Thanks to Preston beating Swansea, Cardiff were able to move up a place and go 3rd on goal difference. The win was crucial for City as Norwich showed no signs of letting go of 2nd spot with a 6 - 0 home win over rapidly sinking Scunthorpe.
I must aplogise because last week I said Norwich were away at Scunthorpe when of course the game was at Carrow Rd.
The Leaders QPR play tonight against Sheffield Utd at Loftus Rd. With Sheff Utd fighting for the Championship survival it might be a closer game than it looks on paper.
The teams in 5th and 6th met and it was Leeds who triumphed with a 4 - 1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Forest have now dropped out of the play off places with Reading moving into 6th spot. Forest have won just once in the last 11 games (against Cardiff) and are in freefall. Reading on the other hand have won five out of thier last six League games with Shane Long scoring seven times in those six games. Reading entertain Preston tomorrow and could move to within three points of Cardiff with a victory.
Teams as far down as Ipswich in 15th place will be thinking they could still mathematically catch a play off place with a decent run but realistically there are too many teams for Ipswich, Bristol City and Portsmouth to overtake. A Reading home win tomorrow could virtually knock out Leciester, Hull and Watford's ambitions.
At the bottom it's goodnight Scunthorpe. Eight points adrift and not looking remotely likely to make a fight of it. Sheff Utd and Preston are starting to run out of games.
The League table looks like this before the QPR game with Sheff Utd tonight:
| Home | Away | Overall | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Team | Pl | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | EP |
| 1 | Queens Park Rangers | 38 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 38 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 22 | 11 | 21 | 13 | 4 | 60 | 23 | 76 | +37 |
| 2 | Norwich City | 39 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 25 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 28 | 22 | 19 | 13 | 7 | 68 | 47 | 70 | +21 |
| 3 | Cardiff City | 39 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 36 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 28 | 27 | 19 | 9 | 11 | 64 | 47 | 66 | +17 |
| 4 | Swansea City | 39 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 29 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 10 | 25 | 29 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 54 | 38 | 66 | +16 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 39 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 44 | 32 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 29 | 17 | 13 | 9 | 73 | 61 | 64 | +12 |
| 6 | Reading | 38 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 23 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 62 | 42 | 60 | +20 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 39 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 30 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 19 | 24 | 15 | 15 | 9 | 49 | 39 | 60 | +10 |
| 8 | Millwall | 39 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 32 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 20 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 52 | 40 | 57 | +12 |
| 9 | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 33 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 21 | 22 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 54 | 48 | 57 | +6 |
| 10 | Watford | 39 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 33 | 30 | 15 | 11 | 13 | 68 | 56 | 56 | +12 |
| 11 | Hull City | 39 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 27 | 26 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 42 | 39 | 56 | +3 |
| 12 | Leicester City | 39 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 35 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 24 | 37 | 16 | 8 | 15 | 59 | 59 | 56 | 0 |
| 13 | Portsmouth | 39 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 20 | 29 | 15 | 9 | 15 | 50 | 50 | 54 | 0 |
| 14 | Bristol City | 39 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 25 | 25 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 29 | 15 | 8 | 16 | 51 | 54 | 53 | -3 |
| 15 | Ipswich Town | 39 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 27 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 23 | 15 | 7 | 17 | 50 | 50 | 52 | 0 |
| 16 | Barnsley | 39 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 25 | 18 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 20 | 39 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 45 | 57 | 47 | -12 |
| 17 | Coventry City | 39 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 19 | 26 | 12 | 9 | 18 | 43 | 50 | 45 | -7 |
| 18 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 31 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 18 | 27 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 49 | 57 | 45 | -8 |
| 19 | Derby County | 39 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 29 | 23 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 34 | 12 | 8 | 19 | 49 | 57 | 44 | -8 |
| 20 | Doncaster Rovers | 39 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 23 | 26 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 26 | 42 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 49 | 68 | 44 | -19 |
| 21 | Crystal Palace | 39 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 26 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 41 | 11 | 9 | 19 | 39 | 60 | 42 | -21 |
| 22 | Sheffield United | 38 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 21 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 31 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 34 | 59 | 35 | -25 |
| 23 | Preston North End | 38 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 21 | 33 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 23 | 33 | 8 | 10 | 20 | 44 | 66 | 34 | -22 |
| 24 | Scunthorpe United | 39 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 18 | 40 | 10 | 4 | 25 | 33 | 74 | 34 | -41 |