Weekend Preview

There’s a full programme of games to look forward to in the Championship this weekend, including our big local derby at Boro, Forest’s game at Preston and West Brom’s home clash with Blackpool.

The events of the past month or so have seen us open up a healthy advantage over the chasing pack.
Just six games ago we were thumped at Derby and subsequently displaced at the summit by West Brom, but the point salvaged at Swansea that following weekend appears to have been the catalyst for our superb current run, which has seen us net 13 times in three huge home wins against Coventry, Preston and Barnsley, as well as pick up what was our first away win of 2010 at Watford.

And all the while, Albion and Forest have been bottling it – having been level on points with us at the top of the table a month ago, West Brom have won just two of their past five in the league; a run which has seen them fall six points adrift of the mighty Mags having played a game more. Keep it up boys! Forest meanwhile continue to grind out fortuitous victories at home but their away form has tailed off spectacularly – since they, like us, were beaten at Derby, they have lost their last three on the road and without even mustering one goal in the process. Hardly promotion form, I’m sure Billy Davies will agree.

They have the opportunity to arrest that slump when they travel to Preston on Saturday, but the fact that Darren Ferguson’s men have only been beaten three times in 17 games at Deepdale this season will hardly be a boost to their confidence. North End’s recent form though hasn’t been too convincing.

Roberto di Matteo’s Baggies meanwhile welcome Blackpool to the Hawthorns, arguably the surprise package of this Championship season. The Seasiders, let’s not forget, were the first side to inflict a league defeat on us this season and have since secured several other memorable scalps. However, it is worth noting that the majority (34) of their 50 points have been amassed at Bloomfield Road, and moreover, that Ian Holloway’s men have managed just three precious successes from 17 games on the road.

The BnW Army meanwhile face a trip to (relatively) local rivals Middlesbrough, looking to take advantage of the Smoggies’ well-documented problems at home in what has been a real Jekyll-and-Hyde campaign. Early doors, Boro looked good value for an instant return to the promised land alongside ourselves and West Brom. But ever since the Baggies went up to the Riverside in mid-September and inflicted a 5-0 trouncing on then-manager Gareth Southgate’s men, they haven’t been able to get it together consistently enough. What followed was a series of desperately disappointing results at home, including defeats to the likes of Plymouth and Watford. Alarmingly, this initially continued into current manager Gordon Strachan’s reign, despite recent form showing a marked improvement. Despite their troubles though, Middlesbrough have demonstrated throughout the course of the season that if they can get it together on any given day they can do for anyone in this division. When you add to this the fact that this is a derby game, you are suddenly looking at potentially a very tricky away trip.

I expect all three games to be pretty open encounters with maybe quite a few goals shared around. We will obviously be rooting for Preston and Blackpool to do us a couple of favours, but far more important is that we win our own game on Saturday. As we have proven over the past few weeks, and over the course of the entire season in fact, if you can keep getting results in your own games, others will in due course inevitably drop points in theirs. COYM!

Category: Team News