Coventry's chance to take over at the top

Gary McAllister will send his Coventry side out to play Watford this afternoon knowing that a point will take them to the top of the First Division, for a few hours at least.

The Sky Blues kick off at 1pm at Vicarage Road lying fourth in the table, but level on points with the top three – Wolves, who meet Sheffield United on Tuesday, Norwich and Portsmouth, who will try to reach the top two hours later. Coventry maintained their early-season form with a 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, thanks to a fifth-minute penalty from Lee Hughes, who is still talking over a return to former club West Bromwich Albion.

"As far as I know, they are looking to agree personal terms," McAllister said. "I've prepared myself for this, but I am not sulking about it and Lee is in the squad for Monday. Until he signs for West Brom, he is still a Coventry player."

Second-placed Norwich go to Stoke after a 1-0 victory over Gillingham at Carrow Road on Saturday, Paul McVeigh scoring five minutes before the break.

Portsmouth won 3-0 at home to Watford, thanks to Paul Merson's penalty and goals from Svetoslav Todorov and Deon Burton, and head for lowly Grimsby today.

Gillingham, who lie fifth, will look to return to winning ways at home to Preston, 4-3 victors over Stoke at Deepdale. Craig Brown's side snatched the points five minutes into injury time thanks to Richard Cresswell's brilliant solo winner after the Potters had clawed their way back from 3-1 down.

Derby head for Rotherham following Saturday's 4-1 home defeat by Wolves, in which Alex Rae scored twice. They will find themselves up against tough opponents in Ronnie Moore's side, who clinched an away win at Sheffield Wednesday with Darren Garner's injury-time pile-driver.

Newcomers Brighton, 1-0 losers at Wimbledon at the weekend, play host to Walsall, who beat 10-man Nottingham Forest 2-1, while relegated Ipswich, who needed a Darren Bent equaliser to claim a draw at Millwall, entertain Bradford, who had a second successive goalless draw at the Bradford and Bingley Stadium, against Grimsby. Leicester City and Sheffield United, who do not play until Tuesday, beat Reading and Burnley respectively.

In the Second Division, the leaders, Wigan, face Port Vale after their 2-0 win at Notts County, while the Third Division leaders, Rushden & Diamonds, who drew 1-1 at Shrewsbury yesterday, face Scunthorpe at Nene Park.