Championship round-up: Doncaster shock Southampton to move off bottom
• Billy Sharp goal lifts Dean Saunders and stuns Saints
• Sam Allardyce 'sickened' after West Ham lose to Burnley
by David Hills 1 year ago

Doncaster 1-0 Southampton

The result of the day in the Championship lifted Dean Saunders's side off the foot of the table, and raised questions over Southampton's ability to stay on top of it. Saunders, whose side won it via a second-half goal from Billy Sharp, said: "We deserved it. There were some excellent performances all round – we're starting to gel. These players can beat any team in the division." Southampton's manager, Nigel Adkins, refused to blame the result on the absence of injured top scorer Rickie Lambert. "Everyone has injuries – you have to cope with them. You can't afford to just rely on one player and we're not going to hide from the result. The top team is expected to beat the bottom and it didn't happen - but that's football."

West Ham 1-2 Burnley

Sam Allardyce said he felt "sickened" after West Ham missed a string of chances to go top of the table. Kevin Nolan broke the deadlock early in the second half, only for Chris McCann to equalise five minutes later, before Sam Vokes hit Burnley's winner. "We've worked so hard to get in front and then that happens," said Allardyce. "We hit the woodwork and squandered chances – nothing fell for us." Burnley's manager, Eddie Howe, said the result was the best since he took over. "We kept the crowd quiet in the first half and knew if we needed a goal we had the players to change the game. We defended magnificently. The backs have taken a lot of criticism lately, and sometimes for good reason, but they were terrific here."

Ipswich 1-2 Watford

The pressure mounts on Ipswich manager Paul Jewell: this home defeat took their losing run to seven games, and followed Tuesday's 4-0 thrashing at Burnley. Jewell said his side were "blatantly unlucky" to lose again. "I'm an honest manager and I'm not normally one for blaming luck. I'll say when we've been outplayed, but we were unlucky. I'm scratching my head as to how we didn't win, but we haven't and that's the bottom line." The Watford manager, Sean Dyche, was delighted with his side's comeback from a goal down – the winner coming from substitute Troy Deeney. "He's got a fantastic attitude and desire. He just keeps working so hard every week, whether he starts the game or not."

And the rest

Brighton's manager, Gus Poyet, admitted his side were lucky to win a "boring" game against Forest 1-0 through a stoppage-time winner from Will Buckley. ■ Bristol City were beaten by a superb injury-time free-kick – Malaury Martin's strike earning Middlesbrough a 1-0 away win. ■ Leicester's new manager, Nigel Pearson, was beaten 2-1 on his first trip back to Hull City, and was jeered throughout by the home crowd. "The fans don't bother me in the slightest. If there was any stick, I didn't notice it." And Barnsley secured a third consecutive win with a 4-3 victory at Peterborough – having thrown away a 3-0 lead. Barnsley manager Keith Hill admitted: "We got away with it."

Related articles
Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers expects quick decision on Andy Carroll Today
West Ham agree a fee of £15m for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll 1 day ago
Russell Brand on Alex Ferguson: 'A unique figure in the football faith' 1 day ago
Brighton apologise to Crystal Palace over excrement in dressing room 2 days ago
Wilfried Zaha puts Palace into play-off final at Brighton's expense 1 week ago

More from
West Ham UnitedWatfordBurnleyChampionshipIpswich TownSouthamptonDoncaster Rovers
Share your thoughts
Sign in to comment
Trending articles
José Mourinho clear to rejoin Chelsea for free as Real Madrid confirm exit
Italy cries foul over penalty that helped Milan into Champions League
David Moyes to tell Wayne Rooney his future lies at Manchester United
Football transfer rumours: Edinson Cavani to join Mourinho at Chelsea?
José Mourinho will face greater expectations at Chelsea this time round
Ten Premier League storylines that will dominate this summer
PSG lure Wayne Rooney with promise to match Manchester United wages
The great European Cup teams: Ajax 1971-73
Bundesliga boss attacks Fifa decision to hold 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Chelsea ask Galatasaray if Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz is for sale
Premier League's managerial shift may bring end to patience as a virtue
Liverpool's Brendan Rodgers expects quick decision on Andy Carroll
Manchester City target Manuel Pellegrini confirms exit from Málaga
Tottenham target Leandro Damião and Roberto Soldado for next season
Burgeoning Bundesliga shows Premier League the way
Roberto Martínez to decide Wigan future in 24 hours, says Dave Whelan
   
Kick4Life - changing lives through football