Reading 4 Derby County 1

The Coca-Cola Championship game between Reading and Derby County at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday, March 08 2010.

Every so often football throws up some incredible sights – Robbie Savage providing a goalkeeping masterclass for instance.

The Derby midfielder has been around the block but it was on new ground that the 35-year-old found himself when Stephen Bywater was removed with an injured back, and Saul Deeney was sent off 27 minutes later, with Derby already two down.

That Reading could only score twice more suggests he rather took to it.

His prodigies could not, however, prevent Reading from taking three points, Shane Long, Jimmy Kébé, Ryan Bertrand and Simon Church securing Reading a fourth successive home league win – their best run at the Madejski since the start of last season, lending yet more credibility to Brian McDermott’s regime.

One of the Reading manager’s major successes has been bringing the best out of Long and Kébé.

The pair have been on fire and sure enough Kébé found Long with a firm pass which the striker slid calmly past Stephen Bywater.

Kébé almost scored with an instinctive back-heel lob (as impressive as it sounds), but his goal, contrived by Jay Tabb, was more orthodox and an almost carbon-copy of Long’s, only this time against Deeney.

The night, however, belonged to Savage. Deeney was dismissed after fouling Tabb in the area and Savage – who had had a mediocre game in midfield – obligingly pulled on the green jersey, in time to see Long send his penalty well over the crossbar – presumably because he could not run the risk of Savage actually saving it.

Savage’s first touch in his new capacity was a shanked goal-kick, but he produced a fine save to deny Long and his acrobatics to prevent Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free kick from lancing into the top corner were frankly exceptional.

True, Bertrand and Church breeched his defences, but Savage might like to think about postponing his budding career as a media luvvy. He has a higher calling.

Doncaster Rovers 0 Leicester City 1

The Championship game between Doncaster Rovers and Leicester City at the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday Feb 23 2010.

Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson has refused to rule out a push for automatic promotion from the Championship after watching his side produce a clinical display to beat Doncaster.

Martyn Waghorn's seventh goal of the season was enough to see Leicester take the points in a 1-0 win and extend their unbeaten run to seven games at a snowy Keepmoat Stadium.

The win consolidates the Foxes' position in the top six, but they remain 10 points off second-placed Nottingham Forest having played one game less than their bitter rivals.

And although Pearson admits that two of the top three would be favourites to take the automatic places, he is hoping his side can make a late-season surge.

"We will look at the fixtures and do as well as we can in those games," said Pearson.

"First and foremost we have got to stay in the play-off positions and outside of that it's whether we can run into a significant run of form.

"The three teams at the top are ahead of everyone else by quite a margin.

"Having said that, history would say there is always a side that comes out of the pack at some point. I don't rule anything out."

The Foxes could easily have won by a clearer margin as Neil Sullivan produced a fine save to deny the impressive Waghorn in the second half, after Simon King and Lloyd Dyer both wasted good first-half chances.

The Leicester defence was called upon to defend resolutely at times, but Pearson thought his side were worthy winners.

"It was good to get a win in one of our games in hand. I thought we started very well," he added.

"We were worth our win and it was a good win. I thought we were always comfortable and I am very pleased."

Doncaster assistant boss Richard O'Kelly had a differing view of events and felt Rovers should have ended the evening with at least a point.

"I thought the effort we put in there was excellent and we probably dominated possession," he said.

"Our passing and moving was good. I definitely feel we should have got something out of the game."

The home side were furious in the first half when Bruno Berner cynically brought down Billy Sharp, which denied the Rovers striker a run on goal.

Berner was booked for the incident and although most Rovers fans demanded a red, O'Kelly concedes that the referee got the decision right.

"It's intelligent defending. If we had done it at the other end we might not have been a goal down," he said.

"That's what the top teams have and what we need to learn at this level.

"A red would have been harsh. I would have loved it to be a red card, it would have given us more opportunity, but realistically I wouldn't have thought it should have been red."

Scunthorpe United 1 Ipswich Town 1

The Championship game between Scunthorpe United and Ipswich Town at the Glandford Park Stadium on Tuesday Feb 23 2010.

David Healy came off the bench to score his first goal for Ipswich and secure another precious point in their bid to avoid relegation from the Coca-Cola Championship.

Striker Healy, signed on loan from Sunderland last month, used his predatory instincts to slot home an equaliser 16 minutes from time and deny fellow strugglers Scunthorpe United an undeserved victory at Glanford Park.

Six minutes earlier Iron skipper Cliff Byrne had put the home side in front with a close-range header on his 200th start for the club.

But Roy Keane's side, who dominated a first half in which they twice hit the crossbar, were not to be denied and Healy's strike gave them a 16th draw of the season which moved them four points above the drop zone.

Ipswich, unchanged for only the second time this season following their 1-0 victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, continued where they left off at Hillsborough as they bossed the opening exchanges.

Iron goalkeeper Joe Murphy's heart was in his mouth after three minutes when Ipswich skipper Jon Walters miscued a shot which looped up in the air and bounced on top of the crossbar before going out for a goal-kick.

The lively Walters then produced a lovely reverse pass to play in on-loan striker Daryl Murphy and his left-foot strike was tipped around the near post by the alert Iron keeper Murphy.

The home side failed to heed the warning signs and Keane's side were denied by the woodwork once again after 18 minutes when Murphy capitalised on some hesitant defending and produced a measured chip which came back off the bar.

It was all one-way traffic and Murphy had to back pedal to tip a Damien Delaney cross over the bar as the snow started to fall.

Ipswich continued to dominate and David Wright sneaked in at the back post but Murphy once again produced the save.

Scunthorpe finally had an attempt at goal four minutes before half-time but Paul Hayes' strike looped wide of the far post.

Nigel Adkins' side fashioned the first opportunity of the second half when leading scorer Gary Hooper's close-range shot was tipped wide by Brian Murphy after a good move down the right.

Scunthorpe had finally got into their stride and they were rewarded with the opening goal after 68 minutes.

David Mirfin provided the assist, standing up a cross to the back post and Byrne rose highest to nod home from four yards out.

Hooper came close to a second goal moments later but drilled his shot wide of the far post.

And he was made to pay for that miss when the visitors equalised after 74 minutes.

Walters produced some good work down the right and as the Scunthorpe defence dithered the loose ball fell to Healy, who slotted home his first goal for a year to salvage a point.

Newcastle United 3 Preston North End 0

The Coca Cola Championship game between Newcastle United and Preston North End at St James's Park on Saturday Feb 20 2010.

Kevin Nolan struck his first goal since Boxing Day to strengthen Newcastle United's grip on pole position in the race for promotion to the Premier League.

Newcastle's 12-goal leading scorer secured Newcastle the victory that extended their lead at the top of the Championship to five points over a chasing pack.

Nolan timely return to form stretched his club's lead over second-placed Nottingham Forest who leapfrogged West Bromwich Albion who will aim to make up lost ground at Bristol City on Sunday.

The former Bolton midfielder re-discovered his goal-scoring touch after Chris Hughton's side had been put on their way to victory thanks to Peter Lovenkrands' early strike before Ryan Taylor completed the scoring in stoppage time.

Preston could have done with a bit of good fortune as they sought their first win on Tyneside since the 1963-64 season but instead Lady Luck smiled on Newcastle.

Only three minutes had elapsed when Lovenkrands put Newcastle in command when his cross aimed at Andy Carroll drifted over Andy Lonergan and even the former Rangers striker looked embarrassed by his stroke of luck.

Preston made light of the inopportune start and Newcastle only remained ahead two minutes later when Steve Harper pulled off an excellent save to deny Jon Parkin when Chris Sedgwick's dummied Ross Wallace's cross.

Lovenkrands limped off in the 14th minute and Newcastle lost their way thanks to their lack of zip provided by Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith in central midfield which allowed Preston plenty of possession although

Chris Sedgwick wasted their best opening of a promising spell. Newcastle would, though, have doubled their lead had it not been for the excellence of Lonergan who denied Smith and Mike Williamson with two acrobatic saves in quick succession.

Parkin came within inches of equalising just before half-time when his volley whistled just wide of Harper's post - an effort that left Preston manager Darren Ferguson holding his head in his hands.

Newcastle improved after the break and Danny Guthrie went close to extending his team's advantage but his rising shot soared just over Lonergan's crossbar as the Preston threat receded.

Nolan effectively put the outcome beyond reasonable doubt and ensured Newcastle's unbeaten league home record would remain in tact for the time being in the 54th minute with a deft finish.

Following a neat inter-change of passes with Smith, Nolan clipped the ball over Lonergan from close range to wrap up the points just as he had with a similar flash of inspiration in a 1-0 win at Deepdale.

Preston refused to buckle and Tom Williams curled in a fine cross but the disappointing Danny Welbeck failed to latch on to a ball across the six-yard box.

Ferguson replaced the ineffective Welbeck with Neil Mellor but it was Parkin who continued to take the fight to Newcastle and tested Harper with a low, angled drive but the hosts held firm.

Newcastle fans sang Hughton's name for the first time before Taylor completed a comfortable victory by scoring for the second time in a week when he thumped the ball past Lonergan following Fabrice Pancrate's cross in the dying moments.

Swansea City 1 Newcastle United 1

The Championship game between Swansea City and Newcastle United at Liberty Stadium on Saturday Feb 13 2010.

An 87th minute equaliser from Andy Carroll, the first conceded by Swansea in six and a half hours of football, sent Newcastle United back to the top of the Championship.

The point gained, on the back of their heavy defeat at Derby in midweek, was hardly deserved against a Swansea team which had dominated possession and, in the second half in particular, had all the chances.

An exquisite goal early in that second period, from David Cotterill, looked to have won the match for the Swans but they remain undefeated this year, a run going back 12 games.

The opening half emphasised everything about these two sides. With 33 clean sheets between them, defences dominated with Swansea doing as they have for much of the season, keeping hold of the ball but rarely threatening. Indeed, they had 65 per cent of the ball in the first half but had to rely on set-pieces for their best chances.

At times, the midfield resembled a game of piggy in the middle with Newcastle’s players eventually forced into fouling to give themselves a breather. The problem was that, having won a free-kick in good positions, Swansea wasted them. Andrea Orlandi curled a 20-yarder wide of Stephen Harper’s left hand post and then struck another straight at the Newcastle goalkeeper.

Newcastle simply had to deal with any scraps and they failed to create anything of note until the half four mark when Fabricio Coluccini’s cross found Kevin Nolan eight yards out but his header was poorly directed.

Swansea’s lack of firepower is noticeable and that was typified in the last minute of the first half. Cotterill delivered a good ball inside the Newcastle penalty area but, as was so often the case, none of his team mates were anywhere near.

Going into this game, Paulo Sousa’s team had scored only 13 goals in 16 games at home and the Liberty Stadium had witnessed just 21 goals in total. But there did appear to be more urgency from the home side in the second half.

The 22nd goal nearly came when Nathan Dyer cut inside from the left before shooting across a nervous looking Harper and his posts and he and Darren Pratley then got in each other’s way when Swansea finally did get some players in the opposition’s box.

But all that possession finally counted for something 10 minutes after the restart. Down the right, Pratley stroked the ball to Dyer who dummied delightfully, allowing Cotterill to cut inside and place an excellent shot into the left hand corner for his third goal of the season.

The Swans had a good chance to put the game beyond doubt but, under pressure, Williams headed over from six yards and then substitute Gorka Pintado completely missed his kick with the goal gaping in front of him.

It proved to be a costly miss as, in a rare attack of their own, Wayne Routledge sent in a deep cross from the right and Carroll rose to head in. It was the first goal Swansea had let in a goal at home since Nottingham Forest scored against them on December 12. They return to fourth place in the Championship but missed a wonderful chance to close the gap on the top two.

West Brom 2-2 QPR

West Brom striker Simon Cox denied QPR a memorable victory with a 94th-minute equaliser which saved the Coca-Cola Championship high-flyers from a second successive home defeat.

Manager Jim Magilton was absent for the first time following his suspension pending an internal investigation into an incident at Vicarage Road last week involving Akos Buzsaky.

The Hungary international was not in Rangers' matchday 18 at The Hawthorns due to injury, but temporary managers Steve Gallen and Marc Bircham looked to have enjoyed a debut to remember.

For all Albion's dominance they failed to punish the visitors and a Jonas Olsson own goal was quickly followed up on the hour mark by Kaspars Gorkss' header.

But West Brom never gave up and Jerome Thomas reduced the deficit before Cox's late, late leveller.

The result leaves Rangers without a win in eight games while second-placed Albion have stretched their advantage over the chasing pack to four points.

QPR keeper Radek Cerny endured a nightmare start as he made a complete hash of three attempted clearances. But he was not alone in looking unsettled as the majority of his team-mates looked at sixes and sevens during the opening stages.

The first chance of the encounter fell to Cox after 15 minutes but he could only head Joe Mattock's left-wing cross straight at Cerny from close range when he really should have done better.

Impressive on-loan midfielder Adel Taarabt forced a solid parry from Dean Kiely at the other end, who was taking his place between the sticks due to Scott Carson's suspension.

Despite his nervy start, Cerny proved his worth for the visitors after 26 minutes when he got half a hand on Thomas's shot after he found himself one on one.

And then with the ball trickling to the line, the Rangers stopper recovered to his feet to push it to safety.

Gianni Zuiverloon fired well over when played into a great position by some neat approach play and an incisive throughball from Chris Brunt - summing up the first half in a single move.

The visitors barely managed to get out of their own half in the early stages of the second half but, in similar fashion to the opening 45 minutes, some stout defending and a lack of quality in the final third ensured it remained goalless.

And the Baggies were made to pay for their wastefulness in front of goal in the 56th minute.

Ben Watson whipped in a corner and Olsson, under pressure from Gorkss, diverted an unfortunate header over Graham Dorrans on the line and into the top corner.

Tottenham man Taarabt almost made it 2-0 just minutes later as Kiely produced a superb fingertip save to divert his 25-yard strike on to the angle of bar and post.

But the visitors did double their advantage just after the hour mark.

Watson floated a free-kick goalwards from a central position which evaded everyone.

Yet Kiely could only palm the ball into the onrushing Mattock and it subsequently fell for Gorkss to head into an empty net.

Out of nowhere the game had exploded to life and West Brom reduced the arrears just five minutes later when the Rangers defence failed to clear Brunt's knock down and Thomas pounced to smash home his sixth league goal of the season.

Albion applied a host of pressure in the closing 15 minutes with Zuiverloon's header clipping the outside of a post and Cox forcing a great stop from Cerny.

And it was the latter who rescued a dramatic point for West Brom when he pounced from close range deep into injury time.

Coventry City 0 Newcastle United 2

The Championship game between Coventry City and Newcastle United at the Ricoh Arena on Wednesday Dec 9 2009.

The thing about life in the Championship is that while attractive football is appreciated, it is the capacity to win at all costs that matters, and Newcastle United were a case in point on Wednesday night.

Like many of their performances, this was not a stunning display, but they got the job done, and moved seven points clear at the top of the table in the process, thanks to goals from Shola Ameobi, and a first from 18 year-old Nile Ranger.

Coventry, by contrast, play some decent football, and they are in 20th place in the table. They should have gone in at the break ahead, but a scorching Leon Best shot ricocheted off the crossbar, which then denied Michael McIndoe seconds later.

Beyond this flicker of excitement, there was little for either set of supporters to scream about; but then came the goal, in first-half injury time, a bolt from the Coventry City blue.

It was a surprise in more ways than one, for it was Newcastle who scored it. They had looked unthreatening for much of the opening exchanges, Nicky Butt was off the pace; certainly not the stuff expected of side leading the Championship.

It could have been that they were missing Andy Carroll. The 20-year-old forward was omitted from the squad after being questioned by the police over an alleged assault, even though manager Chris Hughton had said he would be included.

Or maybe it was because Ameobi was playing for the first time since the end of August.

The striker showed no signs of rust or a lingering foot injury, when he picked up the ball inside the area and found the gap between Keiren Westwood and the left upright.

Freddy Eastwood offered Chris Coleman’s side a glimmer of hope, his side-footer scudding towards the away goal, but Ameobi got in the way.

But then Jose Enrique swung the ball in from the left, and Ranger was there to tap in from point-blank range.

And so the rot continues for Coventry. They have still won only two games at the Ricoh Arena all season, and they have not won a game in 10 attempts.

At least they did not move any further down the table, but one imagines Coleman will take little comfort from that.

Match details

Coventry City (4-4-2): Westwood; Clarke (Grandison, 22), Cranie, Barnett, Van Aanholt; Eastwood, Cork (Madine, 85), Gunnarsson (Bell, 85), McIndoe; Best, Morrison.
Subs: Ireland, McPake, Hussey, Jeffers.
Booked: Cork.
Newcastle (4-4-2): Harper; Simpson. S Taylor, Coloccini, Enrique; Pancrate (R Taylor, 77), Butt, Smith, Gutierrez; Lovenkrands (Ranger, 65), Ameobi (Harewood, 65).
Subs: Krul, Guthrie, Khizanishvili, Kadar.

Barnsley 1 Scunthorpe United 1

The Championship game between Barnsley and Scunthorpe United at Oakwell on Wednesday Dec 9 2009.

Scunthorpe United's Paul Hayes returned to haunt his former club Barnsley by scoring an equaliser that earned his side a point in the Coca-Cola Championship at Oakwell.

Hayes, who played for the Tykes for two seasons before leaving in 2007, popped up at the back post to head home a loose ball and cancel out a Barnsley lead that had lasted just six minutes.

That advantage had been deservedly given to the hosts seven minutes after the break when Hugo Colace drove the ball home from inside the penalty area.

Neither side really excelled in a game of low quality, although Scunthorpe could have won it near the end when Garry Thompson shot just wide from the edge of the area.

However, it ended all-square and kept Barnsley's good run going, extending their unbeaten stretch to five games.

After a drab opening, which saw both sides off the pace, Barnsley produced the first real opening when Adam Hammill broke free down the left.

He found Daniel Bogdanovic, who cut inside and curled an effort that Joe Murphy did well to palm away.

The Tykes, who have been enjoying a resurgence since Mark Robins came to the club in September, found their feet and were beginning to look dangerous.

Murphy expertly tipped a Ryan Shotton header over the bar and the lively Bogdanovic wasted a good chance to pick out a team-mate from a decent position in the box.

Scunthorpe offered very little going forward in the first half, with Grant McCann - one of three ex-Barnsley players in the Scunthorpe line-up - providing their best moment when he drove wide from 20 yards.

And McCann was in the thick of the action again soon after the break and he called Luke Steele, who had previously been redundant in the Barnsley net, into action by forcing the keeper into a full stretch save from a 20-yard free-kick.

The game had more life after the interval and Barnsley went close to breaking the deadlock, but Jon Macken's hooked effort flashed just wide of the post after Hammill's cross.

But the Tykes did not have long to wait before they took the lead after 52 minutes, that on balance their play had deserved. Bogdanovic advanced down the right and cut back before crossing for Colace, who swept the ball home from 12 yards to net his second of the campaign.

But their lead lasted barely six minutes as Scunthorpe responded in perfect fashion.

McCann whipped a corner to the near post, which Cliff Byrne sent crashing into the post. The ball rolled across goal and Hayes was at the back post to nod the ball home.

Both sides pushed for a winner, but it was the visitors who came closest to snatching the points when Thompson flashed an effort wide of the post in the last minute.

Magpies back on top

Kevin Nolan's goal ensured Newcastle beat Preston 1-0 on Monday night to climb back to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship.

The former Bolton skipper moved the Magpies two points clear of West Brom with a clinical low left-footed drive - his ninth goal of the season - to send the huge army of Magpies supporters into raptures.

Nolan endured a nightmare campaign last season after joining Newcastle in January and becoming part of the side that slid out of the Barclays Premier League in such dismal fashion.

Yet he is doing his best to ensure the Tyneside outfit make an immediate return to the promised land by recapturing the goalscoring form and drive which once saw him tipped to win full England honours.

Alan Smith, another player who looks back to his best, played a pivotal role alongside Nolan in the middle of the park. The Magpies skipper showed his stomach for the fight remains firmly intact with a fine display.

Defeat was on harsh on Preston, who gave Newcastle several worrying moments but lacked the kind of killer finish Nolan provided.

Watford 4 Sheffield Wednesday 1

The Championship clash between Watford and Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road on Friday Oct 23, 2009.

The Championship table can be perversely misleading. Watford, marooned in mid-table, dismantled Sheffield Wednesday with the panache of title contenders.

There was liveliness and flair to Watford’s play, characterised by snappy interchanges, sublime passing and fluid movement. Two goals from teenager, Henri Lansbury, and strikes from Jon Harley and Adrian Mariappa, saw them sweep to a second league victory in seven matches.

That record is bewildering. To behold Watford at times was a delight although they were ungainly in opening the scoring. John Eustace, an early substitute for Ross Jenkins, scuffed the ball into the area and Adrian Mariappa turned it home.

Finesse, however, was not caged for long. Minutes later Lansbury, a pupil of Arsene Wenger’s expressionist football, played a one-two with Tom Cleverley, tip-toed past a static Wednesday defence and netted.

Watford will not want to hand Lansbury back to Arsenal when his loan expires. They should try to persuade Manchester United to extend Cleverley’s stay too. The pair wreaked havoc.

Beneath Watford’s exuberance, though, lies defensive frailty, epitomised when Marcus Tudgay headed in Tommy Spurr’s long throw. Yet class told again in the second period. Lansbury nonchalantly found Jon Harley, whose shot found the top corner.

Then Cleverley left two Wednesday defenders for dead before finding Lansbury to convert. Wednesday’s insipidness was overshadowed by Watford’s excellence.

Match details

Watford (4-4-1-1): Loach; Hodson, Mariappa (capt), Cathcart, Doyley; Cleverley, Jenkins (Eustace 19), Lansbury, Harley (Severin 83); Cowie (Ellington 77); Graham. Subs: Bennett, Henderson, Bryan, Bond (g).

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Grant; Buxton, Purse (capt), Beevers, Spurr; Gray (Esajas 49), O’Connor (Miller 46), Potter, Johnson (Sodje 63); Varney, Tudgay. Subs: Hinds, McAllister, Jeffers, O’Donnell (g).

Newcastle United 0 Bristol City 0

The Coca-Cola Championship game between Barnsley and Ipswich Town at Oakwell on Saturday, Oct 3 2009.

At a windswept St James's Park, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, sunk deep in his directors' box seat, was seemingly keeping a lower profile than usual.

Arms crossed, Ashley sat impassively and expressionless was he was repeatedly, and passionately, told him to "get out of our club" by supporters still coming to terms with the revelations which came out of Kevin Keegan's Premier League tribunal, the verdict having laid bare the inner workings of the club under the sportswear magnate, not least Dennis Wise's novel use of YouTube.

Chris Hughton had been again named the Championship's Manager of the Month, and while the honour was no doubt welcome, United's caretaker manager would rather have collected three points from Bristol City, instead settling for one as the leaders failed to score in the league for the first time this season, though Marlon Harewood was denied what looked a clear penalty late in the game.

Asked if his preparations had been affected by the revelations off the field, Hughton - whose side remain three points clear at the top - simply said: "Not at all.

"I thought we deserved the win, and it was an absolutely clear penalty. With some penalties, you're not sure if the referee's going to give it, but I could have almost looked away – I was just waiting for him to point to the spot."

Newcastle started brighter, and loanee Harewood hit the post with a volley in the eighth minute on what was his full debut.

Hughton's side were given a scare by another of their loan signings, Zurab Khizanishvili, in the 20th minute when his weak pass let in Lee Johnson, but to United's relief the midfielder rolled the back across the face of an empty net.

Captain Alan Smith, still looking for his first goal 54 games into his St James's Park career, had a half chance, but Newcastle's early promise had faded in the face of City's doggedness and determination, not least from Bradley Orr, released by United more than five years ago without having made a first-team appearance.

Hughton, not known for his temper, was angrily on his feet as the interval approached, his players struggling to get any kind of momentum going forward.

Peter Lovenkrands created a chance for himself early in the second half, taking the ball on the right before cutting inside and shooting narrowly wide with his favoured left foot.

Danny Guthrie and Kevin Nolan both forced saves out of Dean Gerken as the half wore on, and United found something of a rhythm. Taylor struck the crossbar with a header from a Harewood header, and somehow, Lovenkrands shot wide from the ensuing scramble.

Harewood had a strong penalty appeal waved away by referee Graham Salisbury after he appeared to be caught in the box by Jamie McCombe in the 73rd minute. United's support, having seen their side held for the second time this week at St James's Park, rued the decision at the final whistle.

And City manager Gary Johnson said: "I must admit my heart was in my mouth at the time, but the referee makes the decision.

"From our point of view, it's a great result, but we didn't come here for a point, we came here to win."

Match details

Newcastle United (4-4-2) Harper; R Taylor, S Taylor, Khizanishvili, Simpson; Guthrie (Ranger, 85), Nolan, Smith, Gutierrez (Carroll, 66); Harewood, Lovenkrands.
Subs: Krul, Kadar, Butt, Donaldson, Geremi.
Booked: Khizanishvili.
Sent off: None
Bristol City (4-5-1): Gerken; Orr, Carey, Nyatanga, McAllister (McCombe, 46); Sno, Johnson (Williams, 73), Elliott, Skuse; Maynard; Saborio (Haynes, 60).
Subs: Clarkson, Hartley, Sproule.
Booked: Saborio.
Referee: Graham Salisbury

Reading 0 Middlesbrough 2

The Coca-Cola Championship game between Reading and Middlesbrough at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday, Oct 3 2009.

The Riverside has been an unforgiving arena for Gareth Southgate and his players this season but Reading provided them with a setting of solace.

Euphoria for Middlesbrough has been rare during a campaign where only victories, and ultimately promotion back to the top flight, can assuage the insane pressure already bearing down on the manager’s shoulders.

Southgate, wrestling with intense expectancy and the grudges of a section of supporters unconvinced by his ability to resuscitate their fortunes, watched with glee as his side eased past tenacious opponents. If those dissenters were among the 1,518-strong travelling support, they were awfully quiet.

“We knew there’s a hangover from last year and I have to accept the backlash of that but I can guide this young group through difficult times and hopefully, more afternoons like this,” Southgate said. His side are third in the Championship and clinging to the coat-tails of Newcastle and West Brom.

Reading were disfigured by the past. Leroy Lita, once a symbol of youthful promise at the Madejski, struck the second goal after half time, racing away from Darren O’Dea on the halfway line and beating Adam Federici with a low shot.

Lita was given warm applause by the Reading crowd before kick-off and upon his late departure for Marvin Emnes but fans have short memories. They cheered in scornful delight when he cut inside in the 28th minute and lashed a shot wide.

Soon after Lita spurned a clear sight of goal having been released by Adam Johnson’s sublime pass which dissected Reading. Fleeting Royals satisfaction, though, was slashed to pieces.

Reading manager, Brendan Rodgers, suggested his team is “an ongoing project” and they were far from accomplished collectively. Bristling with confidence in spurts, they were again crippled by immaturity, the lack of a final ball and poor decision-making in possession.

Slackness riddles their play at the back too. Sean St Ledger escaped lax marking and headed in Adam Johnson’s corner in the first half.

In Jobi McAnuff, Reading boasted the game’s premier barnstormer down the left in the first half. His energy was uncontainable. Gliding past two tackles, he played in Brian Howard, whose shot was blocked.

McAnuff was the antithesis of Jimmy Kebe on the opposite flank. Inspired one game, insipid the next, the Malian was woeful and replaced at the break by Noel Hunt. In their current predicament, Reading cannot afford passengers.

Southgate, basking in satisfaction, may well cock an ear towards his detractors as if to say: “Well? How was that?”

Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle

Kevin Nolan's hat-trick helped Newcastle move to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship and left Roy Keane's Ipswich side in turmoil.

The Magpies hit three goals in four first-half minutes to crush Keane's disillusioned side - who have now made the Suffolk club's worst ever start to a season - on an emotional afternoon at Portman Road.

Both sets of fans paid tribute to the late Sir Bobby Robson throughout as Ipswich renamed a stand in honour of their former manager, who died in July.

But while Ipswich have now made it nine league games without a win, Newcastle - where Robson ended his illustrious managerial career - have made light of their relegation from the Barclays Premier League in May with an impressive start.

They dominated from the off and opened the scoring with an excellent Nolan header before the former Bolton captain scored again 60 seconds later.

Ryan Taylor then drove home a free-kick for Chris Hughton's side before Nolan completed the rout after the break.

Newcastle captain Alan Smith set the tone with two crunching tackles in the opening 90 seconds and the visitors came close to an opening goal in the fifth minute.

Nolan played the ball up to Nile Ranger, who showed superb strength to turn Alex Bruce on the edge of the area.

The 18-year-old then had the poise to dummy inside the challenge of Liam Rosenior and get a shot away, which goalkeeper Richard Wright did well to palm behind for a corner.

The visitors were playing all the football, with the experienced trio of Smith, Nicky Butt and Nolan controlling proceedings in midfield as Ipswich looked woefully short of confidence after their disastrous start to the season.

Nolan looked a class above and opened the scoring with a marvellous header in the 30th minute.

Jon Walters gave away a silly free-kick for a push on Ryan Taylor on the right wing and, from the former Wigan man's delivery, Nolan leapt high to power a header past Wright and into the roof of the net.

The away fans had hardly stopped celebrating when Nolan grabbed his second a minute later.

Andy Carroll played the ball over the top for Nolan, who surged into the area. He easily cut inside a flimsy challenge from Pim Balkestein and slipped the ball between Wright and the near post for a tidy finish.

Newcastle were rampant and went 3-0 up in the 34th minute.

Ranger was fouled on the left-hand side and Taylor stepped up to curl a fine 25-yard free-kick over the wall and into the top corner.

A parade of Robson's former Ipswich players entered the field during half-time, including Scotland and former Tractor Boys manager George Burley, as the FA Cup and UEFA Cup won under the former England manager were rightly celebrated.

The current crop made a slightly better start to the second period, with Walters heading onto the roof of the goal, but Nolan soon completed his treble in the 50th minute.

Zurab Khizanishvili charged down the right wing before laying the ball off to Ryan Taylor. He picked out Ranger unmarked at the back post and his header back across goal looked like finding the net until Nolan arrived to nod over the line from three yards out.

The visitors saw out the rest of the game with ease and gave a debut to on-loan Aston Villa forward Marlon Harewood in the closing stages.

Attention now turns to Keane's immediate future as the former Manchester United captain reflects on the fact that, after nine games of a season which promised much, his side are only being kept off the bottom of the division by Plymouth.

West Brom 3-1 Doncaster

Jonas Olsson scored twice as West Brom moved to the top of the Coca-Cola Championship table with a hard-fought victory over Doncaster at The Hawthorns.

Roberto Di Matteo's side fell behind early on when 20-year-old forward Waide Fairhurst scored on his first start for Rovers.

But Olsson powered home a header from a Graham Dorrans corner to bring Albion level in the 19th minute, before converting another Dorrans set-piece to give his side the lead.

Substitute Chris Wood then added a third goal late on to kill off any hopes of a Doncaster comeback.

The victory maintains Albion's unbeaten start to the season and puts them a point ahead of Newcastle and Middlesbrough at the summit, although the Magpies do have a game in hand.

Doncaster slip to 17th, having taken seven points from their opening seven fixtures.

Baggies boss Di Matteo made just one change in personnel from the side that beat Plymouth 3-1 at the weekend, bringing in Robert Koren at the expense of Simon Cox. Koren's introduction also signalled a change of formation, with Roman Bednar operating as a lone frontman.

Doncaster handed a full debut to recent loan signing Billy Sharp, while fellow forward Fairhurst was also handed his first start for the club in the absence of injured duo James Coppinger and James Hayter.

The hosts started the game brightly, but it was Rovers who took the lead in the seventh minute as Sharp latched onto John Oster's cross before teeing up Fairhurst to sweep home from six yards.

The Baggies then suffered a further blow as Marek Cech - who scored twice against Plymouth - picked up an injury and was replaced by Jerome Thomas.

But they soon pulled level when Olsson leapt highest to head Dorrans' corner into the net.

The Baggies had the better of the remainder of the half, with Shelton Martis heading over from another Dorrans corner and Chris Brunt testing goalkeeper Neil Sullivan with one free-kick and firing narrowly wide with another.

But Doncaster, who lost Gareth Roberts to injury shortly after the half hour, remained a threat and came close themselves when Stock fired wide from the edge of the area following a poor punch from Scott Carson.

Rovers began the second half on the front foot, with Martin Woods testing Carson with an attempted lob from around 40 yards.

Stock also saw a free-kick drift over the bar, while at the other end the hosts were left largely frustrated in their attempts to carve out a clear-cut chance in open play.

In the end, Albion were left to rely on another set-piece to bring an end to Doncaster's defiance as Olsson headed an inswinging Dorrans free-kick back across Sullivan and into the far corner.

Adam Lockwood missed a golden chance to snatch an equaliser for Rovers with 11 minutes remaining when he nodded a Woods corner inches wide.

And Wood made the visitors pay as he lashed home a stunning 25-yarder in the 85th minute.

Sheff Wed 1-3 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough maintained their early season momentum with an accomplished victory Coca-Cola Championship victory at Hillsborough.

Boro needed an own goal from Darren Purse to cancel out home striker Luke Varney's stunning early opener, before second-half goals from Frenchman Jeremie Aliadiere and roving winger Adam Johnson lifted Gareth Southgate's side into the top two.

Once Aliadiere had fired his third goal in two matches to give Southgate's side the lead early in the second half there seemed little doubt as to the outcome.

And Johnson underlined the visitors' extra class with a brilliant 84th-minute finish to secure Boro's fifth league win from seven matches.

The Owls' second defeat and first at home this season has halted their early promise, but manager Brian Laws will take solace from the fact his side will not face many better than Boro for the rest of the campaign.

The only change to Wednesday's starting line-up saw Mark Beevers step in for Richard Wood (groin) at centre-half, while Aliadiere's two goals for Middlesbrough against Ipswich on Saturday earned the Frenchman a recall at the expense of summer signing Leroy Lita. Injured Boro full-back Andrew Taylor was replaced by Jonathan Grounds.

The travelling Boro faithful, in good voice prior to kick-off, were silenced in the second minute when Varney smashed home the opener.

The Derby striker, in his second spell on loan at Hillsborough, raced onto Darren Potter's long ball down the left, cut inside flat-footed defender Seb Hines and thumped home a rising angled shot from just inside the penalty area in off the crossbar.

But the decibels were cranked up in the visiting end in the 19th minute when the Teessiders levelled in fortuitous circumstances.

Adam Johnson, who had already shown glimpses of why Boro should not miss Stuart Downing this season, whipped in a curling cross and the ball spun beyond Owls goalkeeper Lee Grant after taking the clearest of deflections off captain Purse's head.

Wednesday were dealt a blow just before the interval when Beevers was carried off on a stretcher following a collision with his goalkeeper. Richard Hinds stepped off the bench to replace him.

The home side were sent reeling again three minutes after the restart.

Dutch striker Marvin Emnes collected the ball midway inside the Owls' half and sent a slide-rule pass inside Hinds and into the path of Aliadiere, who clipped a measured finish over the stranded Grant.

Johnson's drive a minute later brought the best out of Grant, low down to his right and from the subsequent corner the home keeper flew high to his left to keep out Hines' bouncing goalbound header.

Wednesday huffed and puffed to get back on terms, but faltered in the final third and it was no surprise when the impressive Johnson pounced in the penalty area to bury a low venomous shot into the bottom corner with six minutes remaining.

Hughton happy to lead Toon

Newcastle caretaker manager Chris Hughton is waiting to learn whether he has a long-term future at the club.

An update is due tomorrow on owner Mike Ashley's ongoing efforts to sell the club.

Hughton has done his cause no harm by guiding Newcastle on an unbeaten run at the start of their Coca-Cola Championship campaign, and yesterday's win at Crystal Palace was a third in eight days for the Magpies.

Ashley was expected to decide by the end of this week whether to sell the club to one of the prospective buyers, or to stay on at the helm in what could be a promotion season.

Local businessman Barry Moat, as well as two other consortia, have been talking to Newcastle, with Ashley seeking £100million for the club.

Hughton said: "At this moment we are waiting for a decision to be made on whether the club is sold, or what will happen if the club is not sold.

"I'm very happy to be in this position and very happy to do this job for as long as I am asked to.

"It's not about me putting down a marker for the job, it's about winning games for this club and the players have responded."

Goals from Kevin Nolan and Ryan Taylor gave Newcastle their latest victory, keeping them tied at the top of the table with Middlesbrough and West Brom, the teams who joined them in being relegated from the Barclays Premier League in May.

Ipswich were expected to be challenging, however their 2-0 defeat to West Brom means Roy Keane's side have just one point from four games.

Keane saw first-half goals from Youssouf Mulumbu and Robert Koren condemn Ipswich to defeat at the Hawthorns, where Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright kept the score down by saving a 74th-minute Luke Moore penalty.

Keane said: "I always knew that the job would be difficult but there is no getting away from the fact that it is a massive, massive challenge over the next few months. It is sink or swim for the players.

"We don't look much of a goal threat and we are giving bad goals away. That is a recipe for trouble so it is going to be very, very hard."

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate still wants more from his side after a 2-0 win over Doncaster at the Riverside.

Tuncay Sanli and Leroy Lita scored but Southgate picked holes in the performance and admitted his team were "hanging on a bit at the end".

Southgate said: "We have set high standards in the opening few games and if we want to get back up where we want to be as a club then we must stick to them."

Like Ipswich, Brendan Rodgers' fancied Reading side are without a win after losing 3-1 at home to Sheffield United.

Preston stand fourth but received bad news when midfielder Barry Nicholson suffered a broken leg in the 2-0 Coca-Cola Championship victory over Peterborough.

Sheffield United and Leicester are level on eight points with Preston. Leicester were 1-0 winners against Barnsley, thanks to Matt Fryatt's strike.

Coventry suffered their first league defeat of the campaign, crashing 1-0 at home to Swansea, while Miles Addison grabbed a 90th-minute winner as Derby beat Plymouth 2-1.

Jim Magilton remains without a league win as QPR boss after they drew for the third time in four matches, 1-1 at home against Nottingham Forest, while Sheffield Wednesday swept Scunthorpe away 4-0 and Watford were held 2-2 at home by Blackpool.

Newcastle 1-0 Sheff Wednesday

Shola Ameobi proved Newcastle's match-winner once again as the Magpies climbed into third place in the Coca-Cola Championship table.

The 27-year-old scored for the fourth time in five days after his hat-trick against Reading to put his club level on points with leaders Cardiff and second-placed Middlesbrough and marginally behind on goal difference.

Ameobi struck in front of a crowd of 43,904 after just 15 minutes, although Newcastle were unable to find a second goal and it took good saves by Steve Harper from former Sunderland full-back Michael Gray and substitute Francis Jeffers to ensure all three points stayed on Tyneside.

It was the first time Sheffield Wednesday had been to St James' Park since their ill-fated visit in September 1999, when Sir Bobby Robson's first home game as Magpies manager ended in a thumping 8-0 victory over the Owls.

But much has changed at St James' Park during the intervening decade and all that mattered tonight was a win however it came.

Hughton handed loan signing Danny Simpson a debut at right-back as Ryan Taylor moved into midfield to replace the injured Joey Barton.

Kevin Nolan whistled a 25-yard drive just wide with little more than 20 seconds on the clock as Newcastle made a lively start.

It was they who took the lead with 15 minutes gone when Andy Carroll helped on Harper's clearance and Ameobi controlled before half-volleying superbly inside keeper Lee Grant's left post.

Grant did keep out Ameobi's 28th-minute header from a Ryan Taylor corner, and although Owls striker Jermaine Johnson repeatedly caused problems for Fabricio Coloccini - he set up James O'Connor for a shot which Nolan had to block four minutes before the break - the home side largely held sway before the break.

Ryan Taylor almost wrapped up the win within seven minutes of the restart when, after Sean McAllister had been penalised for a foul on Jonas Gutierrez 25 yards out, he forced Grant into a fine save with a curling free-kick.

Nolan blasted a long-range effort just over after the visitors failed to clear the resulting corner, and it seemed only a matter of time before the home side extended their lead.

But Wednesday rallied as the game passed the hour mark and Harper was called upon to make his first save of the game from Gray's 64th-minute free-kick.

Ryan Taylor could not hit the target after being set up by substitute Xisco and Ameobi 20 minutes from time.

But Harper had to dive bravely at Jeffers' feet with four minutes remaining after full-back Tommy Spurr had played the striker in behind the home defence.