There were some interesting fixtures in Division 3 Week 5 as the teams look towards promotion and fight to escape the perils of relegation. With only 7 games in a season and two teams being relegated to the conference, there is not much between the sides. This has been made more difficult in Division 3 due to the number of draws that have happened so far.
Surprise team Hull City hosted Millwall in a match that could have propelled them to the top if they had won. Millwall were desperate for points too as they began in 7th place. In a tight game, neither side wanted to lose and this resulted in an 0-0. The point still helped Hull move into second place, which is an automatic promotion place.
The second game saw Leicester play Coventry. Many had favoured Leicester to do well this season after a strong performance in the the Conference last season, but they have disappointed so far. Coventry are bottom of the league and a win would push them to mid-table. Leicester’s strikers once again failed to find the net and the match became the second 0-0 of the week, which is very unusual. Leicester are now in 6th place and in real danger of losing their place in the league unless results improve.
The third game saw Derby County play Oxford United. A win for either side had the potential to push either side into a promotion place, such is the closeness in the Division 3 this season. Oxford began the match as slight favourites but Derby made use of home advantage as they took the lead. Despite Oxford throwing everything forward, Derby held strong and the 3 points not only puts them above Oxford, but into third place in the league which eases any threat of relegation.
the final match of week 5 saw title contenders Crystal Palace host Wolves. Both sides want to win the league and a win for either side would put them top. The fans were expecting an even match, with the fear that it could be another 0-0. Palace are keen to grab promotion this season after missing out last year and they were soon ahead. Wolves were expected to fight back but their lacklustre performance meant they could not contend with Palace’s strength. Palace soon put the tie out of reach as they popped in a second to seal all 3 points. Palace are now top by 4 points, only needing 2 points to lock in the title, so it is all but done unless they fall apart over the last two games. Wolves are left languishing in 5th place after the defeat, leaving them only 2 points above the relegation places and requiring wins to have a chance of promotion now.