L1 | S4 | W3: Rangers pull clear as Hwang’s four-goal haul stuns Division 3

📰 Week 3 in Review – Season 4

Three weeks in and the PBM Old Boys table is already separating. Rangers are out on their own at the top of Division 1, the only side in the league with a perfect record. The performance of the week came from Division 3, where Aberdeen’s Hwang plundered all four goals in a 4-1 hammering of Everton. Division 4 remains the most open contest – five clubs locked on seven points with no signs of a breakaway candidate yet.

🏆 Division 1 – Rangers pulling clear

Lee Berry’s Rangers made it nine points from nine with a 2-1 win over West Ham – James on 48 minutes and O’Connor four minutes later put the light blues in command, and despite Coulibaly pulling one back on 55 minutes, Rangers held on. It was the televised fixture of the week and it delivered a result that already changes the shape of the title conversation. No other Division 1 side has managed more than seven points.

💡 Kevin Randall’s Shrewsbury Town have moved quietly into second on seven points after a 1-0 win over Plymouth Argyle – Minamino with the only goal on 11 minutes. One of last season’s promoted sides, and looking immediately settled back in the top flight.

Sutton United – still carrying that Supremos Cup glow – made it five points with a 2-0 win over Harrogate Town, Kane scoring twice either side of half time (45′ and 70′). Daffy Duck’s side have the highest squad rating in Division 1, and the £7,150,000 signing of Gianluca Caprari last week looks like a statement of intent. Lincoln City also had a productive afternoon, Mbappé netting twice against Wigan Athletic – on 29 and 71 minutes – to push the promoted side up to fourth. Mbappé has now scored three goals in three games.

⚠️ Port Vale sit 12th on three points from three draws. Del Sharratt’s side haven’t lost, but they haven’t won either – and three draws is a very hard position from which to build any kind of momentum in a 30-week season. Peterborough United, Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic are all on one point at the foot of the table.

💙 Division 2 – Stockport move clear as Brentford hit first bump

Brentford’s flying start ran into its first obstacle. Heart of Midlothian came to the Community Stadium and left with a 2-1 win – Lukaku heading them in front on 30 minutes and again on 39, and Chris Bonas’s side could only reply through Smith on 70. It is Brentford’s first defeat of the season, and it allows Matt Rose’s Stockport County to move clear at the top after Zamora’s brace sealed a 2-0 win over Cambridge United (33′ and 82′). Stockport have seven points and the best goal difference in the division.

💡 Stoke City moved second with a 3-0 demolition of Birmingham City – Adu-Adjei with two (14′ and 88′) and Ferguson adding a third on 34 minutes. Marinermatt’s side have now scored eight goals in three games and conceded one. They are quietly one of the more impressive outfits in the league right now.

Five clubs are on six points behind Stockport – Stoke, Barrow, Brentford, Cheltenham Town and Heart of Midlothian all level. It will take very little to reshuffle that group over the next few weeks. At the bottom, Newcastle United remain without a point after three games – Mark Jeffs’s side sit 16th with one goal scored and three conceded.

❤️ Division 3 – Manchester City perfect; Hwang steals the show

Eusebio 21’s Manchester City are the only side in Division 3 with a perfect record – nine points from nine, and a 1-0 win over Forest Green Rovers this week keeps that record intact. Heskey with the goal on 60 minutes, and it is a result that also does Forest Green’s early-season standing some real damage. Phil McCracken’s side were pre-season favourites given they carry the highest squad rating (674) and experience (178) in the division by a clear margin – but back-to-back defeats have them sitting seventh on six points. They remain dangerous, just not dominant.

⭐ The standout performance of the week across all four divisions: Hwang scored all four goals as Aberdeen beat Everton 4-1, with strikes on 2, 47, 54 and 86 minutes. Alex McMurray’s side have seven points and the best goal difference of any team in the chasing pack.

Watford and Stevenage both sit on seven points alongside Aberdeen, making the top of Division 3 extremely hard to separate at this stage. At the bottom, Crystal Palace and Tranmere Rovers are both on zero points – no wins and very little to show from three games each. Leeds United had a positive week, McBurnie firing a brace against Tranmere (1′ and 79′) with García adding a third on 94 minutes to complete a 3-1 away win.

💛 Division 4 – Five-way logjam at the top

Division 4 defies any attempt to separate the contenders. After Week 3, Hull City, Chelsea, Sheffield United, Oxford United and Bournemouth are all on seven points. Bournemouth are the latest to reach that mark after a 1-0 win over Colchester United. Paul Gilbert’s Manchester United sit just behind on six points after a 2-1 win over Blackpool, Kovačić and Navas getting the goals before Kakuta’s late consolation with a minute remaining. Sheffield United’s Zaza scored the only goal at Exeter City to give the Blades a 1-0 win and a goal difference of +3 among the leading pack – quietly the sharpest defensive record in the group.

⚠️ Colchester United are bottom with no points and -7 goal difference after three games. Exeter City join them on zero. Tottenham Hotspur are one place above on a single point – Mark Wilson’s side still searching for their first win.

🗞️ Community and around the league

Six score draws in the Week 3 league fixtures, and seven managers called it correctly. Congratulations to Lee Berry (Rangers), Jamie Maycroft (Birmingham City), David Griffiths (Southend United), Stevie McMurray (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Harry Hornet (Watford), Teilo (Peterborough United) and Kevin Randall (Shrewsbury Town) – £114,285 each.

The transfer market was active this week. Cambridge United won a competitive eight-club auction for Nikola Moro at £4,799,999. Fulham landed Skills Coach Tiago Aguilar for £1,765,432 – a useful backroom addition for El Diablo’s side. Bournemouth picked up Fitness Coach Sergey Nikolaev at £950,000. There was also a flurry of direct sales to the Supremos Circuit from clubs clearing out fringe players – 16 players moved on this week.

Crowd trouble flared at three fixtures. The worst incident was at York City vs Huddersfield Town – 108 arrests, 13 officers injured and over £222,000 of stadium damage. There were also incidents at Newcastle vs Barrow and Ipswich vs Derby County. Clubs involved should keep an eye on their discipline records – repeat trouble carries real costs.

The full league remains managed across all four divisions. That is worth acknowledging – 64 clubs, 64 gaffers. As it should be.