The EFL had a reduced schedule this week because of the International Break, and this meant that no matches took place in the Championship. However, League One and League Two still had competitive action-packed schedules, with some results that may define this campaign.
Reading
The main news from the week was the announcement from the EFL that Reading owner Dai Yongge has been declared unfit to own the football club, meaning that he must sell.
Reading suffered a points deduction during the 2022/23 season, which saw them relegated from the Championship, for regulatory breaches, and they have had other sanctions imposed on them since then.
Yongge has been given a deadline of 4th April to agree to sell the club, with another month to close the deal, else Reading face expulsion from the EFL. That is the same sanction that was imposed on Bury FC in 2019.
League One
League One saw some crucial results in the automatic promotion race this week, as both Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham picked up crucial wins.
Wycombe played first in the week, and they dramatically beat Rotherham 3-2. Injury time goals from Sonny Bradley and Gideon Kodua put them 3-1 up, before Jonson Clark-Harris scored to make it 3-2. Rotherham were unable to find an equaliser, meaning Wycombe restored themselves to second place.
However, as Wanderers didn’t play over the weekend, Wrexham had the opportunity to pile pressure on the Chairboys. They did so in impressive fashion by beating Stockport County 1-0 thanks to a Joy Rodriguez goal. That result means that once again Wrexham are 3 points ahead of Wycombe, although the Red Dragons have played an extra game.
The schedule was reduced because of international call-ups, but there were some significant results beyond the promotion race.
Charlton Athletic were dealt a damaging blow in their fight for the playoffs, as Peterborough United thrashed them 3-0. That result mainly benefits the teams around them, as their only rival who played was Stockport County.
At the bottom of the table, Crawley Town celebrated the return of Scott Lindsay by beating Bristol Rovers 1-0. That result gives them a glimmer of hope of staying up, but they are still 9 points behind the Gas with 8 games remaining. Meanwhile, a 92nd minute equaliser for Barnsley held Cambridge to a 1-1 draw that damages their hopes of staying up.
League Two
Due to the limited number of international call ups, League Two had a larger schedule than the other leagues, and this meant there were more very significant results.
In the promotion race, Bradford City thrashed Colchester United, who had previously won 5 games in a row, 4-1 in front of 23,000 fans, a new club record, to cement themselves as automatic promotion contenders. Port Vale scored a late winner against Morecambe to win 1-0 and boost their chances at securing a top 3 finish and promotion.
Those results mean draws for AFC Wimbledon, Notts County and Walsall see them lose ground on their rivals. Walsall and County were held 0-0 by Gillingham and playoff chasing Crewe respectively, whilst Wimbledon conceded a 96th minute equaliser against Barrow to see them drop two points. Doncaster Rovers, the other promotion chasing team, saw their game against Salford City postponed due to international selections.
The dropped points for Colchester and Crewe allowed Grimsby the opportunity to move into the playoff places, which they took as they beat Newport County 1-0.
In the relegation battle, Carlisle secured an important 2-1 victory over Bromley to boost their chances of survival, whilst Morecambe’s defeat against Port Vale saw them extend their winless run to 3 games.
Tranmere Rovers drew 0-0 with Fleetwood Town. That result means that they end the week 7 points clear of both Morecambe and Carlisle, who have a game in hand, with 8 games remaining.
