Mini Championship Roundup – 03/02/2026

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Rovers kicked off the post-Ismael era with a narrow victory over the division’s worst team. It brings a merciful end to a run of eight league games without a victory, spanning the end of December and the entirety of January. First team coach Damien Johnson was in interim charge for this one, and although the performance was nothing to write home about – putting it kindly - the result was at least a positive. Sheffield Wednesday’s desperate season continues to crater, with this making it a ninth game without scoring a goal. It’s now six points from a potential sixty-nine, and continues to stretch their worst ever run without a win. They’ve now lost eight matches in a row.

Goal 1 (12th minute, 1-0): The ball broke for Rovers’ Japanese attacking midfielder Ryoya Morishita just inside the wide edge of the Wednesday area. Morishita played a dangerous low ball towards the six yard box, and on-loan Brighton defender Eiran Cashin managed to get in front of his man to knock the ball into the net from close range. His first goal for Rovers in his fourth game for the club.

Rovers claw themselves out of the relegation zone on goal difference, leapfrogging West Brom into 21st position. Wednesday remain bottom with negative seven points and with just one win in thirty games.

Hull City 0-0 Watford

With Javi Gracia having resigned from his position as Watford boss, interim manager Charlie Daniels took the reins as the Hornets travelled to Hull. The home side have been in incredible form as of late, with four wins on the spin before this match, but their winning streak came to an end in a match they would have hoped to get three points out of. It was a very disappointing midweek performance from their perspective. The Tigers remain unbeaten in five matches, nonetheless. A draw extends Watford’s winless run to five matches, during which they have picked up three points from a possible fifteen. This has to be considered a decent point, though, and a good performance against one of the league’s in-form teams away from home.

Hull remain in 3rd place, but fail to significantly close the gap on Middlesbrough and Coventry above them – it slightly shortens from five to four points. Watford, despite being on such a bad run of form, are in 8th and still only three points from the top six.

Portsmouth P-P Ipswich

This game was called off early in the day due to a waterlogged pitch.

Sheffield United 3-1 Oxford United

Chris Wilder’s Blades stretch their unbeaten run to three with a solid home victory over Oxford. They’ve managed to take ten points from the last fifteen available, and as a result they are rapidly climbing away from the danger zone. Oxford remain firmly entrenched within the relegation spots, and since being appointed Matt Bloomfield has only picked up one win from his first five games. They’ve now lost two on the spin, at a time when they really can’t afford to be dropping many points. Six wins from thirty games is the lowest amount of victories in the division, if you discount Sheffield Wednesday.

Goal 1 (13th minute, 0-1): The visitors took the lead early on. A long-range effort from Oxford midfielder Cameron Brannagan should have been comfortably caught by Blades’ keeper Michael Cooper, but he spilled the ball and U’s attacking midfielder Myles Peart-Harris took advantage by slotting the ball home. He scored an own goal at the weekend, so this would have been a nice rebalancing for him. His first goal for the club since joining from Brentford in early January.

Goal 2 (41st minute, 1-1): An equaliser just before the break put a different perspective on the potential half-time team talks. United midfielder Ollie Arblaster, on the wide edge of the penalty area, passed the ball to fellow central midfielder Sydie Peck standing just inside the centre of the box. Peck swept the ball home with a calm first time finish. He now has four for the campaign.

Goal 3 (66th minute, 2-1): United forward Tom Cannon rolled his man on the wing and surged towards the byline, passing the ball to midfielder Andre Brooks just inside the area. Brooks managed to escape the defender in front of him and then squeeze a high shot past two closing Oxford defenders, just about beating Oxford keeper Jamie Cumming. Brooks now has three goals in three matches, with four overall in twenty-six appearances. 

Goal 4 (83rd minute, 3-1): Blades’ Dutch playmaker Gus Hamer zipped a beautiful high pass over the Oxford defence, which was then perfectly controlled by Chiedozie Ogbene. The Irish winger took the ball down on his chest and put himself right in the middle of the box to fire home the final goal of the match. He scores his first of the season after thirteen appearances.

Sheffield United move up to 15th position, seven points clear of the drop zone. Oxford remain in 23rd, five points from safety.