League round-up: Jesse Lingard strikes four on debut for Birmingham City
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Your support makes all the difference.Jesse Lingard scored all four goals on his debut as Birmingham City beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-1 at St Andrews.
The 20-year-old, who only joined the Championship side on loan from Manchester United on Thursday, had never previously scored in the League.
In an astonishing 13-minute first-half blitz, Lingard claimed the opener after 20 minutes before adding two more – in the 27th and 33rd minutes – to make it a hat-trick and 3-0 at the break.
The striker added his fourth six minutes into the second half before Kamil Zayatte claimed a consolation for Dave Jones' struggling side.
Another forward on loan from Manchester United, Federico Macheda, scored twice on his debut for Doncaster in their 2-2 home draw with Nottingham Forest.
Austin powers up QPR
Charlie Austin converted a disputed penalty as Queens Park Rangers maintained top spot in the Championship table with a 1-0 victory at Yeovil Town.
The former Burnley striker earned the 75-minute spot-kick himself after Dan Seaborne was adjudged to have impeded him in the area. The result meant a fifth successive home defeat for Yeovil and a sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions for Harry Redknapp's side.
Deeney delight for Watford
Troy Deeney dispatched his sixth goal of the season as Watford continued their strong start with a 5-1 thrashing of Barnsley at Oakwell. Davide Faraoni, Fernando Forestieri and Sean Murray were also on target before Ikechi Anya ran more than half the length of the pitch to fire home the fifth with 11 minutes left.
Jason Scotland's 13th-minute effort for the hosts had earlier cancelled out Deeney's opener.
McDonald's happy feel
Striker Scott McDonald scored his first goal for Millwall as Steve Lomas' side celebrated their second win in a week with a 1-0 victory at Charlton.
The ex-Middlesbrough forward struck shortly before half-time with a deflected effort from outside the area. After failing to win any of their first six matches, Millwall have now leapfrogged their neighbours in the table. "We've got to realise it will be a tough old season but we have to believe we can turn it around," said Chris Powell, Charlton's manager.
Burnley hit new heights
Burnley climbed to second place in the Championship with a 2-1 win at Leeds. Sean Dyche's side were outstanding in the first half and goals from Scott Arfield and Sam Vokes put them in charge at the interval. Leeds improved in the second period but had only Matt Smith's consolation to show for their efforts. "I consider us a team that is both growing and improving," said Dyche.
Freedman: My job is safe
Bolton suffered their fifth league defeat of the season following a spectacular second-half collapse at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton's 3-1 victory increases the pressure on Wanderers' manager Dougie Freedman, particularly as his side were gifted a first-half lead when David Lopez put through his own net. But Brighton scored three times in four second-half minutes – through Jay Spearing's own goal, Inigo Calderon and Will Buckley – to turn the tide. "I think my job is very safe," Freedman said. "When you've been in the game for so long you learn how to deal with speculation about being sacked."
Mowbray slams defence
Tony Mowbray criticised his Middlesbrough defence after their 3-3 home draw with Bournemouth.
Boro were two down inside 12 minutes from Brett Pitman's two penalties but levelled through Kei Kamara and Mustapha Carayol.
Grant Leadbitter then put hosts in front before Bournemouth snatched a point late on when Jonathan Woodgate turned a cross into his own net. "We didn't defend well enough, we gave away two penalties and an own goal," said Mowbray. "No one is happy with that. Something has to change."
Valiant effort in vain
Coventry City had more fans at Port Vale for their 3-2 League One defeat (3,200 tickets were sold in advance) than the average home League crowd (around 2,000 including away fans) at their new home in Northampton. Chris Birchall scored the winner against his former club.
Posh on cloud nine
Peterborough hung on to claim a dramatic 2-1 win over MK Dons despite being reduced to nine men at London Road. Nathaniel Knight-Percival was sent off in the sixth minute for a foul and Mark Little followed in the second half.
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