Championship, League One & League Two kick off with drama, upsets, and a healthy dose of chaos
Well, that’s one way to start a season! The 2025/26 EFL campaign burst into life this past weekend like a caffeinated pyromaniac in a fireworks factory, delivering everything from last-gasp Hollywood heroics to Sheffield humiliation that nobody saw coming. After 92 days of desperately trying to care about international friendlies and pre-season tours of Milton Keynes, proper football is back – and boy, did it remind us why we missed it.
Result of the Week: Bristol City 4-1 Sheffield United
File this one under “nobody saw that coming.” Sheffield United, fresh from their play-off heartbreak and looking like promotion contenders again, rocked up to face Bristol City expecting to pick up where they left off. Instead, they got absolutely walloped by a Robins side who clearly didn’t get the memo about playing second fiddle.
Sheffield United began their 2025/26 Championship campaign with a 4-1 defeat at home against Bristol City from an action-packed opener for the clubs. The Blades were shocked early on when an incredible Scott Twine free-kick left Michael Cooper stranded to his line, as it nestled in the back of the net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
Twine’s early thunderbolt set the tone, and despite superb work, vision and craft from Callum O’Hare helping Tyrese Campbell equalise for the Blades, Bristol City weren’t done embarrassing their hosts. By full time, it was 4-1 to the visitors, leaving Sheffield United fans wondering if they’d accidentally turned up to watch a training session gone wrong.
The result was so shocking that even the most optimistic Bristol City fan probably had money on “Sheffield United to win comfortably.” Instead, Gerhard Struber’s side delivered the kind of performance that makes you wonder if they’ve been secretly training with a team of ninjas all summer.
The Two Crazy Happenings
1. Fan vs. Player Fracas at Birmingham
Birmingham 1-1 Ipswich (Aug 8, 2025) – what should have been a straightforward Championship opener between the record-breaking League One champions and the relegated Tractor Boys turned into something resembling a WWE event.
Jay Stansfield thought he had sealed all three points for the Blues after slamming home early in the second half, but Ipswich levelled from the penalty spot in added time thanks to George Hirst after a Lyndon Dykes handball.
But here’s where it gets properly mental: Both sides clashed in the aftermath of Hirst’s goal, with the melee spilling over towards the crowd. A supporter even appeared to make contact with the players before being bundled to the ground, with Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna saying the incident is likely to be reported.
Because apparently scoring a 93rd-minute equaliser wasn’t dramatic enough, some genius in the stands decided to get involved in the celebrations. It’s the kind of chaos that makes you wonder if Birmingham’s new stadium should come with its own security perimeter. Or a moat.
2. Wrexham’s Hollywood Heartbreak
Speaking of drama, Southampton vs Wrexham was like something straight out of a movie script – which is fitting, considering the Welsh club’s celebrity owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were probably watching through their fingers.
Josh Windass put Wrexham ahead converting a 22nd-minute penalty, and for 68 minutes it looked like the Red Dragons were going to mark their Championship return (after 43 years) with a statement win against the relegated Saints.
Then came the Hollywood ending nobody at Wrexham ordered. First substitute Ryan Manning dispatched a superb 90th-minute free kick to tie the game. Then Manning burst down the left in the sixth minute of added time to deliver a cross that Jack Stephens lashed in off the crossbar at the back post to shatter Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney dreams of a winning start to life in the Championship.
You couldn’t script it better if you tried. Well, actually, Reynolds and McElhenney probably could, but they’d have had Wrexham winning 5-0 with Deadpool & Wolverine making cameo appearances.
League One & League Two Roundup
Down in League One, a late Ryan Johnson own goal handed Luton Town a slightly fortunate 1-0 victory over AFC Wimbledon in their opener on Friday 1st August. The Hatters, still smarting from their double relegation from Premier League to League One. They looked a lot sharper on Saturday though winning 2-0 at Peterborough a result that leaves them in 4th behind Stockport and the Yorkshire Duo of Huddersfield & Barnsley. On this form a third relegation in a row looks unlikely.
In League Two the new arrivals Barnet & Oldham continued to have a rude awakening to life back in the EFL with the Bees losing 2-0 to Bromley while Oldham at least avoided defeat thanks to a 39th minute equaliser against Colchester. Barnet are rock bottom with tow losses but Oldham probably should have recorded their first league win since April 2022 in this one though as they peppered the Colchester goal with 21 shots. Once they find their scoring boots they should do ok. Barnet will need to learn to take their chances having dominated possession in both games.
What’s Next?
As we dust ourselves off from opening weekend’s chaos, one thing is clear: this season is going to be absolutely bonkers. If Bristol City can demolish Sheffield United, Southampton can pull off Hollywood endings, and Birmingham fans are getting involved in penalty celebrations, then we’re in for a wild ride.
The EFL has returned with all the subtlety of a brick through a window, and frankly, that’s exactly how we like it. Roll on game week two – hopefully with slightly fewer pitch invasions and marginally more predictable results.
Though knowing the EFL, that’s probably wishful thinking.
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