EFL Five Talking Points: West Yorkshire derby, Mansfield Town on the rise & Walsall finally beaten

Hello and welcome to my five talking points ahead of this weekend’s Football League fixtures. 

I will be looking into how Salford City ended Walsall’s unbeaten streak in League Two. 

In the Championship, Swansea City still sit in the top two, but they suffered a surprising heavy loss last weekend. 

We will also be looking ahead to a huge West Yorkshire derby in League One as in-form sides Bradford City and Huddersfield Town face off at Mbanq Valley Parade. 

Without further anticipation let’s dive right into this week’s agenda…

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Burnley appoint new boss & Championship promotion race

It was a crazy weekend in the second tier; QPR thumped early promotion hopefuls Swansea 5-0, with much of the damage coming from a hat-trick from Richard Kone inside the first 15 minutes. 

West Ham also suffered defeat albeit by a much smaller margin, a 3-2 loss to play-off hopefuls Southampton. 

At the other end of the table, Lincoln City cost Nicky Hayen his job on Saturday as Burnley went down 4-1 to the Imps.

The Clarets have won just once in 12 outings and sit in the relegation zone. Hayen has been succeeded by former FC Basel boss Fabio Celestini in the Turf Moor dugout.

Derby County drew 1-1 with Sheffield United, but the Rams have lost another defender as Dion Sanderson was sent off for a second yellow card.

This leaves John Eustace’s side with no natural centre backs as they travel down to Millwall this weekend in the midst of an injury crisis. 

Norwich City vs Watford – a huge relegation clash? 

This weekend, 20th takes on 21st in the Championship, as Norwich City and Watford face off in one of the early kick-offs.

Both Phillipe Clement and Alessio Dionisi will be hoping their team can come out on top and reverse their fortunes.

Amin Nabizada could prove vital for the visitors, as the attacker is key player for the Hornets after scoring three goals so far this season. 

The Canaries, meanwhile, will be looking to Mathias Kvistgaarden for inspiration with top scorer Mo Toure ruled out with injury possibly until January. 

Both clubs will be looking for a strong defensive performance to boost their chances of getting a good result. 

A West Yorkshire derby to relish in League One 

In League One, in-form duo and bitter rivals Bradford and Huddersfield face off. The Terriers sit top of the table, having lost just once under Martin Drury after 12 games.

Huddersfield fans will be hoping star man Derensili Sanches Fernandes will be available after slight concerns he picked up an injury when he came off late in the 2-1 victory over Wigan Athletic last time out. 

The Bantams find themselves in fourth but have only been defeated twice this campaign.

Both those losses came in the same week, 2-0 away to Plymouth Argyle at the end of August, before losing to Cambridge United the following Tuesday, 2-1. 

Bobby Pointon and Antoni Sarcevic lead the scoring charts for the club but Michael Duff will be delighted that goals are coming from across the whole squad as opposed to one individual at Bradford.

Mansfield Town shine as Peterborough United look to kick on

Mansfield Town are showing that they could be the dark horses in League One.

The Stags have three wins and three draws in the league since their 1-0 defeat to Bradford back at the start of September. 

Nigel Clough’s side have hit seven goals in their last two games with a 3-0 win at AFC Wimbledon followed up by a 4-1 thrashing of Blackpool last weekend. 

Notts County visit The One Call Stadium this weekend having won just twice in eleven games and with the Magpies down in 19th position. 

Elsewhere in League One, Robbie Savage has made a mixed start to life at Peterborough United after winning his first game in charge with a 3-1 victory away at Leicester City.

Posh followed that up with a 2-2 draw against Burton Albion, snatching a point through a late Matt Garbett equaliser, before suffering their first defeat under Savage in a heavy 4-1 loss at Huddersfield.

They showed their fighting spirit again at Bromley, rescuing a 1-1 draw with another late equaliser, before exiting the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 defeat at Bradford City on Tuesday.

Savage will be looking for his side to find some much-needed momentum when they host Luton Town on Saturday, having won just once since his arrival.

League Two goal rush

There were two emphatic wins in League Two last weekend, with Chesterfield thrashing Crewe Alexandra 5-1 and Accrington Stanley hitting Rochdale for five without reply.

Grimsby Town hit four as they beat Gillingham in a great away win for the Mariners.

Shrewsbury Town and Rotherham United played out an entertaining 3-3 draw, with both sides also seeing a player sent off.

Newport County finally lost, their first defeat in seven games.

Newport County’s seven-game unbeaten run ended with defeat to Cheltenham Town, while Salford City handed Walsall their first league defeat of the season, winning 4-2 on Monday night to end the EFL’s last remaining unbeaten record.

Lee Grant will be hoping to get the Saddlers back to winning ways when they travel to Colchester United this weekend.

Good luck to your team as they look to pick up another three points. I’ll be back next week with more of the latest EFL talking points next week.

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