Hoolahan on target as Canaries’ fightback stuns Cardiff

Wes Hoolahan was on target as Norwich came from 2-0 down to beat Cardiff 4-2 on Saturday, a win which lifted the Canaries to second in the Championship.

Cardiff looked to be cruising but two second-half goals in the space of four minutes, the second of which came from the Irish international, paved the way for a stunning Norwich triumph.

Elsewhere, Daryl Murphy was on the scoresheet as Ipswich defeated Millwall 2-0 to record their first win since the opening day of the season. Mick McCarthy’s men took the lead in first-half stoppage time through David McGoldrick, a player who has been linked with an Ireland call-up. Strike partner Murphy wrapped up the points 18 minutes into the second half with a close range tap-in to lift Ipswich to 14th.

“It was a good win for us and a deserved win too, I felt,” said Murphy. “I’ve managed to score another with my right foot, which is a rarity for me! I’m just delighted to help out any way I can and the main thing is picking up a huge three points.”

Another Irishman smiling was Jonathan Douglas as his goal helped Brentford to a 3-2 win over Brighton.

In League One, Saturday was a day to remember for Eoin Doyle, as the striker scored a hat-trick as Chesterfield thumped Yeovil 4-1 to climb to fourth.

The day started badly for Doyle, though, as fellow Irishman Paddy Madden fired Yeovil ahead just after half-time. Things got worse when Doyle’s penalty struck the crossbar. However he made amends in emphatic style, scoring a hat-trick — including a second penalty — in 17 minutes. Assistant Chesterfield boss Leam Richardson said of Doyle: “He’s a confident lad who scores goals. I was thrilled he finished with a hat-trick.”

Conor Hourihane continued his fine goalscoring form, albeit in a losing cause, as Barnsley lost 5-3 at home to MK Dons. Samir Carruthers was among the Dons’ scorers as they raced into a 5-0 lead. Hourihane helped the Tykes reclaim an element of respectability, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes.

Sam Foley scored for Yeovil but like Hourihane, his effort counted for little, as Yeovil lost 2-1 at Coventry.

It was an even worse day for Alan Sheehan as he missed a penalty before being sent off for a punch in Bradford’s 2-1 defeat to Swindon.

In League Two, a late Jamie Devitt goal gave high-flying Morecambe a 2-1 win over Plymouth; a penalty from Graham Cummins helped struggling Exeter to a 1-1 draw with Oxford United while Barry Corr was on the mark as Southend beat Portsmouth 2-0.

In the Scottish Premiership, Mark Connolly hit a late winner as Kilmarnock beat St Mirren 2-1 while a goal from Aaron Doran proved a mere consolation as Inverness lost 3-1 at Patrick Thistle.