Source: FOOTYMAD
Promotion battle hots up
Just when you think you've worked out in your head which teams will get promoted it all goes and changes again. Norwich went into last weekend four points clear in second place and looked favourites to go up with Queens Park Rangers but they now trail Cardiff by a point. It hasn't been a good week for Norwich. Having lost at Swansea they followed that up with just one point at Watford and that opened the door for Cardiff who won at Sheffield United. It's so close though, and Reading, in fifth place, are only three points behind Cardiff.Reading now have 26 points from their last ten games, four more than QPR who are next best. And the top clubs must have been showing some form recently because all but Leeds from the top six remain in the top six over the last ten games.Leeds have only 12 points from their last 10 games but Nottingham Forest, again the closest team to the play offs have won a paltry 7 points including those they got from us.Once again it looks as only that one play off place remains available, such is the form of the other five, and there are still a number of clubs fighting for it and Eddie Howe has certainly not ruled out Burnley.Down at the bottom, none of the bottom four were winners although both Crystal Palace and Preston did get draws. I still think it will be difficult for any of the bottom three to escape but the critical fixtures this weekend will have some say as the bottom four play each other.Those fixtures are below along with the results and stats for the midweek games, the leading goalscorers and each club's disciplinary records.The Midweek ResultsTuesday 12th AprilBarnsley 0 QPR 1Nottingham Forest 2 Burnley 0Derby 2 Leeds 1Portsmouth 0 Coventry 3Doncaster 1 Preston 1Scunthorpe 0 Reading 2Ipswich 3 Middlesbrough 3Sheffield United 0 Cardiff 2Leicester 1 Crystal Palace 1Swansea 1 Hull 1Millwall 0 Bristol City 0Watford 2 Norwich 2The Midweek StatsBiggest winCoventry 3-0 v Portsmouth (away)Total goals scored29 (12 home - 17 away)Player scoring most goals2Marlon King (Coventry)Grant Leadbitter (Ipswich)David McGoldrick (Nottingham Forest)Highest Attendance27,252 - Derby v LeedsLowest Attendance4,458 - Scunthorpe v ReadingTotal Yellow Cards44Total Red Cards3Most cards in a gameScunthorpe v Reading (9Y) - Andy WoolmerThe leading scorers (league only)23Danny Graham (Watford) - includes 1 penalty21Shane Long (Reading) - includes 5 penalties19Grant Holt (Norwich) - includes 3 penalties18Luciano Becchio (Leeds)17Max Gradel (Leeds) - includes 2 penalties16Jay Bothroyd (Cardiff) - includes 1 penaltyScott Sinclair (Swansea) - includes 5 penaltiesAdel Taarabt (QPR) - includes 6 penalties15Bill Sharp (Doncaster) - includes 4 penaltiesSteve Morison (Millwall) - includes 1 penalty13Kris Commons (Derby) - includes 2 penaltiesAndy King (Leicester)12Heidar Helguson (QPR) - includes 5 penaltiesLewis McGugan (Nottingham Forest) - includes 3 penaltiesJay Rodriguez (Burnley)11Iain Hume (Preston)Chris Iwelumo (Burnley)David Nugent (Portsmouth)Brett Pitman (Bristol City) - includes 3 penaltiesDavide Somma (Leeds)Hat Tricks (league only)11th Sep3 - Chris Iwelumo - BURNLEY v Preston14th Sep3 - James Coppinger - DONCASTER v Norwich14th Sep3 - James Vaughan - CRYSTAL PALACE v Portsmouth28th Sep3 - Jon Parkin - Leeds v PRESTON30th Oct3 - Jonny Howson - Scunthorpe v LEEDS13th Nov3 - Luciano Becchio - LEEDS v Bristol City27th Nov3 - Grant Holt - NORWICH v Leeds28th Dec3 - Wes Hoolahan - NORWICH v Sheffield United1st Jan3 - Jason Puncheon - MILLWALL v Crystal Palace5th Feb3 - Matt Fryatt - Scunthorpe v HULL15th Feb3 - Connor Wickham - Doncaster v IPSWICH2nd Apr3 - Grant Holt - NORWICH v Scunthorpe2nd Apr3 - Simeon Jackson - NORWICH v Scunthorpe2nd Apr3 - Yakubu - Middlesbrough v LEICESTERDisciplinary Record (all domestic games)ClubYRClubYRBarnsley612Middlesbrough561Bristol City552Millwall615Burnley785Norwich663Cardiff521Nottingham Forest642Coventry635Portsmouth778Crystal Palace747Preston825Derby702QPR636Doncaster443Reading674Hull732Scunthorpe523Ipswich654Sheffield United6710Leeds804Swansea582Leicester503Watford502The Next FixturesFriday 15th AprilNorwich v Nottingham ForestSaturday 16th AprilBristol City v IpswichHull v DoncasterBurnley v SwanseaLeeds v WatfordCardiff v PortsmouthMiddlesbrough v BarnsleyCoventry v MillwallPreston v Sheffield UnitedCrystal Palace v ScunthorpeReading v LeicesterMonday 18th AprilQPR v DerbyTuesday 19th AprilBurnley v Middlesbrough
