With Britain stuck in an apocalyptic state, I have taken the opportunity to reflect upon what has been a typically dramatic and exciting season of football, at all levels. This is the second instalment of a three-part miniseries on the best games of the season so far. This piece, part two, will look at the top ten games of the Championship 2019/20, up until the enforced break we are currently enduring. These matches have been selected because of their thrill, spectacle and meaningfulness.
If you missed the first part, which looked at the best Premier League games of the season, you can find it here.
Let’s get on with the countdown…
10) Swansea City 2-3 Derby County
The Liberty Stadium. 8th February 2020. Championship Match 31.
Derby and Swansea had played out a dour 0-0 draw at Pride Park on day two of the campaign, a game which followed the Rams’ 2-1 away win at Huddersfield on opening night – which remarkably stood until this point as their only away victory of the season. Phillip Cocu’s team were in search of win number two on the road – in February – and made a good start against Swansea when they took the lead after ten minutes, Martyn Waghorn burying the rebound after Tom Lawrence had hit the post. Derby played well in the first half and prevented Swansea from creating anything, but all that work was quickly undone ten minutes into the second period. After both Rhian Brewster and Connor Roberts somehow failed to turn home a cross, Steve Cooper’s team were finally level when former Liverpool youngster Yan Dhanda fired in from range. Less than two minutes later, Swansea had turned it around and found themselves in front when a defensive mix-up allowed Kyle Naughton to slot home. It looked like it was going to be another miserable away day for the Rams until their player of the season Duane Holmes levelled matters. It was Welshman Lawrence who had the final say in his home country, shooting from distance and beating Freddie Woodman with ten minutes left to earn their first away win since August.
9) Luton Town 3-3 Fulham
Kenilworth Road. 26th December 2019. Championship Match 23.
Boxing Day football always throws up some excitement and the game of the day came at Kenilworth Road, where promotion favourites Fulham scraped a draw against relegation-threatened Luton. The Hatters made a great start to the game and were in front just five minutes in when Kazenga LuaLua pounced on some unnecessary playing out from the back from Fulham and James Collins was able to retrieve the ball and set up LuaLua to score his second of the season – the first coming in an away defeat to Fulham. The lead lasted just four minutes though, with Bobby Reid finding himself unmarked and heading home Ivan Cavaleiro’s cross. Collins restored Luton’s lead after 28 minutes with a thumping finish after Scott Parker’s team struggled to defend a free-kick and the English striker had another goal ruled out for offside just before the break. Luton could’ve extended their lead when Ryan Tunnicliffe hit the post from a narrow angle before Harry Cornick’s goal-bound shot was blocked by Josh Onomah. Fulham grew into the game though and drew level when Aleksandar Mitrovic made it 2-2 with a simple header from a corner thirteen minutes from time. Graeme Jones’ side thought they’d won it when more dawdling on the ball at the back presented Cornick with a chance, which he coolly converted for 3-2 in the 84th minute. However, they were denied a vital win in the dying embers of stoppage time when Aboubakar Kamara’s header was palmed by Simon Sluga into the path of Reid, who lashed home to equalise in the fourth minute of added time and earn Fulham a deserved draw.
8) Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Swansea City
Hillsborough. 9th November 2019. Championship Match 16.
A game filled with drama to the death between two clubs under new management. Sheffield Wednesday started well and came close to taking the lead when Liam Palmer’s floated cross was headed against the post by the Owls’ influential striker Steven Fletcher. However, it was Swansea who made the breakthrough when the usually reliable Keiren Westwood flapped at a corner when trying to claim it, allowing Andre Ayew to stab home for an away lead just after the half hour mark. Wednesday continued to dominate without making the pressure pay, Swansea keeper Freddie Woodman doing superbly to keep out another Fletcher header before Jacob Murphy inconceivably hit the post from yards out. Garry Monk finally saw his side draw level when Woodman spilled Adam Reach’s 81st minute shot and the winger managed to square it for substitute Fernando Forestieri to bundle home his first of the season. Wednesday turned the game on its head a minute into injury time when Swansea failed to deal with a corner and it fell to the very impressive left-back Morgan Fox, who crashed home to give the home team a deserved lead. The drama was not done yet though, with Westwood making a breathtaking save to deny Ben Wilmot from close distance in the 93rd minute. The goalkeeper went from hero to zero in an instant though, when from the resulting corner he failed to connect with the ball and Wilmot turned home for a 2-2 draw and a point apiece, with the team Monk spent most of his playing career at far happier than his current club with the result.
7) Preston North End 3-3 Bristol City
Deepdale. 28th September 2019. Championship Match 9.
A thrilling clash at Deepdale between two teams who have been consistently in and around the top six all season. It was Lee Johnson’s Bristol City who made the better start, with a chance for Antoine Semenyo before they took the lead just inside half an hour when Taylor Moore turned home a corner, and though Preston keeper Declan Rudd certainly felt he was fouled, the goal stood. City doubled their lead in similar fashion seven minutes later when former Derby winger Andreas Weimann’s deft header found the corner, and though Rudd once again was knocked to the floor, this time it was by his own man Daniel Johnson. Johnson was proving a threat in the opposite box just before the break though, and his team were awarded a penalty when he was tripped by Han-Noah Massengo as he was about to strike the ball. Paul Gallagher made no mistake from the spot to bring Preston back into it on the stroke of half-time. The home team were awarded another penalty early in the second half when Ashley Williams handled in the area. Though Gallagher was still on the pitch, the responsibility was this time given to Johnson, who found the bottom-right corner and levelled the game. Parity didn’t last long though, with Nathan Baker’s effort going in off Rudd’s foot ten minutes later to restore the Robins’ lead. The topsy-turvy nature of the game continued and Preston drew level again when Patrick Bauer rose highest to head home his first goal for the club and ensure Alex Neil’s team wouldn’t be beaten.
6) Hull City 4-4 Swansea City
KCOM Stadium. 14th February 2020. Championship Match 33.
Hull were beginning life without Jarrod Bowen and Kamil Grosicki, after they had been sold to West Ham and West Brom respectively, and were without star defender Jordy De Wijs, who was joined on the injury list by Herbie Kane, Eric Lichaj and Josh Bowler. Despite this, they put on a great contest against Swansea and were in front early on when Leonardo Da Silva Lopes, who was in lands of space, saw his shot go through Freddie Woodman. The Tigers didn’t hang on to the lead for long though and were pegged back by Wayne Routledge when the winger tapped in after good work to expose the defence by Conor Gallagher. That was it for the first half, but the second 45 was thrilling. Hull restored their lead through Marcus Maddison, scoring his first goal for the club after his initial shot wasn’t cleared. Swansea levelled five minutes later though, Kyle Naughton sidefooting the ball home as a result of some of the slackest marking from a corner you’ll ever see. Malik Wilks had Hull back in front at 3-2 with a follow-up effort and that is how it stayed until thirteen minutes from the final whistle. Andre Ayew got past Jackson Irvine with ease and crossed for Jordon Garrick, who scored the sixth goal of the game. Swansea led for the first time in the match after 84 minutes when on-loan Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster’s shot went under George Long to give his team a precious away lead with six minutes remaining. In the fifth minute of added time though, Grant McCann’s team fought back and capitalised on some sloppy defending from Swansea to allow Josh Magennis to cross for Tom Eaves to slot in the equalising goal in a crazy contest.
5) Leeds United 3-2 Millwall
Elland Road. 28th January 2020. Championship Match 29.
Marcelo Bielsa’s team came into this on a run of one win in seven amid thoughts that the Whites may throw away promotion again, while Millwall were in comparatively good form, with four wins and just one defeat in the same period. It was the away side who were on top early and star centre-back Shaun Hutchinson opened the scoring with a header from a corner after just four minutes. Leeds responded well and utility man Stuart Dallas forced two good saves from Millwall’s Bartosz Bialkowski before a moment of major controversy. Ryan Woods had run the ball out of play but it was not picked up by the referee or the linesman, and Woods found a ball to Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who was fouled by Ezgjan Alioski. A penalty was awarded and then converted by Millwall talisman Jed Wallace as they went 2-0 to the good. Bielsa’s teams are known for their fight and determination though, and that is what they showed in the second half. Jack Harrison had his close-range shot saved by Bialkowski before Patrick Bamford turned in the rebound. Tom Bradshaw forced a good save from Kiko Casilla to prevent Gary Rowett’s team from restoring their two-goal cushion, before Leeds equalised from a distance strike from Spanish wizard Pablo Hernandez. They had completely turned the match on its head four minutes later when Mateusz Klich fed Luke Ayling to cross for Bamford, who turned in his second of his game to give Leeds a remarkable 3-2 lead. Helder Costa hit the bar and Klich missed a sitter as Leeds looked to make sure, but they secured the three points and a return to the top of the table courtesy of three goals in fourteen minutes.
4) West Brom 2-2 Nottingham Forest
The Hawthorns. 15th February 2020. Championship Match 33.
An action-packed contest between two promotion-chasing sides in the Black Country. It was a cagey start in a huge game in stormy conditions, and the first man to strike in the midst of Storm Dennis was Callum Robinson, aided by the pressing and pass of Matheus Pereira, one of the best players in the Championship all season. The Baggies looked like they were going to head into the changing rooms 1-0 up, despite Lewis Grabban and Tiago Silva coming close to levelling. Forest got their deserved equaliser when Sammy Ameobi’s accurate cross was turned into his own net by Kyle Bartley, getting Sabri Lamouchi’s team parity. A second half full of controversy followed. Jake Livermore could’ve been sent off for a high boot on Yuri Ribeiro while Forest could’ve also had a penalty for a clear handball by Bartley. The home side turned up the pressure though and Pereira, Livermore and Filip Kroninovic all came close. Eventually, Forest centre-back Tobias Figueiriedo diverted Livermore’s cross into his own goal. Dispute surrounded this goal though, as Ameobi had clearly been fouled in the build-up. In the 91st minute, the course of the game changed once more – Matty Cash with a thunderous shot into the roof of the goal to equalise in added time. Forest certainly earned the draw and had been hard done by all day, but in the end it was Slaven Bilic who was aggrieved when Robinson had a goal disallowed for Bartley being in an offside position. A match full of drama that both teams felt they should’ve won – Championship football at its best.
3) Barnsley 5-3 QPR
Oakwell. 14th December 2019. Championship Match 22.
QPR’s matches have been more eventful than any other Championship team this season – with 120 goals scored and conceded in their games – so it was inevitable that they would feature at least once in this countdown. Barnsley were bottom of the league whereas QPR were just outside of the playoffs, so it was a bit of a surprise when the home team took the lead in the seventh minute through Conor Chaplin after a nice cut-back. Their lead lasted just five minutes, Luke Amos tapping home after Jordan Hugill hit the post with a curling shot. The Tykes were 2-1 to the good after eighteen minutes when Chaplin arrived around the back from a corner and lashed home a thunderous shot. That was it for the first half but seven minutes after the break, Chaplin completed his hat-trick by turning home from another rebounded save by Joe Lumley. Barnsley’s two-goal advantage was halved moments after, with Tottenham loanee Amos grabbing his second goal with a nice finish after Ryan Manning’s cross was parried by Barnsley keeper Samuel Sahin-Radlinger. Six minutes on, good work from Jacob Brown created a two-on-one for Barnsley, from which Geoff Cameron brought Chaplin down and gave Barnsley a penalty, which was scored by Cauley Woodrow, to make it 4-2. Impressive defender Bambo Diaby drilled in at the end of a sweet set-piece move and there was daylight between the two sides. QPR weren’t done yet and came very close with a free-kick from the unusually quiet Eberechi Eze, though Mark Warburton’s side did get one back through attacking midfielder Ilias Chair in added time. It was Gerhard Struber’s Barnsley who ran out 5-3 winners at the end of a truly thrilling contest.
2) Brentford 3-2 Millwall
Griffin Park. 19th October 2019. Championship Match 12.
Millwall fans won’t thank me, as this is the second game in which their team blew a two-goal lead features in this countdown. Though both are now firmly in the promotion hunt, neither had started well and were languishing in the bottom half. It was a strong start from Brentford and Nikos Karelis hit the post before Ollie Watkins was denied by a fine save from Bartosz Bialkowski from the penalty spot. Brentford, sporting a blue commemorative shirt to mark their final Griffin Park fixture against Millwall, lived to regret those missed opportunities when Tom Bradshaw tapped in during added time of the first half. It got much worse for Thomas Frank’s team when Millwall’s defensive rock Shaun Hutchinson was hauled down in the box and their talisman Jed Wallace wrong-footed Raya with the penalty to double Millwall’s lead nine minutes into the second half. Said Benrahma and Mathias Jensen came close for Brentford but with six minutes remaining, the Lions were dead set for a famous derby win. Midfielder Josh Dasilva, who had replaced Christian Norgaard, halved the arrears in the 84th minute with a low strike from the edge of the box to give Brentford hope. From nowhere, the home side found themselves level at 2-2 when their tricky winger Bryan Mbeumo curled the ball in off the bar with a stunning effort in the 88th minute. A point rescued – but they hadn’t finished yet. In the fourth minute of added time, Rico Henry’s cross found Mbeumo and he set up Watkins to slam home and give Brentford the most unlikely of wins. 0-2 down after 84 minutes to 3-2 winners after 94. Just over 13 miles separates these two clubs and there wasn’t much between them here either.
1) Birmingham City 4-5 Leeds United
St Andrew’s Stadium. 29th December 2019. Championship Match 25.
The winner of this countdown comes between two of the biggest clubs in the Championship in late December. Leeds’ first goal was Marcelo Bielsa football at its best, the Whites breaking quickly from a Birmingham free-kick. Jack Harrison fought off the challenge of Dan Crowley and threaded a delicate ball to Helder Costa, the Portuguese winger coolly slotting in the corner to give Leeds the lead courtesy of a lightning counter-attack. There was a touch of fortune about Leeds’ second goal six minutes later, Harrison’s shot taking a massive deflection off Harlee Dean into the corner for 0-2. Bielsa’s team were in control but Birmingham showed the fight and attitude which they have shown many times this season under Pep Clotet. They were back in the game when a ball from the wonderful right-back Maxime Colin set up young starlet Jude Bellingham, who calmly finished in the bottom corner. (Find out why I think Liverpool should sign both of those players here) The game kicked into life again on 61 minutes. Colin’s floated corner onto the head of Kevin Mrabti wasn’t dealt with by Kiko Casilla, allowing the ever-dependable Lukas Jutkiewicz to head home and level matters at 2-2. Birmingham’s parity lasted just eight minutes as right-back Luke Ayling thundered a simply unstoppable shot into the net after a lofted pass from Ezgjan Alioski. Nevertheless, the Blues were back twelve minutes later, French winger Jeremie Bela heading past an uncertain Casilla to make it 3-3. From the kick-off, Leeds worked the ball wide and then into Stuart Dallas, the influential utility man scoring from close range to make it 3-4 with six minutes left to play. In the first minute of added time, Jutkiewicz connected with a cross from Bela to score his second and Birmingham’s fourth and surely earn them a point. It was not to be though, as a breathless game of football was concluded when Wes Harding put through his own net after Ayling’s teasing cut-back. My goodness.
Daniel (@daykind19)
Daniel Daykin
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