Mads Bidstrup played the full 90 minutes as FC Nordsjaelland opened up a five-point gap at the top of the Danish Superliga with a 2-0 victory over second-placed Randers on Sunday, despite playing an hour with ten men.
Rocco Ascone put FCN ahead after just two minutes, before Adamo Nagalo saw red on the half-hour mark. Despite their disadvantage, FCN added a second in the final minute through Benjamin Nygren to confirm vistory over their nearest rivals. FCN host Horsens on Friday night with just five points separating Horsens in ninth and Randers in second.
Sky Bet Championship
Halil Dervişoğlu was an unused substitute for both Burnley’s games last week as Vincent Kompany’s side took four points from away games at Birmingham City and Sunderland to drop to third in the Sky Bet Championship.
The side immediately below the Clarets are Swansea City after a pair of wins for the South Wales side this week. Fin Stevens played the final couple of minutes of the Swans’ 3-2 comeback victory at Reading in midweek before being an unused substitute yesterday during their 2-0 derby success at home to Cardiff City.
It was a more difficult week for Stoke City with home defeats to Rotherham United and Coventry City dropping them to 17th. Tariqe Fosu played 80 minutes against the Millers on Tuesday night as Stoke failed to convert any of the 29 shots they had in the 1-0 loss. Then on Saturday, Fosu played the full 90 minutes in their 2-0 defeat to the Sky Blues.
Burnley have two tough home games this week, against Norwich City on Tuesday and Reading on Saturday while Swansea head to Bristol City at the weekend. Stoke’s action sees them make the trip to Carrow Road to take on Norwich.
Sky Bet League One
Myles Peart-Harris scored for the second game running on Tuesday night to help ensure Forest Green Rovers’ progression in the EFL Trophy.
His goal from the penalty spot was the second in a 4-1 win over Exeter City which saw Rovers finish with a perfect three wins from three in Group N. Then on Saturday, Peart-Harris played the full 90 minutes in a narrow 1-0 Sky Bet League One defeat at home to Portsmouth.
Daniel Oyegoke was an unused substitute on Tuesday night as MK Dons also made progress in the EFL Trophy following a 2-0 victory away at Walsall. Oyegoke returned to the starting line-up on Saturday for MK’s home game against Wycombe Wanderers. A single Nick Freeman goal settled matters in Wycombe’s favour, dropping MK to the foot of the third tier.
MK travel to Charlton Athletic and Cheltenham Town this week while Forest Green, who also occupy a place in the drop zone, visit Fleetwood Town and Barnsley.
Sky Bet League Two
Paris Maghoma and Nathan Young-Coombes both missed AFC Wimbledon’s 2-1 win at Rochdale due to suspension and injury.
Lachlan Brook played the final quarter of an hour on Tuesday night as Crewe Alexandra’s hopes of progress in the EFL Trophy came to an end following a 1-0 defeat at home to Tranmere Rovers. He then had a similar role on Saturday, coming off the bench for the final few minutes of the Railwaymen’s 1-1 draw at home to Doncaster Rovers.
Brook and Maghoma will meet tomorrow night at Plough Lane as the Dons host Crewe while the weekend’s action sees AFC home again to Harrogate Town and Crewe away at Barrow.
Ellery Balcombe returned to the Crawley Town squad for the first time since August, named on the bench for their 3-2 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday. That victory moved them out of the relegation zone at the expense of Colchester United, who they visit tomorrow night. The Red Devils then head to Bradford City on Saturday.
On the continent
In France, Mads Bech wasn’t involved in the matchday squad for OGC Nice’s dramatic 1-1 draw at home to Nantes.
The away side looked set to take all three points until Nicolas Pépé’s hotly contested 97th-minute penalty.
Nantes had two players sent off after full-time for protesting the decision. Nice host Partizan in the Europa Conference League this Thursday before visiting third-placed Lorient on Sunday.
Joel Valencia played an hour for De Graafschap on Tuesday night in De Graafschap’s 3-1 KNVB Cup victory over Rijnsburgse Boys and then a further 90 minutes on Friday as the Super Farmers drew 2-2 at Den Haag. The result leaves them 17th in the Dutch second division, a point and a place behind Friday’s opponents Top OSS.