Bolton Wanderers have moved out of the Championship relegation zone courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Barnsley this afternoon.
A first-half brace from Gary Madine helped the Trotters to just the third win of the season, climbing from the foot of the table and up to 22nd place, while Barnsley drop a place to 19th and just three points above the dropzone.
After a disastrous start to the season, Phil Parkinson's side have begun to find form in recent weeks and have now lost just once in their last nine league outings - a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.
Wolves, who play on Monday night at Midlands rivals Birmingham City, remain on top of the table with a one-point advantage over Cardiff City, who claimed a 3-1 win over Norwich City last night.
Sheffield United missed the chance to close the gap on Neil Warnock's side to three points as they fell to a surprise 3-1 defeat away at Millwall, who move up two places to 17th.
Derby County moved up to fifth thanks to a late effort from Johnny Russell in their derby with Burton Albion, while Ipswich Town defeated Nottingham Forest 4-2 at Portman Road to go seventh and inch nearer to the playoffs.
Hull City managed to claim a point from their trip to Sheffield Wednesday and stave off some pressure on manager Leonid Slutsky, with skipper Michael Dawson being called upon in the fifth minute of injury time to salvage a 2-2 draw.
Elsewhere, Preston North End claimed a slender victory over Queens Park Rangers courtesy of Jordan Hugill's strike two minutes from time, and Brentford moved into the top half of the table with a 3-1 victory over Fulham, who drop down to 15th.
Sunderland's long winless run in front of their home fans edged closer to a full year as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against Reading, a result that saw them drop to 23rd and two points from safety.
Championship results in full: Bolton Wanderers 3-1 Barnsley, Brentford 3-1 Fulham, Derby County 1-0 Burton Albion, Ipswich Town 4-2 Nottingham Forest, Millwall 3-1 Sheffield United, Preston North End 1-0 Queens Park Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday 2-2 Hull City, Sunderland 1-3 Reading
Neil Wilkes
