Sinclair gets Posh off the mark

Peterborough upset the odds as they earned their first Championship points of the season in an Emile Sinclair-inspired 3-1 victory against Hull on Saturday.

Sinclair bagged a superb hat-trick at the KC Stadium as Darren Ferguson’s men ended the Tigers’ 100% home record this term and stopped their own seven-match losing streak, while landing Sportingbet’s offering of 15/2 about the away win.

Jay Simpson temporarily took the scoreline to 2-1 just after the hour mark, but Posh held on for the three points, and Victor Chandler still chalk them up as heavy odds-on for promotion at 1/5.

Crystal Palace continued their fine recent form as they landed Victor Chandler’s 21/4 and won their fourth match in five attempts with a late 1-0 win at Bolton. Glenn Murray continued his recent goalscoring run as his 80th minute penalty was enough for the points at the Reebok Stadium, and took his tally to five in the last five outings.

Dougie Freedman’s Eagles have seen their promotion odds shortened across the board, with a best of 14/1 now available with Paddy Power, while Wanderers have drifted out to as long as 10/3 to go up.

Another side to bring in long odds on Saturday were Birmingham, whose three points at league leaders Brighton will go some way to ease the pressure on manager Lee Clark, while also pleasing punters who backed them to win at a market-best 19/5.

Chris Burke netted a fine goal in the first-half of Saturday’s evening kick-off at the Amex Stadium as the Seagulls’ five-match winning sequence came to an abrupt end. Albion’s title odds drifted as a result, with 10/1 now the best available, while Clark’s side can be found as long as 25/1 to lift the title.

Another two of the pre-season promotion favourites clashed in the Welsh capital, with Cardiff ending up as comfortable 3-0 winners over Blackpool.
Matthew Connolly scored twice and Peter Whittingham once for the Bluebirds, who maintained their 100% record on home soil this season and took their unbeaten streak in front of their own fans to 10 in regular league outings.

Paddy Power are now offering the best odds for a Cardiff title at 7/1, while Ian Holloway’s side have drifted out to as long as 12/1 with some bookies after a run of one win in five attempts.

Blackburn began life after Steve Kean with a 1-1 draw at Charlton, but were lucky to get anything as Johnnie Jackson missed a penalty for the hosts. Kean resigned as Rovers boss on Friday so his assistant Eric Black took charge of this one and he saw Kelvin Etuhu give his side the lead, only for Jackson to equalise 10 minutes later.

Results: Barnsley 1-1 Ipswich, Bolton 0-1 Crystal Palace, Bristol City 2-3 Leeds, Burnley 2-2 Millwall, Cardiff 3-0 Blackpool, Charlton 1-1 Blackburn, Huddersfield 2-3 Watford, Hull 1-3 Peterborough, Middlesbrough 1-2 Leicester, Wolves 1-0 Sheff Wed, Brighton 0-1 Birmingham, Nott’m Forest 0-1 Derby (Sunday).

Back Cardiff to win the Championship at 7/1