It was a remarkable day in the English Football League Championship on Saturday and the team that probably had most to celebrate out of all the result were yer actual Keith Telly Topping's beloved (though unsellable) Magpies. The irony, of course, being that they weren't even playing! Defeats for Huddersfield Town and Reading on Saturday afternoon leaves Newcastle just one win away from a return to the Premier League, as the weekend's results all went their way. Fulham ran riot at the John Smith's Stadium, putting four past Huddersfield in the first half after going behind to an early penalty. Meanwhile Reading lost three-two at relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest to leave The Royals six points behind United with only two games left and with a vastly inferior goal difference. Huddersfield are seven points behind Newcastle on seventy eight points though they do have an extra game (on Tuesday, at Derby). All of this means that a Magpies win at St James' Park on Monday night against Preston Both Ends would guarantee promotion to the Premier League. Or, even a couple of draws in United's remaining three games - Preston, away at Cardiff next Friday and at home to Barnsley on the final day of the season - would now be enough for promotion, given the goal difference situation. On a day when everything went right for Th' Toon, results in the Premier League also went a long way to ensuring that local rivals The Mackems and The Smoggies will both be in the Championship next year as 'Boro were well and truly spanked by Bournemouth and fellow relegation-strugglers Hull and Swansea both won which left bottom-placed Blunderland in aal sorts of bother. 
Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albinos were in action on Friday night at Norwich City knowing that a victory there would have seen them crowned as Champions. But, Chris Hughton's side lost two-nil with two own goals from goalkeeper David Stockdale. That means Newcastle could, theoretically, still take the title themselves by winning their last three games - as long as The Seagulls failed to take maximum points from either of their last two (at home to Bristol City and away at Aston Villa). Elsewhere in the promotion chase, Sheffield Wednesday leaped up to fourth place, level on points with Huddersfield, after their two-one win at home to Derby and Fulham's victory at Huddersfield put them into the fourth play-off place at the expense of Dirty Leeds whose form seems to have all but deserted them at the just the wrong time, losing at Burton Albinos. At the bottom, Wigan Not-Very-Athletic just about kept their slim survival hopes in tact with a goalless draw at home to Cardiff whilst Blackburn Vindaloos also drew at Wolverhampton Wanderings and remain in the third relegation place, two points behind Birmingham and three behind Nottingham Forest. Burton's win eased their relegation worries as did Bristol City's three-two victory over Barnsley. Leyton Orient's one hundred and twelve-year stay in the Football League came to an end with a crushing defeat at Crewe Alexandra. They will be replaced next season by Lincoln City who sealed their own return to the English Football League after a six-year absence, thanks to Terry Hawkridge's brace against Macclesfield.
Television presenter and Hartlepool president Jeff Stelling has told the club's manager Dave Jones to 'quit now' in an impassioned on-air rant. Stelling, hosting Sky Sports' Gillette Soccer Saturday, told viewers: 'This isn't personal to Dave Jones but for the good of the club, walk now. [Director] Pam Duxbury, chairman Gary Coxall, if it means sacking him, do so.' Pools dropped into the League Two relegation zone on Saturday. Their two-nil home loss to Barnet leaves them two points from safety with two games left to play and facing the prospect of relegation to the National League. Jones was appointed as successor to Craig Hignett in January, with Pools nineteenth in the division on twenty seven points. Since then they have taken just sixteen further points from seventeen games and dropped to twenty third. The damaging result for Hartlepool came just five days after Jeff expressed further on-air frustrations at his club losing two-one to beleaguered bottom club Leyton Orient. 'Dave Jones, for the good of the club just go now. You've got thirteen points from fifty one. This is not your level of football. If it means me resigning as president I do so happily. Do it now. Do it today.' Former Everton and Preston player Jones has spent much of his career managing in higher divisions during a career that has included spells at Stockport, Southampton, Wolves, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday. Following the loss to Barnet, Jones told the Hartlepool Mail: 'I've fought all my life and I won't stop and I don't expect the players to stop. It's disappointing, we are trying to fight for our lives and you want to see more than is happening at this moment in time. I come here and put my reputation on the line and I'm going to fight for that reputation.' Stelling, who was born in the town and is has been a prominent life-long supporter of the club, replaced MP Peter Mandelson in the honorary role as club president in October 2015.
At least seven people have died after an electric cable fell on fans watching a Manchester United match on TV in Nigeria, police say. The high-tension cable fell on a crowded shack showing the Europa League quarter-final against Anderlecht in the Southern city of Calabar. At least thirty people were taken to hospital by local ambulances and police who arrived quickly at the scene. English football has a large and passionate following in Nigeria. Eyewitnesses describe hearing a loud explosion from an electrical transformer which caused the cable to fall. One man told local media that the venue had a roof 'made out of zinc,' which transferred the electricity to those inside. Another eyewitness told the BBC that he had counted 'at least sixteen' bodies at the scene of the accident. It has been reported that scores of fans managed to escape.
SC Bastia must play their next home game behind closed doors at a neutral ground after their Ligue Une match with Lyon was abandoned on Sunday. Kick-off was delayed by fifty five minutes, as Bastia fans tried to attack visiting Lyon players during their pre-game warm-up. Lyon were then persuaded to start the match - having initially refused - before a further incident caused the abandonment at half-time. Bastia's next home game is against Rennes on 29 April. The French league's disciplinary commission said that 'in view of the seriousness' of the naughty incidents, it had suspended the Armand-Cesari stadium as a precautionary measure and would 'relocate SC Bastia's next home game to a neutral ground behind closed doors.' The league also ordered that the space allocated to visiting fans to be closed at Bastia's away games, without specifying how long this closure would last for. Bastia are currently bottom of Ligue Une, three points from safety. The Corsican club were made to close part of their stadium for three matches after a group of supporters shouted racist insults at Nice striker Mario Balotelli during a one-all draw in January.
Championship leaders Brighton & Hove Albinos were in action on Friday night at Norwich City knowing that a victory there would have seen them crowned as Champions. But, Chris Hughton's side lost two-nil with two own goals from goalkeeper David Stockdale. That means Newcastle could, theoretically, still take the title themselves by winning their last three games - as long as The Seagulls failed to take maximum points from either of their last two (at home to Bristol City and away at Aston Villa). Elsewhere in the promotion chase, Sheffield Wednesday leaped up to fourth place, level on points with Huddersfield, after their two-one win at home to Derby and Fulham's victory at Huddersfield put them into the fourth play-off place at the expense of Dirty Leeds whose form seems to have all but deserted them at the just the wrong time, losing at Burton Albinos. At the bottom, Wigan Not-Very-Athletic just about kept their slim survival hopes in tact with a goalless draw at home to Cardiff whilst Blackburn Vindaloos also drew at Wolverhampton Wanderings and remain in the third relegation place, two points behind Birmingham and three behind Nottingham Forest. Burton's win eased their relegation worries as did Bristol City's three-two victory over Barnsley. Leyton Orient's one hundred and twelve-year stay in the Football League came to an end with a crushing defeat at Crewe Alexandra. They will be replaced next season by Lincoln City who sealed their own return to the English Football League after a six-year absence, thanks to Terry Hawkridge's brace against Macclesfield. 
