Friday, December 30, 2016

Championship round-up: Newcastle go top of the table while Ipswich beat Bristol City

Championship round-up: Newcastle go top of the table while Ipswich beat Bristol City

Newcastle United 3-1 Nottingham Forest

Dwight Gayle took his goal tally for the season to 19 as Newcastle bounced back top the top of the Sky Bet Championship table with victory over 10-man Nottingham Forest.

Gayle's 63rd-minute volley and a scruffy second 10 minutes from time eventually settled a tight encounter after Nicolao Dimitru's first goal for Forest had cancelled out Matt Ritchie's early opener in front of a crowd of 52,228, the biggest of the season at St James' Park.

The win, coupled with the postponement of leaders Brighton's home game with Cardiff, saw Rafael Benitez's side leapfrog the Seagulls to finish 2016 in pole position.

However, Forest left Tyneside aggrieved after skipper Matt Mills was sent off on the hour in controversial circumstances four weeks after Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett suffered a similar fate in a 2-1 defeat at the City Ground.

Ipswich Town 0-0 Bristol City

A superb overhead kick by Brett Pitman gave Ipswich a priceless 2-1 victory as Bristol City's struggles continued in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Town striker brilliantly grabbed an 88th-minute winner, one that Ipswich ultimately deserved after finishing the game on top.

They went in at half-time a goal ahead thanks to Kevin Bru's deft finish but Bristol City hit back when Tammy Abraham scored his 12th goal in 24 league matches following a defensive mix-up involving Ipswich keeper Bartosz Bialkowski and defender Christophe Berra.

It was left to Pitman to steal the show and relieve some of the pressure that had been mounting on manager Mick McCarthy.

Postponed: Brighton and Hove Albion v Cardiff City (due to heavy fog)

Postponed: Reading v Fulham (due to heavy fog)