EFL highlights and round-up: Preston into sixth, Middlesbrough hold Birmingham
Written by News on 22/01/2020
Preston climbed into the Sky Bet Championship play-off places following a comfortable 3-0 win at struggling Barnsley.
All three goals came in the first half with Tom Barkhuizen scoring twice and Daniel Johnson also finding the net.
The victory – Preston’s first on the road since November – moved Preston up to sixth. It was a disappointing performance from Gerhard Struber’s side as they suffered a third defeat in four games.
Ashley Fletcher’s late equaliser enabled Middlesbrough to extend their unbeaten home run to eight Sky Bet Championship games as they claimed a 1-1 draw with Birmingham.
Lukas Jutkiewicz fired the visitors ahead in the first half as he marked his return to the Riverside with a neat headed finish. But Fletcher earned Middlesbrough a point as he converted Marvin Johnson’s 81st-minute cross with a slick back-heel.
In Tuesday night’s only League One game, Peterborough ended a run of seven games without victory in emphatic fashion, running out 4-0 winners over 10-man Wycombe.
In what proved to be a very one-sided encounter, Ivan Toney converted from the spot in the 23rd minute following a controversial decision that saw Giles Phillips sent off for the visitors.
Siriki Dembele added a second just before the break on his return to the side following a three-game ban, before Jack Taylor and Toney wrapped things up with fine finishes.
Wycombe would have gone back to the top of the table with a point, but failed to do so.
In League Two, Leyton Orient and Northampton each finished with 10-men as a late penalty from Josh Wright sparked a mass brawl at the Breyer Group Stadium. Wright’s spot-kick cancelled out a first-half goal by Ryan Watson before ugly scenes marred the end of the match.
Scott Wharton was sent-off in the 88th minute together with Orient’s James Dayton by referee Alan Young for violent conduct after a brawl involving at least 14 players followed the penalty.
Callum Ainley’s stoppage-time goal rescued a 1-1 draw for Crewe at struggling Macclesfield.
Paul Green’s own goal late in the first half separated the two, with the struggling hosts forced into a valiant rearguard action in the second period, before Ainley struck in stoppage-time.
Promotion hopefuls Colchester and Bradford played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw at the JobServe Community Stadium.
The stalemate was enough to move Colchester up to seventh, while Bradford – a point better off – missed the chance to move into the top three.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: EFL highlights and round-up: Preston into sixth, Middlesbrough hold Birmingham
