Five things we learned from the weekend's football

The South Yorkshire quartet of Rotherham United, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United and Doncaster Rovers each pocketed a point each, to the relative satisfaction of Neil Redfearn and Carlos Carvalhal, but less so for Nigel Adkins and Darren Ferguson.

York City and Bradford City also recorded draws, with each showing character along the way in coming from behind against Carlisle United and Port Vale.

Three points for Leeds United, but few marks for artistic impression after a turgid 1-0 home win over Bristol City, with Steve Evans quipping that a trip to the dentists was more palatable than the first-half fare.

Hull City weren’t exactly pleasing on the eye in a 1-0 win at Fulham, but points make prizes, more especially on a day when previous leaders Middlesbrough slumped to their first home league defeat since August 22 and recorded back-to-back losses under Aitor Karanka for the first time since April 2014.

Here are five observations from the weekend.

1: Winning ugly has its place in the Championship, just ask Hull City today.

Winning who you are not at your best is an art in itself and it is not only Middlesbrough who have that in their armoury at the sharp end of the Championship. Hull City also dug deep to chisel out a huge three points at Fulham at the weekend, courtesy of a late penalty, and Steve Bruce - a centre-half from the old school - will be making no apologies for that.

The currency of grafting hard as a team to claim a dogged win on your travels is the mark of all serious promotion contenders and Saturday’s success at the Cottage - which saw the Tigers return to the summit could prove a massive moment in the automatic promotion race. Substance over style any day...

2: A weekend break has come at an opportune moment for Middlesbrough.

Home league defeats for Aitor Karanka are infrequent events. Successive losses are as rare as hen’s teeth.

Boro, after sitting pretty with a five-point lead at the summit, are now in second and have been provided with a big serving of food for thought.

Out of the cup and with a weekend off, with scheduled opponents MK Dons in FA Cup action, it is a time for Boro to recharge and rejuvenate - and maybe harden a couple of significant moves in the winter window.

Boro’s 4-2-3-1 formation has proved a winner this season, with central midfielders Adam Clayton and Grant Leadbitter protecting a back four that has proved rock-solid this term. It is further up the pitch where there are questions for Boro, who need to find a way of killing rivals as opposed to purely relying on the tactic of death by asphyxiation - namely going 1-0 up and choking the life out of opponents.

Boro have lost six league games this term, failing to score in each set-back, with a Plan B needed, with the name of most people’s lips being Ross McCormack. Boro certainly need another goal poacher or two or the play-offs could call again.

3: The games cannot come thick or fast enough for Barnsley.

Just what it is about Barnsley under Lee Johnson, with their roller-coaster form continuing under the former Oldham chief, who celebrates his firth anniversary in charge next month.

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Down among the dead men in early December, now the Reds are looking up and if they can continue in the same vein in the next few weeks, then an outside tilt at the play-offs cannot be ruled out. It’s a mad, mad footballing world.

One thing is for sure, confidence is coursing through the veins of Reds players, especially red-hot striker Sam Winnall. Victory at Bradford tomorrow and Johnson and his troops can justifiably believe that they are really onto something.

4: Sheffield United will be glad at the chance to return to action so quickly.

Another episode of ‘Bramall Lane - The Frustration’ was recorded at S2 when Swindon nicked a point, thanks to a 79th-minute goal from Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill, which cancelled out Billy Sharp’s penalty.

United return to action at Bloomfield Road tomorrow, with it perhaps being no bad thing that they are on the road after a palable lack of consistency at the Lane this term.

The Blades are unbeaten in six on their travels in League One, that is the type of consistency that managers crave. Three points would certainly get the Blades back in credit after a disappointing weekend draw.

5: Standards slipped in Doncaster’s weekend showing - and they owe Port Vale some pay-back.

Darren Ferguson, as you would probably expect, has seriously high standards. While he has witnessed plenty to enthuse him during Doncaster Rovers’ restorative form under his manager, a grim affair at Fleetwood on Saturday left him non-plussed.

Judging by his post-match comments, the sharp end of Ferguson jnr’s tongue was displayed in the dressing room towards his charges - who will be seeking to get back in his good books at home to Port Vale on Tuesday night.

Rovers produced a truly wretched performance in slumping to defeat in the dying embers of Paul Dickov’s reign in the Potteries earlier this season - and producing some payback for that performance should serve as inspiration, alongside Ferguson’s choice words at the weekend.