Championship Round Up 20/01/2026 – 21/01/2026

Charlton Athletic 1-2 Derby County

Two draws and a win had seen Charlton break a depressing losing streak, but they returned to bad old ways here as they lost to John Eustace’s resurgent Derby side. The Rams had lost their way a little recently, but this makes it three wins from their last four games, and is giving them a realistic chance of cracking the top six. It’s actually the first time Derby have managed back-to-back wins since the beginning of November. Charlton can feel some relief that many of the sides below them are looking doomed, but their own form over the past couple of months will still be a cause for huge concern. An upturn in form from a couple of clubs beneath them could see them in serious trouble if they don’t start improving.

Goal 1 (17th minute, 0-1): Neat passing around the wide-edge of the area from Derby saw American striker Patrick Abyemang burst into the six-yard area, his shot bounced off the legs of Charlton’s Macaulay Gillesphey and into the net for an own goal.

Goal 2 (60th minute, 0-2): A nice through ball set Derby’s Bobby Clark away behind the defence, the midfielder kept his composure to beat former Rover Thomas Kaminski one-on-one and double the away side’s lead. A second goal of the season for Clark.

Goal 3 (67th minute, 1-2): A low, powerful drive from left-winger Tyreece Campbell gave the hosts a lifeline. A second goal of the campaign for him.

Red Card (85th minute, Derby): A poor tackle from Derby’s centre-back Matt Clarke on Addicks right-back Kayne Ramsay made it a nervous end for the Rams, but they held on for victory.

Charlton sit in 18th, four points from the relegation zone. Derby move up to 10th place, just two points from the playoff positions.

Coventry City 2-1 Millwall

Coventry may not be banging in the goals quite as often as during the first few months of the season, but they are back to winning games, and that is ultimately the only thing that matters. After a small wobble which saw the Sky Blues pick up one point from nine, they’ve now won their last two games to keep their promotion charge going strong. Coventry enjoy midweek games, and are now unbeaten in the last eight league games played midweek. The last time they lost a midweek match was back in March 2025. Millwall, alternatively, are not great at travelling during the week. They’ve now won just three out of twenty-two away league games played in midweek. They had been going well lately, picking up eleven points from the last fifteen available, but no luck here against the league leaders.

Goal 1 (11th minute, 1-0): An Inswinging ball into the area was met by the head of striker Haji Wright – his effort was saved by Millwall’s Max Crocombe, but Coventry’s recently-acquired on-loan Crystal Palace winger Romain Esse was there to follow up. The shot was saved again, but the ball was adjudged to have gone over the line for Esse’s first goal in his second appearance for the Sky Blues.

Goal 2 (29th minute, 1-1): Another inswinging ball into the area, this time from Millwall, was flicked into the net by striker Mihailo Ivanovic. The Serbian now has six for the season, with this being his second goal in three games.

Goal 3 (78th minute, 2-1): A cross into the area was picked up by Haji Wright and poked into the corner for the goal that would give the league leaders all three points against a spirited Millwall side. The American forward gets into double figures with his tenth of the campaign. He’s now scored in both of his last two games, having gone thirteen appearances without scoring beforehand.

Coventry remain top, six points clear of 2nd and eight points clear of 3rd. Millwall drop one place into 5th, but still have a four point buffer from 7th place.

Ipswich Town 2-0 Bristol City

Ipswich currently have the longest winning streak across the top four professional divisions. Granted, it’s only four games, but still – things are going well at Portman Road. Their form over the past ten games is pretty impressive as well. They’ve taken twenty-three points from the last thirty available which – as you’d expect – has propelled them up the table in rapid fashion. Bristol City, on the other hand, have not been so impressive. Inconsistency has been a hallmark of their season thus far, and defeat here means they’ve only won one of their last five games. Even worse, their star playmaker Anis Mehmeti is attracting interest from numerous clubs – including Ipswich – and may well leave in this window as his contract expires in the summer. It would be a brutal blow for a side that is already struggling to keep their playoff ambitions alive.

Goal 1 (8th minute, 1-0): Ipswich’s left-winger Jack Clarke drove into the box from out wide and drilled a low shot into the far corner.

Goal 2 (55th minute, 2-0): A high ball up the pitch was poorly dealt with by Robins’ defender Rob Dickie. Spanish forward Ivan Azon seized on the opportunity, surging into the box and squaring for Clarke to finish in calm fashion, securing his second of the match. This double puts him on ten for the season.

Ipswich remain in 3rd due to Boro’s victory, but still have a game in hand which, if won, would currently put them in 2nd. Bristol City drop to 11th, three points off the playoff places.

Oxford United 0-0 QPR

Plus point for Oxford – they kept a clean sheet again, making it two in a row. Negative point for Oxford – they’ve stopped scoring, with this being their second goalless draw in succession. The wait for a win continues for new boss Matt Bloomfield, but he hasn’t lost yet either. Oxford now haven’t won in their last eleven midweek matches, so a draw here represents a best possible scenario in the event they couldn’t break that hoodoo. It’s now one win in six for Julien Stephane’s Rangers side, with that solitary win being against bottom club Sheffield Wednesday. They’re still in with a good shout of the playoffs, though, because the league is just like that this year.

One shot on target from Oxford and two from QPR. A second match in a row for Oxford that won’t be remembered fondly – or at all.

Oxford are still 23rd, five points from safety. QPR are 12th, three points from the top six.

Preston 0-3 Hull City

A second defeat on the spin for Preston, and including their FA Cup defeat at the hands of League One’s Wigan Athletic, it’s a third game without scoring. They’ve lost three of their last five games, but the other two results were victories, meaning the damage has been somewhat limited thus far. Hull are somewhat of a bogey team for the home side, with the Tigers having only lost one of the last seven encounters between the two teams. This result stopped a run of six straight away midweek defeats for Hull, and overall makes it six wins from their last eight matches. Not a surprise, then, that they find themselves comfortably in the playoff positions.

Goal 1 (33rd minute, 0-1): A Preston attack turned into a lightning break for Hull. Winger David Akintola raced up the pitch, leaving the Preston defence in the dust, and played the ball across for fellow wideman Liam Millar to convert a simple tap in. A second league goal for the Canadian.

Goal 2 (45th minute, 0-2): A cross into the box was eventually laid off by Scottish forward Oli McBurnie for defender Akin Famewo to smash home his first of the season.

Goal 3 (49th minute, 0-3): McBurnie turned from provider to scorer, converting a cross with an acrobatic scissor-kick style finish to settle the contest. Another player to enter double-figures, with his tenth goal coming in just eighteen appearances.

Red Card (95th minute, Preston): Montenegro international Milutin Osmajic’s reputation continues to grow, albeit for all the wrong reasons. We can now add headbutting to a recent list of scandals which also include biting and alleged racial abuse. After a coming together between Osmajic and Hull’s defensive midfielder John Lundstram, the two players squared up to each other, at which point Osmajic pushed his head against Lundstram and that was that – immediate red card. Already banned for nine games this season, the centre-forward now faces another three-match suspension. He had an eight game break last season for his Luis Suarez impersonation, too. North End boss Paul Heckingbottom refused to defend his man this time around, calling Osmajic’s lack of discipline “totally unacceptable”.

Preston still sit in 6th spot, fortunate that none of the three teams below them could pick up a victory. Hull move up to 4th.

Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Birmingham City

As if things aren’t bad enough for Wednesday, the lack of new owners means that their administrators still have to run the club as broken asset. As a result, there’s every chance their already heavily depleted squad will be further destroyed by the time January ends. Rumours are swirling in regards to Bailey Cadamarteri, Yisa Alao and captain Barry Bannan. The latter would especially be a crippling blow if he was to leave. Not much point talking about Wednesday’s form at this point. They lose a lot and occasionally draw. Birmingham’s away record this season is pretty dire, and that’s being kind, but this means they move from one away win to two away wins for the campaign. They’ve only lost one of their last six games, but three of those matches have been draws, so this run hasn’t really achieved a great deal in terms of league position. Nonetheless, it’s seven points from nine now, so maybe Big Club are about to get going properly.  

Goal 1 (83rd minute, 0-1): A deep cross into the Wednesday area was headed into the path of forward Jay Stansfield on the edge of the box. His low shot ended up going directly into the path of German striker Marvin Ducksch inside the six-yard box, who slotted home the easiest goal he’ll ever score. The thirty-one-year-old now has six for the season, with three goals in his last three games.

Goal 2 (92nd minute, 0-2): Nineteen-year-old Owls centre-back Cole McGhee collected the ball in no obvious danger in his own half near the corner spot, and with plenty of time decided to try and pass back to the keeper instead of booting it away. His weak ball was intercepted by Brum’s Japanese forward Kyogo Furuhashi who rounded the keeper and scored his first of the season from a very tight angle. A harsh lesson for the young Wednesday defender in only his third appearance, but they will have to hope it’s a learning experience for the future in a season that’s already doomed. Owls keeper Murphy Cooper certainly made it clear to the defender immediately afterwards what he should have done.

Wednesday remain bottom. Birmingham climb to 13th, five points from the playoff positions.

Swansea City 3-1 Blackburn Rovers

Young Portuguese head coach Vitor Matos was a bit of a gamble in terms of managerial choices, but so far his appointment appears to have paid off in a big way for Swansea. This is their third victory in five matches, and his tenure thus far has seen the Swans soar away from the relegation battle. It’s the first time they’ve won three matches in a row against Rovers in their history, and perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, seeing as Rovers’ boss Valerien Ismael has only won once in his last six matches in the Championship against Swansea. The Frenchman is currently overseeing a delightful run of one win in thirteen games, blaming injuries for what is becoming a catastrophic situation at Ewood Park. Rovers have managed a dismal nine points from the last thirty-six available.

Goal 1 (21st minute, 1-0): A ball was whipped in to Rovers’ area, it ultimately landed at Slovenian striker Zan Vitopnik’s feet, unmarked on the edge of the six yard box to side foot in first time.

Goal 2 (35th minute, 1-1): Young attacking midfielder Brandon Powell, making his first team debut for Rovers, nicked the ball off a Swansea player, drove into the box and passed the ball behind the Swansea defence for newly-signed Danish forward Mathias Jorgensen to slide in to score from close range. It was Rovers’ first shot on goal in what had been a dismal first half display up until this point. Jorgensen scores his first goal for the club in his second appearance.

Goal 3 (50th minute, 2-1): A low shot from the edge of the area from Swansea’s South Korean winger Ji-sung Eom hit Rovers’ midfielder Moussa Baradji’s heel, and then went into the net off an unsuspecting Connor O’Riordan, with the defender having recently been recalled from a loan spell at League One Doncaster.

Goal 4 (63rd minute, 3-1): An inswinging corner was headed in directly at the near post by Zan Zipotnik. The lethal finisher now has thirteen goals in twenty-six league appearances, scoring at a rate of one every two games. He’s now the top scorer in the division. One can only wonder where Swansea would be if he had been sold in the summer, as was initially reported to be very possible.

Swansea are in 16th, now eight points away from the danger zone. Rovers drop to 22nd, and are now in the bottom three, with Portsmouth clambering above them by a point.

West Brom 0-5 Norwich City

I think if Eric Ramsay was being honest, he would admit this was not exactly how he imagined the second match of his tenure unfolding. Look, there’s no shame in being beaten by this season’s Middlesbrough in his first game. Shipping five without reply against relegation-threatened Norwich, though... yeah, that’s not quite so forgivable. WBA are in a real tailspin, having now lost five of their last six matches. It’s been more of a new manager splat than a new manager bounce thus far, although in Ramsay’s defence he’s only been responsible for two of those defeats. Norwich’s decision to roll the dice on Philippe Clement seems to be paying off, however. The Belgian has rejuvenated a Norwich side that looked bereft before his arrival, and a fourth win in six games sees them on track to retain their Championship status if their form continues as is.

Goal 1 (16th minute, 0-1): A low, long-range drive from nineteen-year-old Danish attacking-midfielder Oscar Schwartau nestled into the bottom corner to put the away side ahead. His third of the season.

Goal 2 (49th minute, 0-2): Norwich’s newly-signed Canadian left-midfielder Ali Ahmed was teed up inside the area to side foot into the top corner. His first goal in his second game, having also created an assist in his first game for the club.

Goal 3 (69th minute, 0-3): A muddle in the area eventually ended up with Tunisian midfielder Anis Ben Slimane’s shot hitting the post, but he caught the Baggies’ defence on their heels to convert the rebound from close range. A second goal in only his fourth appearance.

Goal 4 (73rd minute, 0-4): A cross into the WBA area found the ball at the feet of Canaries left-back Ben Chrisen who hammered the ball into the roof of the net. His first of the season.

Goal 5 (89th minute, 0-5): A loose pass lead to Norwich breaking into the Albion box and eventually converting in clumsy fashion through Danish forward Mathias Kvistgaarden. His fifth goal, and his first in nine games.

West Brom remain in 19th, three points from the relegation places. Norwich are 20th, just a point behind their opponents.

Wrexham 1-1 Leicester

It’s been a while since the division’s draw specialists shared the points, but they got back to what they do best here. They regain their position as the team with the most draws in the division, having shared that honour with Preston for the past few weeks. The Red Dragons now have eleven draws from twenty-eight games. Their overall form still reads four wins from six, but they’ve only managed one point from their last two matches. Leicester really don’t like playing midweek, having not won a midweek match since December 2024. Their general form remains largely poor, with this result meaning they’ve only won twice in their last seven games.

Goal 1 (63rd minute, 1-0): New Zealand left-back Liberato Cacace managed to get in behind the Leicester defence - his shot was saved, but Welsh midfielder Lewis O’Brien was on hand to put it into the net from close range. His fourth of the season.

Goal 2 (90th minute, 1-1): A ball was floated into the Wrexham box from the middle of the pitch, flicked on by Foxes centre-back Caleb Okoli and then slotted home by Danish centre-back Jannik Vestergaard to rescue a late point for the visitors. His third of the season.

Wrexham are in 9th place, two points from the top six. Leicester are 14th, five points from the playoffs.

Southampton 1-0 Sheffield United

A big sigh of relief for Tonda Eckert and Southampton as they record their first league win in eight games. Their last victory was back on December 9th, at which point things started to spiral back into the same pattern that saw Will Still relieved of his duties. The gap to the top six is not insurmountable for the Saints, but they’re going to have to go on a serious run of form to get into contention at this point. Sheffield United lose a second game in a row, on a run which has seen them win three and lose three. They’re still close enough to the relegation zone to be nervous, and their fifteen defeats is up there with the worst teams in the division – with only bottom club Sheffield Wednesday having lost more games. In Chris Wilder’s defence, a fair portion of those defeats came from Ruben Selles’ disastrous tenure. Sheffield United may need to learn the art of securing a draw occasionally, as they’ve only drawn two of twenty-seven matches this season – by far the lowest in the division.

Goal 1 (7th minute, 1-0): A shot from the edge of the area from Brazilian playmaker Leo Scienza took a deflection which wrong-footed Blades’ keeper Michael Cooper.  The goal was still credited to Scienza, making it his fourth of the season.

Southampton are still 15th, still closer to the relegation zone than the playoffs. Sheffield United are two places below them in 17th, four points from the bottom three.

Watford 1-1 Portsmouth

It’s a bit of a running theme in the Championship that when a team goes on a good run of form, they inevitably start to falter as they reach the top six. Watford aren’t bucking the trend, as a run of multiple victories has now been ended by gaining just a point from their last two home matches. Being beaten by this season’s Millwall is understandable enough, but dropping points at home to a struggling Portsmouth will be far more disappointing. It’s a good result for Pompey, a point away from home against a side who up until recently had been in extremely good form. John Mousinho’s men have really stepped up their game lately, with this result meaning they’ve only lost once in seven games and taken seven points from the last twelve available.

Goal 1 (73rd minute, 0-1): The ball was stolen on the flank by Portsmouth’s Irish winger Milli Alli, then given to forward Conor Chaplin who passed into the area for a precise first time finish at the near post by Australian winger Adrian Segecic. A second in two games for Segecic, and his fifth overall for the campaign.

Goal 2 (79th minute, 1-1): A cross into the area dropped by Portsmouth keeper Nicolas Schmid, and the ensuing scramble left the ball at Watford forward Mamadou Doumbia’s feet to place the ball into an empty net. His third of the season.

Watford tick up to 7th, a point from the playoff places. Portsmouth claw their way out of the bottom three, leapfrogging Rovers into 21st.

Stoke City 1-2 Middlesbrough

Stoke’s recent upturn in form came to a halt at the Britannia, although you could argue they are unfortunate to play Middlesbrough at a time when the Teesiders are back on form after a poor spell of results. Stoke’s form is okay at the moment, but to put themselves back into proper top six contention they’ll need to do better than okay. Currently they have a precise mixture of two wins, two defeats and two draws in their last six matches. Boro have now won three on the spin, as they try to keep Ipswich from usurping their second place spot. Town do have a game in hand, so Boro have to keep winning and hope the teams hot on their heels begin to slip up.

Goal 1 (15th minute, 1-0): A low shot from outside the area by Stoke midfielder Tomas Rigo squeaked through the hands of Boro keeper Sol Brynn. A somewhat fortunate first goal of the season for the Slovakian.

Goal 2 (48th minute, 1-1): After Stoke had managed to thwart initial Boro attack, the ball came back into the box and landed in front of Boro midfielder Alan Browne who scored from close range. He now has two for the season.

Goal 3 (59th minute, 1-2): A cross into the box from the scorer of the first goal, Alan Browne, found Scottish forward Tommy Conway at the far post. Conway initially fluffed his first attempt but reacted fast to try again, and he made no mistake to put away his second chance. He now has four in twenty-eight appearances.

Red Card (77th minute, Stoke): Stoke defender Bosun Lawal received a second yellow card for what appeared to be a relatively tame standing tackle, where his foot brushed the ankle of Boro midfielder Aidan Morris. This made a comeback from the home side even less likely, but it seemed harsh.

Stoke drop slightly to 8th, a couple of points from the top six. Boro keep their 2nd place spot, two points ahead of Ipswich, but having played one game more.