Championship Reaction

No doubt about the most emphatic result in the Championship yesterday – Wigan’s 4-0 demolition of Barnsley, an away victory that will put Owen Coyle’s boys in high spirits ahead of their Community Shield clash with Manchester United at Wembley next weekend.

Many believe that Wigan have too much class in their ranks to stay in the second tier for more than a season, but Coyle knows that superior quality is of little use if not married to application and he was equally delighted with both those aspects of his team’s play at Oakwell.

Coral have shortened Wigan two points to 10/1, but those odds still make appeal, as does the 100/30 they gain promotion. Barnsley’s boss, David Flitcroft, regards the FA Cup winners as the benchmark for all other Championship sides to be measured against this season and it is difficult to imagine that they won’t be involved seriously in the title run-in. But, as Coyle reminded everybody, this was just one game – 45 more to go.

Watford had already been clipped from 11/1 to 10/1 before the big kick-off and Coral were sufficient impressed by their 1-0 away win at Birmingham to cut them further to 13/2. They had to work a lot harder than Wigan for their three points and the home side perhaps deserved something out if it, but this was a great start to the campaign for Gianfranco Zola’s men, desperate to make up for last season’s near miss.

QPR, one of four teams in the Championship to come from behind to win 2-1 yesterday, remain Coral’s favourites for the title at 11/2 (from 6/1). It was by no means a command performance, but we can expect better from the West Londoners when striker Charlie Austin, their £4m signing from Burnley, settles in and manager Harry Redknapp strengthens his squad further in the coming days.

Leeds – who beat Brighton with a last-gasp winner from Luke Murphy, their recent acquisition from Crewe – Leicester and Reading, all realistic promotion contenders, were the other clubs to turn things around after going a goal behind.

And a special mention should go to Yeovil Town, who, playing their first ever game at this level, took all three points with a late winner at Millwall.

Coral don’t, however, see this as the start of any sort of fairytale. The Somerset side remain 125/1 for the title, but at least they enjoyed a better start to the season than the other favourites for relegation – Barnsley, Millwall themselves and Doncaster, who lost 3-1 at home to Blackpool.