- Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle returned to the Wigan squad this weekend for their clash against Brighton
- Josh Cullen was involved in a six-goal thriller for Bradford City
- Lewis Page helped Coventry City pick up their fourth win in five
Reece Burke made his return to the Wigan Athletic starting lineup on Saturday, though the Latics were frustrated by visitors Brighton and Hove Albion who grabbed their second consecutive victory.
The West Ham defender, on loan at the DW Stadium, had been out of action since September but he and fit again fellow Hammer Kyle Knoyle were both included in Gary Caldwell’s squad in the Championship.
Burke could not prevent Dale Stephens scoring the game’s only goal with 68 minutes on the clock however, as the midfielder fired past Adam Bogdan to break the deadlock.
The centre-half completed his first senior 90 minutes since 10 September, while Knoyle was an unused substitute.
The defeat meant Wigan remain in the relegation zone, three points from safety, though Burke and Knoyle will hope their return to fitness provides a boost for the Greater Manchester outfit.
Elsewhere in the Championship, Martin Samuelsen was on the bench as Blackburn Rovers suffered a late defeat at Bristol City, conceding veteran forward Aaron Wilbraham’s 88th minute goal.
In League One, Josh Cullen was involved in a six-goal thriller for loan club Bradford City, as the Bantams and Sheffield United shared the points at Valley Parade.
Billy Sharp opened the scoring for the Blades on 18 minutes, connecting well with Mark Duffy’s cross to head into the top corner, but Bradford levelled through Billy Clarke 17 minutes later.
Irons midfielder Cullen, who has played 12 times in the third tier already this season, played a major part in the goal, delivering a cross into the box which eventually found its way to Jordy Hiwula to finish.
And with the momentum behind them, Stuart McCall’s men thought they had won it through Tim Dieng with 22 minutes remaining, however Chris Basham was on hand to end the hosts’ celebrations four minutes later, making it 3-3 and snatching a draw.
Lewis Page’s Coventry City continued their resurgence under temporary boss Mark Venus, grabbing a 2-0 home win over Rochdale on Saturday to lift them within a point of safety in League One.
The Hammers left-back played the full 90 minutes for the Sky Blues, who secured all three points thanks Dan Agyei and Andre Wright strikes.
Meanwhile, George Dobson and Josh Pask were both unused substitutes for their loan sides – Walsall and Gillingham respectively.
The Saddlers were 2-0 winners away at Swindon, while the Gills conceded a late penalty to see a 1-0 lead slip at home to Charlton.
Finally, in Denmark, Canadian defender Doneil Henry played his first full 90 minutes on loan at AC Horsens, as the side were 1-0 winners over Randers on Sunday. The victory moves them into the top six in the Danish Superliga.