Championship

Sports Mole's Championship Team of the Week

By Liam Apicella, Features Editor | 31 August 2015

Sports Mole chooses its best Championship XI following the conclusion of the fifth round of fixtures this weekend.

The battle at the top of the Championship went the way of Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend as they ran out 3-2 winners away at Ipswich Town.

That result started somewhat of a trend in England's second tier, with Reading, Burnley, Queens Park Rangers, Birmingham City, Cardiff City, Fulham and Middlesbrough all recording away victories.

There were more positive home comforts for Hull City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, though, while none of the 12 contests ended in a draw.

Here, Sports Mole looks back at who stood out to earn a place in our latest Team of the Week.

David Marshall (Cardiff City)
He may have conceded late on at the City Ground, but Marshall's performance between the posts helped Cardiff to record another three points. On this form, there are few better goalkeepers in the Championship than the Scot.

Ben Mee (Burnley)
Not only was the former Manchester City trainee a solid influence defensively, he also weighed in with Burnley's opening goal of the contest.
Sol Bamba (Leeds United)
Once again the 30-year-old former Paris Saint-Germain centre-back was a towering influence on the Leeds rearguard.
Curtis Davies (Hull City)
The defender struggled in the Premier League last term, but it appears that he has rediscovered his best form a level down. Not only did he help Hull to keep a clean sheet, he also got his name on the scoresheet.
James Perch (Queens Park Rangers)
In what was a tightly contested encounter away at Huddersfield, Perch played a key role in helping the travelling R's to record a shut out.

Nick Blackman (Reading)
There were times at Griffin Park when Brentford could not live with the Reading winger. He ended the encounter with two goals to his name, one of which came from the penalty spot.
Stephen Gleeson (Birmingham City)
He may have left the encounter against his former club MK Dons on a stretcher, but while he was on the pitch, Gleeson was one of the best players. The Irish midfielder found the net for the second match running.
Lewis Cook (Leeds United)
The midfielder may only be 18, yet he played with such maturity against Derby. On numerous occasions he won back possession for the away side and then helped to drive them forward.
Kazenga LuaLua (Brighton & Hove Albion)
The 24-year-old's goal, which broke the deadlock at Portman Road, summed him up - pace and power. He sped away from the Ipswich defence, before firing a well placed shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Chris Wood (Leeds United)
Wood's most notable contribution as a Leeds player prior to the trip to Portman Road had been his missed penalty in the League Cup against Doncaster. He put that right against Derby, though, by scoring a stunning late winning goal.
Tomer Hemed (Brighton & Hove Albion)
The Israeli is proving to be a smart piece of business from Brighton manager Chris Hughton. He made it 2-0 to Brighton and then after Ipswich had drawn themselves level, Hemed showed good predatory instincts to score the winner.

Numpty of the Week

Greg Halford: With Rotherham in desperate need of a first win, the last thing they can afford to do is give opposition teams easy chances. Well, Halford did just that when he chopped down Fulham's James Husband inside the area, with Ross McCormack converting the resultant penalty to break the deadlock.

Goal of the Week

Chris Wood - Derby County vs. (Leeds United): There was only two minutes left on the clock when Cook threaded a pass through for Wood on the edge of the box. There didn't appear to be much of a threat, but having taken one touch, the New Zealander made himself just enough space to power in a winning goal via the upright.