A week after missing his first league game of the season, Atiba Hutchinson picked up right where he left off.
Hutchinson was back in action with PSV Eindhoven for a pair of games in the Netherlands as they were involved in both Cup and Eredivisie action.
On Wednesday, Hutchinson was at right back in PSV’s 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle in Cup play. He was back at it on Saturday as PSV beat VVV Venlo 2-0. The win allowed PSV to maintain their two-point advantage on Ajax in the Eredivisie table.
In the English Premier League, Junior Hoilett made a rare start as Queens Park Rangers picked up a much-needed league victory. Hoilett played all 90 minutes and grabbed an assist in QPR’s 2-1 win over Southampton. Despite the three points, QPR remain in last place, three points behind Reading.
Meanwhile, in the Championship, David Edgar and Burnley’s promotion prospects were dealt a hit after the club missed an opportunity for a six-point haul.
On Saturday, Edgar was in the lineup as Burnley beat Charlton Athletic, but they conceded a late equalizer to Barnsley on Tuesday in a 1-1 draw. Burnley sit in 11th-place on 48 points and are eight points back of the promotion playoff positions.
Already top of the standings in League One, Iain Hume and Doncaster Rovers also grabbed three points before missing a chance to open up a gap and add to their promotion hopes.
On Saturday, Hume opened the scoring in Doncaster’s 3-0 win over Hartlepool United. Hume then played 58 minutes on Tuesday as Doncaster lost for the first time in six matches, falling 3-0 to MK Dons. Doncaster are now clinging to a one-point lead over Sheffield United.
Marcus Haber ended a month of misery for 15th-place Stevenage, halting their league winless streak by scoring the lone goal in a 1-0 victory against Brentford.
It’s now 12 games unbeaten for defender Kevin McKenna and FC Koln in the 2.Bundesliga. McKenna put in his usual 90 minutes for Koln on Sunday in their 1-1 draw with FSV Frankfurt. Koln are still in fourth place, three points back of Kaiserslautern and a promotion playoff spot.
Forward Rob Friend was also involved in a 1-1 draw on Sunday, as his 1860 Munich side shared the points with Ingolstadt. Friend played the full 90 minutes as his club slipped to seventh place. They’re just three points back of Koln for fourth and six back of third place.
At the bottom of the table, relegation is looking more and more likely for midfielder Julian de Guzman and Jahn Regensburg as they just have one win in their past 16 league games. De Guzman was in the lineup on Friday as Regensburg lost 3-1 to Sandhausen, holding steady in last place four points back of the hosts, who are second from bottom.
Down in the German 3.Liga, defender Adam Straith came on in the 55th minute for Saarbrucken on Saturday in their 2-1 win over Rot-Weiss Erfurt. Saarbrucken are in 13th place.
In Turkey, goalkeeper Milan Borjan has conceded just three goals for club team Sivasspor in their last three league games. Unfortunately for him, his teammates have failed to score and Sivasspor have fallen to 12th in the Turkish Super Lig with a three-game losing streak. Borjan was in goal on Sunday as Sivasspor lost 1-0 to Bursaspor.
In Cyprus, a five-game winning streak for Mike Klukowski’s APOEL has the team just a point out of first place. Klukowski played the full 90-minutes on Sunday in APOEL’s 1-0 win over AEK Larnaca.
At the opposite end of the table, Issey Nakajima-Farran’s Alki are hovering precariously above the relegation zone. Nakajima-Farran came on in the 18th minute on Sunday as Alki tied Olympiakos, 2-2. They’re currently in 12th place in the 14-team league and look to be bound for the league’s relegation round.
In Portugal, three wins in a row for Pedro Pacheco and Santa Clara have seen their position in the Liga de Honra rise to fifth and within striking distance of promotion to the Primera Liga. Pacheco played the full game on Sunday as Santa Clara beat Vitoria Guimaraes II, 1-0. The top two teams are promoted and with 46 points and Santa Clara are seven back of second-place Arouca.
The Slovenian league is back in action for the first time in 2013 and midfielder Stefan Cebara got some playing time with Celje as they’re now unbeaten in three games. Cebara came on in the 42nd minute on Saturday as Celje played Gorica to a scoreless draw. Celje are in fifth place in the 10-team 1. SNL.
