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League One this week: Wigan go top, Oxford into the bottom half and three teams get off the mark

Here's your weekly roundup of all the stories, numbers and results from this week's set of League One fixtures in case you missed them. 

Old Problems Trouble Sunderland 

Sunderland threw away a 2-0 lead at Fleetwood after a controversial refereeing decision handed the hosts a 97th minute penalty. 

After a bright start last year, Lee Johnson's tenure at Sunderland some what slid away at the back end of the season, conceding cheap goals and finding ways to lose points which they should have wrapped up. 

No team in League One took the lead more times (37) than Sunderland last year, and no team conceded more equalizing goals (17) than the Black Cats either, meaning they lost their lead 45.9% of the times they got it. 

Its been a different story this time round, with Johnson's men conceding only two equalizing goals so far, meaning just 28.6% of the times they have taken the lead this season have resulted in them conceding equalizers. 

Worryingly for Johnson, old issues seemed to be reappearing on Saturday, when they appeared to have Fleetwood at arms length before a remarkable collapse. 

Before the 76th minute, Fleetwood had registered just 0.4 expected goals, whilst Sunderland had themselves registered 2.1 in return. Yet in the final fifteen minutes plus injury time, Fleetwood would more than triple their total Xg with 1.6 more added, in comparison to Sunderland who only registered 0.1 in the same time frame. 

It is only a minor blip, and Sunderland fans will tell you that the refereeing decisions were at the heart of the defeat, but Lee Johnson will certainly hope this isn't a problem which will persist as it did last year. 

New Leaders at the Top 

Sunderland's slip up opened the path for a new leader in League One, and Wigan duly obliged. 

Having lost their opening game of the season to, fittingly, Sunderland, Wigan have not lost a game in League One with five wins and one draw in a run which included Bolton, Charlton, Wycombe and Rotherham. 

Richardson's new look team now look a tough side to stop, with the sight of former Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke opening his account against Accrington an equally scary sight. 

Wigan's goals scored per game of 1.71 is bettered only by AFC Wimbledon (1.88) and MK Dons (2.00), whilst they also have one of the stingiest defences in the division, with their goals conceded per game of 0.71 only beaten by Portsmouth and Plymouth (both 0.57). 

Fitting the story, Wigan meet Sunderland on Tuesday in the EFL Cup, and will be looking to keep their strong form going. 

Plymouth's Defensive Wall Stays Strong 

Last season, Plymouth were undone by a series of defensive errors which counteracted their strong scoring numbers. 

Plymouth conceded 1.74 goals per game last year, which was the worst record in League One behind only Swindon Town. 

Their games were also extremely open, averaging 2.89 total goals per game (goals scored + conceded), beaten only by Swindon Town (3.13), Rochdale (3.02) and Burton Albion (2.91).

Its been a different story so far this year, though, with them being the best defensive side in the division, joint with Portsmouth, based off goals conceded per game (0.57). 

They continued their fine defensive form with a mightily impressive clean sheet over AFC Wimbledon, one of the top scorers in the league. 

The Dons have averaged 1.88 goals per game this season, which is the second highest in League One. 

No side in the division have scored three or more goals in a match more times than Wimbledon this season (3), and their total game goals of 3.5 is the second highest in League One. 

The defeat is a tough blow for Wimbledon, who had lost just one of their first seven games, but its a continuation of Plymouth's fine defensive form this season. 

The two meanest defences, Plymouth and Portsmouth, go head to head in midweek, with Plymouth hoping to continue their fine form which has taken them into the playoff places. 

Oxford's Slide takes them into the Bottom Half   

Oxford were defeated 1-0 by Cheltenham Town and in the process dropped down the table into 14th. 

It was Oxford's third defeat in their last four in all competitions, which included a 4-1 humbling to Cambridge in the Papa John's Trophy as well as a second half capitulation in a 3-1 defeat to Wimbledon.  

Oxford's away form now reads five defeats from seven in all competitions and, not including the penalty shootout triumph at Burton, they are yet to register a win on their travels. 

Oxford have also now only scored one goal in their last three league games, and will be looking for a result against Gillingham next Saturday to get back on track. 

Doncaster, Ipswich and Crewe get their First Wins 

The three sides in League One yet to record three points all got their first wins on the weekend, all doing so without conceding a goal, too. 

Crewe beat Burton by two goals to nil, but the Railwaymen still have plenty of work to do to improve their performances. 

Burton were down to ten men for the final 25 minutes, but still managed 19 shots on the Crewe goal compared to 10 from their hosts, and outperformed them on Expected Goals too, with 1.6 to 1.

Doncaster, who have endured a torrid start to the season and still sit bottom with four points, can also count themselves a tad fortunate that Morecambe weren't able to find the net in their victory. 

The two sides were matched for shots on goal (13), and Morecambe registered an Xg of one, suggesting they were unlucky not to score on the day. 

That star man Cole Stockton also had 0.7 Xg but did not add to his goal tally of six is also surprising, and a big let off for Doncaster. 

Ipswich, who have been desperately poor under Cook in a season of high expectations, finally got off the mark, with their own 1-0 win over Lincoln. 

In a tight game in which neither side registered a more than 0.7 Xg, Ipswich came out with a crucial win thanks to a first half Macauley Bonne goal. 

Cook's side still have plenty to improve on, having registered a meagre five shots against the Imps meaning they remain one of the League's least potent attacks, averaging just 10.4 shots per game. 

The inquest will now begin at Lincoln City, who have lost four of their last six matches in the league. 


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