Seven of West Ham United’s loanees were involved in a busy weekend of action throughout the English football pyramid and abroad...
On his third consecutive start for Bristol City, George Earthy delivered yet another Man of the Match performance as the Robins moved four points clear in the race for an EFL Championship play-off place with a 1-1 draw away at Queens Park Rangers. After dominating the early stages, QPR got their just reward as Karamoko Dembélé headed the hosts in front.
Less than ten minutes later though, Bristol City hit back with an excellently-worked goal. While the pass from Max Bird was inch-perfect, Earthy’s finish was just as impressive as he stayed onside, let the ball roll across his body before poking it past the goalkeeper.
With Middlesbrough suffering back-to-back defeats, a draw means the fifth-placed Robins go four points clear in the race for the play-off places with just four games remaining.
A lovely pass and a delicate finish. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/cklCHqHcya
— Bristol City FC (@BristolCity) April 12, 2025
Staying in the Championship, defeats for Luton Town and Cardiff City meant that a 2-2 draw at home for Freddie Potts’ Portsmouth against relegation-threatened Derby County now moves them four points clear of the drop zone. It was a busy game for teammate Robert Atkinson, on loan from Bristol City, who was on the scoresheet three times after Derby took the lead through Jerry Yates.
Just a minute after Yates’ opener, Atkinson equalised from a corner, only for County to retake the lead four minutes later courtesy of an Atkinson own goal. In stoppage time however, Atkinson redeemed himself, heading in once again to give Pompey a four-point cushion over 22nd-placed Cardiff going into the final four games.
In EFL League One, Gideon Kodua was an unused substitute as a last-minute winner from Caleb Taylor kept Wycombe Wanderers’ automatic promotion hopes alive. Their 1-0 win over Stevenage keeps them within one point of Wrexham, who dropped points away at Wigan Athletic following a goalless draw.
At Huddersfield Town, Callum Marshall came on for David Kasumu with 25 minutes remaining, but the Terriers were already three goals down against Burton Albion. The 3-0 defeat, Huddersfield’s eighth in 13 league matches, saw them slip to ninth, further denting their promotion hopes.
In the race for EFL League Two automatic promotion, Patrick Kelly’s Doncaster Rovers were unable to capitalise on defeats for Bradford City and Walsall as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to fellow promotion hopefuls AFC Wimbledon. Conceding in the fifth minute to an Alistair Smith header, Rovers spent most of the match chasing the game. Despite dominating possession, the South Yorkshiremen were unable to make the most of their one-man advantage after Wimbledon captain Jake Reeves was sent off just before the half-hour mark. In fact, it was shortly after Doncaster had been reduced to ten men themselves that they found an equaliser. Six minutes after Billy Sharp had been sent off, just one minute after coming on as a substitute, Jamie Sterry ensured Rovers closed the gap to the automatic promotion places to one point, still with a game in hand over the three teams above them.
In the Vanarama National League, Regan Clayton came off the bench with 20 minutes left as Dagenham & Redbridge salvaged a 1-1 draw late on at home to Hartlepool. The visitors took the lead early on through a Paul Kalambayi own goal, but were reduced to ten men just eight minutes later as teenager Louis Stephenson was shown his second yellow card in the space of just four minutes. It would take a Harry Phipps equaliser in the 87th minute to rescue a point, but the Daggers will feel it’s an opportunity lost as the gap to safety extends to five points following Boston United’s seventh win in nine games. On the fringes of relegation, Wealdstone and Boston, the two sides closest to Dagenham in the table, meet in the next round of fixtures. Dagenham on the other hand, host relegated Ebbsfleet United as they fight for their National League status.
In the division below, despite taking the lead, Mason Terry’s Hornchurch fell to three second-half goals at home to Truro City, who go top of the standings with their seventh win in nine games.
Overseas, Mohamadou Kanté was a substitute as Paris FC scored their ninth win in eleven games to cling on to the second and final promotion spot in Ligue 2, while Kurt Zouma, following a month on the sidelines, played the full 90 minutes in Al Orobah’s 2-0 defeat to Saudi League leaders Al Ittihad.
