Money for Watford and Wigan after Championship kick-off wins
Published:Troy Deeney’s early strike was enough to secure three points for Watford with a 1-0 opening day win at Birmingham resulting in the Hornets being cut from 10/1 into 7/1 to lift the Championship trophy in May.
Last season’s 20-goal man opened his account for this campaign in the 11th minute against Lee Clarke’s threadbare Blues and the former Huddersfield boss will know his team must bounce back quickly if they are to avoid a relegation battle.
Wigan Athletic’s return to the second tier of English football after almost a decade in the Premier League could not have started brighter with £2 million new signing Grant Holt amongst the goals in a 4-0 rout of Barnsley at Oakwell.
Owen Coyle’s side were backed in overnight from 12/1 to 8/1 to win the league and gain automatic promotion at the first attempt, and they have enough quality in the squad to be strong challengers come May.
At the top of the market Harry Redknapp’s QPR had half a point shaved of their odds, moving from 6/1 into 11/2 following their comeback from 1-0 down in a 2-1 win over unlucky Sheffield Wednesday.
Redknapp’s team will need more urgency if they are to justify 13/8 promotion favouritism, but the surprise inclusion of Joey Barton in midfield will be a welcome sight to R’s fans after losing so many experienced players over the summer.
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson will have been relieved to see his team begin the season brightly after second half goals from Jamie Vardy and Danny Drinkwater helped the Foxes to a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.
Vardy showed some of the form that made him the first million pound player from a non-league club after Pearson snapped him up from Fleetwood Town last summer and with the attacking options available at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester are a nice price for promotion at 11/4.
All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date
