However, there’s a slight difference in this season’s final – Reading reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup by beating two teams from the Premier League and were only beaten 1-0 by eventual winners Manchester City. Despite the obvious distraction, the Royals were never outside the top ten places for the last third of the season and have only lost once in their last eighteen games.

Swansea had no distractions – early exits in both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup look as if they may have helped Brendan Rogers’ side – and they’ve been automatic promotion candidates all season. It’s not hard to see why: a fearsome home record with the second best defence in the Championship. Only Cardiff, Portsmouth and Bristol City won at the Liberty Stadium this season and only Pompey and Nottingham Forest scored more than one goal there. Additionally, their fourteen home clean sheets was the best in the Championship this season.

Sadly for Swansea, the playoff final doesn’t take place at the Liberty Stadium and this could be a major disadvantage for them this afternoon. Their 2-0 win at Millwall at the end of April was their first away win in six games and despite drawing with ten men against Nottingham Forest in the first leg of the playoff semi final, it was Swansea’s away form that ultimately cost them automatic promotion: they lost at all three of the clubs that will be playing in League 1 next season.

Reading were the Championship’s away draw specialists in 2010/11 and their ability to grind out results away from the Madjewski stadium is one of the main reasons they find themselves one game away from a return to the Premier League. Their last away defeat was at Norwich in February: since then they’ve won four and drawn four of their regular season road trips.

Sixteen of last 20 Championship play off finals have been settled in normal time, the last game that went to extra time was when Birmingham City beat Norwich in 2002, which was also the last final to go to a penalty shoot out. Until last year’s spectacular final, nine of the last ten games had been either been tight (five 1-0 victories) or one sided blowouts (3-0 wins for Bolton, Wolves and Watford) with only one team scoring in nine of the last ten games.

Although a repeat of a five goal first half would be fun to watch from a neutral point of view, seven of the last ten games (including Blackpool v Cardiff) have been settled by one goal – and considering that Swansea beat Reading 1-0 at home and away this season, this game looks as if it could be a return to the low scoring finals of recent seasons. Both teams have competed in the Championship since 2008/09 but Reading haven’t beaten Swansea since a 4-0 win in Berkshire in September 2008 and Swansea have won three of the last five – and all of those games featured under two goals.

Finally, congratulations to Peterborough United, who returned to the Championship after one season in League 1 following a 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town in yesterday’s play off final. The Posh’s all out attacking style could be fun to watch next season, although the only team that conceded more goals than them in League 1 (Bristol Rovers) were relegated and the club doesn’t have a history of success in the second tier, having been relegated in two of their three seasons at Championship level in the last two decades.

Upate No.1: It was announced on Monday lunchtime that Dave Jones has left Cardiff City. Sean O’Driscoll of Doncaster Rovers becomes the longest tenured manager in the Championship.

Following a straightforward win on Saturday afternoon at Vicarage Lane, QPR’s promotion celebrations could best be described as muted. With the verdict on their conduct in the Alejandro Faurlin case yet to be delivered that’s really the only way the Hoops could celebrate their success: wild rumours about their punishment have been doing the rounds for weeks, although it’s fair to say that Loftus Road will not be receiving a surprise visit from US Navy Seals on Friday morning.

 With QPR having ‘won’ the nPower Championship on Saturday, the drama then shifted to a warm bank holiday afternoon in South Wales – but any sense of suspense didn’t last long. This season it was Middlesbrough’s turn to shatter Cardiff’s dreams of automatic promotion: the Bluebirds conceded three goals within 25 minutes and the 3-0 defeat meant that Norwich would ensure automatic promotion at Fratton Park if they beat Portsmouth: Simeon Jackson’s fifth goal in three games did the trick and the Canaries will return to the Premier League for the first time since 2004/05.

At the other end of the table, Scunthorpe and Sheffield United were finally sent packing on Saturday afternoon. Mickey Adams’ side led Barnsley 2-1 after the hour, but former Bristol City striker Danny Haynes’second goal of the afternoon for the Tykes meant that United were down. Scunthorpe were just outclassed against Nottingham Forest, but given then the records of both Sheffield United and Scunthorpe in the third tier, it might not be too long before they return to the Championship. United haven’t played at that level since 1988/89 (they were promoted after one season) and Scunthorpe have earned themselves a reputation as a a yo-yo club between the Championship and League 1 over the last decade.  

There have been simultaneous lunch time kickoffs for the last day of the regular season in the Championship for several seasons now, but this season is the first time for a while where all of the major issues have been settled. There are still things to play for: game of the week is QPR v Leeds (Sky Sports 2, kick off 12:45pm) but the circumstances at time of writing mean that Leeds can only qualify for the play offs if they win by at least seven goals and Nottingham Forest lose at Crystal Palace. Once we know what punishment will be given to QPR, those circumstances may be a lot different and we’ll bring you an update as soon as we have the decision.

The first issue to be settled this season was not a huge surprise: Prestonwere relegated on Monday. Having been promoted in 1999/2000, the Lillywhites reached the playoffs four times and had six top ten finishes during their stay in the Championship, but only spent one week outside the bottom five places this season and had been in the relegation zone since mid November. Their recent mini revival (one defeat in seven games) was ended abruptly when they were hammered at Millwall and a home defeat by Cardiff confirmed their fate.

Five clubs won both games over the Easter holiday: Nottingham Forest, Millwall and Norwich all collected six points, but Sheffield United’s two wins - the first time they’ve won back to back games since November -probably came too late to save them. Middlesbrough finally seem to have found the type of form that had them installed as pre-season favourites: they’ve only lost one of their last ten games and perhaps 2011/12 might be the time to back them for promotion.

At the other end of the success scale, three teams other than Preston lost both their games. Ipswich and Bristol City haven’t exactly set the competition alight this season and although Derby were beaten by Burnley and Norwich, they are more or less safe.

Before we look at this weekend’s matches, it’s worth recapping what’s at stake. Norwich can still overtake QPR but Cardiff can only equal their points total – but for either of those scenarios to happen, the leaders would have to lose both their remaining games. The last play off place looks like a four way competition between Forest, Millwall, Burnley and Leeds, but anything could – and probably will – happen over the next couple of weeks.

The situation at the bottom is a lot clearer. If Doncaster beat Leicester on Saturday afternoon, Sheffield United and Scunthorpe are both down. If Doncaster don’t beat Leicester, the Blades and the Iron must win both of their remaining games to stand any chance of avoiding the drop, but as both of them have one game against teams that are chasing promotion this looks unlikely. Doncaster and Crystal Palace could still be relegated but there would have to be a couple of ridiculous scorelines to overturn the advantage they have in terms of both points and goal difference.

The weekend’s games kick off at 12:45pm (Sky Sports 2) on Saturday when Burnley travel to Leeds – neither team are out of contention for the playoffs but on current form the Clarets look the more likely to be battling for a place in the Premier League next month.

The games of the week are at the City Ground and the New Den, where all four sides need to win for different reasons. In another one of those surprising stats that have cropped up this season, Scunthorpe have won two of their their last three league visits to Nottingham Forest and won the game at Glanford Park in February so Forest need to be at their best.

Swansea haven’t won at Millwall since March 1930 and have lost nine of the twelve games there since since, so it’s probably just as well that the Swans have a guaranteed playoff place. The Lions have probably outperformed expectations this season and although they’ve been outside the top six since the autumn, there always seems to be one surprise team in contention for promotion at the end of the season and Millwall certainly fit the bill.

This week’s games finish on Monday, when Cardiff host Middlesbrough and Norwich travel to Portsmouth in another double header on Sky Sports 1 (5:00pm onwards). They may be playing for the automatic promotion place by then.

The Seagulls haven’t played in the second tier since finishing bottom in 2005/06 and will start next season at the brand new Amex Stadium in Falmer. With all three of last season’s promoted clubs currently in the top eight in the Championship, the Sussex club could have an impact next season, although ‘new stadium syndrome’ in a higher level of competition might be a factor that works against them.

Losing 4-1 at Scunthorpe isn’t a good thing to have on your CV if you’re a potential Premier League team, but QPR fans shouldn’t worry too much. After putting four past Bristol City last Saturday, Barnsley had almost the entire game to score an equaliser after Adel Taarabt’s early goal but failed to do so.

Two wins in Yorkshire and help from their major rivals took Cardiff past the 70 point mark and into second place: the Bluebirds bid to play in the top tier of English football for the first time since 1962 was aided by Swansea’s 3-0 win over Norwich on Saturday, which featured a superb free kick from Chelsea loanee Fabio Borini.

The races for second place and the last playoff spot will probably go down to the last game of the season, but the current top five looks settled and sixth place should be between Leeds and Nottingham Forest. Even so, trying to ensure a play off place isn’t really the best time for your form to go into a nose dive: Forest looked as if they were going to earn a point against Reading when Lewis McGugan converted an 88^th minute penalty kick but Luke Chambers scored an own goal in injury time. Having gone 36 regular season games without a defeat at home, Forest have now lost two of the last four games at the City Ground: Leeds have won once in their last five games and lost both of their games last week.

This weekend’s games start this evening when Forest travel to Norwich (Sky Sports 2, 7:45pm) in an important game for both teams. The Canaries haven’t lost at home in the league this year, despite three straight away wins at the beginning of January, Forest haven’t won away from home in the last seven and have only won two of the last ten league meetings at Carrow Road.

The bottom four play each other on Saturday but with Crystal Palace having a six point advantage over Scunthorpe and as good a home record as Leeds this could be the weekend where the trapdoor begins to creak open for Sheffield United, who travel to Preston - where they’ve only won once in the last ten games. Tomorrow’s meeting is only the third time Scunthorpe have visited Selhurst Park for a league game but although Palace are undefeated at home against the bottom six, the Iron have won at Preston and Sheffield United this season and seem determined to go out with a bang.

This week’s games finish on Monday night when Queen’s Park Rangers meet Derby (Sky Sports 1, 7:45pm kick off): a ten point lead with fifteen points left to play for is an enviable position to be in, but as QPR still have to face Cardiff (who can still overtake them) and Leeds (who can’t) before the end of the season, then beating the Rams is necessary to pretty much ensure promotion before the end of the season. In an eye catching statistical anomaly, QPR haven’t beaten Derby at home since September 1982 despite having played them nine times since then and as we’re entering the part of the season where anything could happen this game should be worth keeping an eye on.

So what sort of punishment can QPR face if they’re found guilty? If – as widely expected – they win the Championship before the end of the season, the possible sanctions include points deductions and/or fines, but whether the FA consider the alleged offenses serious enough to prevent the club from being promoted to the Premier League is another matter. It’s more likely that QPR face a points deduction that could have a serious impact next season – regardless of which division they’re playing in.

On the field, having beaten Scunthorpe 6-0 last Saturday Norwich became the second club to reach the 70 point barrier and pretty much guarantee a play off spot. The Canaries have a four point lead over Cardiff (who beat Derby) and Swansea (who lost at Preston); after having been in the top six since the end of January, Nottingham Forest dropped out of the play off positions following their 4-1 thrashing at Leeds and were replaced by Reading.

At the bottom of the table, a 2-0 win over Watford ended a spell of seven games without a win for Coventry and should be enough ensure Championship football at the Ricoh Arena next season. Like Derby, Doncaster also lost but barring some sensation results before the end of the month they should also be safe.

The first of the games of the week is Reading’s trip to Nottingham Forest which is vital for any promotion hopes that Forest might have: they’ve only picked up one point from the last fifteen available and cannot really afford to drop any more with both Burnley and Millwall just behind them. Most Championship sides would have been happy with Reading’s season (a solid mid table team with a decent cup run), but the Royals haven’t lost since February and have won their last five games.

There are two games between teams in the top six and bottom six this weekend: Doncaster’s home record against Cardiff is dreadful, with Rovers having won just two of their fourteen league games in Yorkshire against the Bluebirds since 1947/48. Scunthorpe’s home record against QPR is just as bad – Saturday’s game will be the sixth time that they’ve met in the league in Lincolnshire and the Iron have only won once.

The second game of the week should be a cracker – Swansea and Norwich (Sky Sports 1, 5:20pm) could be a play off semi final in a few weeks time but if that’s going to happen the hosts need to win. The Swans have beaten Leeds and Reading at home this season but failed to win the other two games at the Liberty Stadium against the other sides in the current top six: Norwich have drawn at Leeds, QPR and Reading and a low scoring draw isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.

If Queens Park Rangers continue at their current pace – exactly two points per game – they’ll finish on 92 points, a total that would have won four of the last Championship titles. There’s still plenty to play for though: arguably any team in the top half of the table could put together a string of results that could mean a chance of promotion.

70 points might be too much to ask for the bottom half dozen teams, who could all still find themselves staring relegation in the face at the end of this month. An average of over one point per game should be enough to guarantee safety, but it doesn’t always work like that: at the end of 2007/08, Leicester City were relegated with 52 points.

This weekend’s programme contains four games that will have an impact on the top and bottom of the table: fortunately for fans of teams in the nPower Championship, a rare alignment of the planets means that this week’s game of the week is not only the first game of the weekend but is also being broadcast live on BBC1!

Leeds v Nottingham Forest (BBC1, 12:45pm) is the first of five games this month between sides in the current top six and should be far more competitive than the Premier League game on Sky Sports. Although both league games in Yorkshire since the turn of the century have been draws, Forest haven’t won at Elland Road since April 1996: Leeds’ last home defeat was in October – when Cardiff beat them 4-0 – but Simon Grayson’s side have only won half of their home games since then.

Of games that kick off at 3:00pm, Swansea’s trip to Preston looks like it could be crucial for the long term ambitions of both teams. The Phil Brown inspired revival seems to have started at Deepdale: North End are on a two game winning streak and although they’ve yet to beat any of the top six sides at home, Swansea’s 1-0 defeats at Scunthorpe and Sheffield United earlier this season show that the South Wales side are not invincible. The problem for Preston is after tomorrow’s game they have three away games in a row before Sheffield United visit on April 16th.

It would be a major surprise if Scunthorpe got anything from their trip to Norwich City, which will be Alan Knill’s first game in charge since his appointment on Thursday. The Iron have failed to score in any of their away games against the current top six this season and Michael Collins’ consolation goal at Barnsley last month is the away only goal they’ve scored the Championship in 2011.

The last game of the weekend is QPR v Sheffield United on Monday night (Sky Sports 1, 7:45pm): although the Blades have drawn their last three visits to Loftus Road, having lost nine of their last ten away games in the Championship indicates that it would take a minor miracle for United take take any points back up the M1 with them this time.

Revisiting the theme of managerial stability, fourteen clubs have now changed their manager at least once since March 2010, so with the end of the season rapidly approaching it’s worth taking a look at which appointments have had the most impact – positive or negative.

Neil Warnock’s appointment at QPR in March 2010 is beginning to look like the best decision Queens Park Rangers’ management have made since they took over the club. It’s stating the obvious, but QPR are clearly the most improved team in the division, having finished 13th in 2009/10. However, Brendan Rogers’ work at Swansea since last July deserves an honourable mention: the Swans missed out on the playoffs by one point last season but have been in the top six since October.

At the other end of the scale, both Sheffield United and Scunthorpe have had three managers this season: managerial instability plus poor home performance is a recipe for disaster at any level and this is probably why the Blades and the Iron look certainties for relegation. Although the Championship is about as good as it gets for Scunthorpe, Sheffield United fans would have been thinking in terms of the playoffs back in August. All of the clubs in the current bottom six have made managerial changes since March 2010, with the biggest wake up call coming at Middlesbrough – although Boro seem to be out of immediate danger this season, there’s plenty of room for improvement.

Coventry, Crystal Palace and Ipswich have all made managerial changes in the last year without any apparent affect, although to be fair to Palace if they’d replicated their form at Selhurst Park on their travels they’d be challenging for the playoffs. If Ipswich don’t improve dramatically they could be the next ‘big’ team looking at relegation to League One next season.

This Saturday’s games start with an early kickoff between Sheffield United and Leeds. The last time the visitors won at Bramall Lane in the league was the season that they won the old First Division, but with both sides looking for points for different reasons in what’s bound to be a typical Yorkshire derby, anything could happen.

Without any doubt the game of the week is Swansea v Nottingham Forest. With Forest having played all their games in hand, they remain three points behind the Swans and still have to travel to Leeds and Norwich before the end of the season. Perhaps surprisingly, Forest don’t have a bad record at the Liberty Stadium, having only lost one of their five visits since Swansea moved from Vetch Field and with neither side scoring lots of goals at the moment this contest has all the hallmarks of a playoff game, especially as the visitors have yet to lose an away game against the current top six.

The other game worth keeping an eye on is at Deepdale, where the temporary management team of Steve Harrison and Andy Thorn have the weight of history against them – Coventry have never won at Preston in the league, even though the fourteen game series goes back to 1949/50. It may also be the wrong time for the Sky Blues to be playing the bottom team in the Championship: although mathematically the Lillywhites could still escape relegation, their midweek win at Scunthorpe – the first since Phil Brown took over as manager – could be the start of a confidence building run that might pay dividends next season.

This situation happened again last weekend. The game of the week at Loftus Road finished 1-1, despite Nottingham Forest having to play with ten men for almost seventy minutes after Polish midfielder Radoslaw Majewski was deservedly sent off for a bad tackle on Adel Taraabt.

If Nottm Forest were pleased by the point at Loftus Road, they certainly looked fed up after referee Keith Stroud signalled the end of their unexpected midweek defeat at Scunthorpe on Wednesday. The Iron’s second home victory of the season – the other was a 3-0 win over Crystal Palace that could be significant at the end of the season – means that the Lincolnshire side are now only two points behind Sheffield United and poised to break out of the bottom three.

Cardiff remain second and might have been pleased with taking four points from two consecutive home games, but the Bluebirds could have pulled away from the playoff spots if they’d beaten Burnley on Tuesday. Steve Thompson’s equaliser with seven minutes to play ensured Queens Park Rangers go into the weekend programme knowing they’ll remain in pole position even if they lose at Preston North End.

The bottom of the table is pretty much as you were, although a remarkable game at the Riverside saw Middlesbrough throw away a 3-1 half time lead against Swansea with Craig Beattie scoring the winner in the fourth minute of injury time. Preston also collapsed after taking a two goal lead at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night: having taken an early lead with a Sean St. Ledger goal, the half time introduction of substitutes Matt Wichelow and Adam Thompson paid off spectacularly for the Hornets as both of them scored to earn a point for the Hertfordshire side.

The weekend’s games kick off on Friday evening when Bristol City visit Leicester in a game that was moved from Saturday in order to stop traffic in Leicester city centre from coming to a total standstill – the local rugby union club have a Saturday evening kick off. Surprisingly, Leicester have only won one of the last six meetings between these two in the Midlands and with The Robins’ away form being much better than their recent record at Ashton Gate it’ll be interesting to see how this encounter develops.

Four games on Saturday afternoon catch the eye. At the top of the table, Cardiff travel to Nottingham Forest and the last time the hosts beat the Bluebirds in the league at the City Ground was before the Brian Clough era started!

Forest are undefeated at home against the other sides in the top six, but have only beaten Swansea: the visitors have an impressive away record against the other sides in the promotion race, having only lost to QPR.

Clough’s reign at Forest was considerably more successful than his brief but well documented spell at Leeds United, who entertain Norwich at Elland Road. The Canaries have lost three of their last four league visits to Yorkshire but the sides are pretty evenly matched and this could easily be a rehearsal for a playoff semi final.

At the bottom of the table, Sheffield United have a nasty looking run end to the season as they still have five games to play against teams in the bottom six, including two away trips in the space of a week. The Blades take on Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in a vital game for both teams: if Palace win they’ll be five points clear the relegation zone.

The numbers seem to suggest the visitors will struggle – Palace have taken seven points from a possible nine without conceding a goal against their fellow strugglers at Selhurst Park this season. Although Mickey Adams wasn’t managing the Blades when they lost to Middlesbrough and Bristol City earlier this season, he’ll be aware that if he wants to avoid a Sheffield derby in League 1 next season these are the types of games his side need to take points from.

The last two nPower Championship teams left in the FA Cup will have to wait until next week to play their fifth round games: Burnley travel to West Ham on Monday night (ESPN, 8:00pm) but the Clarets haven’t won at Upton Park for almost 50 years and might have to wait until visiting the Olympic Stadium for their first win. At least Eddie Howe’s team know who they’re playing: Reading have got to wait until Saturday before making travel arrangements for their tie at either Everton or Chelsea next Tuesday.

Only two goals were scored in the three league games over the weekend and both of them came at Millwall, where the Lions beat Barnsley 2-0. Scunthorpe’s game against Preston was postponed for the second time this season and both the other games finished goalless.

Tuesday night’s programme was far more eventful. QPR and Norwich both won, but Cardiff had to come from behind twice to earn a point against Reading – with yet another ‘dramatic late equaliser’, this time from Craig Bellamy. At the bottom of the table, Middlesbrough climbed out of the bottom six with a win over Scunthorpe: Bristol City and Portsmouth dropped back into danger after they both lost 2-0 to promotion contenders. Crystal Palace escaped the bottom three after drawing at Watford and were replaced by Sheffield United – who lost at home to Leicester.

The weekend starts when QPR visit the Madjewski Stadium on Friday (Sky Sports 1, 7:45) but it’s probably safe to say that if you’re looking forward to an action packed game then it might be worth watching the start of the Six Nations tournament elsewhere. The Royals have only lost once against the current top six at home but have drawn other four games; QPR haven’t scored in four of the last games in Berkshire but won 3-1 at Loftus Road in November.

Saturday afternoon’s game of the week is one that could have a big impact at the bottom of the table, is between two sides that are currently struggling and may not be of much interest to anyone outside Central Lancashire or South Bristol. Having only earned two points from a possible fifteen available in 2011, Preston cannot afford any more defeats this season – they’re currently on target to reach 35 points, which is only a point more than Peterborough managed last season – but Bristol City have only scored twice this year and have lost three of their last five trips to Deepdale since December 1996.

The weekend’s games conclude on Sunday lunchtime when Cardiff make the trip along the M4 to the Liberty Stadium for the second leg of the South Wales Derby. Swansea’s record in Cardiff isn’t bad, but the same can’t be said when the Bluebirds travel to their biggest rivals – Dave Jones’ side has never won at the Liberty Stadium and Cardiff’s last win at the Vetch Field was in March 1997.

The transfer window closed without the widely predicted departure of Jay Bothroyd to the Premiership and a lot of loan moves both from the Premier League and to Leagues 1 and 2. One of the more interesting deals involved former teenage prodigy Ryan Burge, who turned down a contract with Forest Green Rovers so he could join The Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain a couple of years ago. Burge – a midfielder – joined Doncaster Rovers from Jerez Industrial on deadline day and it’ll be interesting to see if he justifies Hoddle’s somewhat revolutionary methods.

Three of the four games will affect both ends of the table – QPR’s lead is back to five points after they beat Coventry City for the second time in a month, but as Norwich are the only other side in top six to have a game this weekend, the Canaries have an opportunity to close that gap. Possibly the most significant results in the last week were Nottingham Forest’s wins over Derby and Bristol City – they’re now in fifth place with at least one game in hand over the other sides in the top six – and Cardiff’s entertaining 4-2 win over Watford.

The weekend fixtures start on Friday night when Barnsley travel to Millwall for the first time in nearly a decade. The Tykes picked up their first away win since November when a brace by new signing Danny Haynes enabled them to win at Doncaster for the third consecutive season; the Lions have won their last four league games at the New Den and will be looking to continue that record in order to keep up with teams ahead of them.

Hull host QPR on Saturday afternoon and although the Tigers haven’t lost at home to Queens Park Rangers since 1970, this game has low scoring draw written all over it. Norwich’s trip to Crystal Palace may not be as straightforward as it looks: the hosts have won seven of the last ten league games at Selhurst Park, but the Canaries have won three of their four away games at the current bottom six and the incentive of an automatic promotion spot could tip the balance in their favour.

Game of the week is Scunthorpe v Preston. Both teams earned a valuable point last weekend: the Iron drew at home to Burnley and kept a clean sheet at Glanford Park for the first time since September and yet another late equaliser – this time from Billy Jones – helped Preston nick at a point at the Riverside. However the form book doesn’t favour Preston: the Lillywhites haven’t won at Scunthorpe since Feb 96 and the hosts have only lost once in their five games against the bottom six this season.

It’s a shame to relegate the FA Cup to a footnote, but apart from the once in a lifetime opportunity to see Leyton Orient play in a game with Welsh commentary (S4C’s ‘Sgorio’ show is showing their game against Swansea at 12:50pm on Saturday) the only real interest in this season’s competition is guessing which team will get the furthest.

On paper, Burnley, Reading and Swansea look as if they have the best chance but they’re all playing teams from lower divisions who were supposed to have been cannon fodder in the third round. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of team Alex McLeish selects for Coventry’s visit to Birmingham: having reached the Carling Cup final on Wednesday evening, the Blues might decide that Premiership survival is a priority. The most competitive tie looks as if it’s Brighton’s trip to Watford, but I think the best chance of an upset could be if Nottm Forest can stop West Ham winning on Sunday afternoon as the Hammers won’t relish a replay at the City Ground.

The only big move in the transfer market so far this week is Kris Commons’ move from Derby to Celtic – the striker was out of contract at the end and was joint third in the goal scoring table before his departure with 13 goals, nine goals more than Tomasz Cywka. Presumably Nigel Clough will be signing a striker to replace Commons, but if he can find another player who can score exactly one third of Derby’s goals he’ll be doing well!