Derby go second behind Leicester in the Championship, Swindon remain in the hunt and David Flitcroft gets his first win
Championship
In April, Nigel Pearson was said to be on the verge of losing his job at Leicester, having one just once in eleven games. Now, following a humdinging 5-3 win over Bolton, his side are four points clear at the top of the Championship going into the New Year. With one of the strongest squads in the league, and owners that are capable of backing him in January, few would bet against Leicester being favourites to end the season in promotion.
The first half at the King Power Stadium ended three apiece; Bolton twice going ahead through André Moritz and Jermaine Beckford but were crucially were pegged back just before half-time – a shot from Paul Konchesky was cleared by Tim Ream but the ball struck Matt Mills and flew into his own net.
David Nugent missed a penalty after Jamie Vardy was brought down in the box but goals from Nathan Dyer and Gary Taylor-Fletcher sealed it for Leicester – Pearson particularly praising his side's mental character after the game, saying: "What pleased me most about the whole game was the fact that our players never lost the belief that they could win. To miss a penalty at 3-3 it could have gone a different way."
The fact that Leicester's form hasn't even what would normally be considered worthy of leading the Championship – they've dropped seven points of the last 18 available – is a tribute to how competitive the league is at the moment. Three of the top six failed to win, and you need only travel 20 miles down the M1 to Derby to see how far a good run of form can get you in this division.
Unbeaten since Steve McClaren joined as manager in late September, they have risen from 14th in the table to second, thanks to eight wins in nine league games. A Chris Martin double was enough to see off Barnsley, the first a deflected strike past Luke Steele, before adding his 15th of the season with his head from an Andre Wisdom cross.
Tomasz Cywka's long-range strike wasn't enough to give Barnsley a point, with the Yorkshire side now five points adrift at the foot of the table, leaving new manager Danny Wilson without a win since his appointment.
While Derby's league form will be of chief importance to McClaren, his side's FA Cup tie against Chelsea on 5 January could be a good indicator of how far Derby have come.
View the full Championship table
League One
Brentford leapfrogged both Wolves and Leyton Orient to the summit of League One, following their win over MK Dons. Orient played out a hard-fought 1-1 draw at promotion rivals Wolves and, while they lost their grip on the league lead, the east London side can be happy with their festive form, having beaten Gillingham away on Boxing Day and coming from behind on Sunday to prevent Wolves winning – Mathieu Baudry equalising after Ethan Ebanks-Landell had given the hosts an early lead.
Wolves enjoyed a bumper crowd of 28,598 – an attendance that is higher than the average of eight Premier League clubs this season – but were unable to force a winner, Jake Larkins saving from Michael Jacobs after the winger was clean through.
Brentford themselves seem to have lost none of the momentum after losing Uwe Rösler as their manager earlier this month – their 3-1 victory was their 11th in their last 12 games, Clayton Donaldson opening the scoring before Marcelo Trotta and Sam Saunders made the game safe.
Swindon remained in the play-off chase despite drawing 1-1 with Bradford. Tottenham loanee Alex Pritchard stood out and scored a wonder-goal, dancing through a number of Bradford challenges before firing past Jon McLaughlin.
Swindon striker Nile Ranger was left off the team-sheet following a disciplinary issue, with manager Mark Cooper dismayed at the former Newcastle player's attitude. "He played on Boxing Day but we've not seen him. The rest of the players have been in preparing for Sunday. He's probably had a lie-in," said Cooper. "He has got a tremendous talent and he is wasting it." Ranger also wrote off his Range Rover on Christmas Day.
View the full League One table
League Two
Scunthorpe beat promotion rivals Oxford United 2-0 with 37-year-old Dean Burton among the goals. It puts Scunthorpe second, level on points with leaders Chesterfield, who could only manage a draw at home to Dagenham and Redbridge, and third-placed Burton, who beat Newport 1-0 at home.
Bury climbed out of the relegation zone with their first victory under new boss David Flitcroft, after goals from loanees Daniel Nardiello and Anton Forrester gave them a 2-1 win over York City. Michael Coulson gave the hosts a scare in the final moments tapping in a cross, but it proved nothing but a consolation.
Fleetwood missed the chance to move into the play-off places after their game with Wycombe was called off due to a frozen pitch, following an overnight frost.
View the full League Two table
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