Sports Mole's Championship Team of the Week

An exciting 29th round of fixtures in the Championship gave us two 3-3 draws, 35 goals and three red cards.

At the top, leaders Leicester stretched their advantage into double figures with their ninth consecutive league victory at Bournemouth, as their nearest challengers Queens Park Rangers and Burnley shared six goals at Loftus Road.

Fourth-placed Derby County were also involved in a 3-3 draw after Birmingham City debutant Federico Macheda snatched a late point for the Blues.

All three red cards came at Hillsborough in a fiery South Yorkshire derby between Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley that was settled by Chris Maguire's 97th-minute strike.

Below, Sports Mole picks out its best XI from the weekend's matches as well as highlighting the biggest numpty and the best goal.

Alex McCarthy (Reading)
The Royals have now won four of their last five games thanks to a 3-0 victory at Millwall. They are four points clear of the chasing pack in the playoffs and had McCarthy to thank for some important stops at The Den.

Sam Byram (Leeds)
What a weekend it's been for Leeds United! As well as the spirited 5-1 triumph over Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town, manager Brian McDermott was told that he had lost his job and then reinstated following the game against the Terriers. Although not present, McDermott would have been proud of his side's display and promising young right-back Byram was one of the stars, setting up two of their goals.
Grant Hanley (Blackburn)
A goal and a clean sheet for Scottish centre-back Hanley, who sealed a 2-0 win for Rovers against struggling Blackpool.
Alex Pearce (Reading)
Another defender to return a goal and a clean sheet was Pearce, who was alert to pounce on a loose ball and rifle into the net against the Lions.
Jean Beausejour (Wigan Athletic)
There was plenty of late drama this weekend and the comeback that Wigan pulled off against Charlton Athletic was perhaps the best of the lot. The Latics were 1-0 down in the 88th minute but then scored twice in the final moments to get the points. Beausejour was a livewire all game from left-back.

Chris Maguire (Sheffield Wednesday)
Not only did Maguire score with virtually the last kick of the game against Barnsley, but he was also the hosts' brightest spark all game long.
Emyr Huws (Birmingham)
The Manchester City youngster made his Blues debut after joining on loan and looked ever so comfortable in the middle of a Championship game. He saw plenty of the ball and broke up several Derby attacks.
David Dunn (Blackburn)
Dunn is still putting in classy performances at 34 and opened the scoring at Ewood Park with a delightful run and finish from outside the area.
Ikechi Anya (Watford)
Scottish international Anya is enjoying a new role under Giuseppe Sannino a little further forward than his previous wing-back slot. He scored the opening goal yesterday against Brighton & Hove Albion as the Hornets ended a four-game winless run.

Simon Cox (Nottingham Forest)
Forest have struggled to find a number one striker this season, but Cox has made his case of late with two goals in his last two games. Against Yeovil Town yesterday he scored one and set up another as Billy Davies's side cemented their position in the playoffs.
Ross McCormack (Leeds)
Last, but certainly not least, is Leeds skipper McCormack. Despite plenty of interest in the striker during the January transfer window, he remained at Leeds and netted a hat-trick in a rousing performance without McDermott. The Scot now has 21 goals this season and is well clear in the division's scoring charts.

Numpty of the Week

Emmanuel Frimpong: The former Arsenal midfielder lasted just 30 minutes on his Barnsley debut as he was sent off for two silly tackles against Wednesday. Not a good first impression.

Goal of the Week

Richard Dunne (QPR) vs. Burnley: "One on my better ones" was how veteran Irishman Richard Dunne described his acrobatic left-footed volley against Bournemouth. Surely the centre-back hasn't scored a better one?! Take a look: