L1 | S4 | W7: Murray fires Walsall clear as Forest Green Rovers shock Leicester in Div 3

📰 Week 7 in Review – Season 4

The logjam at the top of Division 1 has finally cracked. After three weeks of four clubs deadlocked on ten points, Walsall have broken clear with a composed 2-1 win over Peterborough United – Murray’s brace inside the first half doing the damage and lifting David Griffiths’ side to 13 points at the summit. It has been a slow boil all season, but the pressure at the top is now squarely on the clubs behind them.

Elsewhere it was a week of small margins and telling results. Division 2 saw Huddersfield Town cement second place with a clean 2-0 win, while Cheltenham Town continue to breathe down Stockport County’s neck. Division 3 got a genuine shock as Forest Green Rovers went to Leicester City and came away with three points. And in Division 4, Chelsea extended their lead at the top, while Sheffield United’s win at Hull City reshuffled the picture dramatically below them.

The League Cup Last 16 is now just one week away, adding another layer of pressure to sides that are already managing tight league programmes. Prize money of £90,000 is on the line for clubs who fall at that stage – concentration will need to be sharp.

🏆 Division 1 – The bottom half can’t afford another week like this

Walsall’s 2-1 win over Peterborough United was as clinical as it was timely. Murray scored in the second minute, added a second in the 26th, and David Griffiths’ side had the game in hand before the half-hour mark. Peterborough pulled one back through Herrera in the 84th but could not find an equaliser, leaving them seventh on eight points. For Walsall, it is a first clear lead of the season – and a significant one at that.

💡 Shrewsbury Town and Plymouth Argyle both won this week to draw level on 12 points. Kevin Randall’s side beat Norwich City 1-0 (Ogbene, minute 4) while Plymouth edged out West Ham 1-0 through a 13th-minute Silva goal. Two clubs who looked like also-rans three weeks ago are now firmly in this race.

Below the top five, the picture is increasingly uncomfortable for the sides who were expected to challenge. Liverpool – once looked upon as promotion contenders – sit 13th on eight points with a miserable away record: no wins and no goals in their last three trips. Stuart Merry’s side need a response and need it quickly, with Newport County and Wigan Athletic pushing from the positions below them.

West Ham have now lost four of their last five and sit 14th on seven points. In the form table over the last five games, they have one goal and one point – the worst in Division 1. A home run of five, one and one in their last three home outings tells a grim enough story. AJP’s side find themselves marooned in a bottom half that is compressing fast, and the clubs around them are beginning to pull points clear.

⚠️ Newport County and Wigan Athletic both sit on five and six points respectively, with neither managing more than two wins all season. Newport have scored just six goals in seven games. With no manager currently at Barrow, the door is open – but the clubs below the cut-off are not taking it.

💙 Division 2 – Stockport steady but Huddersfield make their move

Division 2 has looked settled at the top for weeks, with Stockport County maintaining their lead through steady accumulation rather than dazzling football. Their 1-0 win over Barrow – Eysseric in the seventh minute – keeps them clear on 15 points and now seven games unbeaten. Matt Rose’s side are not conceding chances: five clean sheets from seven and just five goals against across the entire division campaign.

💡 The story of the week in D2 is Huddersfield Town’s Cavani double – both goals for the striker in the 1st and 51st minutes of a 2-0 win over Ross County. Tim W’s side are now second on 13 points and own the best home record in the division: four wins from four at Kirklees, seven goals scored, zero conceded at home. They are 0-from-3 away from home. A fascinating tension is building there.

Cambridge United have quietly climbed to fifth on 11 points, and their away form deserves attention. Steve Broughton’s side are unbeaten on the road this season in terms of competitive drawing – three away draws and no away defeats. Their 1-1 at York City keeps that record intact. They are not a side that wins away games in clusters, but they do not lose them either, and in a promotion race that may matter.

At the bottom, Brighton and Hove Albion’s season continues to unravel. Ian Dance’s side have now lost five of seven, taking just four points all campaign. Their goal difference of minus seven is the second worst in the division and worsening. Newcastle United sit just above them on four points, though the Magpies have drawn four of their seven – an improving pattern if not yet a winning one.

❤️ Division 3 – Manchester City in front, but Forest Green Rovers are the story

Manchester City remain top of Division 3 after drawing 1-1 with Watford – Heskey pulling them level on 40 minutes after Ighalo had put the visitors ahead. Eusebio 21’s side have 16 points from seven games and lead Arsenal by one, but the draw hands the chasers a foothold. Arsenal won 1-0 at Derby County through Ramírez in the 10th minute to remain within touching distance on 15. A one-point margin between these two sides at this stage of the season feels fragile in both directions.

💡 The result of the week in Division 3 – and arguably in the entire league – was Forest Green Rovers winning 1-0 at Leicester City. Bendtner’s 30th-minute strike was enough for Phil McCracken’s side, who came in with a rating of 667 against Leicester’s 594 and simply outclassed the hosts. Forest Green are fifth on 12 points, unbeaten in their last four, and suddenly look like genuine promotion contenders rather than a pleasant surprise.

Leicester’s defeat – their second in three – drops them to sixth on 11 points. Dings’ side had looked like they were building momentum after a strong mid-season run, but this felt like a side running on empty at home. They have now been beaten at King Power by two of the division’s smaller clubs in recent weeks. The questions are beginning to accumulate.

🔍 Arsenal’s goal difference is now plus eight – the best in Division 3 by some margin. They have scored nine goals at home without conceding a single one in four home games. If Gaz Sinnotti’s side can improve their away form (two wins from four on the road), they have the goal threat to overtake Manchester City at any point.

💛 Division 4 – Chelsea pull clear as Luton Town quietly make their case

Chelsea moved to 17 points with a 1-0 win over Southend United – Kanu’s 20th-minute goal enough for Loz Newbold’s side to open a one-point gap over Sheffield United. But the real story below them is the shifting landscape in the bottom half of the top six, where Luton Town have crept into fifth on 12 points after three wins from their last four.

Sheffield United’s 1-0 win at Hull City – Zaza’s goal in the sixth minute the only one of the match – is a significant result. Steve Ray’s side are now second on 16 points, a single point behind Chelsea, and they have overtaken Hull City in the process. Hull’s Gomis still leads the divisional goalscoring charts but his side have now lost back-to-back and find themselves a point adrift of the automatic spots. Steve Earl will need a response at Southend United next week.

💡 Luton Town have won three of their last four and hold the best overall form in Division 4’s mid-table cluster. Salvatore Machiaveli’s side are not making headlines but they are making ground. A 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur (Anderson, 53′) was efficient and considered – the mark of a side that knows what it is doing. They are seven points off Chelsea and within range of the automatic places if the top two slip.

At the bottom, Exeter City remain on just one point from seven games despite a spirited effort. Their goal difference of minus nine tells the full story – they have been competitive but not clinical. Colchester United on four points look slightly better placed, though their squad rating gap against the top half of the division is the widest in the league. Celtic on six points have at least shown signs of life, with their first win of the season last week.

🏆 League Cup – Last 16

There were no cup fixtures this week, but the Last 16 is on the horizon for Week 8. Eight clubs remain in the competition across the four divisional groups, and £90,000 in prize money is at stake for those who fall at this stage.

🔍 Walsall host Port Vale in what will be a sharp test of focus for David Griffiths’ newly-leading side. Port Vale knocked Sutton United out in Round 2, so they know how to cause problems. Arsenal face Stevenage in what is arguably the tie of the round – two of Division 3’s top three going head-to-head with league points not at stake but momentum very much on the line.

🗞️ Around the league

Four managers correctly predicted the score draws this week and each pocket £400,000 from the pool. Congratulations to Marc Murphy of Everton, Tim W of Huddersfield Town, Matt Rose of Stockport County and Luke Finnegan of Tranmere Rovers.

A warm welcome to two new managers joining the PBM Old Boys League this week: William Jordan, who takes the reins at Barrow, and Chris Earle, who joins Blackburn Rovers. Both clubs have been without a manager for some time, and having the dugout filled will be a relief all round – Blackburn in particular have been adrift in Division 3 without direction.

The televised games this week were Nottingham Forest vs Lincoln City in Division 1, Huddersfield Town vs Ross County in Division 2, Arsenal vs Derby County in Division 3, and Bournemouth vs Exeter City in Division 4. Bounemouth’s 3-1 win – Ziyech on 16 minutes and a Džalto brace at 68 and 73 – was the most action-packed of the four on screen.

There was crowd trouble in two grounds this week. The Aston Villa vs Newcastle United match saw 60 arrests, five officers injured, and £78,282 of stadium damage. At Chelsea vs Southend United, 52 arrests, eight officers injured, and £77,608 of damage to Stamford Bridge. Both clubs will be dealing with the financial and reputational fallout.

In the attacking squad rankings, Sutton United lead the table for overall attack rating, followed by Norwich City, Walsall, and Sheffield United. Walsall’s presence at third in that list – and their position at the top of Division 1 – is no coincidence. David Griffiths has had quality to work with from the moment he arrived; the results are now starting to reflect it.

Brighton and Hove Albion reached the Rival Awareness milestone this week and are now formally monitoring and assessing their rival clubs. It is a long road to official rivalry status – scores must reach 200 – but it is a notable marker for Ian Dance’s side, even as their league form gives them rather more pressing concerns.