Derby are on the up and no one is stopping them
At the time of Nigel Clough’s departure in late September fans and pundits were questioning the decision. However after almost three months in charge Steve McClaren has taken the Rams from 14th and sinking into the relegation fight to the cusp of the automatic promotion places. Since taking charge County have lost just once in McClaren’s ten games at the helm. A real measure of a team is getting the job done when they are not at their best and Derby’s 2-0 win away at Charlton showed this quality in abundance. A 6th straight win for the Rams with goals from Jamie Ward and the ever impressive Craig Bryson as they unsurprisingly sit top of the Championship form table.
Burnley are going to stay in the mix
The Claret’s trip to the King Power Stadium was a real acid test for Sean Dyche and his men. In recent weeks Burnley have lost a little of there early season swagger winning one of their last six before Saturday. A valuable point was the outcome for Burnley and they would have been delighted to return back up the M6 with something to show for their gile and determination. After conceding early the away side showed great commitment to battle on and got there reward early in the second half when Danny Ings got the equaliser.
The Brighton defence is a real force
One of the most used clichés in Football “Goals win games but defence wins championships”. While Brighton may be some way off the top spot in the Championship there great defensive record is going to serve them well over the second half of the season. The Seagulls have the 3rd best defence in the league behind ironically the leagues top two, QPR and Burnley. A clean sheet away at the developing Middlesbrough underpinned a trademark away win with Matt Upson heading the late winner. The win recorded Brighton’s 8th clean sheet of the season and maintained there great away record of just six goals conceded on the road all season.
Connor Wickham is proving his talent
When Wednesday acquired the services of Wickham for the second time this calender year fans would have been questioning how the young forward could help them escape the grasp of the relegation zone. In his first loan spell Wickham returned just a single goal from his six Championship appearances. This time around he has been a revelation. His thunderous free kick earned Wednesday their first away win of the season, with Wickham taking his tally to five goals in seven appearances for the Yorkshire club. The win helped Wednesday to find themselves just one point away from climbing out of the bottom three.
Uwe Rosler could be the new wizard of Wigan
Under Owen Coyle it appeared the unique team spirit built by Roberto Martinez amongst the Wigan squad had been diminished. In just his 3rd game in charge it seems new boss Uwe Rosler has gone some way to installing that never say die spirit once more. An electric start for the Lactics at home to Wigan as they raced to a two goal lead within the opening 25 minutes. Nick Powell’s goal, Wigan’s 2nd, is something to see. The young forward leaped acrobatically to find the net with an overhead kick. Bolton fought back to 2-2, but Wigan seemed determined to get their new boss a first win as Callum McManaman restored the lead minutes after Bolton had equalised.
