Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson is inspiring Ipswich Town's promotion push, the relegation battle is reaching INSANE levels and Preston are peaking at the right time and proving everyone - including this writer - wrong. All this and more from the latest round of the Championship...
TEAM OF THE ROUND
I've been fairly dismissive of Preston North End's play-off prospects this season. They had an incredible start and topped the table after seven games, but that start was made to look a bit of a 'flash in the pan' by the relegation form they were in for the next nineteen games as only QPR and Rotherham scored fewer points over that period.
It just felt to me that Preston's unsustainable hot start was padding their points total and other teams in the top six mix were better placed to get themselves into the end of season knockouts.
Right now it feels like I'm as close to changing my mind on North End's chances of getting into the play-offs as I have been all season. Friday night's comfortable 3-0 win over fellow play-off chasers Coventry City felt like a bit of a 'stand up and take notice' type result.
Preston are now on a run of four wins in five and with three of those victories coming against Ipswich, Middlesbrough and now Coventry perhaps they are peaking at the right time. The return of Emil Riis at the turn of the year combines him with 12 goal Will Keane and a more acclimatised Mads Frokjaer-Jensen, behind them North End have size, solidity and experience.
This weekend went pretty much perfectly too, with every single other team between fourth and 13th failing to register a win. Perhaps I need to start being less dismissive of the possibility of a Preston play-off push.
LOANEE OF THE ROUND
Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town)
Let's break from tradition and push the 'loanee of the round' further up the running order, as Omari Hutchinson's run of delivering in big moments for Ipswich continued. Leeds' sensational run stretched to nine straight victories on Friday night making the equation simple for Ipswich and Southampton.
Win and join an unlikely title race with the Foxes closer than ever, or let Leeds sail off into the distance with them. Southampton slipped to a surprise defeat on Neil Harris' return to Millwall, three defeats in four for the Saints puts them five points behind the top three as we approach the vital run in.
Meanwhile Ipswich navigated their way to a 3-1 win over Birmingham to go level on points with Leeds in second and also six points behind Leicester at the top. In case the context is lost on you, here is your weekly reminder that Ipswich were in League 1 last season and are up against three gigantically powerful year one parachute teams.
In the wake of a 22 game unbeaten run by Southampton and nine game winning streaks for Leicester and now Leeds, Ipswich are still right in the mix. The current star man is Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson, who's last gasp antics earned a point for Town against West Brom, three against Rotherham and secured this latest win over Birmingham. Their rivals have Premier League quality players to spare, perhaps Ipswich's borrowed boy from Chelsea is proving himself to be in a similar bracket.
TALKING POINT OF THE ROUND
Bottom Six Insanity!!
I spend probably too much time reminding optimistic fans that the pace at the bottom of the table is slow, really slow. And the reason the hypothetical surge of points their struggling team needs isn't likely to come, is the same reason their team is down at the bottom.
Well, the tide is rising fast at the bottom of the table and in unprecedented scenes, four of the bottom six won this weekend in the Championship. Huddersfield registered a first victory under Andre Breitenreiter with Danny Ward's double confirming a 2-1 win at Watford and we've already mentioned Millwall's magnificent win at Southampton on Neil Harris' return.
Despite a chaotic news week off the pitch, QPR exited the bottom three for the first time in what seems forever as they came from behind to grab a home win over bottom side Rotherham. Meanwhile Sheffield Wednesday and their red hot striker Ike Ugbo both continued their fantastic form, Wednesday scored a third win in four and Ugbo now has five goals in his last four games for the Owls.
On the one hand QPR and Wednesday fans will be cursing the fact that others around them also won to lessen the impact of their good form. But, on the other they'll be pleased with the ever growing number of teams they've pulled into the conversation, including the giant elephant in the room Stoke City who are not only bang out of confidence and form, but have now dropped into the bottom three.
PLAYER OF THE ROUND
Ryan Hardie (Plymouth)
Given the chaos towards the bottom of the table it shouldn't go unnoticed that Plymouth Argyle moved on to 40 points for the season with a tremendous away win at Middlesbrough. History tells us that 45 points is normally enough to secure Championship safety, but as we've already mentioned this particular season, history might be irrelevant in terms of forecasting points needed for Championship survival.
With that being said, unless we get an atrocious collapse over the final 12 games, Plymouth look pretty well safe and even below average form will see them over the line.
There's much to admire about Argyle, who after their fair share of structural issues have been promoted twice in the previous four seasons. They've also overcome massive adversity this winter with their manager Steven Schumacher and some key loan players all doing a runner for pastures new. One of the constants for Plymouth is striker Ryan Hardie, who has gone on the entire journey up from League 2 and made the step up to the Championship beautifully.
Hardie has scored 16 and 13 in his previous two seasons in League 1 and coolly stroked in his 12th goal of a maiden second tier season as Argyle grabbed a second away win of a tricky season on the road. Hard running, old fashioned, central strikers are a rare breed in the Championship these days and although wide man Morgan Whittaker will understandably be seen as Argyle's highest valued player, Hardie might be the most valuable.
Follow Benjamin Bloom on Twitter @BenjaminBloom
The Benjamin Bloom Football Channel - www.youtube.com/benjaminbloom
