Nationwide Round-Up: Week 6

By: Richard Lord
Date: 16/09/2002

THERE are some teams in the division beginning to settle down in their positions for the season, whereas there are other teams who haven't decided what they're doing yet.

Ipswich never seem to play, but their 1-1 home draw against rivals Norwich doesn't really alter their position in the league. They were expected to be at the top but currently they stand 14th.

Norwich, on the other hand, are looking impressive. They are scoring goals, picking up points and look good for another top six place this season. Portsmouth keep on winning and are threatening to run away.

Pompey have only dropped two points all season, and their 1-0 win over Millwall has added weight to their claims of a top two spot. Whether they can keep this form up remains to be seen. Millwall are a shadow of last season's team.

At the other end of the table Grimsby remain bottom despite an improved performance against top half Coventry. Brighton look increasingly shaky and another defeat for them leaves them second to bottom.

It was a good win for Gillingham at the Withdean Stadium, as they were reduced to nine men. Their 4-2 victory over the Seagulls halted a four-match run without a win.

Sheffield Wednesday don't appear to be moving themselves up the table, unlike their rivals United. A 1-0 home win over Rotherham moves the Blades up into fourth position, so maybe Warnock is changing things at Bramall Lane.

As for Rotherham, they are now finding it difficult keeping up to their early season standard. Bradford are a team that started slowly and are now taking everyone by surprise by surging into the top half.

Their 1-0 away win at Walsall means the Bantams climb to 9th in the table, and Walsall slip down to 19th after suffering their third home league defeat of the season.

Stoke are in even more trouble following their 2-1 away defeat at Burnley. The Claret and Blues are turning things around with some good results but Stoke are another team to slip a few places down the league.

Watford managed to beat Forest away to record their first points on their travels. For Forest the result would have been a disappointment after the City Ground side managed to reach sixth place last week.

Reading are proving to be relatively unpredictable at the moment. They've registered enough points to keep them safe in mid-table for now, but Wimbledon did well to win 1-0 at the home of the Royals with a last-minute goal.

Derby are a real disappointment at the moment. They've lost three of their four away games this season although their latest defeat at Leicester is almost understandable as the Foxes currently stand in second position.

Two mid-table teams conclude this week's round-up. Our old friend Danny Butterfield appears to be a big hit with Palace fans as he was instrumental in their home win against Wolves.

It looks like it may be another season of misery for the Wolves supporters, but at the same time Palace don't look like they are going anywhere at the moment.

Top players this week are Steve Kabba (left, after ending Grimsby's goal drought with a superb solo effort), Arthur Gnohere of Burnley (as the big monstrosity of a defender managed to score) and also Jobi McAnuff (for scoring a winner for the Dons).

Top manager of the week is Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp (right) as he is beginning to prove that his side's good start to the season isn't a fluke.

And before I go, Mansfield's defence deserves another mention after they conceded another six yesterday - this time it was Oldham's attack that had a field day. That's now 28 goals conceded in eight games. It's already a minus 18 goal difference yet the Stag's are still not bottom of the pile.

League Table

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