Unai Emery has switched his objective from Premier League survival to securing a top-10 finish after Aston Villa’s 3-0 win against Bournemouth.Douglas Luiz, Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendia all scored as mid-table Villa moved on to 38 points with 11 matches remaining.They were only a point above the relegation zone when boss Emery officially started work as Steven Gerrard’s successo...Full Story »

Paul Simpson saw Carlisle fall out of the League Two automatic promotion places but insisted it was a point won rather than two dropped in their goalless draw with second-placed Stevenage.Yet Simpson believes several key decisions went against his side that might have tipped the outcome the Cumbrians’ way.First-half appeals for a penalty and a second-half call for a red card were rejected ...Full Story »

Boss Julen Lopetegui says he could write a book about the bad decisions against Wolves after a thrilling 4-2 defeat to Leeds.Jack Harrison, Luke Ayling, Rasmus Kristensen and Rodrigo pounced for the visitors as they escaped the Premier League relegation zone.Jonny spectacularly snatched a goal back before Matheus Cunha made it 3-2 but Jonny was then sent off for a dangerous tackle on Ayling.Jonn...Full Story »

Steven Schumacher was delighted with promotion-chasing Plymouth as they scored at “important times” to beat League One basement side Forest Green 2-0.Central defender James Bolton headed Argyle ahead from an eighth-minute Jordan Houghton corner and Bali Mumba doubled their lead in the 47th minute.“The most important thing today was that we got the win,” admitted Schumache...Full Story »

Derby head coach Paul Warne admitted he was “embarrassed” after his team suffered a 2-0 League One defeat at home to Fleetwood.Warne saw Derby lose a home league game for the first time since early October with Fleetwood deservedly winning on their first visit to Pride Park.Fleetwood went ahead in the 11th minute when Jayden Stockley’s 25-yard volley came off the crossbar and w...Full Story »

Boss Wade Elliott was delighted to see record signing Aidan Keena open his account for Cheltenham in their 3-1 League One home win over Exeter.Last season’s League of Ireland Premier Division top scorer joined the Robins in January and he opened his account in his sixth league start to put Elliott’s in-form team ahead.“It’s something Aidan would have been aware of, coming...Full Story »

QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth is convinced the return of key players will help his side climb away from relegation danger.A 1-0 loss at home to Birmingham was Rangers’ seventh defeat in eight matches and they have lost three of their four games since Ainsworth took over.They were top in October but an appalling slump has seen them slide to just six points above the drop zone with eight matches...Full Story »

Luton boss Rob Edwards was left hugely frustrated by the refereeing decision that denied his side victory in their 1-1 draw at Sunderland.The Hatters were closing in on the three points that would have lifted them to within four points of the automatic promotion positions when Amad Diallo went down under the slightest of contact from Amari Bell in the final five minutes at the Stadium of Light.R...Full Story »

Wigan manager Shaun Maloney felt his team coped admirably with unpaid wages, as they drew 1-1 at Watford.Maloney’s Sky Bet Championship strugglers took a point from Vicarage Road, as James McClean’s second-half goal cancelled out Keinan Davis’ opener just before half-time.Wigan saw weekly payments to players halted less than 48 hours before the match and Maloney had said he was...Full Story »

Huddersfield manager Neil Warnock is hoping to pull off a few more surprises this season after his side claimed a narrow 1-0 Championship away win at Millwall.The Terriers go into the international break with renewed hope in their battle against relegation thanks to Danny Ward’s first goal since October snatching them all three points at The Den.With eight games of the season left, Hudders...Full Story »

Harrogate boss Simon Weaver hailed “fantastic talent” Matty Daly after the substitute secured a vital 1-0 home win over Barrow.Daly, 22, netted his seventh goal of a season-long loan from Championship neighbours Huddersfield, but it was his first since November after being on the periphery in recent months.The ex-England Under-18 international’s 74th-minute strike was a timely ...Full Story »

Hibernian manager Lee Johnson bemoaned a “really poor performance” from the match officials after his 10 men suffered a late 3-1 defeat at Celtic Park.Hibs lost lone striker Elie Youan to two yellow cards inside 24 minutes, the first for a fairly innocuous attempt to close down Carl Starfelt and the second following a tangle with Cameron Carter-Vickers for what Johnson felt might hav...Full Story »

Walsall boss Michael Flynn revealed he is having to convince Conor Wilkinson to take baby steps in his return from injury after the striker hit his first goal in a year to clinch a 2-0 win over Gillingham.Wilkinson hit double figures in his first season with Walsall last term but was out for eight months with an ACL injury and has mostly had to make do with substitute appearances since his retur...Full Story »

Aberdeen interim boss Barry Robson hailed his team’s ‘perfect’ first half in their 3-0 win over Hearts.The hosts scored three goals before the interval to climb up to fourth in the Scottish Premiership and to within four points of the Jambos.Duk bagged a brace with Mattie Pollock adding a third for the dominant Dons.Robson said: “The way we want to play and the way an Abe...Full Story »

Salford boss Neil Wood was delighted by his side’s ruthlessness as they beat Doncaster 3-1 in Sky Bet League Two.The ambitious Ammies reignited their play-off push as Luke Bolton’s double, either side of Stephen Mallan’s strike, secured the points at the Peninsula Stadium.George Miller’s instant equaliser was in vain as the hosts went three points clear of the chasing pac...Full Story »

Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte let rip into his own players in an extraordinary rant after they missed the chance to move up to third with a 3-3 Premier League draw at Southampton.Spurs looked set to claim a vital win in their quest for Champions League qualification when Ivan Perisic fired home in the 74th-minute after earlier efforts by Pedro Porro and Harry Kane.Bottom-of-the-table Southa...Full Story »

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin was left fuming over the St Mirren penalty that he felt robbed his side of a vital cinch Premiership victory at Tannadice.The relegation-haunted hosts took an early lead with a great goal by striker Steven Fletcher but St Mirren equalised after the break thanks to Mark O’Hara’s spot-kick.Referee Craig Napier had awarded the penalty after St Mirren strik...Full Story »

Mick McCarthy criticised referee Geoff Eltringham for a number of decisions during relegation-threatened Blackpool’s 4-1 defeat at home against Coventry.Ben Sheaf, Kyle McFadzean, Matt Godden and an unfortunate own goal from Tangerines defender Curtis Nelson brought the hosts back down to earth with a bump at Bloomfield Road after their thumping 6-1 win against QPR in midweek.Jerry Yates&r...Full Story »

Preston boss Ryan Lowe admitted the Lilywhites had little answer to Middlesbrough’s class as they charged into the automatic promotion places with a comfortable 4-0 win at the Riverside.Boro are now just three points behind Sheffield United, who have a game in hand, and  Michael Carrick’s men brought an end to Preston’s eight-match unbeaten run.Chuba Akpom struck his 24th ...Full Story »

Barnsley manager Michael Duff admitted his team had fortune on their side in the 1-0 win at Wycombe.The Tykes had to withstand pressure from the hosts in the first half before sneaking a win thanks to Slobodan Tedic’s header with five minutes remaining.The Serbian’s first goal for Barnsley gave the South Yorkshire club their ninth win in 11 games as they moved onto 69 points for the ...Full Story »

Scottish Championship leaders Queen’s Park needed two second-half goals to come from behind and claim a 2-1 win against Inverness.Visiting forward Dan MacKay was denied the opener by the feet of goalkeeper Calum Ferrie in the 10th minute.But MacKay was not to be denied as he slotted home in the 27th minute after the ball had fallen to him off the back of Billy McKay.Queen’s Park leve...Full Story »

Rotherham manager Matt Taylor felt the right call was made to call off their clash with Cardiff as players would have been put at risk of serious injury.The match was postponed with just two-and-a-half minutes played in the second half.Cardiff were ahead 1-0 thanks to a fifth-minute strike from Jaden Philogene, but a half-time downpour quickly made the pitch unplayable.Referee Oliver Langford ca...Full Story »

Tranmere boss Micky Mellon believes he still has the backing of the majority of Rovers supporters after seeing his side go down 3-1 at home to Newport.Some home fans made their feelings clear on the final whistle as boos and calls for Mellon’s head greeted Tranmere’s second successive defeat.Despite the home side starting brightly it was the visitors who took the lead when Aaron Wild...Full Story »

Northampton boss Jon Brady admitted his side struggled with fatigue in the second half of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Crewe.The Cobblers, who were without 10 players due to injury and suspension, moved back into the automatic promotion places in Sky Bet League Two thanks to Louis Appere’s first-half strike.But missed chances almost came back to bite Northampton, who visibly tired in the ...Full Story »

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna was delighted with his team’s performance following the 2-0 victory over Shrewsbury.Town kept up the pressure on the top two in League One with goals from George Hirst and Massimo Luongo, securing a sixth consecutive win that moved them two points behind second-placed Plymouth.McKenna said: “It was a good performance against a difficult team as we thoug...Full Story »

Johnnie Jackson criticised his AFC Wimbledon players after they slipped to a 10th consecutive match without a win following a 1-0 defeat at home to Sky Bet League Two strugglers Crawley.Ashley Nadesan grabbed the only goal of the game after just five minutes, tapping home James Tilley’s cross to earn the visitors their first away win of the season.Dons offered little in the way of reply, w...Full Story »

New Oxford boss Liam Manning said he would take the positives from his side’s draw at Morecambe.Manning, in his first game in charge, was three minutes away from picking up a vital three points only to see Ash Hunter’s 87th-minute goal level Marcus Browne’s first-half opener.After a shocking run of results which had seen the Us lose nine games out of the last 10, Manning said: ...Full Story »

Manager Dino Maamria was thrilled to get one over on Port Vale once again after Burton came from behind to win 3-2 at Vale Park.The Brewers trailed to Ellis Harrison’s goal after little more than a minute but two goals from Dale Taylor, either side of Jonny Smith’s penalty, saw them take home three important points in their bid to move away from the relegation battle.Admitting he is ...Full Story »

Joey Barton was disappointed by the performance of referee James Bell during his side’s 2-0 Sky Bet League One loss to Portsmouth.The Bristol Rovers boss was angered by the officiating team’s performance throughout the defeat at the Memorial Stadium, which included a controversial opening goal, a penalty decision and a red card all going against the Pirates.“You can’t spe...Full Story »

MK Dons head coach Mark Jackson knows it is not job done after the 1-0 win over Accrington moved his side out of the League One relegation zone.Sullay Kaikai scored the deciding goal after just eight minutes when he beat two players and squeezed the ball home from a tight angle for his second goal of the campaign.A second successive victory saw the Dons move above their opponents and out of the ...Full Story »

David Martindale urged his players to enjoy their squad night out after victory over Ross County propelled Livingston back up to sixth in the cinch Premiership.First-half Joel Nouble and Nicky Devlin efforts were enough to seal a first league win in six outings for the Lions.Substitute Simon Murray pulled one back for the Staggies midway through the second half but the visitors ran out of t...Full Story »

Dean Holden was pleased to see his Charlton side secure successive wins as they recorded a 2-1 victory over Cambridge at the Abbey Stadium.Both of the Addicks’ goals came inside the first 28 minutes, before they saw off late pressure after Lloyd Jones had halved their lead.Cambridge are six points off safety in League One, with a worse goal difference than any of the teams above them.Since...Full Story »

Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes directed his frustration towards VAR after his side were held to a 1-1 draw with St Johnstone at Rugby Park.The hosts were dominant in the first half but they could not build on Joe Wright’s opener and Drey Wright’s second-half thunderbolt secured a point for Saints.McInnes was left aggrieved that Kyle Vassell’s first-half goal was ruled out for...Full Story »