By Joe Ridge
Having rescued the club from financial meltdown in 2010, Notts County fans are indebted to chairman Ray Trew. But he tested his support on Saturday with a second bizarre sacking in two seasons after that of Craig Short in October 2010.
Martin 'mad dog' Allen had done a good job this season securing a top half position in League One, but an albeit humiliating 3-0 defeat at Hartlepool – their first loss in the league for over a month – was enough to see him lose his job in a decision that was even more perplexing than Huddersfield's sacking of Lee Clark earlier in the week, given the comparative resources of the two clubs.
Sacked: Former Notts County boss Martin Allen
Blades a cut above
Sheffield United topped off a decisive week in the League One promotion race with a well-earned 2-1 win over Preston.
Danny Wilson's side overcame missing a penalty and going 1-0 down to secure their second win in five days, following their 1-0 victory at Huddersfield on Tuesday night.
Two losses in a week for city rivals Sheffield Wednesday has ensured the Blades are now five points clear of third place with two games in hand. Home comforts in the Championship
All seven Championship fixtures on Saturday resulted in home wins. In fact, only two goals were scored by the seven away sides – both for Doncaster in their 3-2 loss at Leeds.
There were emphatic 4-0 wins for both Southampton – who went back to the top – and Crystal Palace – who recorded their first league win of 2012. Four of the best: Palace demolished Watford
Torquay fall one short of record
A victory at home to Bradford would have made it a record eight league wins on the bounce for Torquay, but they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to their lowly opponents.
Despite the defeat, Martin Ling's side find themselves right in the promotion mix-up in League Two, sitting just two points of the third automatic place having been off the pace before their run.
Plymouth stun Stanley to climb out of drop zone
Carl Fletcher's Plymouth side climbed to their highest position since the opening day of the season after a surprising 4-0 thumping of high-flying Accrington.
Stanley were only three points off the play-offs going into Paul Cook's first game in charge, but a brace from Alex MacDonald helped Argyle – who have only lost one in six – climb to the dizzy heights of 21st place and move three points clear of the League Two drop zone.
On the up: Carl Fletcher's Plymouth side are three points clear of the drop zone
Scout's corner: Scot Bennett (Exeter City)
Paul Tisdale's continues to unearth gems at Exeter and Bennett is the latest off the St James' Park production line.
On the fringes of the squad last season as a back-up centre back, the 21-year-old was thrust into a holding midfield role early in this campaign as the majority of last season's squad were sold, leaving Tisdale with a threadbare squad.
Bennett has excelled in his new role and his form has coincided with a recent climb up the League One table by Exeter, who beat Bury 3-2 on Saturday.
Quote of the weekend
New manager Neil Warnock took credit for Leeds' second half turnaround against Doncaster, despite him not being officially in charge for the game.
'I couldn't resist going down at half-time if I'm honest. I'm not a stand man,' he said. 'I thought they did well. We changed formation just after half-time and I thought it worked well if I'm honest.
'Credit to them, a lot of teams might have given up. But 2-0 down, it got the atmosphere going.'
Follow us on Twitter: @JoeRidge87, @KevinCoulson16, @Martin_Domin
Recent Comments