Premier league hopefuls

[Barney Rubble]

Derby drew 1-1 with their east Midlands neighbours Notts Forest tonight. The result leaves both teams in the bottom half of the Championship table and still not certain of avoiding relegation.

The Championship is a strange 1. Realistically any team in the bottom half given a bad run could be demoted while any team in the top half given a good run could make the playoffs .

[westcorklad]

Brentford came from behind to beat Stoke 2-1 this afternoon to stay in 2nd place in the Championship table. Bournemouth beat Watford 1-0 with 2 players being sent off after a mass brawl deep into injury time. The Cherries move into the playoff places. Swansea lost 3-1 at home to Bristol City which dents their chances of automatic promotion to the PL. Reading beat Rotherham 1-0, Cardiff`s unbeaten run under Mick McCarthy continues after a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough, Luton beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 which leaves the Owls still deep
in relegation trouble, Birmingham beat QPR 2-1, Blackburn drew with Coventry 1-1, Barnsley beat Millwall 2-1 and Preston beat Huddersfield 3-0.

[westcorklad]

Norwich beat bottom club Wycombe 2-0 away this afternoon to go 7 points clear of Brentford at the top of the Championship table. Still a lot of games to be played but at this stage the Canaries are on course for a quick return to the PL. Wycombe are moving closer to the relegation trapdoor.

[westcorklad]

Another great result for Cardiff tonight. They increase their unbeaten run under Mick McCarthy to 10 games after a thumping 4-0 win against Derby. The result lifts the Welsh team back into the playoff places. Reading also maintain their playoff place after a 1-0 win against Blackburn. Notts Forest lost at home to Luton 1-0, Coventry also lost at home to Middlesbrough 2-1, Millwall beat Preston 2-1 and Huddersfield drew with Birmingham 1-1.

[westcorklad]

Following Norwich 1-0 win against Brentford this evening they go 10 points clear of the London team and also Watford who beat bottom club Wycombe 2-0. Swansea got a last minute winner from the penalty spot to beat Stoke 2-1 to stay in 4th place with 2 games in hand over the teams above them. Barnsley beat QPR 3-1, Bournemouth beat Bristol City 2-1 and in the relegation zone clash Rotherham beat their fellow Yorkshire team Sheffield Wednesday by the same score to leave both teams still in danger of facing the drop.

[westcorklad]

Huddersfield drew 0-0 with Cardiff tonight in Mick McCarthy`s 1000th match as a manager. His team are in 7th place a point below the play off places. The Welsh team are still unbeaten under McCarthy although Huddersfield missed a spot kick against them tonight.

[westcorklad]

Swansea drew 1-1 with Blackburn tonight. They stay in 3rd place in the table but are now level on points with Watford with a game in hand over the teams above them. Rovers stay in mid table. QPR beat bottom club Wycombe 1-0 to move into the top half of the table and push Wycombe closer to the relegation trapdoor.

[westcorklad]

Barnsley drew 0-0 with Derby this evening to stay in the playoff places in the Championship. The Rams are still in the lower end of the table and still not sure of avoiding relegation.

[westcorklad]

Brentford beat Blackburn 1-0 away this evening from a penalty early in the 1st half. The result takes the London club up to 2nd place in the table ahead of Watford and Swansea on goal difference although the Welsh club do have a game in hand over the teams around them. Rovers stay in mid table.

[westcorklad]

Cardiff`s unbeaten record under Mick McCarthy came to an end today as Watford got a late injury time goal to win 2-1. The result lifts the Hornets back up to 2nd place in the table on goal difference above Swansea who beat Luton 1-0 with an early Conor Hourihane goal. Barnsley beat Bournemouth 3-2 away which keeps the Yorkshire club in the playoff places along with Reading who drew 1-1 with Notts Forest. Bottom club Wycombe got a rare 1-0 victory against Preston but they will still almost certainly be relegated at the end of the season. Derby lost 1-0 at home to Millwall which leaves the Rams still in danger of dropping into the relegation places as are Birmingham who lost 3-0 at home to Bristol City. Middlesbrough beat Stoke 3-0 which gives them an outside chance of a playoff place. Huddersfield beat QPR 1-0.