Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
WARD’S TRAILFINDERS KEEP WINNING RUN GOING
WEST LONDON SIDES CLOSE IN ON AUTOMATIC PROMOTION AS UNITED LOSE AGAIN
FULHAM have finally closed the 11-point gap on faltering Leeds United as the Championship promotion race hots up.
The Cottagers’ 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers boosted their automatic promotion chances as they look to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt under Scott Parker.
They had Aleksandar Mitrovic to thank again as his 20th league goal of the season – in the 65th minute – gave his team a vital
Championship victory at Ewood Park.
It was only the second time Blackburn have lost at home in 16 matches.
Fulham joined Leeds on 55 points from 31 games just two months after the Yorkshire giants held an 11-point lead over third place, while at the close of play on Saturday, Nottingham Forest, who beat Leeds, were just a point behind.
Meanwhile, Brentford recorded a first ever league double over Middlesbrough and boosted their own promotion hopes in the process as the battle at the top of the Championship saw another dramatic weekend.
Ollie Watkins struck a late winner as the Bees saw off the northeasterners in a dramatic finish.
The Bees held the lead at 1-0 and 2-1 thanks to goals from Julian Jeanvier and Bryan Mbeumo, but were pegged back twice.
Just when it seemed the game would finish all square, Watkins came up with the game’s crucial fifth goal.
Brentford moved to within two points of Leeds and, at the time of going to press, were due to face Marcelo Bielsa’s side at Griffin Park on Tuesday night, with a chance of leapfrogging them.
“I constantly speak about attitude, I constantly speak about togetherness and I constantly speak about hard work and that’s what we did,” said delighted Bees boss Thomas Frank.
“The attitude we showed was to stay in the game and we got a late goal.”
Leeds lost 2-0 at Forest and are in the midst of an alarming slide as the chasing pack home in.
West Bromwich Albion lead the way on 59 points after beating Millwall on Sunday.
Nine points off the relegation places, QPR lost 2-0 at Huddersfield Town.