This week’s stand out result for entertainment value in the Championship this weekend has to be the game between Burnley and Leeds at Turfmoor.

Leeds entered the game in the play off places whilst Burnley were sitting  in the top half of the table within striking distance of the play off mix.

Leeds started the game the brighter but it was Burnley who took the lead just within the half hour mark, as Brian Easton converted an Andre Bikeycorner.

The home side then extended this lead on thirty seventh minutes as Alex Bruce failed to deal with a punt forward by Clarke Carlisle forward ball allowing Jay Rodriguez to react fastest and put Burnley firmly in the driving seat.

The score line stayed the same until half time meaning that for the second week in succession ChampionshipTalk’s game of the week had the home side holding one of the most dangerous leads in football.

Leeds did not deserve to be two nil down at half time, as they had their fair share of the game and it took only seven minutes for Max Gradel to smartly finish from Luciano Becchio’s header and put Leeds back in the game.

Leeds now pushed for an equaliser and in form Luciano Becchio drew the visitors level with a close range finish from a Paul Connolly cross on sixty six minutes.

With a remarkable comeback in the bag it was Leeds who believed that the game was there for the taking with Burnley shell shocked, Robert Snodgrass almost gave the away side the lead as he hit the cross bar and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before Leeds completed a memorable come from behind victory.

Indeed there was to be no repeat of last week’s ChampionshipTalk game of the week, where Danny Graham scored to make Leicester’s two goal comeback a fruitless endeavour.

This time the shoe was on the other foot as Leeds took the lead in the 85^th minute it was Jonny Howson who scored to complete a remarkable victory for Leeds that puts them fourth in the table.

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This week saw a flurry of loan activity in the Championship, as the loan deadline day came and went. 

Deadline day resulted in a number of players from Premiership clubs make their way to the Championship, to gain some first team experience or maintain their match fitness at a competitive level. 

Some of the more interesting deals to take place this week include:

Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal to Nottingham Forest

Duration: One Month 

Arguably the highlight of deadline day Aaron Ramsey is on his way to the City Ground for one month.  

 Originally signed from Cardiff the Welsh international was a regular in the Arsenal first team last season, before a controversial tackle from Ryan Shawcross in February caused a double leg fracture and a nine month lay off. 

On the road back from injury a loan spell at Nottingham Forest is an opportunity for him to feel his way back into the game. 

Chris Kirkland – Wigan – Leicester

Duration: One Month

Starting the season as the first choice goalkeeper at Wigan, the England international has been usurped by Ali Al-Habsi and therefore a move away to maintain match sharpness seems sensible.

His move to Leicester could be down to the ‘Sven’ factor at the Walkers Stadium as the former England manager who would have scouted Kirkland intensively during his time as manager and giving the keeper his first England squad call.

John Guidetti  - Manchester City – Burnley

Duration: One Month

Although not as well known as Chris Kirkland or Aaron Ramsey, the eighteen year old striker is highly thought of at Eastlands, he is reported to have been on the radar of a host of Championship clubs as the loan deadline approached. 

Having started in Sweden, he made his first team debut in the Carling Cup earlier this season and will see this move as an important stepping stone in a fledgling career in what constitutes his first real taste of regular first team action.

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Today the FA announced the England U21 squad to face Germany on the 16^th of November.

Included in this squad were seven players who are currently available for selection by Championship sides, either as part of their permanent squad or on loan deals from Premier League sides.

This is a great opportunity for each of these players and shows that despite the dominance of the Premier League in high level youth development, there is still a role to be played by the Championship in this area.

Whether the parent club or acting as a surrogate the Championship acts as a competitive environment for these youngsters to learn the game and develop into established professionals. It also acts as a shop window for loan players who are talented but unlikely to be offered long term deals with their parent club.

The squad to face Germany includes the following Championship players:

Frank Fielding – Derby (on loan from Blackburn)

Position: Goalkeeper

Age: 22

A much travelled and experienced goalkeeper with over 100 football league appearances under his belt spread over six different loan spells, these have gradually eased the Lancastrian towards the top flight.

He made the headlines without even playing earlier in the season when he received his first full England call up. This drew criticism as at that point he had not played any competitive football at a level higher than League One and was subsequently did not feature in the game.

If you want to watch him in the Championship you may have to hurry as this weekend’s game against Leicester may be his last as Derby number one Stephen Bywater edges towards full fitness, which would mean a return to Blackburn for Frank.

Jason Steele – Middlesborough

Position: Goalkeeper

Age – 20

From the North West Jason Steele has come through the youth ranks to the first team at Middlesbrough via a loan spell at Northampton Town.

Highly rated by the Teesiders he has kept his place in the first team and at just 20 will excite many as he still has up to ten years of development before he will approach his peak.

Ryan Bertrand – Nottingham Forest (on loan from Chelsea)

Position: Left Back

Age: 21

A talented full back who has the misfortune of being at a club that includes Ashley Cole limiting his long term prospects at Chelsea. Therefore his numerous loan spells which include Reading, Norwich and now Nottingham Forest, would appear to be a shop window as well as a development tool.

He has impressed at every club he has played for in the Championship and as a converted winger, he has the ability to add an additional attacking dimension to his game, something that could not have been hurt by training with arguably the world’s best left back.

Kyle Walker – Queen’s Park Rangers (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)

Position: Right Back

Age: 20

Another player with multiple loan moves in a fledgling career, he has made one substitute appearance in the Tottenham first team. These loan spells include an extended stay with his schoolboy club Sheffield United that yielded 25 Championship appearances last term.

Having been on the edge of the Tottenham first team, it may be that should injuries hit White Hart Lane this product of the steel city will get a chance to prove his worth at the highest level.

Jack Cork – Burnley (on loan from Chelsea)

Position: Central Midfield

Age: 21

Another Chelsea player farmed out on loan due to a lack of opportunities at Stamford Bridge, he has already got Premier League experience, playing for his current club Burnley who renewed his loan at the start of the season.

Having already earned the praises of the Match of the Day panel last season he is tipped to make it in the Premier League, if not at Chelsea. Only time will tell how long the creative midfielder waits to see if things will pan out for him at Chelsea.

Danny Rose – Bristol City (on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)

Position – Winger

Age – 20

Danny Rose had he debut that any aspiring footballer dreams about by scoring an amazing volley against his club’s bitter derby rivals in a memorable 2-1 victory, a strike which many polls placed as their goal of the season both for Tottenham and the Premier League.

He is an exciting prospect and should gain vital experience in the West Country that will be vital should he wish to get a chance to repeat the goal he scored in his only previous league start for Tottenham.

Scott Sinclair – Swansea

Position: Winger/Striker

Age: 21

As I am sure the Gaffer will tell you, Scott Sinclair has been in fine form since joining Swansea from Chelsea in the summer.

After promising so much early in his career, things just did not work out for the former Bristol Rovers player who like many of the players in this list have spent much of their career on loan.

However now playing first team football he is on fire having scored 7 goals already this season, I doubt that it will be long before Sinclair will be desperate to have another crack at proving himself in the Premier League.

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It will be an all Premiership final once again in the Carling Cup, Derby and Burnley were beaten in the two leg tie but battled all the way. Derby came into the second leg of the tie with a slim 1-0 advantage but were beaten 4-2 and 4-3 on aggregate. Manchester United dominated the second leg storming to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals by Nani, O’Shea, and Tevez. Giles Barnes hit back in the 80th minute with penalty but Ronaldo sealed Derby’s fate with a penalty in the 89th minute. Barnes however never gave up and scored in extra time. It wasnt enough for Derby but for Derby fans it was good to see Barnes back playing after his lengthy absence due to a knee injury.

Burnley faced an uphill battle against Spurs after going down 4-1 in the first leg. That deficit didnt seem to matter as Burnley took a 3-0 lead in normal time to knot the tie at 4-4. In extra time Burnley hearts were broken as Spurs scored two goals to take the tie 6-4 on aggregate. Burnley battled all through the tie, dominating Spurs most of the match. It was only in extra time did Spurs finally get the winner to progress to thier second consecutive Carling Cup Final.

Two Championship sides remain in the hunt for the Carling Cup, Derby County thanks to an injury time penalty winner via Nathan Ellington over Stoke and Burnley 3-0 winners over Arsenal. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are the other two clubs in the draw. The draw for the two legged semi-final will be held on Saturday December 6th on Sky Sports. Will Derby and Burnley face one another or will they have to overcome Premiership opposition for a shot at the Carling Cup and a spot in the UEFA Cup? We will find out on Saturday and the path to the Carling Cup will become somewhat clearer.

The thrid round of the FA Cup draw is out and here is who the teams of the CCC will face. The ties will be played the weekend of January 3, 2009. If the tie is tied then a replay will be played.

Portsmouth v Bristol City – Ashton Gate

Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham – Hillbrough

Preston NE v Liverpool – Deepdale

Birmingham City v Wolves – St. Andrew’s Stadium

West Ham United v Barnsley – Upton Park

Manchester City v Nottingham Forest – Eastlands

Cardiff City v Reading – Ninan Park

Ipswich Town v Chesterfield/Droylesden – Portman Road

Charlton v Norwich – The Valley

Torquay v Blackpool – Plainmoor

Leyton Orient v Sheffield United – Brisbane Road

Southampton v Manchester United – St. Mary’s Stadium

Histon v Swansea City – Bridge Road

Forest Green Rovers v Derby County – The New Lawn

QPR v Burnley – Turf Moor

Leicester City v Crystal Palace – Walkers Stadium

Morcambe/Cheltenham v Doncaster

Arsenal v Plymouth – Emirates Stadium

Watford v Scunthorpe – Vicarage Road

Coventry City v Kidderminster – Richo Arena

The transfer window may be closed but Championship Teams are still active in the loan market. Deals that are struck between clubs about transfers won’t go through until Janruary 1st, 2009. Here is the latest activity in the loan market:

Andy Todd: From Derby County to Northampton Town

Keith Gillespie: From Sheffield United to Charlton Athletic

Chris Weale: From Bristol City to Hereford United

Luke Varney: From Charlton to Derby County (will be made permanate in Jan for 1M)

Graham Stack: From Plymouth to Blackpool

Bartosz Slusarski: From West Brom to Sheffield Wed

Kurt Robinson: From Ipswich Town to Northampton Town

Kyel Reid: From West Ham to Blackpool

Steve Jones: From Burnley to Bradford City

Shane Higgs: From Cheltenham Town to Wolves

Joshua Gowing: From Bristol City to Hereford United

Mitchell Hanson: From Derby County to Notts County

Liam Dickenson: From Derby County to Blackpool

Mark Davies: From Wolves to Leicester

Jamie Cureton: From Norwich to Barnsley

Deon Burton: From Sheffield Wed to Charlton

Steve Brooker: From Bristol City to Doncaster

Liam Bridcutt: From Chelsea to Watford

Chris Birchall: From Coventry City to Carlisle United

Ashely Barnes: From Plymouth to Gainsbrough Trinity

Three Championship teams remain in the hunt for the Carling Cup and there will be no all Championship ties for the quarter-finals. The fixtures will be played on December 2, and at 2:45 pm eastern time. Here are the opponents for the three remaining Championship clubs:

Stoke City v Derby County – Britannia Stadium

Burnley v Arsenal – Turf Moor

Watford v Tottenham – Vicarage Road Stadium

Manchester United v Blackburn – Old Trafford

The Carling Cup returns on Tuesday and four Championship sides are still in the mix for the Cup.Here are the fixtures for Round Four of the Carling Cup.

Derby County v Leeds United – Pride Park Stadium 2:45 pm est

Swansea City v Watford – Liberty Stadium 2:45 pm est

Manchester United v QPR – Old Trafford 3:00 pm est

November 12:

Chelsea v Burnley – Stamford Bridge 2:45 pm est

Round Five will be played the week of December 1st. When the draw is announced I’ll post who and where the remaining Championship Clubs will be playing.

Here is the Carling Cup draw for the remaining Championship sides. The matches will be played the week of November 10th.

Chelsea v Burnely -Stamford Bridge
Swansea City v Watford – Liberty Stadium
Manchester United v QPR – Old Trafford
Brighton/Derby County v Leeds United

The Brighton v Derby match will be played on November 4th, the winner will host Leeds United with the date to be determined.