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In a Championship that has been generally very tight as highlighted by the league table, Vincent Kompany‘s Burnley have stood out as strong contenders for automatic promotion following relegation from the Premier League last season.
The former Manchester City defender has transformed the style of football and culture at Turf Moor, implementing a considerably more attractive approach than the one the club adopted in the top flight under Sean Dyche, helping the team move clear of the chasing pack so far.
The Clarets are first in the league standings with 44 points from 22 matches, a tally that puts them eight points ahead of third-placed Blackburn Rovers who suffered a heavy defeat to Preston North End last weekend.
Apart from after a defeat to Watford in August and a disastrous afternoon at Bramall Lane in November which ended in a 5-2 loss, Kompany’s side have not travelled home from a Championship fixture empty-handed this season, and have also developed a helpful habit of scoring freely, netting three or more times in three of their last four league games.
Jay Rodriguez is leading the scoring charts for Burnley with nine goals, a tally supplemented by the seven strikes provided by Southampton’s Nathan Tella in the youngster’s first loan move away from St Mary’s Stadium.
Manchester United legend Carrick has only lost once in his first six matches as Middlesbrough boss, with that result coming at Deepdale against a Preston side who are set to fight for a top-six place this season.
Boro fans will be hoping their team can do the same, with a four-point gap to sixth place easily recoverable with the season yet to reach its metaphorical half-time break.
However, a trip to Turf Moor does not seem a likely destination for Boro to close in on the likes of Preston and Watford when considering the Clarets are unbeaten on home turf this season, scoring over two goals per game in the process.
Burnley boss Kompany was able to hand both Scott Twine and Darko Churlinov brief gametime in the victory over QPR, with the exciting duo still a few weeks away from full fitness after long spells out with their respective injuries.
Ashley Westwood is closer to a return to action after being involved in the Clarets’ friendly fixtures during the World Cup break, with the 32-year-old midfielder not far away from being available for selection in the Championship.
Winger Anass Zaroury is still away with Morocco at the World Cup and will be hoping to get onto the pitch in football’s biggest tournament during his nation’s third-place playoff with Croatia at the Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday.
Middlesbrough have no fresh injury worries ahead of a daunting assignment at Turf Moor this weekend, with Akpom, Crooks and Australian Riley McGree the visiting side’s most likely source of goals in Lancashire.
Carrick will still be unable to call on the services of Marc Bola due to a knee injury sustained in the defeat at Preston and will also be without Matthew Clarke, with the defender suffering from mobility issues caused by nerve damage in his back.
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Muric; Vitinho, Harwood-Bellis, Beyer, Maatsen; Cork, Cullen, Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Tella; Rodriguez
Middlesbrough possible starting lineup:
Steffen; Smith, Fry, Lenihan, Giles; Hackney, Howson, Jones, Crooks, McGree; Akpom
In the week that the Bulls lost their most famous ex-player, FA Cup legend Ronnie Radford – 50 years on from his iconic match-winning goal against Newcastle – it briefly looked like there might be some left-over magic in the air.
For seven minutes, the sixth-tier outfit led after Miles Storey’s goal against the team 81 places above them in the English football pyramid in League One.
But Pompey hit back, with Reeco Hackett quickly levelling before second-half goals from Colby Bishop and substitute Joe Pigott earned the twice FA Cup winners a safe passage to Monday’s second-round draw
Making their first trip to Edgar Street in 38 years, Pompey were given a good first-half workout by the fired-up hosts.
Although home keeper Dale Eve had to keep out Hackett’s left-foot curler bound for the top corner, Pompey had a first real scare when Bishop’s challenge on Hereford’s former million-pound marksman Tyrone Barnett in the visitors’ penalty box went unpunished.
And there was worse to follow for Pompey when Hereford took the lead on 26 minutes.
Sean Raggett played a loose pass inside to Hackett, who was immediately closed down and robbed by Storey – and the former Pompey player raced away down the inside-left channel before keeping his cool to nutmeg on-loan West Bromwich Albion keeper Josh Griffiths.
Fittingly, just two days on from the announcement of the sad passing of Hereford’s legendary number 11, their modern-day number 11 emulated his predecessor.
There had already been a minute’s silence, which cascaded into applause from the whole ground, followed by chants of ‘there’s only one Ronnie Radford’ when the clock showed 11 minutes.
But this goal was destined not to prove so famous.
Ronan Curtis headed down Connor Ogilvie’s far-post cross for Hackett to bring down and fire home coolly from six yards.
On 63 minutes, Portsmouth took the lead when, from Clark Robertson’s in-swinging right-foot corner from the left, Bishop timed his run to get there first and head his 10th goal of the season.
And Pigott wrapped up victory 10 minutes from time when, again from a corner by skipper Robertson, Bishop won the initial header before Pigott reacted sharpest to sidefoot home
Hereford FC boss Josh Gowling told BBC Sport:
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“I’m really disappointed because we should have got something out of it, but goals change games – and the quality of the delivery they have changes games.
“In the first half we were excellent. We were in the ascendancy and they looked nervous.
“We were on top and looked like we could go on and win, but we’ve made one mistake, it has cost us a goal and that’s the difference in levels.
“We’ve given them a leg up and a little lift and you could see their performance raise after that.”
Portsmouth boss Danny Cowley told BBC Sport:
“I was so sad to hear the news about Ronnie Radford. He was such an iconic figure and he had that iconic moment. For a lot of people my age, his famous goal was their first memories of the FA Cup. But what a brilliant night to celebrate his life