Ipswich Town are seven points adrift of safety at the foot of the Championship table with 18 games to play. STUART WATSON looks at the form of their relegation-battling rivals.
IPSWICH TOWN
Just three wins all season; a shock 3-2 victory at Swansea under Paul Hurst and two gritty 1-0 home victories against struggling Wigan and Rotherham under Paul Lambert.
Head into Saturday’s match at Aston Villa on the back of a six-game losing streak on the road. Have failed to score in all of those matches.
Six signings early in the January transfer window, five of whom started Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Blackburn Rovers. The hope is that this new-look side – with added experience and physicality – will click sooner rather than later.
League form: LWLLL DWLLL LDDLL
Last 5: 3pts, Last 10: 7pts, Last 15: 9pts
Next five: Villa (a), Sheff W (h), Norwich (a), Derby (h), Stoke (h)
BOLTON WANDERERS
A winding up order was narrowly avoided in September and players were not paid in time November/December.
Tensions are high at the Lancashire club with fans protesting against embattled owner Ken Anderson during last night’s 2-0 home defeat to West Brom.
“Last time we went down we got straight back up - but that might not happen again,” said Trotters boss Phil Parkinson, whose side are lowest scorers in the division (18 in 28). “We’ve still got a realistic chance of staying in the division and we need the support of everybody.”
League form: LLLDW LLLDL DLLLL
Last 5: 4pts, Last 10: 5pts, Last 15: 6pts
Next five: Reading (h), Sheff U (a), Preston (h), Birmingham (a), Norwich (h)
READING
Failed to build on a 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest by losing 2-1 at Derby last weekend.
Portuguese manager Jose Gomes, who was appointed just before Christmas, has been happy with his team’s performances.
The former Porto assistant, who has loaned in Lewis Baker and Ovie Ejaria from Chelsea and Liverpool respectively this month, said: “We need to transfer the way that we are playing into good results. Now we have 18 battles left, which is more than enough for us to achieve our target. We cannot play with 65% possession and as many shots as Derby and say ‘we are a good team and that we have hope for the future’. No, we need to win and we need points.”
Targeting a striker and have been linked to Norwich City’s Nelson Oliveira.
League form: LWLDL LDLDL DDWLL
Last 5: 4pts, Last 10: 6pts, Last 15: 11pts
Next five: Bolton (a), Villa (h), Sheff W (a), Blackburn (h), Sheff U (a)
ROTHERHAM UNITED
Manager Paul Warne labelled the ironic cheers which greeted Zak Vyner being taken off in Saturday’s 4-2 home defeat to Brentford as ‘disgusting’. That was the Bees’ first away win of the campaign.
The Millers, meanwhile, haven’t won away from home in the Championship for 39 matches now, despite battering Ipswich for most of the second half at Portman Road recently.
Warne said: “Everyone in football knows the challenge we have but we’ve taken it on every week with a smile on our face and tried to be the best we can be.”
League form: LLWLL LDDLD DDWDD
Last 5: 3pts, Last 10: 6pts, Last 15: 13pts
Next five: Leeds (h), Millwall (a), Wigan (h), Hull (a), Sheff W (h)
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Dropped like a stone after a flying start to life back in the Championship.
Recorded a surprise 3-0 home win against Aston Villa recently only to subsequently lose 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday.
Latics boss Paul Cook joked: “I’d love to say ‘we got battered, we didn’t play very well, and we just want to go home and lick our wounds’, but I know that won’t suffice... But we got battered, we didn’t play very well, and we just want to go home and lick our wounds...is that all right?”
Beat Ipswich to the January signing of winger Anthony Pilkington from Cardiff. The former Norwich man produced a man-of-the-match display on his debut.
League: LWLDL LLLDW DLLLL
Last 5: 4pts, Last 10: 8pts, Last 15: 9pts
Next five: Forest (a), QPR (h), Rotherham (a), Stoke (h), Derby (a)
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