The EFL 'Easter Weekend' is always a pivotal time in the season with back to back games on Good Friday and Easter Monday leaving us with just six full rounds remaining. It's a time where a four or six point swing for better or worse can completely set in motion the narrative for the final run of fixtures as it pertains to promotion or relegation. As ever the double header in the Championship did not disappoint, here are the big winners and losers of Easter 2024.
WINNERS - Ipswich Town
In the breathless race for automatic promotion, Ipswich were the only side to win both of their matches and jumped from third to first in the table over the weekend. As ever they did not do it the easy way. On Good Friday it was a 1-0 win at Blackburn with Connor Chaplin's early shot squirming past Aynsley Pears in the Rovers goal and allowing Ipswich to take all three points. It was edge of the seat stuff though for the final half hour as Blackburn threw the proverbial kitchen sink at Ipswich without managing to force an equaliser.
With three points banked in the away leg of their Easter double header, the Tractor Boys headed back to Portman Road for a top four head to head with Southampton. It was an absolute thriller with Leif Davis giving Ipswich the lead before a quick fire double from Adams and Armstrong put Saints 2-1 up. The game looked to be getting away from the hosts and Southampton had the chances to go into a two or three goal lead, but didn't take them. A triple substitution from Town boss Kieran McKenna proved the turning point, in came Jeremy Sarmiento, Jack Taylor and Nathan Broadhead, with the latter two combining for the equaliser seven minutes after coming on.
Southampton were reduced to ten men after James Bree was adjudged to have fouled Leif Davis and denied him an obvious goal scoring opportunity. Seven minutes of stoppage time were added and with just seconds remaining, substitute Sarmiento poked home an unimaginably dramatic late winner. Ipswich take pole position at Easter, but we all know there is plenty of road left for plenty more drama on the season's final lap.
LOSERS - Southampton
On fine margins do the tables turn and what was heavenly for Ipswich was pure hell for Southampton. Russ Martin's side went into Easter knowing they had the toughest run-in of any of the top four sides and let three points slip away in their first game of the weekend when Middlesbrough grabbed a 1-1 draw at St Mary's with a 90th minute equaliser.
Had Southampton taken their chances at 2-1 up against Ipswich, then this column would be talking about them being back in the race having won the first of three head to heads with the top three sides in the Championship. But they didn't, and although Southampton could still provide the ultimate sprint finish to promotion, the play-offs are looking most likely for Saints.
WINNERS - (Vacant)
We'll hold off bestowing the accolade for the side that had the best Easter weekend in the play-off race as it's all much of a muchness. West Brom managed just two points but behind them it was a three point weekend for Norwich, Coventry and Preston, meaning the gaps between those sides stayed exactly as they were. Norwich have a four point cushion to work with, Coventry and Preston will hope to cash in on their game in hand. The highest points scorer were Middlesbrough with four across their Easter weekend, but given they don't have a game in hand it would really have needed a full set of six points for Boro to make them our big winners in the play-off race.
LOSERS - Hull City
What we do know about the play-off race is that it was a really poor Easter double header for Hull City. The Tigers had a daunting trip to Elland Road to contend with on Easter Monday so their opening game against Stoke was perhaps the big opportunity to give themselves a buffer before facing Leeds.
It was a 2-0 defeat at home to Stoke that set Hull on the way to an imperfect Easter and although the slightly inevitable sight of Leeds winning another home game this season did have to wait until late in the day, the home side were good value despite their two late goals in a 3-1 win.
Hull went big in the January transfer window to add proven Championship promotion calibre in the shape of Carvalho, Zaroury and Giles on loan, as well as dropping fees for Omur and Pandur. The Tigers will now need to claw back a six point deficit to get level with Norwich and have a game in hand, however their zero point Easter now extends their winless run to six games at the worst possible time.
WINNERS - Bristol City
I'll give a big honourable mention to Bristol City as they stacked up a six point Easter weekend with back to back 1-0 wins. Ultimately City look likely to finish slap bang in the middle of the table but their win over Leicester on Good Friday was applauded by those challenging the Foxes for promotion and I'm about to discuss the ramifications of their win over Plymouth on Easter Monday...
LOSERS - Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth joined Hull as the only other side to lose both of their games over the Easter weekend, but somehow this feels much worse. Argyle led at Carrow Road but conceded two set piece goals to lose 2-1 to Norwich on Good Friday, on Easter Monday it was a 1-0 home defeat to Bristol City that had huge implications. Just before 11pm on Easter Monday following the Bristol City defeat, Plymouth announced that manager Ian Foster was being sacked and Director Of Football Neil Dewsnip would be taking the team to the end of the season.
On the one hand you could argue that it's madness to remove a manager with just six games remaining, especially when he only joined three months prior. On the other hand, if Plymouth are sliding towards relegation then perhaps the short sharp shock of a change in the dugout might be the only remaining throw of the dice available to the Home Park higher-ups. Argyle have four relegation head to heads out of six in their run-in, with Rotherham, QPR, Stoke and Millwall all coming up during April. If they can't pull out a couple of wins in those games, then falling into the only positions left below them currently would mean a quick return to League 1.
WINNERS - QPR
Even with all the euphoria around Ipswich, I'd probably make QPR the biggest winners in the relegation survival race and also the entire division. It was pretty much perfect for Rangers over the Easter weekend, nobody scored more points and nobody climbed more places in the table. Good Friday saw QPR go behind in their giant relegation head to head with Birmingham, then dramatically win the game in stoppage time with a beautiful dipping volley from defender Jimmy Dunne.
Rangers went two for two on Easter Monday when they travelled to Swansea and Steve Cook's second goal of the weekend gave them a second win and a priceless six point haul to add to their total.
QPR are now at 46 points with six games remaining and any other season we'd be saying job done, survival secured. This is no normal season though and with everyone from Huddersfield in 22nd upwards on or above the one point per game average, QPR still probably have some work to do. The fixture list has been kind enough to give us two head to heads in a row now for Rangers as they face Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth in the first two games of the upcoming three game week. Surely a win in either of those games and QPR's brilliant Easter means they're as good as safe!
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