The Sportsman Untitled - Championship Podcast

Bristol City turned the tables on Sheffield United with a stunning 4-1 humbling at Ashton Gate to give Gerhard Struber a winning start to the season after their play-off heartache in May.

Ipswich set this theme for the weekend on Friday night, with a 90th+ minute equaliser against Birmingham. This set the tone for the weekend, with Charlton and Stoke both netting 90th+ minute winners in their games, while in the early kick-off, Wrexham took a shock lead over Southampton, before the Saints came from behind with two sensational 90th minute goals to set them on their way this term.

Benjamin Bloom and Gab Sutton join Simon Lillibury to review the Championship's opening weekend fixtures, including the mouthwatering clash between Birmingham City and Ipswich Town from Friday night, Southampton's Wrexham comeback, Stoke and Charlton's late winners and a look at Bristol City's stunning 4-1 win over Sheffield United.

Coming up later in the show, the trio preview the biggest fixtures of the weekend, including West Brom's trip to Wrexham and Birmingham's trip to East Lancashire to face Blackburn Rovers.

Championship predictions for the 2025/26 season; Will Wrexham continue their fairytale rise? Will Birmingham stun the Championship? Is there any hope for Sheffield Wednesday? Ben Bloom, Statman Dave and Conor McGilligan provide an in-depth Championship preview covering everything from the top six to the fight for survival.

Comment below with your hot take for the season ahead…

The Championship season is over, the three promoted teams are confirmed, the three relegated teams are confirmed and the six teams heading into the division for next season are ready to rock and roll. So let’s rewind the clock and review the 24/25 Championship Season with EFL Experts Conor McGilligan and Gab Sutton.

Leeds United won The Championship 24/25, scoring 100 points alongside Burnley, clinching the trophy by way of superior goal-difference.

Sheffield United and Sunderland contested a classic play-off final, which saw Sunderland clinch the third promotion spot in the Premier League with a late comeback, including a controversial VAR call, which could have killed the tie off as a contest.

Plymouth Argyle’s experiment with Wayne Rooney proved costly as The Pilgrims plummeted to the bottom of the table for most of the season,, before Miron Muslic attempted to resuscitate, but ultimately fell short. Plymouth will ply their trade in League One from next season after being relegated.

Alongside Plymouth, Luton Town shocked the world by suffering back-to-back relegations after being hotly tipped to either go straight back up to the Premier League, or challenge in the play-offs.

Cardiff City make up the relegated trio. They finished rock bottom of the Championship and will compete in England’s third tier - League One - for the first time since 2003, which was so long ago, it was still known as “Division 2 and producer Seb was just starting year 7.

_

Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide. Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.

Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.

🎥 Watch weekly on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts

Search “Championship podcast” and find us topping the league.

🎧 | Listen on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/6dggSE92EGPTO2VMnQk3T1?si=lrOnfGPFTu6crGkPhtaWPg

Social channels:

https://www.twitter.com/thesportsman

https://www.facebook.com/thesportsmancom

https://www.instagram.com/thesportsmancom

#Championship #Podcast #efl 

0:00 Intro

01:45 Sheffield United vs Sunderland Championship Play-Off Final review

12:15 Leeds United and Burnley Championship Season Review

21:00 Play-Off Teams: Coventry and Bristol City Championship Season Review

26:45 Top Half teams: Blackburn, Millwall, West Brom, Middlesbrough, Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday Championship Season Review

43:43 Bottom Half teams: Norwich City, Watford, QPR and Portsmouth Championship Season review

56:15 Relegation-threatened teams: Stoke City, Derby County, Preston North End and Hull City Championship Season Review

01:02:00 Relegated teams: Luton, Plymouth Argyle and Cardiff City Championship Season Review

01:06:00 Promoted teams preview: Birmingham, Wrexham and Charlton Athletic

01:13:40 Championship Prediction to happen before next season

It’s the biggest game of the season for Sheffield United and Sunderland, who lock horns in the Championship’s showpiece event at Wembley: the Play-Off Final!After navigating their way to third and fourth respectively in the Championship table, Sheffield United and Sunderland face-off once more, this time for a place in the Premier League and bucket loads of cash to boot.Sheffield United put Bristol City to the sword with a 6-0 aggregate win over two-legs, each ending 3-0, reinforcing their place as the best team outside of the automatic promotion places in this season’s Championship table.Sunderland won their tie against Coventry City with a little more drama, after a 120+3 minute winner, sending them to Wembley after training 1-0 to Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues in the second leg, poising the two-legged affair at 2-2, after a 2-1 win for Sunderland at the CBS Arena four days prior.The game looked set to go to spot kicks before Dan Ballard converted a corner with a still debated part of his head. Let’s just say I’ve never seen a man leap and duck in sequence so eloquently as Dan Ballard did here, ultimately winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate for his Black Cats side and breaking the hearts of the Coventry faithful.In the studio we have The Sheffield United Way’s Oli Mann back again, as everybody predicted in our Play-Offs Special preview show two weeks ago and Jonny Hawley from Roker Report, who it must be noted nobody predicted to return.Alongside the two representatives are heartbroken host (and Coventry City fan) Simon Lillibury and our resident EFL Expert, Gab Sutton - fresh off the back of his late-night escapades with Benjamin Bloom reacting to each play-off semi-final fixture.We’ll be back next week, with a full season review featuring the ever-gloating (and rightly so) Conor McGilligan of One Leeds Fan Channel in the hosts chair for the final time this term.Let us know in the comments who you think will be heading back to the Premier League. Will it be Sheffield United at the first time of asking, or will we see Sunderland return since 2017?Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide. Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.

Gab Sutton and Benjamin Bloom immediately react to the second leg of the Championship Play-Offs match between Sunderland and Coventry City at The Stadium of Light, which ended 1-1 after extra time, sending Sunderland to Wembley to face Sheffield United in the Championship Play-Off Final._Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide. Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.🎥 Watch weekly on YouTube🎧 Listen on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcastsSearch “Championship podcast” and find us topping the league.🎧 | Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6dggSE92EGPTO2VMnQk3T1?si=lrOnfGPFTu6crGkPhtaWPgSocial channels:https://www.twitter.com/thesportsmanhttps://www.facebook.com/thesportsmancomhttps://www.instagram.com/thesportsmancom#Championship #Podcast #EFL #Sunderland #CoventryCity #Coventry #Playoffs

Gab Sutton and Benjamin Bloom immediately react to the second leg of the Championship Play-Offs match between Sheffield United and Bristol City at Bramhall Lane, which ended Sheffield United 3-0 Bristol City (6-0 on aggregate)._Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide. Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.🎥 Watch weekly on YouTube🎧 Listen on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcastsSearch “Championship podcast” and find us topping the league.🎧 | Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6dggSE92EGPTO2VMnQk3T1?si=lrOnfGPFTu6crGkPhtaWPgSocial channels:https://www.twitter.com/thesportsmanhttps://www.facebook.com/thesportsmancomhttps://www.instagram.com/thesportsmancom#Championship #Podcast #EFL #BristolCity #SheffieldUnited #Playoffs

Gab Sutton and Benjamin Bloom react to the first leg of the Championship Play-Offs match between Coventry City and Sunderland at the CBS Arena, which ended Coventry 1-2 Sunderland - a first defeat for Coventry vs Sunderland since 2008 and first defeat at home since 1985._Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide. Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.🎥 Watch weekly on YouTube🎧 Listen on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcastsSearch “Championship podcast” and find us topping the league.🎧 | Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6dggSE92EGPTO2VMnQk3T1?si=lrOnfGPFTu6crGkPhtaWPgSocial channels:https://www.twitter.com/thesportsmanhttps://www.facebook.com/thesportsmancomhttps://www.instagram.com/thesportsmancom#Championship #Podcast #EFL

Gab Sutton and Benjamin Bloom immediately react to the first leg of the Championship Play-Offs match between Bristol City and Sheffield United at Ashton Gate, which ended Bristol City 0-3 Sheffield United.

Welcome to The Sportsman Untitled – your weekly fix of all things Championship and EFL, where raw opinions, expert takes, and unmatched passion collide.

Whether you're buzzing off a last-minute winner or stuck mid-table with an identity crisis, this pod is for the real Football League heads.

Hosted by Simon Lillibury (ThatCovPod) and EFL guru Gab Sutton (EFLdebate), plus a rotating crew of fan pundits, ex-pros, and managers, we're diving deep into the latest Championship drama, transfer gossip, tactical breakdowns, and behind-the-scenes exclusives.

We’re not Premier League snobs – we live and breathe the realest, most unpredictable league in English football. From wild playoff pushes to gritty relegation scraps, we cover it all.

🎥 Watch weekly on YouTube

🎧 Listen on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Search “Championship podcast” and find us topping the league.

🎧 | Listen on Spotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/6dggSE92EGPTO2VMnQk3T1?si=lrOnfGPFTu6crGkPhtaWPg

Social channels:

https://www.twitter.com/thesportsman

https://www.facebook.com/thesportsmancom

https://www.instagram.com/thesportsmancom

#Championship #Podcast #EFL #BristolCity #SheffieldUnited

Get ready for one of the most thrilling episodes of The Sportsman Untitled yet, as we present our Championship Play-Offs Special – a must-watch (and must-listen) for all fans of Championship football, not just the four teams involved. Hosted by Conor McGilligan of One Leeds, and featuring a lineup of passionate fan voices from each of the play-off contenders. This episode takes you right into the heart of the most exciting battle in English football for a place in the Premier League.Joining Conor are four brilliant guests who bring deep insight, passionate opinions, and a touch of club loyalty to the table. Representing Sheffield United is Oli Mann from The Sheffield United Way, Sunderland’s voice is the ever-knowledgeable Jonny Hawley from the fan-favourite Roker Report, Pete Hinton from One Stream in Bristol and the usual host Simon Lillibury from ThatCovPod.In this special episode, we break down the Championship Play-Offs – the high-stakes mini-tournament that sees four clubs fight for the final promotion spot to the Premier League. The Play-Offs involve the teams finishing 3rd through 6th in the Championship. After two-legged semi-finals and a dramatic final at Wembley Stadium, one team earns the golden ticket to top-flight football – often referred to as the “richest game in football.”Whether you’re a die-hard Blades fan, a member of the Black Cats faithful, a follower of The Robins, or part of the Sky Blue army, this show has you covered.We look at key players, tactical matchups, managerial decisions and what is needed to survive and succeed in the most intense phase of the English Football League season.The Sportsman Untitled’s Championship Play-Offs Sepcial is everything a Championship football fan could want, packed into one thrilling special and available both on YouTube in glorious HD and in audio only format, wherever you get your podcasts.Don’t miss this epic showdown of football minds and club passion. Whether you're into EFL Championship analysis, Premier League promotion predictions, or just love good old-fashioned football chat – this episode is for you.

It's time for the final games of the Championship season and we're looking at who is going to take the final play-off places. Simon and Gab are joined by Justin Peach to take a look at the play-off contenders, as well as the fight at the bottom of the league to try and stay in the second-tier.Subscribe to ensure you don't miss our play-off special next week and our reaction shows.