On the road with Michael Walker: Cardiff concede two late penalties during a weekend of bizarre Championship results, but why are we surprised?
The Easter message from the pulpit atop the Championship could be plucked directly from the Gospel according to Matthew: ‘Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’
Around 5pm at the City Ground, Nottingham, on Saturday, as we awaited the fire and brimstone arrival of Billy Davies, the news came through that Peterborough had scored two late penalty kicks to beat leaders Cardiff.
A sold-out City Ground was already struggling to digest a rapid 2-2 draw between Forest and Brighton. Now this, Cardiff losing to relegation battlers. Saturday’s results followed Friday’s curious outcomes and together they left none of the top nine in the division with a victory.
Turnaround: Grant McCann's two late penalties for Peterborough beat Malky Mackay's Cardiff side SaturdayEveryone has got the hiccups.
Then, belatedly, but perhaps tellingly, came Hull City. Hull’s 1-0 win at Huddersfield on Saturday meant more due to the draws and defeats around them. Hull had lost three of their previous five but George Boyd’s belter of a winner put a four-point space between Hull in second and Watford in third.
The two teams meet on Tuesday night on Humberside. It is a collision to savour. But before worrying about Tuesday, four of the top seven are putting boots on weary feet on Easter Monday.
Going up? Hull moved four points clear of third-placed Watford with a 1-0 win at Huddersfield
Cardiff host Blackburn Rovers knowing a home win would take them 11 points clear of Watford with seven games left. This is all the more desirable as Cardiff go to Watford this coming Saturday.
But Cardiff, as well as losing at Peterborough, have lost one and drawn two of their last three home games. They seem to be stuttering yet have a four-point lead and a game in hand.
There has to be perspective — Cardiff have lost two of 18 home games all season. Crystal Palace have also lost just two at home but Friday’s 4-0 defeat at Selhurst Park by Birmingham City was an alarm bell after the previous result — a 3-0 loss at Brighton.
All square: Nottingham Forest and Brighton played out a pulsating 2-2 draw on SaturdayApplause: Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies
And on Monday Palace go to Blackpool, Ian Holloway returning to Bloomfield Road for the first time since his November departure. ‘I know it will be emotional,’ he said. (With Blackpool two points off relegation, it might be more than that.) It will be a different kind of emotion to that engulfing Nigel Pearson at Leicester. Friday’s home defeat by Millwall leaves Leicester with one win in 10 and out of the play-off places. They face a trip to Barnsley on Monday. On Saturday, Leicester go to Brighton.
No wonder teams get the hiccups. The sheer volume of fixtures leaves no space for rest, never mind digestion. But if it feels like the Championship promotion scramble is more volatile than ever, and that there might be an explanation found, for example, in the increased television money in the Premier League next season, Billy Davies advised not to bother wasting time examining it.
After referring to ‘all these strange results’, Davies provided a succinct analysis of why this season’s Championship is how it is. ‘It’s the Championship,’ he said.
Is it not even more unpredictable this time around? ‘No, not at all. It is what it is. It’s just the Championship. Every single season it’s the same, a coat of paint doesn’t separate top from bottom.
Smashed: Crystal Palace's promotion hopes were dealt a major blow after a 4-0 defeat by Birmingham Return: Palace manager Ian Holloway will come up against his old team Blackpool on Monday‘Everybody’s trying to get to this £100million prize, or whatever it’s worth — there’s no doubt people are making a big effort to compete, the competition is fierce.
‘It’s the most difficult league in the world to get out of. It’s a very long season, a huge amount of games, very tiring. We’ve seen it before, at this time of the season, you can get strange results. And top can beat bottom.’
What Davies meant of course was that bottom can beat top but anyone can be excused feeling things are stood on their head. It is, after all, what Davies has done in his second spell at Forest. Davies returned to the City Ground eight games ago. Forest’s new owners had got through Sean O’Driscoll and Alex McLeish; the team were seven points off relegation.
Had they taken any one of four good chances in the first half against Brighton, Forest would be eight points off automatic promotion. As it is the turnaround has been remarkable.
Under Davies Forest have won six and drawn two; they go to Burnley on Monday. They had 12 corners against Brighton but still fell behind twice. Leo Ulloa scored again for Gus Poyet’s side and after Lewis McGugan left the strong home bench to equalise, Ulloa set up Will Buckley to make it 2-1.
A blooper from Casper Ankergren then gifted Henri Lansbury a second equaliser. Ankergren had hitherto been excellent. Now he was distraught. As Davies would say: it’s the Championship.
More... Latest Championship table, fixtures and results Peterborough 2 Cardiff 1: McCann at the double to give Posh hope as Bluebirds promotion charges stalls Wolves 3 Middlesbrough 2: Doyle winner keeps Saunders' survival hopes alive Nottingham Forest 2 Brighton 2: Late goalkeeping blunder denies Seagulls victory against play-off rivals Crystal Palace 0 Birmingham 4: Blues run riot and dent Holloway's promotion hopes with thumping win at Selhurst Park
