Team of the Week: The Championship

Drama at both ends of the table this weekend in the Championship. Who made The72 team of the week, find out here.

Championship Team of the week 9/11

Ross Turnbull – Doncaster Rovers – Most of the drama at Oakwell came off the pitch with the shock resignation of Doncaster chairman John Ryan before kick off after 15 years in the role. Despite the off field events summer signing Turnbull had to be at his best all day and earned his wages with a first half save from a Chris O’Grady spot kick. The 0-0 draw ended a run of three consecutive defeats in the Championship for Rovers and left Barnsley still in the relegation zone.

Andre Wisdom – Derby County – The young Englishman showed the experience of a man much older than his tender age of 20. The England Under 21 captain helped the Rams to an impressive home victory against the struggling Sheffield Wednesday in front of a packed crowd at Pride Park. A fine example of young English talent learning the professional trade in the Championship.

Steve Cook – AFC Bournemouth – The Bournemouth centre half has quietly been going about his business in his first season at Championship level and put in another solid display for the Cherries as they battled for a point away at league leaders Burnley. A number of blocks and clearances kept the Lancashire club at bay and he was not at fault for Ings’ 80th minute equaliser.

Kyle Bartley – Birmingham City – Another young lion out on loan to a Championship side. Bartley was brought in from Swansea by Lee Clark to help sure up his sides defensive line, but when he popped up with a brace for the Blues it was a nice bonus for the under pressure boss. The two goals will grab the headlines for Bartley and rightly so, however his bread and butter work as a defender was to the highest standard as he kept Clark’s former employers at bay for large parts of the game.

Jason Shackell – Burnley – The experienced defender has been an ever present for Burnley this term and been a linchpin in their solid defensive unit. Once again he commanded the defence, keeping Bournemouth quiet whilst allowing his sides attacking players to express themselves as they have all season. The Bournemouth goal was a wonder strike from Tokelo Rantie and the Dorset side were limited to very few efforts at goal through Shackell’s defensive work.

Ryan Tunnicliffe – Ipswich – As an avid supporter of the national side it pleases me to be writing about the success of so many young players who are willing to go out on loan and get the much needed experience to improve their knowledge of the game. Tunnicliffe is just another example of this and the tough tackling midfielder battled all game to help his side to a well deserved 3-2 away win at Blackpool.  The Manchester United academy graduate is well on the way to making a career at the highest level with performances like yesterdays.

Will Hughes – Derby County – Hughes has earned lots of column inches since breaking into the Derby first team and it is hard to imagine that the skilful midfielder is still in his teens. The Derby playmaker was creative from the first whistle against Sheffield Wednesday and he popped up with a goal in the 49th minute to secure the points for Steve McLaren as the Rams continue their climb to the play off places.

Joey Barton – QPR – In a clash of two of the leagues best defensive sides it was always going to be a scrappy game and Barton took it by the scruff of the neck and got Rangers a vital away point to keep in touch with the top two who also dropped points. He showed glimpses of his class with a wide range of passes and smartly slotted away a free kick from 20 yards to beat inform Alex McCarthy.

Jermaine Beckford – Bolton Wanderers – Beckford has started to find his feet in the north west after a slow start under Dougie Freedman. Netting the winner late in the first half was Beckford’s 4th goal in five games and he led the line on his own against an improving Millwall side. Expect to see Beckford improve on his tally of four league goals after the international break as it seems Bolton have found their form after a slow start to the campaign.

Ashley Barnes – Brighton – In a scrappy battle of two sides that hope to be at the upper end of the table come April an inspired Barnes won his side a valuable three points to climb above opponents Blackburn in the table. Barnes’ brace lit up a disappointing game which failed to ever get out of 2nd gear. His second goal, which added an extra gloss to the win, was a personal milestone for Barnes in the form of his 50th career goal.

Ross McCormack – Leeds United – The kick off may have been delayed at the Valley yet that still didn’t stop McCormack from single handedly seeing of Charlton. Four goals from the inform marksman took his tally to eleven in the Championship this season and six goals in his last two after a brace at Yeovil. At the start of the season McCormack had lots of critics, but he is doing his talking on the pitch and if he keeps up his current form Premier League clubs may come sniffing in January.

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