The Dugout Gazette

Friday 11 September 2026 : 6:00am

Midweek Briefing

There were no Premier League league matches from Monday to Thursday this week. Top-flight clubs were instead involved in Carabao Cup action.

The Championship played a full midweek round, with nine fixtures spread across Tuesday 8 and Wednesday 9 September. League One had one midweek league fixture on Thursday, while League Two had no league matches during the week.

The Championship table now has a new leader, with West Bromwich Albion moving top after a narrow win at Derby County. West Ham United also continued their strong start, while Stevenage claimed the only League One points of the midweek.

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Results Board

Championship : Tuesday 8 September

  • Bolton Wanderers 2-3 West Ham United
  • Southampton 3-1 Swansea City
  • Watford 2-1 Preston North End
  • Wrexham 1-1 Burnley
  • Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Sheffield United
  • Cardiff City 1-1 Stoke City

Championship : Wednesday 9 September

  • Derby County 0-1 West Bromwich Albion
  • Norwich City 2-1 Birmingham City
  • Charlton Athletic 0-0 Queens Park Rangers

League One : Thursday 10 September

  • Stevenage 2-1 Luton Town

Key Decisions

Bolton 2-3 West Ham United

Jarrod Bowen’s double helped West Ham make it three straight wins. The result briefly moved the Hammers to the top of the Championship before West Brom’s victory on Wednesday.

Bolton’s difficult run continued. They have now suffered four consecutive league defeats, leaving them with plenty to address before their next fixture.

Derby County 0-1 West Bromwich Albion

Aune Heggebo’s early goal was enough to give West Brom all three points at Pride Park.

The Baggies played more than an hour with 10 men after Brayann Pereira was shown a red card, but Derby could not find an equaliser. The victory sent West Bromwich Albion to the top of the Championship on 13 points.

It was a disciplined away performance and an important test of West Brom’s ability to protect a lead under pressure.

Norwich City 2-1 Birmingham City

Norwich City earned their third win in four league games, with Oscar Schwartau’s long-range strike providing the key moment.

Birmingham pushed for a response, but the Canaries held on for another useful result. Norwich’s recent form has moved them into the early promotion conversation.

Stevenage 2-1 Luton Town

Stevenage took the only League One points of the midweek with a home win over Luton.

Dan Kemp and Josh Magennis scored for the hosts. Luton found a late goal through Mads Andersen, but it was only a consolation after Jack Wilshere’s red card left Stevenage with the advantage.

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Table & Form Notes

The early standings are beginning to separate into clear groups, although there is still a long way to go.

  • West Bromwich Albion lead the Championship with 13 points from six games.
  • West Ham United are second on 11 points.
  • Burnley and Cardiff City are still searching for their first league wins.
  • Preston North End are bottom after five defeats in six matches.
  • Sheffield Wednesday lead League One with 12 points from five games.
  • Bristol Rovers top League Two with 12 points.
  • Manchester City and Arsenal lead the Premier League with nine points each.
  • Erling Haaland has scored three Premier League goals.

West Brom and West Ham have made the quickest early moves in the Championship. At the other end, Burnley, Cardiff and Preston need results soon to avoid being pulled further away from the pace.

Sheffield Wednesday’s position at the top of League One is also notable, while Bristol Rovers have set the early standard in League Two.

Weekend Noticeboard

The weekend runs from Saturday 12 September through Monday 14 September, with several major fixtures across the Premier League and EFL.

Premier League Gameweek 4

Friday 11 September

  • West Ham United v Wrexham

Saturday 12 September

  • Bournemouth v Brentford
  • Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest
  • Chelsea v Hull City
  • Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town
  • Liverpool v Fulham
  • Tottenham Hotspur v Everton
  • Sunderland v Arsenal

Sunday 13 September

  • Coventry City v Brighton & Hove Albion
  • Manchester United v Manchester City : 16:30

Monday 14 September

  • Leeds United v Newcastle United

The Manchester derby is the headline fixture on Sunday, while Leeds United and Newcastle United close the round on Monday night.

Championship

  • Swansea City v Burnley
  • Middlesbrough v Norwich City
  • Blackburn Rovers v Millwall
  • Preston North End v Lincoln City

West Ham also face Wrexham on Friday, giving the Hammers an immediate chance to build on their midweek victory.

League One : Selected Fixtures

  • Notts County v Bradford City : 12:30
  • Cambridge United v Reading
  • Blackpool v Bromley
  • Milton Keynes Dons v Peterborough United
  • Leyton Orient v Wycombe Wanderers

League Two

  • Crawley Town v Cheltenham Town : 12:30
  • Grimsby Town v Bristol Rovers : 12:30
  • Barnet v Accrington Stanley
  • Colchester United v Crewe Alexandra
  • Gillingham v Tranmere Rovers
  • Newport County v Fleetwood Town
  • Oldham Athletic v Chesterfield
  • Port Vale v Exeter City
  • Rotherham United v Salford City
  • Shrewsbury Town v Northampton Town
  • Walsall v Rochdale
  • York City v Swindon Town

Fantasy Desk

The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 4 deadline is 13:30 BST on Saturday 12 September. Managers should check confirmed team news before making final changes.

Captaincy

  • Cole Palmer and João Pedro are the standout captain options, with Chelsea at home to Hull City.
  • Alexander Isak is the strong alternative for Liverpool’s home fixture against Fulham.
  • Erling Haaland faces a difficult away Manchester derby, making him a less appealing armband option this week.

Chelsea’s fixture gives Palmer and João Pedro the clearest home advantage among the leading captaincy choices. Isak offers another strong route, particularly for managers looking beyond the Chelsea options.

Transfer Targets

The popular buys this week include:

  • Morgan Rogers : Chelsea
  • Martin Odegaard : Arsenal
  • Yoane Wissa : Newcastle United
  • Thierno Barry : Everton

Chelsea and Everton both have favourable fixtures, which is helping drive interest in their attacking players.

Sells and Avoids

Manchester United assets are being sold in numbers because of the derby and a difficult upcoming run.

There are also several fitness situations to monitor:

  • William Saliba has a back issue.
  • James Maddison is a doubt with a knock.
  • Xavi Simons is a doubt with a knee problem.
  • Dejan Kulusevski is a doubt with a knee problem.

Spurs midfielders therefore carry some selection risk ahead of the deadline.

Injury Watch

  • Kaoru Mitoma is out until after the international break.
  • Cody Gakpo is a doubt for Liverpool.
  • Joao Gomes is suspended for Gameweek 4.
  • Newcastle United’s Amar Dedic has a hamstring issue, although it is described as “not too serious”.

For official Fantasy Premier League information, check the FPL website before locking in transfers or captaincy.

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Manager’s View

West Bromwich Albion and West Ham United have set a relentless early pace in the Championship, while Burnley and Cardiff are still searching for a first win.

Stevenage took the only League One midweek points with their Thursday night victory over Luton Town. Now attention turns to a weekend led by the Manchester derby, followed by Monday night’s Leeds United against Newcastle United.

There is plenty of football ahead, and plenty more decisions for managers to make.

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