• Forward on loan from Chelsea makes it five goals in six games
• Victory lifts Steve McLaren’s side to third in the Championship

Derby County moved third in the Championship after Patrick Bamford’s stunning goal earned them victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The home side had dominated the game but were unable to score, with Michail Antonio denied by the Derby’s goalkeeper Lee Grant on three occasions.

And they were made to pay when Bamford, on loan from Chelsea, received the ball on the right, stepped inside and curled home a left-foot shot via the underside of the bar for his fifth goal in six games.

Victory took Steve McClaren’s side above QPR and to within two points of second-placed Burnley. And the manager knows the chances of earning a top-two spot will only be enhanced with players such as Bamford at his disposal.

“We have got players who can produce quality, there wasn’t enough on the night but as the game went on it opened up and you can’t calculate for a goal like that,” the former England manager said.

“It was sheer quality and class to win what was a scrappy game. We nearly took him off, but you watch him training and he struggles to hit the big net and hits a lot of cars.

“I thought: ‘Here were go again’ but this time he kept it down and it was a thunderbolt. He can frustrate you and sometimes flits in and out of games, but he is a match-winner and that’s what he was tonight. He scores important goals, they’re not just any goals. We’re just delighted we have got him and we are very surprised how well he has done.”

Wigan jumped to seventh with a 2-0 home win against relegation-threatened Barnsley but victory came at a price when their midfielder Ben Watson suffered a serious injury in the first half. Watson, who broke a leg 15 months ago, came off worst in a challenge with Martin Woods, and left the DW Stadium in an ambulance.

Nicky Maynard, opened the scoring for Wigan, after excellent work on the left by Jean Beausejour, and Martyn Waghorn added the second just before half-time.

Barnsley played their part and had chances of their own but are now just one point above the bottom club Yeovil, who drew 0-0 with Watford.

Watford’s manager Giuseppe Sannino pinpointed fatigue as the reason behind his side’s inability to score. His team created very little after Alex Merkel’s first-half volley forced Marek Stech into a smart stop and they came away with their eighth away draw in their last nine in the Championship.

The Italian shuffled his pack and made four changes, including resting the likes of Sean Murray, and he said their 11th match in 45 days was a game too far.

“I said before that my lads are playing a lot of games in a short time and in my opinion this is the main factor,” he explained. “It is not an excuse but maybe the fatigue had set in because we have been playing a lot of matches. There was a lot of supporters from Watford here and maybe they deserved a little more from us.

“Because we are playing a lot of games in a short time it is vital to me to give the players time to recover and pick the best 11 for the game. I gave Murray a little rest because we always play with him in the midfield and I would like to choose something different.

“We always play to win the game because we want to give back to the supporters what they do for us and in the second half it was tough on a heavy pitch and maybe we were tired.”

Yeovil had the best chances of a drab encounter, Joe Edwards wasting a clear-cut opportunity while Watford’s goalkeeper Manuel Almunia denied James Hayter and Joe Ralls.

• Championship
• Derby County
• Sheffield Wednesday
• Yeovil Town
• Barnsley
• Watford
• Wigan Athletic

theguardian.com