Gab Sutton's EFL Winners & Losers - March 9
There were plenty more ups and downs across the EFL this weekend, as the football league heads into the business part of the season with plenty at stake.
Our EFL pundit here at Free Bets, Gab Sutton, takes a look at another busy weekend of EFL action across the three leagues.
Winners
Counter-Pressing Millwall
Alex Neil has built a team at Millwall that’s similar stylistically to the one with Preston North End that delivered multiple Play-Off challenges at this level: an aggressive, tenacious pressing side with pace in wide areas, that loves to cut teams open in transitions.
Except, this one with the Lions has a little more high-end talent, with the likes of Femi Azeez on the flank and Mihailo Ivanovic up top.
The South Bermondsey outfit might not quite be on the same level as Coventry and Middlesbrough, but they’re currently above Ipswich by one point, having played one game more, and with five wins in six they have to be in the conversation.
Bolton's Automatic Hopes
Bolton needed something special on Saturday to keep League One’s automatic promotion race alive.
The Trotters were trailing 2-0 with two minutes of normal time to play, and defeat would have left Steven Schumacher’s side some 11 points off the top two, having played one game more, with 10 to play.
The stunning turnaround, inspired by the impact of Corey Blackett-Taylor and Mason Burstow from the bench, leaves the door slightly ajar – still, it’s a big ask…
Salford's Play-Off Prospects
Saturday was just about the perfect day for Salford, after a tough month for Karl Robinson’s side.
Not only did the Ammies win 2-0, but four of the teams below them, including opponents Barnet, all lost, while Grimsby drew, putting their fate back in their own hands.
No surprise the result coincided with Haji Mnoga coming back into the side; the athletic wing-back has been one of the team’s top performers this year.
Losers
Birmingham and their Recruitment
Our sources suggest Birmingham owner Tom Wagner has had a significant input on recruitment in the last two windows, and it may be an explanation for what’s turning out to be a disappointing midtable season of inconsistency, contrary to lofty expectations.
In League One, Blues were able to blow their competitors out of the water on finance, but at this level, the playing field has been levelled and they need to get a bit smarter, which starts with trusting the professionals.
Underachieving Luton
Luton Town’s disgraceful attempt to win promotion from League One with Premier League parachute payments reached a new low, with the Hatters’ 3-2 defeat to Reading seeing them drop to 11th, with the humiliation of having now lost more games than they’ve won.
It’s great that the club has invested in Power Court, but serious question now need to be asked of CEO Gary Sweet, who seems to have taken his eye off the ball of the footballing side.
The club have already sacked two managers in the last 15 months, and there’s questions as to whether rookie Jack Wilshere will be backed to lead the Bedfordshire outfit into next season.
Out-of-form Chesterfield
The good news for Chesterfield is that many of their Play-Off rivals – Grimsby, Crewe, Barnet and Walsall – all dropped points, with only the former avoiding defeat.
The bad news is that the Spireites missed an opportunity to capitalise; even a draw would have been ok, but a 95th-minute winner in a game they led means Paul Cook’s side drop out of the top seven.
The Derbyshire outfit haven’t been able to find the spinal consistency they’ve needed this season, and defensive issues have seen them concede late goals recently, and drop points where they shouldn’t: who knows how much that will cost them.
EFL Betting at Free Bets
Gab Sutton provides weekly football tips for Free Bets, featuring a thoroughly researched longshot acca alongside sharp analysis of the key talking points and standout moments from the weekend's action at the start of each new week.
