L4 | S1 | W3: St Mirren make it three from three as Port Vale keep their clean sheet record intact

📰 Week 3 in Review – Season 1

Three weeks into the Legend of La Rochelle’s inaugural season, and the group tables are starting to tell a story. St Mirren remain the most compelling tale – perfect nine points from nine in Group 4, with wins over Rangers, Arsenal and now Chelsea. Port Vale are the Group 3 equivalent, also on nine and yet to concede a goal all season. Celtic have slipped from the top of Group 1 after a first defeat, while Group 2 has been thoroughly reorganised by Swansea City’s flying start. Remember: every position from 1st to 16th matters here – where you finish in your group determines which division you start in next season.

🔵 Group 1 – Celtic stumble; Manchester City and Cork City move clear

Celtic’s perfect start came to an end. Leeds United beat them 2-1, Ferguson netting twice in the first 17 minutes before Larsson pulled one back on 53. It is Celtic’s first dropped points, and it drops Garysean’s side to third on six points. The beneficiaries are Manchester City and Cork City, who are now joint leaders on seven – Man City winning 2-1 at Leyton Orient (Núñez with a brace on 8 and 29 minutes), Cork City beating Fulham 1-0 with a fourth-minute goal from Ibrahimović.

💡 Walsall are the week’s big movers in Group 1 – Derek Purvis’s side came from behind to beat Aberdeen 2-1, Steven netting twice on 79 and 81 minutes after Braaf had given Aberdeen the lead on 6. Walsall jump four places to fourth on six points. Still on the right side of the Division 1 cut-off – just.

Jon Dixon’s Manchester United had a quietly decent week – a 1-1 draw at Norwich, Macheda putting them ahead on 44 minutes before Kouamé levelled on 69. After that electric Week 2 comeback, the draw keeps United sixth on four points. Leeds United’s win over Celtic is the result of the week in the group and pushes Ian Dance’s side up to fifth on five points – they were sitting in the lower half just a fortnight ago.

⚠️ Aberdeen slip to 10th on three points after losing to Walsall. Alex Ferguson’s side were expected to challenge for the top four and currently sit on the wrong side of the Division 2 cut-off. Early days, but a response is needed.

🟡 Group 2 – Swansea take control; Southampton in the chasing pack

Gavin Williams’s Swansea City are the only side in the league with a perfect nine-point record in Group 2. They put Cardiff City to the sword 2-0, Mari scoring twice inside the first seven minutes and barely looking troubled after that. It is a composed, clinical start from a side that was already joint top coming in. Southampton stay second on seven points after a dramatic 2-2 draw with St. Johnstone – the hosts led 2-0 at half time through Almeida and Sheringham before Pellè pulled back two goals in the final 11 minutes to rescue a point. Good news for Pellè’s scoring record, but Luke Finnegan will be frustrated to drop two points at home.

💡 Sutton United have made the biggest single-week jump in Group 2 – up six places to seventh after Shearer’s 24th-minute goal sealed a 1-0 win at Derby County. Daffy Duck’s side were sitting 13th coming in. They’re now in a Division 2 spot, though still with plenty of work to do.

Derby County’s manager Handi Ghandi posted a message in the club section this week acknowledging the difficult start and the prospect of a Division 4 spot next season if things don’t improve. Three games in and Derby sit bottom on one point with two defeats. The only way is up – but it will take consistency to get there.

⚠️ St. Johnstone remain unmanaged – sitting fourth on five points. That is a Division 1 position currently going to waste without an active manager making decisions. Worth noting for anyone considering joining the league.

🔴 Group 3 – Port Vale flawless; Hearts emerge as early challengers

Port Vale are the most defensively secure side in the entire league. Andres Iglesias’s side have now played three games and not conceded once – Castillejo and Milovanović sharing the goals in a 2-0 win at Dundee this week. Nine points from nine, +5 goal difference, and a clean sheet record that is making everyone else in Group 3 think carefully. Heart of Midlothian have emerged as the closest challengers on seven points after Herrera’s 50th-minute goal beat Coventry City 1-0 – Liam1’s side now sit second, having climbed three places.

🔍 Wimbledon drop from joint top to fourth after a 1-0 loss at Wycombe Wanderers – Pennant’s 36th-minute goal the only difference. Phil McCracken’s side had been level with Port Vale going in, and this is the first crack in a previously solid record. Stockport County move third with a 1-0 win over West Ham, which is exactly the kind of result a side with the highest squad rating in Group 3 should be delivering.

Bristol Rovers are the week’s most improved side in Group 3 – up six places after Mulattieri’s brace (27′, 30′) and Portillo’s late goal beat Sunderland 3-2 in an entertaining game at the Memorial Stadium. Bristol Rovers were 15th a week ago. They are now ninth on four points – still outside the Division 2 cut-off, but the momentum is pointing the right way.

⚠️ West Ham have now lost two from three and sit 14th on one point. Lyall John’s side were expected to challenge for a top-four finish and a Division 1 berth next season. That looks a long way off right now.

🟢 Group 4 – St Mirren unstoppable; Torquay the shock risers

St Mirren are simply not losing. David Jeffery’s side came from behind against Chelsea – Seydel had given the Blues the lead on five minutes before Beavogui levelled on 51 and Palsson, the hero from Week 2’s stoppage-time winner at Arsenal, completed the comeback on 78. Nine points, nine goals conceded once across three games. The lowest-rated side to have won all three games in any group, and the story of the early season across the entire league.

⭐ Torquay United are the week’s shock movers – up nine places to sixth after Janjičić and Ancelotti goals put Arsenal to the sword 2-0. Carl Pavitt’s side were 15th a week ago and now sit in a Division 2 spot. Arsenal, meanwhile, drop to 15th on one point. Gaz Sinnotti’s side have now lost two from three and are sitting on the wrong side of the Division 4 cut-off.

Everton continue to frustrate relative to expectations. King Kenny’s side are the highest-rated squad in the entire league at 397 – and they are third on seven points, which is solid but not dominant. They beat Rangers 1-0 through Silva on 17 minutes but have yet to look convincing. The quality is clearly there. It just hasn’t clicked into sustained control yet.

⚠️ Burton Albion remain bottom of Group 4 with no points and -4 goal difference after three games. The only club in any group yet to register a point. Andrew Burton’s side face Luton Town in Week 4.

🗞️ Community and around the league

Eleven score draws across the four groups this week, and nine managers called it correctly. Congratulations to Garysean (Celtic), Glenn Colley (Doncaster Rovers), Paul (Leyton Orient), Daffy Duck (Sutton United), Gavin Williams (Swansea City), Colin Rogers (Bristol Rovers), king kenny (Everton), James Webb (Ipswich Town) and Wayne Robinson (Bradford City) – £177,777 each.

Crowd trouble flared at three fixtures this week. Leeds United vs Celtic saw 44 arrests and over £66,000 of stadium damage – a tasty early-season encounter that got out of hand in the stands. Leyton Orient vs Manchester City had 65 arrests, and Derby County vs Sutton United 30. All three clubs involved should be monitoring their discipline carefully.

Grimsby Town and St. Johnstone remain the only unmanaged clubs in the league – both sitting in positions that would place them in Division 1 or 2 next season if the season ended today. Anyone looking for a club in a decent early position should take note.

Transfer activity was brisk. Sixteen deals completed this week, with Manchester United picking up Ade Akinbiyi for £680,000 and Everton landing Stan Collymore for £950,000. Southampton invested in both a Fitness Coach and a Skills Coach on the same week – Rudenko and Smits both arriving from the Circuit. Liverpool secured Physiotherapist Eden Verlinden for £416,689. Early NPM investment will compound over a 30-week season.