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2 weeks ago
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Josh Eccles scored twice in Coventry’s 4-0 thumping of Plymouth Argyle, increasing the pressure on Wayne Rooney. It was Rooney’s first managerial meeting against his former England teammate Frank Lampard, whose side clinically punished a woeful first-half performance from the visitors.
All four of Coventry’s goals came before the break, rendering the second half a formality, as the hosts moved up to 14th in the Championship and left Plymouth bottom of the pile, three points adrift of the last safe spot. It took Coventry just over three minutes to forge their first opportunity as Jake Bidwell’s cross ran for Jack Rudoni, who headed wide at the back post.
In the fifth minute Coventry took the lead as Tatsuhiro Sakamoto was allowed a free header from Ben Sheaf’s cross that Daniel Grimshaw, the Plymouth goalkeeper, could not keep out. Coventry doubled their advantage in the 20th minute following a fine move that involved Bidwell heading down for Ephron Mason-Clark who laid the ball off for Eccles. He buried a low drive from just outside the area.
The hosts netted a third in the 39th minute when Mason-Clark beat the offside trap to run on to Eccles’s ball over the top and finish beyond the helpless Grimshaw. Plymouth’s limp first-half display was summed up just before half-time when Adam Randell was caught in possession just outside his own box by Rudoni, with Eccles taking over to find the bottom corner for his second and Coventry’s fourth.
League One roundup: Birmingham beat Burton to stay top
ShowBirmingham stayed top of League One as they eased to a comprehensive 2-0 victory against Burton, the league's bottom side, at St Andrew's thanks to Jay Stansfield's penalty and an own goal from Max Crocombe.
Stansfield struck his 12th of the season from the spot to secure the lead midway through the first half before Crocombe turned the ball past his own goalkeeper to ensure the hosts remained a point clear at the summit.
Two goals from Richard Kone and one for Beryly Lubala helped Wycombe, in second, to a 3-0 win at Stevenage. Kone bounced off his defender before drilling the ball low to give the visitors the lead, with Taye Ashby-Hammond, the Stevenage keeper, then at fault late in the first half when he scuffed a clearance to Kone, who lofted it into the empty net. Lubala headed in a third after the break.
Wrexham, in third, had to come from a goal down to defeat Blackpool 2-1. Steven Fletcher's late penalty was enough to hand the hosts the points after Paul Mullen had equalised with a brilliant left-footed volley. Blackpool had threatened an upset when Ashley Fletcher turned in James Husband's cross via their first attack of the game.
Huddersfield ensured they kept in touch with the top three thanks to a 1-0 win at home to Stockport. Lewis Bate's own goal in the first minute proved enough for Michael Duff's side.
That meant Reading were able to cut the gap and hold on to the final playoff spot with an emphatic 4-1 victory against Kevin Nolan's Northampton, goals from Harvey Knibbs, Charlie Savage, Sam Smith and Mamadi Camará ensuring a miserable start for the new Northampton manager.
Shrewsbury are six points from safety after they beat Lincoln 1-0, Mansfield restored their interest in the promotion race with a 3-0 win at Peterborough, while Wigan won 1-0 at Rotherham.
Crawley stayed in the relegation zone after being thumped 3-0 by Leyton Orient, Barnsley were 2-1 winners at Bolton, Exeter beat Bristol Rovers 3-1 and Charlton eked out a 2-1 win against Cambridge United.
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Four goals down at the break, Plymouth tried to restore some pride early in the second half, but both Callum Wright and Rami Al Hajj were off target with overly ambitious efforts. The damage had long been done, but there was one final moment of ignominy for Plymouth as Wright was sent off for a wild lunge on Joel Latibeaudiere late on.
Elsewhere, Burnley narrowed the gap to the league leaders, Sheffield United, by claiming an impressive 2-0 win at Bramall Lane. Josh Brownhill headed the visitors in front from Bashir Humphreys’s cross just before half-time and Josh Cullen’s long-range effort after his initial free-kick had been blocked secured the win.
Sunderland’s hopes of maintaining the pressure on the sides above them were hit by a last-gasp equaliser from Harry Leonard for Blackburn in a 2-2 draw at Ewood Park. Two swift second-half goals from Chris Rigg and Wilson Isidor had wiped out Yuki Ohashi’s early opener and looked set to win it for Régis Le Bris’ side until Leonard fired home at the death.
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League Two roundup: Walsall plough on against Doncaster
ShowWalsall, the runaway League Two leaders, kept up their excellent form with a 2-0 win at home to Doncaster.
Nathan Lowe's 11th league goal of the season and Harry Williams's header extended the hosts' unbeaten run to 12 games and sent them nine clear.
Port Vale, in second, fell to a 2-1 defeat at Bradford. Andy Cook scored twice, the first a superb long-range strike, before Vale levelled through Antwoine Hackford's volley, but Cook nodded home Richie Smallwood's free-kick on the hour as Vale slipped further off the pace.
At the bottom, Morecambe jumped off the foot of the table and leapfrogged Carlisle into 23rd thanks to Gwion Edwards's goal midway through the second half, minutes before Jon Mellish was dismissed for Carlisle.
Cheltenham beat Crewe 2-1, Colchester were 2-0 winners against Gillingham and Bromley thrashed Newport 5-2.
Wimbledon and Swindon drew 1-1, Fleetwood beat Chesterfield 2-0 and Grimsby defeated Harrogate 2-1. Notts County beat MK Dons 2-0 and Salford were 3-0 winners over Barrow. Tranmere against Accrington was postponed.
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Sheffield Wednesday surged back from a 3-0 half-time deficit to snatch a point in a 3-3 draw with 10-man Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium. Finn Azaz’s double capped a brilliant first-half display by Boro after Ben Doak’s opener, but second-half strikes from Svante Ingelsson, Josh Windass and Yan Valery sealed the fightback by the hour mark while the hosts had Rav van den Berg sent off.
Gary Rowett made a bright start to his reign as Oxford manager as goals from Mark Harris, Ciaron Brown and Przemyslaw Placheta allowed them to cling on for a 3-2 win over Cardiff, while Rocco Vata scored deep into injury time to claim a 2-1 win for Watford against Portsmouth at Vicarage Road. Liam Cullen’s double sent Swansea on their way to a 3-0 win over QPR and first-half goals from Emiliano Marcondes and Oscar Schwartau were enough for Norwich to see off Millwall 2-1 at Carrow Road. Brad Potts scored the only goal in Preston’s 1-0 win over Hull and Scott Twine did likewise as Bristol City beat Luton by the same score.
More to follow …
