Key events
League Two: Charlton double their lead at Wycombe with Luke Berry doing the honours to boost his side’s chances of getting automatic promotion.
League One: Crawley Town and Cambridge United are both in danger of getting relegated today but are doing all they can to cling on. Cambridge lead Leyton Orient at the Abbey Stadium courtesy of Josh Stokes’ opener, while Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has just put Crawley 3-0 up against Exeter City.
But hang on, Caleb Watts pulls a goal back for Exeter to make it 3-1 at the Broadfield Stadium.
Championship: Middlesbrough miss their penalty against Sheffield Wednesday and fail to double their lead.
GOAL! Leeds United 3-0 Stoke City
Leeds go three up, with Joel Piroe firing home from close range at the far post to complete his first hat-trick in English football. Nothing can go wrong now!!!
Championship: Middlesbrough win a penalty against Sheffield Wednesday when Hayden Hackney is barged over by Svante Ingelsson. We’ll get back to that as Ingelsson is currently receiving treatment …
League One: Peterborough United go a goal up against Barnsley at Oakwell courtesy of Ricky-Jade Jones’ 18th goal of the season. At the LNER Stadium, James Collins scores from the spot to put Lincoln City 2-0 ahead against Bolton Wanderers.
An email: “Like every other Stoke fan who can’t get to Elland Road today, I will be spending the 90 minutes (plus stoppage time) holding my head in my hands and weeping while crying out ‘How has it gone so wrong?!’” writes Joshua Reynolds.
League One: Lloyd Jones scores for Charlton Athletic at Wycombe Wanderers to send them fourth in the table as things stand. Meanwhile at the Memorial Stadium, Jamie Reid breaks the deadlock in the 12th minute to give Stevenage a one-goal lead against Bristol Rovers.
Championship: Millwall go one up against Norwich City, with Femi Azeez sending in the cross that goes in off the knee of his apparently unwitting teammate Mihailo Ivanovic. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and say he meant it.
From Femi Azeez to Finn Azaz, who has put Middlesbrough ahead away at Sheffield Wednesday.
GOAL! Leeds 2-0 Stoke City
Championship: Leeds double their lead against Stoke, with Joel Piroe scoring his second in three minutes from around the same distance out after going 10 games without a goal.
Championship: Derby have scored away at West Brom with Ebou Adams nodding in at the near post from a corner. Meanwhile at Elland Road, Joel Piroe has swept home a Manor Solomon cross from eight yards out to put Leeds a goal ahead against Stoke City.
League Two: Ossama Ashley scores the first goal of the afternoon after three minutes at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium. He’s put Salford City one up against a Morecambe side that must win if they are to avoid relegation from the Football League.
Not long now: Fasten your seatbelts – today’s 3pm kick-offs are about to get under way.
An email: “Like every other Leeds fan who can’t get to Elland Road today, I will be spending the 90 minutes (plus stoppage time) wondering whether to pay attention to the match, go and do something else to forget about it, or hide behind the settee,” writes Jeremy Boyce.
“They’ve managed to blow it at the vital moment so many times, last season in the play-off final for instance. Has there ever been a more ‘nearly’ team ? Under Revie they were constantly going for doubles or trebles only to emerge empty handed at the end of it all.
“I have often wondered how their narrative might have turned out completely different if Peter Lorimer’s volley in the 1975 European Cup final, that was ruled out for a dubious off-side, had been allowed.
“You can say what you like about VAR, they would have sorted that one out quick time and we’d maybe have won the cup. The champagne is in the fridge, just off to do something vitally important at the far end of the garden, forgetting my phone in the kitchen.”
All that stress, just for the privilege of seeing your team get gubbed week in and week out in the Premier League next season, eh? Interestingly, Harry Gray, the 16-year-old brother of Tottenham Hotspur’s Archie, is on the bench for Leeds today and could make his senior debut for the club.
League Two: Newport County have held Walsall in a scoreless draw at Rodney Parade despite being reduced to 10 men following the controversial dismissal of Ciaran Brennan in the 78th minute.
Walsall thought they’d won it at the death but Oisin McEntee had a goal disallowed in the 12th minute of added time, slapping the ball into the net when scoring with his head looked the easier option. It was a brilliant spot and a brave call by the linesman, although travelling fans won’t thank him for his efficiency.
The point takes Walsall back into the automatic promotion places, third above Bradford City on goal difference having played one game more.
Runaway leaders of the division at one stage of the season, the Saddlers have not won any of their past 12 games. Newport remain in 18th place but have secured their League status with this result.
Cardiff City: The Welsh side are second from bottom of the Championship table and host Oxford United thisd afternoon. Following Saturday’s dismissal of Omer Riza, Aaron Ramsey has been given the job of keeping Cardiff up with just three games of the season remaining.
The 34-year-old midfielder has not played for Cardiff since suffering the latest in a long litany of hamstring injuries in March.
Some pre-match listening: Would you rather watch Leicester play football without scoring a goal for 13 hours or sit through King Lear, Hamlet and all three parts of Henry VI? Is shameless fanboying in the commentary box ever acceptable? And what – if anything – is the difference between the Guardian’s Barney Ronay and Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca?
Max Rushden was in the chair as these and other questions were answered by Barney Ronay, Jonathan Wilson and Barry Glendenning on today’s episode of the Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast. You can listen here and if you’re not already a subscriber you can sign up in the all the usual podcast places.
Championship: How things stand
Promotion: Burnley will be promoted this evening if they beat Sheffield United, while Leeds will join them in the Premier League next season if they beat Stoke City this afternoon and Sheffield United drop points.
Every team down to Swansea City in 11th place can still technically qualify for the playoffs, where Sunderland and one of Burnley, Leeds United and Sheffield United are already guaranteed spots. Bristol City can secure a play-off spot if they beat Luton and Middlesbrough lose to Sheffield Wednesday.
Relegation: No relegation places will be confirmed today, with a wide-ranging battle going down to at least the penultimate round of matches this coming weekend. From the bottom up, Plymouth Argyle, Cardiff City and Luton Town currently occupy the relegation places but teams from 16th in the table down could still end up in League One next season.
Championship fixtures
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Cardiff City v Oxford United
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Hull City v Preston
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Leeds United v Stoke City
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Luton Town v Bristol City
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Milwall v Norwich City
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Plymouth Argyle v Coventry City
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Portsmouth v Watford
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QPR v Swansea City
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Sheffield United v Middlesbrough
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Sunderland v Blackburn Rovers
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West Brom v Derby County
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Burnley v Sheffield Utd (5.30pm BST)
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View the Championship table
League One: How things stand
Promotion: Birmingham City will go up as champions, while Wycombe Wanderers have a one-point lead over Wrexham in the race to the second automatic promotion spot. Both teams could still be overtaken by Stockport County and/or Charlton Athletic.
Two of Wrexham, Wycombe and Charlton are all guaranteed playoff spots at the very least, while the remaining two spots are up for grabs to any of the teams from Stockport in fifth down to Blackpool in 10th.
Relegation: Shrewsbury Town are down, while – from the bottom up – Crawley Town, Cambridge United and Bristol Rovers occupy the other three relegation places. Crawley and Cambridge could both go down today.
Crawley host Exeter needing to at least match the results of Bristol Rovers and Burton, who take on Stevenage and champions Birmingham respectively. The situation is similar for Cambridge, a point better off in 22nd after beating Huddersfield on Friday, though even defeat by Leyton Orient would not necessarily seal their fate as long as neither Burton nor Rovers wins.
As things stand, any of the sides from 15th place down – including Stevenage, Wigan Athletic, Peterborough United, Mansfield Town, Northampton Town and Burton Albion – could still end up in League Two next season.
League One fixtures
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Barnsley v Peterborough United
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Blackpool v Wrexham
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Bristol Rovers v Stevenage
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Burton Albion v Birmingham City
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Cambridge United v Leyton Orient
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Crawley Town v Exeter City
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Lincoln City v Bolton Wanderers
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Mansfield Town v Reading
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Northampton v Shrewsbury
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Stockport County v Huddersfield
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Wigan Athletic v Rotherham
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Wycombe v Charlton Athletic
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View the League One table
League Two: How things stand
Promotion: Fighting for three automatic promotion spots, the top four teams – Port Vale, Doncaster Rovers, Bradford City and Walsall – are separated by just three points. Behind them, AFC Wimbledon, Notts County, Colchester United, Grimsby Town, Chesterfield and Salford City still have high, middling or extremely faint hopes of nicking automatic promotion.
Port Vale, who are guaranteed a playoff spot at least, can secure promotion today if they win, Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers both lose and AFC Wimbledon drop points. Teams from ninth to 13th – Chesterfield, Salford City, Crewe, Swindon Town and Bromley – can still make the playoffs.
Relegation: Any team from 18th place down can still end up in the relegation spots currently occupied by bottom side Morecambe and Carlisle United. From the lowest placed up, they are Tranmere Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Harrogate Town, MK Dons and Newport County.
Morecambe’s League status is hanging by a thread, one which will snap unless they beat Salford. Even that would not be enough should 22nd-placed Tranmere also win, away to Barrow. Carlisle will also be relegated if they lose to Accrington and Tranmere win.
League Two fixtures
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Newport County 0-0 Walsall (L)
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Accrington Stanley v Carlisle
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Barrow v Tranmere Rovers
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Chesterfield v Bradford City
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Crewe Alexandra v MK Dons
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Doncaster Rovers v Colchester
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Gillingham v AFC Wimbledon
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Harrogate v Fleetwood Town
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Morecambe v Salford City
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Notts County v Cheltenham
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Port Vale v Grimsby Town
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Swindon Town v Bromley
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View the League Two table
EFL Clockwatch
Greetings all and welcome to our rolling blog covering what promises to be a fascinating day with plenty of ups, downs and quite a few as-you-weres in the Football League.
As we approach the sharp end of the season with just three rounds of fixtures to go in all three divisions (with a few exceptions in League One), there’s plenty left to be decided and for better or worse, the fate of quite a few teams could be sealed today.
If you had a big night last night, there’s a good chance you’ll find the excruciating minutiae of our permutations for both ends of each table a little too taxing but we’ve been nothing if not thorough.
Fear not, we will keep you up to speed as the events of the afternoon unfold, so without further ado, let’s get on with the fun …
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