Wolves secured promotion to The Premier League as Birmingham edged closer to joining them.
Wolves 1-0 QPR
Top-scorer Sylvan Ebanks-Blake ensured that Wolves will be playing in the Premier League next season after his solitary goal was enough to see off QPR.
QPR started brightly with Jordi Lopez wasted a good early chance to give them the lead when he miss-kicked in the box from Wayne Routledge’s cross.
David Edwards then saw a couple of chances fall his way to give the home side the lead, one of which was palmed away by Radek Cerny.
However, Ebanks-Blake scored from close range within a minute of the restart, while QPR tried their best to upset the party with Rowan Vine hitting the bar and Heidar Helguson being thwarted when through one-on-one.
Charlton 2-2 Blackpool
Charlton will be playing in the third tier of English football for the first time since 1981 after Lee Hughes equalised in the third minute of stoppage time to help Blackpool snatch a point after being two goals down.
Charlton began nervously but could have gone in at half time ahead had Paul Rachubka not pulled off a good save to deny Lloyd Sam when he was through on goal.
However, things improved after the break when Sam crossed for Deon Burton to head home on 47 minutes and within 90 seconds Jonjo Shelvey had doubled the advantage.
Hearts were in the mouths of Charlton fans on 67 minutes when DJ Campbell reduced Blackpool’s arrears from the penalty spot and Hughes completed the comeback.
Preston 6-0 Cardiff
Preston maintained their push towards the play-offs after hitting Cardiff for six at Deepdale, ending the away side’s automatic promotion ambitions in the process.
Jay Bothroyd wasted two early chances to give Cardiff the lead before Preston went ahead when Neil Mellor’s deflected shot trickled over the line.
Mellor then doubled the lead, his tenth of the season in the league, after deflecting in Paul McKenna’s drilled shot across goal, with Ross McCormack wasting the chance to throw the visitors a lifeline when his penalty was saved.
Cardiff’s day got worse five minutes after the interval when Jon Parkin made it three before Mark Kennedy headed into his own net and substitute Chris Brown and Lee Williamson added late goals.
Watford 0-1 Birmingham
Cameron Jerome took just three minutes to make an impact as his goal kept Birmingham’s automatic promotion push on track.
Watford came into the game on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run at Vicarage Road, but could have easily been behind in the first half with Garry O’Connor particularly wasteful in front of goal.
But after Kevin Phillips and Cameron Jerome were introduced into proceedings after the hour mark, the latter gave the visitors the lead when he cut in from the left and saw his shot find the net after taking a big deflection
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Southampton
A double from Luke Varney has left Southampton staring in the face of relegation as they now have two games to try and save themselves.
Sheffield Wednesday came into the game on the back of a two-game losing streak and Varney wasted a good chance to put them ahead early on when he fired high and wide following Francis Jeffers’s incisive pass.
However, the on loan Charlton striker made amends on 24 minutes after good work in the build up by Sean McAllister to give the home side their first goal in four home games.
Varney then doubled the advantage with 17 minutes remaining as he capitalised on some confusion in the Saints’ defence to easily slot home.
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Coventry
James Perch gave Nottingham Forest a major boost in their battle against relegation as his goal early in the second half proved enough to sink Coventry.
It was Coventry that caused more of the problems early on with the long throws of Aron Gunnarsson failing to be decisively cleared by the Forest defence, while at the other end Luke Chambers headed against the bar.
Within a minute of the second half getting underway Forest went ahead when Perch side-footed home his third of the season following good work from Dexter Blackstock.
Forest continued to have the better of things after the goal with Chris Cohen one of those going close to doubling the lead.
Plymouth 0-3 Doncaster
John Spicer set Doncaster on their way to halting their recent poor run of form as they completed a routine victory at Plymouth, who will be looking worryingly over their shoulders towards the relegation places.
Plymouth came into the game on a decent run having picked up seven points from the last nine available, but fell behind when Spicer took his chance from ten yards on 15 minutes.
And things got worse for Paul Sturrock’s men on 33 minutes when substitute James Hayter headed home his third goal in four games from Gareth Roberts’ cross.
Paul Heffernan rounded off the win on 70 minutes when he finished from close range after being set up by James Chambers.
Swansea 1-0 Bristol City
Garry Monk’s first goal in over a year was the difference as Swansea continued their surge towards the play-offs against Bristol City.
Swansea played some entertaining football early on but it was a set play that enabled them to take the lead when Monk scored his first goal since December 2007 through heading in Andrea Orlandi’s corner at the near post.
Top-scorer Jason Scotland and Jordi Gomez both failed to take advantage of chances to double the lead, while at the other end Dele Adebola could only head wide from close range.
Crystal Palace 1-1 Derby
Substitute Emanuel Villa proved to be Derby’s hero as he scored six minutes from time to earn a point against ten-man Crystal Palace.
After a quiet first half the game came to life on the hour mark when Palace were reduced to ten men when Victor Moses was sent off for a second bookable offence after fouling Mile Sterjovski.
However, within three minutes the ten men found themselves ahead when Shefki Kuqi scored his tenth of the campaign as he lifted the ball over Stephen Bywater on the half-volley.
But after coming of the bench, Villa earned Derby a point when he headed home Lewis Nyatanga’s cross.
Reading 0-0 Barnsley
Reading’s toothless strike-force made it three home games in succession without a goal, as Barnsley picked up a useful point in their battle against the drop
Steve Coppell’s men dominated for much of the opening period with Jay Tabb possibly wasted their best chance when his weak effort was saved by Luke Steele.
At the other end Jon Macken could only shoot over when he was put through, while in the second half Jimmy Kebe and Dave Kitson both wasted good chances to confirm Reading’s play-off place.