We look ahead to the weekend action in Sky Bet League 1.
OPPOSITES ATTRACTColchester United v Bristol City
Colchester United and Bristol City sit at opposing ends of the Sky Bet League 1 table ahead of their clash at the Weston Homes Community Stadium this Saturday.
The U’s have been within the division’s bottom four since 22nd November and they sit 21st, one point inside the relegation zone, heading into the weekend.
Tony Humes’ side have conceded 51 goals in their 31 league games this season; only Crewe’s defence has been breached more frequently (53).
Whereas Colchester have won just once in their past five, and have lost their last two at home, Bristol City have been defeated only once in nine. That loss came last weekend; 3-1 at home to Sheffield United.
Steve Cotterill saw his side bounce back in midweek with a comfortable 2-0 success over Peterborough United, moving them five points clear at the top of the table.
And there have been no such problems for the Robins’ backline in 2014/15. Frequent users of a 3-5-2 system, they’ve let in just 26 goals from 30 outings.
During the past 10 meetings between these clubs, Colchester have picked up a solitary victory; 3-2 in January 2006. There have been five draws and four wins for City, including a 2-1 triumph earlier this season.
FAMILIAR FOES
Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough United
MK Dons and Peterborough will clash for the 19th time in the past 10 and a half years, when they meet at stadiummk.
Posh have the edge over that time, winning nine – including each of the past three - compared to six for the Dons and three draws.
But it’s MK who will go into this fixture in a more confident mood and better form; they are second in the standings having beaten Colchester 1-0 in midweek to overtake Swindon, while Peterborough lost 2-0 at Bristol City.
That victory for Karl Robinson’s team ended a run of two straight defeats and three without a victory. They are comfortably the division’s top scorers, netting 63 times - seven clear of their nearest rivals.
Darren Ferguson, meanwhile, has seen his side win three, lose two and draw one of their past six. They are 11th, four points adrift of the top six, and in a good place for a push towards the Sky Bet League 1 Play-Offs.
Posh make the short trip southwards unbeaten in two on their travels, following a 2-1 victory at Notts County and a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood.
These clubs may have two of the youngest managers in League football in charge, but they are two of the longest-serving among the top 92 English professional clubs. Dons' Robinson, 34, has been in charge since May 2010, while 43-year-old Ferguson has been at Posh since January 2011. That makes them the third and fourth longest-serving managers in the top four divisions - only Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger and Exeter City’s Paul Tisdale are above them.
WINLESS WOES
Sheffield United v Coventry City
Coventry City are on Sky Bet League 1’s longest winless run heading into their away game at Sheffield United, who have won three in a row.
The Sky Blues last picked up three points on 3rd January with a 2-0 success at Walsall, but have drawn three and lost three since then. That form has seen them slip to 20th, above the bottom four by a single point.
They have the joint-fewest wins this season; Crawley, Leyton Orient and Yeovil have also only picked up seven victories.
The Blades, on the other hand, have notched five wins in their past seven, and have taken nine points from the last nine available.
Successes over Colchester, Bristol City and Notts County, during which time they have netted nine goals, has propelled Nigel Clough’s men into fifth position.
The Yorkshire club are also unbeaten at Bramall Lane in League action since 2nd December, winning three and drawing one of their past four.
Coventry won the reverse fixture back in August, when a Bob Harris own goal was the only difference between the sides.
AROUND THE GROUNDS
Having seen their automatic promotion place snatched from their possession by MK Dons on Tuesday, Swindon will be looking to regain a top-two place when they host Crawley Town, who are battling for survival.
The Reds are 22nd but will be buoyed by last weekend’s 5-1 thrashing of Barnsley. Swindon lost to Scunthorpe 3-1 on the same day, which came after defeat at Oldham in their match before.
Preston North End didn’t play in Sky Bet League 1 last weekend owing to their FA Cup fifth round tie against Manchester United, a game they lost 3-1. Simon Grayson’s men are fourth and with games in hand - if results go their way, they could eventually find themselves in the top two.
They begin that challenge with the visit of Scunthorpe United to Deepdale. The Iron have risen to 14th after securing seven points from their past three outings.
Scunthorpe are only five points from a Play-Off spot, and the final one of those is occupied by Doncaster Rovers who go to Port Vale.
In 11 games, Rovers have tasted defeat only once, and three wins from three – scoring 10 and conceding once - has seen them rocket up the table into sixth place.
Four winless games saw Vale slide down the table, but they reversed that form with a 1-0 victory at Walsall last Saturday to move them into 15th.
Bradford are Doncaster’s immediate rivals, with one point separating the sides.
The Bantams host Walsall after a memorable week. Phil Parkinson’s men first beat Premier League side Sunderland 2-0 in the FA Cup to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in 29 years, then proved there was no hangover with a 2-0 win at Leyton Orient in midweek.
Oldham Athletic are one point further back on 43, and they make the trip to Orient who sit second bottom and remain three points from safety following that defeat by Bradford.
Chesterfield are the final team who could leapfrog Doncaster come Saturday evening, sitting three points adrift of the top six in ninth. The Spireites are away at Rochdale, who have seen back-to-back defeats drop them to 16th, seven above the bottom four and seven from the Play-Offs.
Yeovil are the division’s bottom club ahead of Saturday, four points from safety, with the Glovers hosting Gillingham at Huish Park.
The Gills are one of Sky Bet League 1’s in-form teams having taken 16 points from a possible 18, while Yeovil have tasted success just once in the same period.
Barnsley host Crewe with the clubs positioned three points apart in 19th and 18th respectively. The Tykes were humbled 5-1 by Crawley last Saturday, their third straight defeat, while Crewe saw a three-game winning streak ended by Doncaster.
Fleetwood against Notts County completes a full schedule of League Sky Bet League 1 games this Saturday. The Cod Army are 11th, County 17th, but a two-goal win for the Nottinghamshire side would see them jump above their hosts.
SKY BET LEAGUE 1 WEEKEND FIXTURES
Saturday 21st February 2015
Barnsley v Crewe Alexandra
Bradford City v Walsall
Colchester United v Bristol City
Fleetwood Town v Notts County
Leyton Orient v Oldham Athletic
Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough United
Port Vale v Doncaster Rovers
Preston North End v Scunthorpe United
Rochdale v Chesterfield
Sheffield United v Coventry City
Swindon Town v Crawley Town
Yeovil Town v Gillingham