Reading's run since the last Saturday in January has been brilliant, so much so that it still makes it difficult to believe they recently went to Peterborough and lost 3-1. They took their current form to West Ham on Saturday knowing that defeat would see their hosts replace them in the top two.
Apparently they should have lost too. West Ham were better than them, much better according to that fine judge Sam Allardyce, but having gone behind they stormed back and went on to win the game 4-2.
It's taken them four points clear of West Ham and there was further good news for Brian McDermott's team a couple of hours later when Southampton took a hammering at Blackpool. It leaves the Royals only two points away from top place and who would argue against them in their current form?
The top three are sorted and nothing is going to change that. It's just a matter of which one will have to go through the play offs to try and win promotion. Currently the other three teams in there with West Ham are Birmingham, Blackpool and Brighton with Middlesbrough outside on goal difference.
Add Cardiff to the mix and I suspect that might be it now with Hull dropping further behind after a shock home defeat to Coventry City who are outside the bottom three since the first Saturday in November.
They lost at Leicester at the beginning of March but since they've drawn four and then followed that up with two 2-0 wins against Portsmouth and now Hull.
Doncaster and Portsmouth are beginning to look doomed and Bristol City, a team that would be sunk by now but for their honeymoon period when Derek McInnes returned, are the other occupants of the bottom three.
They still have a chance of getting out with Coventry and perhaps Millwall now the only candidates to replace them. Nottingham Forest, who have 18 points from their last 10 games, look to have more than enough to get out of it now and are six points clear.
Finally, this week a word of congratulations to former Claret Chris Iwelumo. After a prolific goalscoring start for us he's found goals difficult to come by since the beginning of 2011. He scored for us on New Year's Day and before Saturday had scored just twice since, for Burnley at Watford and for Watford at Hull.
Well done to him for scoring twice on Saturday at Leeds. I couldn't think of a better place for him to have returned to goalscoring form.
The results and stats are below along with the league's leading goalscorers, each clubs red and yellow card count, the highest and lowest attendances and the next fixtures.
The Week's Results Friday 30th March Doncaster Rovers 1 Birmingham City 3 Saturday 31st March Blackpool 3 Southampton 0 Ipswich Town 1 Barnsley 0 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Middlesbrough 1 Leeds United 0 Watford 2 Bristol City 1 Derby County 1 Peterborough United 1 Leicester City 0 Cardiff City 0 Millwall 0 Portsmouth 1 Burnley 5 Crystal Palace 0 Nottingham Forest 3 West Ham United 2 Reading 4 Hull City 0 Coventry City 2The Week's Stats Biggest Win Burnley 5-1 v Portsmouth (away) Total Goals Scored 32 (11 home - 21 away)
Player Scoring Most Goals
3
Charlie Austin (Burnley)Radi Majewski (Nottingham Forest) Highest Attendance 33,350 - West Ham United v Reading Lowest Attendance 8,656 - Doncaster Rovers v Birmingham City Total Yellow Cards 40 Total Red Cards 1 Most Cards in a Game Brighton & Hove Albion v Middlesbrough (6Y) Ref: Darren DeadmanPortsmouth v Burnley (6Y) Ref: Stuart AttwellLeading Goalscorers (League Only) 24 Rickie Lambert (Southampton) - includes 9 penalties 16 Ross McCormack (Leeds United) 15 Darius Henderson (Millwall) - includes 2 penaltiesKevin Phillips (Blackpool)Jay Rodriguez (Burnley) - includes 3 penalties 14
Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town)David Nugent (Leicester City)Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham United) - (10 with Barnsley)
13Charlie Austin (Burnley)Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 2 penaltiesBilly Sharp (Southampton) - includes 1 penalty (10 with Doncaster Rovers)Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United) - includes 2 penalties
12Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough)Matty Fryatt (Hull City) - includes 1 penalty
11Craig Davies (Barnsley) - includes 1 penaltyLukas Jutkiewicz (Middlesbrough) - includes 1 penalty - (9 with Coventry City)Paul Taylor (Peterborough United)Pete Whittingham (Cardiff City) - includes 3 penalties
10 Ashley Barnes (Brighton & Hove Albion) - includes 3 penaltiesLuciano Becchio (Leeds United)Carlton Cole (West Ham United)Guly Do Prado (Southampton)Robert Koren (Hull City)Adam Lallana (Southampton)Kevin Nolan (West Ham United)Chris Wood (Bristol City) - (9 with Birmingham City)Nikola Zigic (Birmingham City)Hat Tricks Date Player & Game 20/08/11 3: Lee Tomlin - PETERBOROUGH UNITED v Ipswich Town 10/09/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Nottingham Forest 11/09/11 3: Chris Wood - BIRMINGHAM CITY v Millwall 12/10/11 3: Darius Henderson - Leicester City v MILLWALL 02/11/11 3: Jonjo Shelvey - Leeds United v BLACKPOOL 19/11/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Brighton & Hove Albion 26/12/11 3: Matthew Phillips - Barnsley v BLACKPOOL 31/12/11 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - BARNSLEY v Leeds United 21/01/12 3: Darius Henderson - Barnsley v MILLWALL 31/01/12 4: Nikola Zigic - Leeds United v BIRMINGHAM CITY 26/02/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Watford v SOUTHAMPTON 17/03/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Millwall v SOUTHAMPTON 20/03/12 4: Garath McCleary - Leeds United v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 31/03/12 3: Radi Majewski - Crystal Palace v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 31/03/12 3: Charlie Austin - Portsmouth v BURNLEY
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) Club Y R Y R Club Y R Y R League Total League Total Barnsley 53 2 56 2 Ipswich Town 52 5 53 5 Birmingham City 51 3 56 3 Leeds United 64 6 70 6 Blackpool 50 1 53 2 Leicester City 57 9 65 9 Brighton and Hove Albion 83 8 97 8 Middlesbrough 70 7 73 7 Bristol City 73 6 75 6 Millwall 69 2 76 2 Burnley 57 2 65 2 Nottingham Forest 55 4 60 4 Cardiff City 47 0 63 0 Peterborough United 48 2 51 2 Coventry City 50 2 52 2 Portsmouth 66 4 73 4 Crystal Palace 50 2 54 3 Reading 53 0 56 0 Derby County 53 1 53 1 Southampton 47 4 50 4 Doncaster Rovers 67 2 69 2 Watford 55 2 57 2 Hull City 61 1 66 1 West Ham United 59 6 61 7
Highest and Lowest Attendances Highest Lowest Att Fixture Att Fixture 34,936 West Ham United v Coventry City (02/01) 6,351 Peterborough United v Cardiff City (18/10) 34,900 West Ham United v Crystal Palace (25/02) 6,392 Peterborough United v Millwall (06/03) 34,749 West Ham United v Barnsley (17/12) 6,717 Peterborough United v Reading (20/03) 34,650 West Ham United v Doncaster Rovers (10/03) 7,004 Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/02) 33,465 West Ham United v Portsmouth (10/09) 7,540 Peterborough United v Blackpool (10/03) 33,366 Leeds United v West Ham United (17/03) 7,555 Peterborough United v Portsmouth (28/01) 33,350 West Ham United v Reading (31/03) 7,572 Doncaster Rovers v Millwall (20/03) 33,010 Derby County v Southampton (15/10) 7,650 Doncaster Rovers v Watford (26/11) 33,010 Derby County v Leeds United (26/12) 7,778 Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City (27/08) 33,010 Derby County v Nottingham Forest (17/03) 7,901 Peterborough United v Burnley (17/09)
The Next Fixtures Tuesday 3rd April Burnley v Birmingham City Friday 6th April Barnsley v West Ham United (17:20) Reading v Leeds United (14:00) Burnley v Brighton & Hove Albion Watford v Blackpool Saturday 7th April Birmingham City v Crystal Palace Middlesbrough v Cardiff City Coventry City v Peterborough United Millwall v Hull City Derby County v Ipswich Town Nottingham Forest v Bristol City (17:20) Leicester City v Doncaster Rovers Southampton v Portsmouth (13:00)
Source: FOOTYMAD
