BREACHED AT LAST
When Burnley conceded an 80th-minute consolation goal in their final game before Christmas last year, their fans could scarcely have imagined they would go on to play 12 consecutive games in the Championship without letting in another. Still scarred by the memories of their team shipping three or more goals on 12 occasions in the Premier League last season, the denizens of Turf Moor are not used to defensive parsimony, so when Kwadwo Baah scored for Watford on the shortest day of the year, they they would not have envisaged a splendid scenario where their team would play matches against Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland, Plymouth Argyle, Leeds United, Portsmouth, Oxford United, Hull City, Preston and Sheffield Wednesday without their goalkeeper James Trafford being called upon on a single occasion to pick the ball out of his own net.
Between the sticks for each one of the 1,132 minutes (just shy of 19 hours) plus added time of league football his side played in that time, the 22-year-old has now kept enough clean sheets in different record-breaking spells with Burnley (12), Bolton (nine) and the England U-21 Euro 2023-winners (six) to fill a washing line over 74 metres long … assuming the freshly laundered bedding in question is comprised of standard double bed flat sheets carefully secured by pegs along an extremely straight top edge.
Sadly for Trafford, his latest record came to an end last night at the Cardiff City Stadium, where Yousef Salech finally breached his defences where so many other strikers had failed. Rising salmon-like, the 23-year-old headed into the top corner, leaving the Burnley goalkeeper in an undignified tangle in the back of his own net. “We’re disappointed with how we conceded that goal really,” sniffed Scott Parker in the game’s aftermath, before moving on to address the more cheerful news that despite this setback his team had still managed to win and move to within two points of Sheffield United just above them in the automatic promotion places, with both teams clearly having forgotten the unbridled weekly misery that getting into the Premier League entails.
With 11 rounds of fixtures left in the Championship, Leeds are in the box-seat to win the title and go up automatically, even if those just beneath them and the wider football public remain hopeful of them doing what is uncoincidentally known in the business as “a Leeds”. Behind them, Sheffield United, Burnley and Sunderland are all but guaranteed playoff places at worst, barring a serious sunder of the space time continuum, while everyone from Frank Lampard’s Coventry City in fifth down to Preston in 15th will still think they’re in with a half-decent shout of going up. Meanwhile in the basement, Derby, Plymouth and Luton are adrift but not so cast away they’ve inked a face on volleyball and given it a name. At both ends of the table it’s the hope that kills you but, even in the middle of the current Championship, it’s still all to play for and those sheets won’t clean themselves.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Join Scott Murray at 8pm (all times GMT) for updates on PSG 1-2 Liverpool in the first leg of their last-16 Bigger Cup tie, while John Brewin will be on hand with his clockwatch covering Feyenoord 1-2 Inter, Bayern Munich 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen and Benfica 1-2 Barcelona.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
This will be a historic moment for the Fifa World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world” – Gianni Infantino confirms that Coldplay’s Chris Martin is helping Fifa with plans for a half-time show at the World Cup in 2026, a move that surely signals the end of football.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Can I be the first of 1,057 readers to suggest that Mikel Arteta’s side are serious about progressing beyond the Round of Arsenal [Tuesday’s Football Daily], then they could really use an early goal in the second leg to settle the nerves” – Ed Taylor (and 1,056 others).
Far from Everything In It’s Right Place and more Karma Police. This is what you’ll get when you mess with us” – Keith Taylor.
Watched coverage on Premier Sports last night, and enjoyed the Irish accented punditry at half time, especially regarding the Gooner’s captain, Martin O’Degaard” – Simon Mazier.
So, Manchester United fans will dress in black, march, and hold placards in protest against the Glazers. Then, they will sit down and watch the match, thus ensuring a full stadium. What’s the point? Like every other protest by fans, they still turn up and watch the game, spend money and ensure more money for the very people they want out. It’s like me grumbling about going to my mother in laws for Sunday lunch and then letting her share the bottle of wine I took to self-medicate” – Paul Arnold.
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s letter o’ the day winner is … Keith Taylor, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We’ll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
It’s the latest Football Weekly pod and Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Philippe Auclair and Phil Kitromilides to chat all things Bigger Cup, FA Cup and Infantino v Trump.
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