Not just any championship, you know! No, it's the "Championship" that is the second tier of the Football Pyramid in Great Britain, the division below the Premier League. With 22 of the 24 teams entering their last eight games of the season (Birmingham and Reading have nine to go), it promises to be one of the most thrilling finishes ever. The top two qualify by right, with the third spot going to the winners of the four team playoffs (places 3-6).
As it stands right now, Watford and Middlesbrough top the division with 72 points from 38 matches each; Watford lead on goal difference - by just one goal! The Hertfordshire team are plus 33, with 'Boro sitting on plus 32.
Two points behind are Bournemouth, who have the best goal difference of any Championship side - plus 39. Three points back on 67 are Norwich and Derby, while Brentford, Ipswich, and Wolves are sitting on 65, 64, and 62 respectively. With Nottingham Forest a further five points adrift of the leading bunch, it would seem that realistically, the three clubs gaining promotion to the Premier are going to come from the top eight. Forest fans may not agree, though.
This coming weekend could prove vital for the promotion seekers, with some mouthwatering clashes in prospect.
Former league leaders Derby - now down to fifth - are desperate to put an end to a dreadfully disappointing run. Since their 2-0 victory over Charlton on 28th February, the Rams have collected only two points out of a possible fifteen. True, it hasn't been easy, and their last two games have been against Norwich and Middlesbrough, but it isn't going to get any easier tomorrow (Friday) with a visit to Molineux to face Wolves. The Midlands side have lost just one of their last seven, and that was a narrow defeat to Bournemouth by the odd goal in three.
An equally fascinating fixture awaits on Saturday, as 'Boro make the long trip to the south coast to take on the aforementioned Cherries from Bournemouth. A win for the home team would see them leapfrog back over their opponents into second place, and perhaps even first - should Watford not pick up three points against visitors Ipswich. Likewise, an Ipswich victory would certainly boost their own hopes of making the playoffs.
Of the top eight, that leaves Norwich and Brentford. Norwich are home to ninth-place Nottingham Forest, who are still fighting for a playoff spot, but a win for the Canaries would almost certainly condemn the visitors to another season in the Championship. Brentford meanwhile, look to have a much easier task against lowly Millwall, who need to regain form soon if they are to avoid relegation.
Just last month, I made my predictions for the promotion race, but Derby's sudden loss of form has pretty well messed that up! Personally, I would love to see Bournemouth go up, as they are one of the few established league teams that have never played in the top tier, so that would be nice to see some history made there. As far as other preferences, I have none, except that I would love to see this great battle go all the way to the last day of the season!
I will be back next week with an update on how things went...
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