As we were at the top, musical chairs in the middle, and mini revivals at the bottom as we look at the Week 19 Sky Bet Championship Winners and Losers.
WINNERS
The Usual Suspects
Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and Southampton all won their respective matches to maintain the status quo at the top.
After dropping two valuable points at Sheffield Wednesday last time out, the Foxes got back on track with an authoritative 2-1 win at West Brom on Friday night to open a four-point lead at the top.
That lead would be reduced to one point 24 hours later when Ipswich Town beat Coventry City 2-1 to keep the Foxes’ scent in their nostrils.
Meanwhile, at Elland Road Leeds United came through a tricky test, edging Middlesbrough by the odd goal in a five-goal thriller to maintain a one-point lead over Southampton, who comfortably saw off Cardiff City 2-0 at St Mary’s.
Queens Park Rangers
QPR make it on to the Winners list for the second successive instalment. The Hoops came away from Preston with a maximum haul of three points courtesy of a 2-0 win to prove that the 4-2 victory over Stoke City in the previous match was no fluke.
In fact, QPR have been on a decent run of form lately, taking 10 points from the last 15 on offer. They remain in the relegation zone, now four points adrift of safety.
Their league position aside, QPR will take encouragement from their recent form and believe they can plot their way to safety if they continue on their current trajectory.
Plymouth Argyle
There are signs Plymouth are starting to get to grips with the demands of the Championship after an initial period of adjustment and the attendant struggles.
The 2-1 win over Stoke City was their second maximum haul in three matches, doing their bid to retain their Championship status no harm.
Sheffield Wednesday
The Owls earned a spot in the last installment’s “Part Winners, Part Losers” section after earning a creditable draw against league leaders Leicester City. They graduate to the Winners group in this edition on the back of a deserved 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.
They are still bottom of the Championship but Sheffield Wednesday are ensuring that they remain within striking distance of the safety spots.
Watford
Watford will be secretly harbouring play-off ambitions and why not.
The 2-1 at Hull City moved the Hornets within three points of the final play-off spot. They are on a decent run of form too, having taken 10 points from a possible fifteen.
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LOSERS
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers will look back at the 3-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday as an opportunity missed. With Hull City losing at home to Watford, a win for Rovers would have catapulted them into the play-off places.
Preston North End
They were among the early season pacesetters and talked about as potential play-off candidates. Unfortunately the wheels seem to have come off for Preston, who slumped to a third consecutive defeat on Saturday, a 2-0 loss at home to resurgent QPR.
That they are still only two points off the play-off positions despite dropping nine points on the bounce shows how good Preston’s form was during the early part of the season. That form has since deserted them.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough’s bid for the play-off spots is being undermined by inconsistent form. The 3-2 defeat by Leeds United was Boro’s second in three matches.
After repairing their campaign admirably following a very poor start, Middlesbrough had started to look like a decent bet for the play-offs. However, the yo-yoing has pegged them backed a bit.
PART WINNERS, PART LOSERS
Birmingham City
Birmingham City avoided back-to-back defeats, so that counts as a moral victory of sorts.
However, that ignominy was averted thanks to a goalless draw against lowly Rotherham. That is scant consolation for a club with lofty ambitions and desperate for an improvement of fortunes on the pitch.
After all, the reason Birmingham City sacked John Eustace was because they wanted a new head coach who would take the club to the next level. So far, that decision is yet to be vindicated.
The Blues under Wayne Rooney are your typical colourless mid-table side. The new manager is yet to give them a discernible identity, let alone the results on the pitch they crave.
On current form Birmingham City are more in danger of slipping into the relegation zone than gatecrashing the play-offs.
How long before the natives start to get restless?
