Connolly runs riot to rescue trailing Dons

Nationwide Review

Statistics often play a major role in Wimbledon's matchdays for all the wrong reasons. Not yesterday. Their thrilling 5-3 Nationwide First Division defeat of Bradford City at Valley Parade after trailing 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 included four goals from David Connolly. It took the Republic of Ireland international's haul in the past six games to nine, including a hat-trick against Norwich City last weekend.

"The way we play we are going to make chances and he's putting them away," the Dons manager, Stuart Murdoch, said. "He missed the start of the season through injury. Who knows where we would be if he had been fit from the start?"

The Bantams' on-loan Bolton striker, Delroy Facey, scored in the eighth minute of his debut but 15 minutes later they lost their goalkeeper, Steve Banks. Connolly started striking soon after. It was Bradford's first home defeat.

Second-placed Leicester City's determination to overcome financial difficulties off the pitch is being matched on it by their players' fight to reclaim top-flight status. A 2-0 home win over Walsall took them four points clear of the play-off places. Having missed eight first-half chances, with the livewire Paul Dickov most culpable, Matt Heath and James Scowcroft scored just before and after the hour.

"I told the players they had to be more patient in their build-ups," their manager, Micky Adams, said, "and we finally got our rewards."

Watford slipped a place to fourth when they lost 2-1 at Rotherham. The Millers led at the break through Martin McIntosh, Dominic Foley levelled in the 60th minute, but seven minutes later Richie Barker got the winner.

A mixed day for new managers. At Ipswich, Joe Royle, after presiding over wins in the Uefa and Worthington Cups, earned a first league point from a 0-0 draw at Sheffield United. The Blades manager, Neil Warnock, enjoyed it. "That's one of the best 0-0s I've ever seen, but both clubs can see what they're missing – a striker. We've got four or five here but all of them are substitute strikers. It seems to knock a bit off them when any of them start a match. I have had to play kick and chase in the past, but then I've had players who couldn't pass water, but here I've got some good lads."

Tony Pulis, another manager getting to grips with a new job, saw his Stoke side lose for the second time in his charge. Fellow strugglers Grimsby won 2-1 at the Britannia Stadium to move out of the bottom three. The Potters replace them.

It was Johnson versus Johnson at Selhurst Park as Nottingham Forest's David and Crystal Palace's Andy, both in a rich vein of goalscoring, came head-to-head. Inevitably, it ended goalless. David went off injured after 31 minutes; Andy was well policed by Des Walker. "He didn't have many chances," the Palace manager, Trevor Francis, said, "but he is allowed one game where he doesn't score."

Burnley, fresh from their defeat of Spurs in the Worthington Cup, beat Coventry City 3-1 at Turf Moor, with the Sky Blues' Craig Hignett, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, sent off for an "offensive gesture" at a linesman. "He is very disappointed," player-manager Gary McAllister revealed, "because he will now miss a couple of games and he is desperate for the chance to show what he can do for us."

The striker Tony Rougier, back in Reading's squad, came off the bench at Gillingham to score the only goal of the game. Reading are sixth.

In another Worthington upset, Preston had won at Premiership Birmingham City on Tuesday, but found the trip to Millwall a journey too far, hit the woodwork four times and lost 2-1.

Wigan are the new leaders of the Second Division after their 2-0 win at Blackpool. A good week for Iain Dowie's Oldham – they removed West Ham from the Worthington Cup – got better when a 2-2 draw at Plymouth lifted them above Cardiff City, who lost 3-2 at managerless Barnsley.