Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder felt his side’s 3-2 defeat at QPR showed they should not be regarded as promotion contenders.Boro were three down at Loftus Road before mounting a fightback.Wilder believes the squad needs to be strengthened before a promotion challenge can be sustained.“We’re all trying. It’s just such a difficult market to deal in. We’re all trying ...Full Story »

Portsmouth manager Danny Cowley revealed a stomach bug had ripped through his squad before their 0-0 draw at home to former side Lincoln.A dull game produced very little goalmouth excitement in front of a crowd of almost 18,000 at a sun-baked Fratton Park.Cowley said: “The positives of the match was the attitude and application of the players.“We’ve kept a clean sheet and I don...Full Story »

Gary McSheffrey conceded that Doncaster “got away with one” after a dramatic finish saw his side snatch victory against Sutton.Rovers trailed until stoppage time at the end of the game after Donovan Wilson had given the visitors an early lead.But George Miller headed home an equaliser in the second minute of time added on and substitute Kieran Agard fired a winner 90 seconds later.&l...Full Story »

New Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson praised his side for sticking to the game plan in their 3-0 victory at Swansea that took them to the top of the Sky Bet Championship table.Goals from new signing Sam Szmodics in the first half and Ben Brereton Diaz and skipper Lewis Travis after the break backed up the opening-day win over QPR to give Rovers the perfect start to the season.“The performa...Full Story »

Barnsley head coach Michael Duff praised the quality of Luke Thomas, who scored the only goal as they beat Cheltenham 1-0 at Oakwell.The winner came in the 66th minute when Thomas, who drove forward after intercepting a loose pass, hit a fierce strike into the left side of the goal to beat Luke Southwood.Liam Kitching almost added a second in the final minute, but his effort went just over the b...Full Story »

Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom was pleased with the way his side performed with and without the ball during their 2-0 victory against Millwall at Bramall Lane.Goals from Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge before the break sealed a first win of the season for Heckingbottom’s men, who also missed a penalty in the first half.Heckingbottom said: “Really pleased, obviously a win,...Full Story »

Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton was delighted with his side’s start as they romped to a 4-0 victory at 10-man Burton with all four goals coming in a breath-taking first half.Burton saw Conor Shaughnessy red-carded inside the first minute for a foul on Aaron Collins and Rovers took full advantage, with Collins scoring twice after Antony Evans and James Connolly had found the net.“We s...Full Story »

Aberdeen bounced back from their opening-day defeat at Celtic, taking advantage of Declan Gallagher’s early red card to beat St Mirren 4-1 at Pittodrie.Gallagher’s nightmare appearance against his former club saw him dismissed for two bookings after just 22 minutes, and the home side needed no second invitation to lead 3-0 by the break thanks to Bojan Miovski’s double and Leigh...Full Story »

Peterborough boss Grant McCann is a happy man after his side made it six goals in two games to sit top of the table.McCann saw his team breeze past Morecambe with a 3-0 victory to stay in possession of the only remaining 100 per cent record in Sky Bet League One.Joe Ward’s early blast from 25 yards provided the ideal start before two new faces made an instant impression on Posh fans.Former...Full Story »

Exeter manager Matt Taylor could not hide his delight as his team thrashed Port Vale 4-0 with a superb display at St James Park.Harry Kite opened the scoring with a sweetly struck volley before the outstanding Jevani Brown made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Jack Sparkes had been fouled.Brown made it 3-0, finishing off a fine team move, before Sam Nombe notched his second of the season to ca...Full Story »

Barrow maintained their perfect start to the new season with a dramatic 3-2 victory over Bradford at Holker Street.Josh Gordon struck the stoppage-time winner – straight after Andy Cook had equalised for the visitors – to make it a maximum six points for Pete Wild’s side.Manager Wild said: “A draw was probably a fair result but I’m delighted to go on and win the gam...Full Story »

Paul Hurst reckons his Grimsby side deserved to pick up all three points against Northampton after fighting back for a 1-1 draw.Jordan Maguire-Drew was the Mariners hero as he netted a dramatic late equaliser only a minute after coming off the bench at Blundell Park.Sam Hoskins was on target for Northampton and it looked as though his goal might be enough to spoil the party for Grimsby in their ...Full Story »

Altrincham could only share the points with Maidstone despite enjoying a man advantage for much of the second half of their 1-1 draw.The hosts at Moss Lane got their Vanarama National League season off to a mortifying start when Liam Brockbank took an awkward deflection off a free-kick for an own goal in the fourth minute.It looked likely to be the only strike for either side before the break un...Full Story »

Nigel Clough believes Mansfield’s 1-0 win over Tranmere sets a benchmark for the rest of the season.Riley Harbottle’s second-half header from Hiram Boateng’s corner proved to be the difference in a game of few clear-cut chances.Victory saw last season’s beaten play-off finalists get their season up and running following an opening-day defeat at Salford and Clough was deli...Full Story »

Preston boss Ryan Lowe admitted there was some frustration about the inability to convert chances after a 0-0 draw against Hull.Tottenham loanee Troy Parrott was the bright spark for Preston in a stop-start opening in Lancashire, his cushioned pass almost steered home by strike partner Emil Riis Jakobsen, before his dangerous whipped cross was superbly cleared away by the Hull back line.Driven o...Full Story »

Charlton manager Ben Garner declared himself delighted with the result if not his side’s hesitant first-half performance as the Addicks beat Derby 1-0 at The Valley.Garner admitted he was a worried man at half-time before Corey Blackett-Taylor’s 62nd-minute goal changed the momentum of the game.Garner said: “I’m really pleased with the result. Derby are a huge club in the...Full Story »

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany was pleased with his side’s fighting spirit after they came back to earn a 1-1 draw with battling Luton at Turf Moor.After Dan Potts’s fifth-minute opener for Luton, the Hatters produced a brilliantly committed defensive performance to leave Lancashire with a hard-earned point.Kompany’s side may be one of the favourites to go up this season but they...Full Story »

Giovanni van Bronckhorst welcomed the long-awaited return of Alfredo Morelos after the Rangers striker climbed off the bench to seal a 2-0 cinch Premiership win over Kilmarnock at Ibrox.It was a bit of a struggle for the home side but Antonio Colak fired in his first Gers goal in the 51st minute and there was more good news for the home fans when Morelos, fit again after being out since Mar...Full Story »

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted he was not a happy man when he saw Fabian Schar lining up his “incredible” deadlock-breaking strike against Nottingham Forest.The Switzerland international defender took aim from distance to end the Magpies’ frustration with a 25-yard piledriver which set his side on their way to a 2-0 win over promoted Forest on their return to the Premier Le...Full Story »

Colchester boss Wayne Brown felt his side were unlucky not to win after they played out a 1-1 draw with visitors Carlisle.The home side had taken a 19th-minute lead when Noah Chilvers collected Luke Hannant’s pass and drilled a fine shot into the far corner.But Carlisle claimed a draw thanks to Kristian Dennis’s 44th-minute header, following Owen Moxon’s excellent cross from th...Full Story »