As always, the opening weekend of The Championship lived up to expectation. The first round delivered some thrilling matches which gave an insight into what to expect moving forward into the next round of fixtures and beyond.
Home advantage was key. This weekend saw six sides prevail at their respective home grounds, with notable victories for QPR and a new look Wolves side.
QPR got off to a flyer in their opener at Loftus Road, dominating a Reading side who may still have last season’s play-off disappointment replaying in the back of their minds.
Promotion hopefuls Aston Villa once again fell short of expectation as they struggled to capitalise against a resilient Hull City.
While a bizarre set of events took place at Craven Cottage involving Norwich striker Nelson Oliveira.
Here is the best and worst from the opening round of Championship fixtures as we settle in to another action-packed season.
THE GOOD
Bailey Wright, a true captain’s debut
A perfect start for the Australian defender. Making his debut as captain for the Robins, Bailey Wright was instrumental in his side’s convincing 3-1 win over Barnsley.
Top of the table after round one, his side put on an impressive display as they dominated all areas of the park.
Wonderful Wolves
After flexing their financial muscle in the transfer market, Wolves went a small way to justify their spending by grabbing the three points over Middlesbrough at Molineux.
If they can keep up that level of performance the sky is the limit as they aim to return to England’s top flight.
THE BAD
Redknapp’s woes continue
Birmingham struggled to break down a well organised Ipswich side. With Harry Redknapp extending his deal over the summer, things were looking on the up for The Blues.
But a performance like that against The Tractor Boys will be cause for concern as the Birmingham faithful have become all too used to watching their side underperform on a weekly basis.
Wednesday draw a blank
Sheffield Wednesday were unable to score against Preston North End despite having some of the best attackers in the division including Gary Hooper, Steven Fletcher and Jordan Rhodes.
If the Owls want to be celebrating at the end of the season they need to ensure that their star attackers are on top of their game and contributing to their promotion push.
THE UGLY
Step up, Norwich’s Nelson Oliveira
Well, maybe not so ugly but rather different.
After coming on as a substitute midway through the second half with his side 1-0 down, the Portuguese striker scored the equaliser in the dying moments of the match.
This may look like a fairy tale story, but what happens next is sure to divide opinion. After netting the equaliser, Oliveira was quick to run over to the dugout to confront his manager Daniel Farke.
In the heat of the moment he took off his jersey and pointed to his name, wanting to send a message to his manager.The intended message most likely being that he can score goals and shouldn’t be ignored.
Interpret these set of events as you like but one thing’s for sure, Oliveira’s actions definitely caused a stir across the internet.

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