Premier League
NEW Hull City striker Shane Long was forced to sit out his first game as a Tigers’ player after missing out on Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Norwich City due to an ankle injury. The £7m man will now have to wait another weekend to repay the faith manager Steve Bruce has shown in him.
Anthony Pilkington did however feature for Norwich and came on off the bench to help the hosts to a late win.
Also celebrating over the weekend was Damien Delaney who helped Crystal Palace keep a clean sheet against Stoke City in a 1-0 win at the expense of Stoke’s Glenn Whelan and second-half substitute, Stephen Ireland.
Championship
Andy Reid will have no harm to his Ireland chances with a commanding midfield performance for Nottingham Forest as they extended their unbeaten run to 10 games with a 4-1 win over Blackburn Rovers. Reid scored from long-range as well as providing an assist.
Elsewhere, Irish centre back Richard Keogh returned to action as Derby beat Brighton 1-0, while Jeff Hendrick and Conor Sammon came on as subs to help seal the win.
Middlesbrough, meanwhile, moved closer to a playoff position following a 1-0 victory at home to Charlton which saw on-loan signing Shay Given impress.
League One
Youth international Michael Harriman scored his first ever senior goal as Gillingham defeated Swindon Town 2-0, while Shaun Williams scored his eighth league goal of the season in Milton Keynes Dons' 2-2 draw with Bristol City.
League Two
Barry Corr scored the third goal for Southend United in their 3-0 win over Chesterfield. David Connolly saw his shot come back off the post for Porsmouth as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Mansfield Town.
Scotland
Celtic’s 3-0 win over Motherwell saw Anthony Stokes was involved in the opening two goals, before he was later sent off with 11 minutes to go for a late tackle.
James Collins scored twice for Hibernian in a 3-2 home loss to St Mirren. The former Ireland Under-21 striker headed in two second-half goals as Hibs tried to overturn a 3-0 half-time scoreline.