Championship Fixtures 24th April Part 1

Bristol City v Derby County
Bristol City are safe. Derby are safe. The two teams home grounds are about a hundred miles apart (that’s a guess but it’s definitely a long way). So this will be a boring game then? Of course not. It’s got a football in it, hasn’t it? And Bristol City haven’t beaten Derby for 25 years.
Lewin Nyatanga and Christian Ribeiro both started Bristol City’s last match but as Christian was withdrawn at half-time, he’s probably less likely than Lewin to keep his place.
Robbie Savage should play for Derby. And there’s another reason why this game is unlikely to be boring.

Cardiff City v Sheffield Wednesday
If Cardiff want to do another last-minute collapse they’re free to do so (as long as they pick up again for the play-offs). Sheffield Wednesday will definitely be hoping this is what happens. They’re currently in the relegation zone.
Joe Ledley is likely to be in the starting line-up again for Cardiff but Darcy Blake could lose his place as Cardiff’s captain is fit again. Adam Matthews and Aaron Wildig should also be in the squad.

Doncaster Rovers v Scunthorpe United
Yes, this is a Championship match. And it will be next season as well. Doncaster have dropped away a bit since losing their battle for a play-off place but I’m sure they won’t want to end the season with a whimper. Scunthorpe could technically (if fixtures allow it) finish in the top half of the table. But I bet they won’t.
Brian Stock is hoping he might actually get to play for Doncaster this week but it depends on his back. He played in a training game this week and he was fine. He really wants to play regularly for the rest of the season so increase his chance of being selected for the Wales friendly against Croatia Gareth Roberts and John Oster are more likely to start.

Middlesbrough v Coventry City
Both teams had a go at flirting with the play-offs but clearly both need to work on their flirting skills. Middlesbrough are almost certain to finish in the top half but Coventry have only just ensured their survival. They haven’t won since 6th March and that was against Peterborough United.
Rhys Williams was substituted early in Middlesbrough’s last game, perhaps due to his pelvis injury. Rhys says it feels like it’s about to snap and he hasn’t been training but manager Gordon Strachan wants him to play. Maybe Rhys would be better off on the bench with Danny Coyne. Danny won a Community Player of the Year award this week with Rhys receiving a special mention. Rhys is also Boro’s Young Player of the Year.
Freddy Eastwood still has a sore back but he trained this week and scored midweek so he could play.