headed towards the pocket of the Riverside Stadium housing their supporters. As the away fans sang on loop the name of their head coach, Liam Manning, the squad unravelled a giant red and white banner displaying the words “Fly High Theo” in block capitals. Manning, on leave after the death of his baby son eight days earlier, was watching from a rural cottage 300 miles south, on a much-needed getaway. “I sent a long message to the lads about it afterwards … yeah, lump in the throat,” he says. “The celebrations epitomised everything. It was above football.”

It is not the only heavy moment in a raw and moving conversation but the one thing Manning stresses, as he discusses the hardest episode of his life in an interview for the first time, is that this is not a sob story. He takes huge pride in sharing Theo’s name.

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• Leeds win 2-0 in south London
• Plymouth claim first away league win of season

Leeds moved back to the Sky Bet Championship summit after defeating Millwall 2-0. Jake Cooper’s own goal gave Leeds the advantage only three minutes into the game before Ao Tanaka wrapped up three points with a thumping finish in the 85th minute.

Victory means Leeds sit two points clear of automatic promotion rivals Sheffield United and four points clear of third-placed Burnley after both teams drew their respective games on Tuesday night.

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