L4 | S1 | W6: Hearts seize Group 3 summit as Man City open a three-point gap

📰 Week 6 in Review – Season 1

Six weeks in and the shape of Season 1 is starting to look less like a blank canvas and more like an actual league. In Group 1, Manchester City have broken the deadlock at the top – a third straight win puts them three points clear of Cork City, who suffered their first defeat at the hands of a Celtic side that is quietly rebuilding its own ambitions. In Group 3, the most gripping table in the league has a new leader – Heart of Midlothian have climbed above Port Vale after Liam1’s side made it four wins from five. Port Vale, for the first time, left the pitch without a clean sheet. In Group 4, what looked like a two-horse race at the top has become a genuine six-club scramble.

The week also produced one of the more remarkable scorelines you’ll see in any league this season: Torquay United put two past Preston North End, with both goals coming from arguably the most famous striking names on any teamsheet – Haaland and Ronaldo, on target in the 66th and 69th minutes. Carl Pavitt’s side are quietly building into something very interesting.

🏆 Group 1 – Man City Break the Deadlock

After five weeks of twin leadership, Manchester City have finally pulled clear. A 1-0 win over Norwich City – Touré settling it on 41 minutes – combined with Celtic’s narrow defeat of Cork City means Ady Lippiatt’s side now sit three points ahead of their closest rival. Six wins from six, 16 points, and a goal difference of plus six. Cork City lost their unbeaten record to a Garysean-managed Celtic side that has quietly tightened up since their early wobbles, and Henrik Larsson’s goal – the 26th minute winner – took his personal tally to five for the season across both clubs.

💡 Plymouth Argyle have quietly climbed to third after a 3-1 victory at Southend United – Evans scoring twice (36′, 68′) and Wotton adding the opener on 6 minutes. Gordon Ottershaw’s side are now only a point off second and have the best away record in the group so far.

Aberdeen’s situation continues to improve, just about. Alex Ferguson’s side won at Leeds United – Braaf with the only goal on 80 minutes – to move fifth on ten points. That is still a Division 2 position with 24 games remaining, but at least the run of defeats has stopped. Wolverhampton Wanderers were the week’s big climbers, jumping six places after a 1-0 home win over Leyton Orient – they are now sixth on eight points. Southend United, meanwhile, sit last with just two points from six games and a goal difference of minus seven. Steve’s side are running out of runway.

⚠️ Doncaster Rovers beat Manchester United 2-1 this week – Glenn Colley’s side coming from behind to win through Cervera (14′) and Abbruscato (66′). Manchester United are down to 15th on five points. Eight weeks ago they would have been most people’s pick for a Division 1 spot; that case is looking much harder to make now.

💙 Group 2 – The Slide Toward Division 4

Lincoln City have taken over at the top. Will Hayward’s side ground out a 1-0 win over Cambridge United – Dalmonte finishing clinically on 64 minutes to take his season tally to five goals – to move a point clear of Swansea City, who fell to Liverpool. The gap between the top two is thin, but the picture further down deserves just as much attention.

The bottom of Group 2 is where the real jeopardy is developing. Queens Park Rangers sit 15th on four points with three successive defeats – Ze Grande Poisson’s side have now lost to Sutton United 3-0 this week, conceding to Messi (12′), Verth-Brown (62′) and Verth-Brown again (88′). Cardiff City are 16th, also on four, and have yet to win a match. Six weeks in, the Division 4 starting positions for Season 2 are being quietly carved out.

⚠️ Cardiff City, Queens Park Rangers, and Derby County are all below the Division 3 cut-off line at 13th, 15th and 14th respectively. With 24 games to play the exits are far from sealed, but none of these three have won more than once. The Division 4 trapdoor is below them all.

Sutton United have been a revelation. Daffy Duck’s side are third on 11 points after a crushing 3-0 win over QPR and are now level on points with Liverpool and Southampton. Gianluigi Buffon was not tested at all – this is a side that is beginning to look like genuine contenders for a top-four spot.

❤️ Group 3 – Hearts Take the Summit

Port Vale’s extraordinary defensive record finally came under a little pressure this week – a 0-0 draw with Motherwell ended their run of clean sheets, though Andres Iglesias’s side have still conceded just once in six games. The more significant development was what happened elsewhere. Heart of Midlothian beat Crystal Palace 1-0 – Luciani with the only goal after just 8 minutes – to go top of Group 3 for the first time. Liam1’s side are on 14 points, four wins from five, and they are playing with real conviction.

💡 Bristol City have moved second after Ashley Fillingham’s side beat Wimbledon 2-0 – Guðjohnsen on 39 minutes and Savage on 62. Three wins from their last four, and they have scored 8 goals in the process. Bristol City are looking increasingly like a genuine Division 1 side in the making.

Stockport County could not hold onto a lead – Sheffield United’s Tsadjout equalised in the 91st minute to earn John Forster’s side their first point of the managed era. A late blow for Mike Stew, whose side were on course for a fifth win. The more telling story at the bottom: Crystal Palace have now played six and lost six. Zero goals scored, seven conceded. The club remains unmanaged and the Supremos Circuit is running out of things to say in their defence.

🔍 Colchester United beat Bristol Rovers 2-1 this week and are quietly climbing – ninth on eight points, but with a positive goal difference and three of their last four away from home. Andrew’s side have won two from their last three and the form trend is pointing firmly upward. A club that could jump significantly if they string another run together.

💛 Group 4 – Six Clubs, One Point

Group 4 was already competitive. This week it became almost impossible to call. Luton Town and Newcastle United sit joint top on 11 points, but Everton, Ipswich Town, Exeter City and St Mirren all have 10. Six clubs separated by a single point. Luton drew 1-1 with Everton – Martinez equalising for the home side on 24 minutes after Maradona had put Everton ahead on 28 (scoring in the same passage of play is the kind of chaos that defines this group). Newcastle ground out a 2-1 win over Burton Albion, Gordon and Palsson the scorers, to move level at the summit.

🔍 Everton have the highest-rated squad in the entire league – 401 points, the top-ranked squad of all 64 clubs. They are fourth. One win in their last three, three draws from six games total. King Kenny’s side have the talent; they are yet to produce the results it demands. At some point the gap between the squad on paper and the squad on the pitch has to close.

Exeter City are the quiet climbers of the group. Mark Osborne’s side have won five points from their last three games – a win and two losses turned into a win and a draw this week, beating St Mirren 2-1 with Simeone scoring inside the first minute and Rashford adding a second on 72 minutes. Rashford’s season tally now stands at six goals – top scorer in the group, and the form tables have him among the best attackers in the division. St Mirren, by contrast, have dropped to sixth on ten points. David Hopkins joined the club this week as manager and has work to do from the off.

⚠️ Torquay United beat Preston North End 2-0 this week – and the goalscorers were Haaland (66′) and Ronaldo (69′). Carl Pavitt’s side are seventh on nine points but the attacking firepower on that teamsheet is hard to ignore. They have conceded just four goals all season. If they can find any consistency, they are going to cause some damage in this group.

🗞️ Around the League

Alex Ferguson picked up this week’s score draw prize – £800,000 for Aberdeen’s manager, which might be the most financially successful result of the week given what happened on the pitch. Five score draws from the league matches, and Alex Ferguson was the only manager to call it correctly.

David Hopkins joins St Mirren as their new manager, bringing some much-needed direction to a club that was looking rudderless in the top half of Group 4. Welcome to the league, David.

Crystal Palace and Burton Albion remain the two clubs yet to score a point this season. Palace have lost all six games, Burton all six. Both are unmanaged for significant stretches and both are staring at a Division 4 starting position in Season 2 unless something changes. The Supremos Circuit will keep the lights on, but it is not a substitute for an actual manager in the dugout.

Crowd trouble flared at two Group 1 fixtures this week. Southend United versus Plymouth Argyle saw 78 arrests, 12 officers injured and £99,948 of stadium damage – the most costly incident of the season so far. Wolverhampton Wanderers versus Leyton Orient was not far behind: 75 arrests, 12 officers injured and £95,229 in damage. Both clubs will be hoping the police report makes for quieter reading next week.

This week’s televised fixtures were Celtic versus Cork City in Group 1 – which delivered a goal and a genuinely significant result – Sutton United versus QPR in Group 2 (a 3-0 win that could have been more), Bristol Rovers versus Colchester United in Group 3, and Luton Town versus Everton in Group 4, which finished 1-1 in a game that probably deserved a winner.