Swansea keep up play-off push

Swansea maintained their foothold in the Coca-Cola Championship play-off places with a comfortable 3-1 home win over Barnsley. Paulo Sousa's side have hit bad form at the wrong time, with only one win in their previous eight games, but took the lead when Ashley Williams bundled in a corner and doubled their advantage through Shefki Kuqi. The Tykes were back in business when Darren Moore headed in Iain Hume's corner, only for Darren Pratley to emphatically restore the two-goal margin. Blackpool kept the pressure on the Swans after beating third-placed Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline thanks to Charlie Adam's penalty and Ian Holloway's side kicked off just two points behind Swansea and are breathing down the Welsh side's neck as Charlie Adam's penalty put them ahead before DJ Campbell strike made Joe Garner's header merely a consolation. Leicester also kept their place in the play-off zone after a 4-1 rout of strugglers Watford. Martyn Waghorn's penalty put the Foxes ahead and Paul Gallagher grabbed a stunning second just before the break, but Steve Howard was sent off in stoppage time. Nigel Pearson's side pulled further clear after the interval with goals from Jay Spearing and James Vaughan before Martin Taylor pulled a goal back for the Hornets late on. A late strike from Stern John salvaged a 1-1 draw for Crystal Palace to boost their chances of avoiding relegation, after Russell Anderson's first goal for three years looked to have given Derby the three points they needed to ensure they were mathematically safe. Gary Hooper's hat-trick dramatically boosted Scunthorpe's hopes of staying in the Coca-Cola Championship after a 3-0 victory over play-off chasing Bristol City at Glanford Park. Coventry and Preston drew 1-1 at the Ricoh Arena, North End captain Callum Davidson levelling from the spot after Freddie Eastwood's opener, Joe Ledley's 80th-minute goal earned Cardiff a 1-0 win at QPR, while Dean Shiels' penalty grabbed a point for Doncaster after Connor Wickham had put Ipswich in front at Portman Road.

Source: PA