After an International Break, LFW returns with a preview of the forthcoming weekend and midweek fixtures from the Coca Cola Championship.
In what is normally the case following an International break, we make up for two weeks without Club football, with a full programme of weekend and midweek fixtures
Well the game of the weekend is quite understandably, Sky's selection on Sunday from the Cardiff City Stadium, as erm, well, Cardiff City host Newcastle. Both sides are flying high with the Magpies sitting on top of the league at this early stage, who seriously would have thought that after all the close season turmoil going on behind the scenes at St James Park. They take their unbeaten record to Cardiff's new home, in which they have settled very well, winning all their league and cup games so far.
The above fixture takes care of 1st and 3rd places, but another team fresh from their Premier League adventures, West Brom, have also started very well and sit in second place on 11 points. The Baggies take on struggling Plymouth at the Hawthorns on Saturday, with the Pilgrims being one of 4 sides yet to register a league win. As you probably would have expected, Middlesbrough are right up there in the mix and Gareth Southgate's men take on Roy Keane's Ipswich at the Riverside in another attractive fixture. Boro currently sit in 4th place where as Ipswich, are somewhat surprisingly in the bottom three.
Bottom club Barnsley face a tricky looking trip to Watford, who themselves are looking for their first home win. Just outside the bottom three are Championship new boys Peterborough, who are QPR's opponents at Loftus Road on Saturday. The Posh have also yet to win this season despite some favourable reviews. LFW Preview of the game will be online soon...
From Saturday we move to a full programme of midweek fixtures and I have mentioned on more than one occasion elsewhere and indeed, on these pages, about some of the ridiculous midweek journeys the F.A. make football supporters endure. I am very pleased to say that this is certainly not the case this time around and apart from Watford fans,who make the mammoth trip to Plymouth, I can't really pick out a single fixture to which the away fan will feel that hard done by, really!! But don't get over excited, it won't last, QPR's midweek trip to Newcastle at the end of the month is testament to that.
The forthcoming Weekend and Midweek Championship Fixtures are listed below...
Saturday, 12 September 2009
Coventry v Bristol City, 15:00
Crystal Palace v Scunthorpe, 15:00
Derby v Sheff Utd, 13:00
Leicester v Blackpool, 15:00
Middlesbrough v Ipswich, 15:00
Preston v Swansea, 15:00
QPR v Peterborough, 15:00
Reading v Doncaster, 15:00
Sheff Wed v Nottm Forest, 15:00
Watford v Barnsley, 15:00
West Brom v Plymouth, 15:00
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Cardiff v Newcastle, 14:05
Tuesday, 15 September 2009
Coventry v Sheff Utd, 19:45
Derby v Barnsley, 19:45
Ipswich v Nottm Forest, 19:45
Leicester v Peterborough, 19:45
Plymouth v Watford, 19:45
QPR v Crystal Palace, 20:00
Scunthorpe v Preston, 19:45
Sheff Wed v Middlesbrough, 19:45
Swansea v Bristol City, 19:45
West Brom v Doncaster, 19:45
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Blackpool v Newcastle, 19:45
Reading v Cardiff, 20:00