EFL 6/1 Acca | Gab Sutton
Bristol City propelled themselves into the thick of the Championship Play-Off equation with a seven-game unbeaten run, which came to an end with Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Burnley, but top six rivals Coventry and West Brom also lost.
Liam Manning’s side have a strong box midfield of Max Bird and Jason Knight, the former Derby contingent, plus agile Albanian Anis Mehmeti and Scott Twine, who can bring a sprinkling of stardust in the more advanced areas.
Watford, meanwhile, have lost form at the wrong time, with Tom Cleverley’s men amassing 12 points from 12 games dating back to January, although the Hertfordshire outfit are still in with a sniff, four points off.
Plus, the Hornets haven’t scored in 243 minutes of Championship football.
Rotherham parted company with Steve Evans after last Saturday’s shock 4-0 home defeat to Crawley left them languishing in 16th, a far cry from what the Millers were hoping for from their season.
However, Matt Hamshaw returned to the club to take charge of the first team until the end of the season, having been a coach under Paul Warne’s tenure, and he seems to have the soft skills to bring people together at a difficult time.
So, while the bigger questions remain, there’s the slightest hint of a feelgood factor at the New York Stadium, helped by a midweek 2-0 victory at Northampton.
Visitors Blackpool have won four of their last five but are still five points off the Play-Offs having played one game more than the sides above them.
It’s been a frustrating few weeks for Wimbledon, who have seen all their immediate promotion rivals experience periods of poor form, without quite being able to capitalise.
The Dons are winless in their last three league games, despite having led in each of them, including a late two-goal advantage against Barrow, only drawing 2-2 due to an equalizer six minutes into stoppage time, and leading at Swindon in injury time in midweek and somehow losing.
The good news for Johnnie Jackson’s side is that they’re at least doing something right, in getting their noses in front, and given that they’ve prided themselves on defensive solidity and the spirit of the collective all season.
Visitors Harrogate beat relegation rivals Tranmere in midweek to go nine points clear of the drop zone, but Simon Weaver’s side were rather fortunate, scoring from three of their four shots on target, whilst benefiting from comparatively wasteful opposition through a James Belshaw goalkeeping masterclass.
*Odds correct at time of writing. 18+ only. GambleAware.
