Football: Sharpe sinks Pompey

ROUND-UP

BRADFORD CITY moved into the Nationwide First Division's second automatic place after their nervy 2-1 defeat of Portsmouth at Valley Parade. The Lees, Mills and Sharpe, both scored for the Bantams in the first half. "The players are jittery," Paul Jewell, the Bradford manager, said. "But you cannot ask for more than three victories in eight days." Ipswich Town will reclaim second spot if they get at least a draw from their perennially tricky derby at Norwich City this afternoon.

At the bottom, four of the clubs jostling to avoid relegation met and Bury emerged delighted. A 29th-minute Derek Lilley goal after a mistake by Les Robinson, the Oxford United captain, gave the Shakers a 1-0 victory at the Manor Ground. Their first away win of the season - at the 21st attempt - lifted them out of the danger zone. "I could have cried at the end," Neil Warnock, Bury's emotional manager, said.

Crewe were held to a goalless draw by Port Vale at Gresty Road and they slumped back to the bottom as Bristol City walloped Grimsby Town 4-1.

In the Second Division promotion race, second-placed Walsall and Preston North End, a place below them, both lost which pleased the 26,000-plus fans who saw Manchester City thrash Lincoln City 4-0, Paul Dickov treating them to a hat-trick in the space of 15 minutes interrupted only by half- time.

Third Division Brighton, who sacked Jeff Wood last week, hope to name Micky Adams, the former Fulham and Swansea manager who is Nottingham Forest's reserve team coach, as their new manager before Tuesday's game with Shrewsbury.

The tensest of this afternoon's two Premiership matches will surely be the relegation battle at Goodison Park where Everton, nil points over Easter, host Coventry City, who took all six on offer. Dave Watson, 38, returns to the Everton defence. "I'm sick of being in this situation but by having my experience on the pitch it will get the best out of one or two of the other players," Watson hoped.

In the other match, Chelsea, who are third, go to wavering Wimbledon. Franck Leboeuf, the Chelsea defender, said his colleague Dennis Wise was goaded into munching on a Real Mallorca defender in the Cup Winners' Cup semi-final last week after the player had scratched him, behaviour frowned upon in playgroups everywhere. Wise "is not a crazy man who goes around biting people for no reason", Leboeuf deduced. But if Wise plays at Selhurst Park today, will the Dons demand he is muzzled?