Saints humbled in Championship race

Last updated : 26 November 2011 By AFP

Cardiff took full advantage, beating visitors Nottingham Forest 1-0, as did West Ham who closed in on Southampton with a 3 - 1 win over Derby in Saturday's late match.

At Ashton Gate, Ghana midfielder Albert Adomah opened the scoring for Bristol City just after half time and striker Nicky Maynard applied the coup de grace to continue the Robins' impressive revival under new boss Derek McInness.

Former England goalkeeper David James was rarely troubled in the Robins' net.

However, the win was not enough to lift City out of the relegation zone.

In the Welsh capital, Cardiff saw off former European champions Forest thanks to a header from the in-form Joe Mason, who came off the bench to score in the 70th minute.

The Bluebirds, in third place, are now five points behind Southampton in their bid to reach the Premier League for the first time.

Middlesbrough, two points behind Cardiff in fourth, were held to a 1-1 draw at Peterborough, where Paul Taylor curled in an impressive goal with nine minutes left, in what was a clash between the Championship's tightest defence in Boro and leakiest in the Posh.

Visitors Barnsley grabbed their first victory at Elland Road since 1990 as they beat hosts Leeds 2-1 in a Yorkshire derby.

First-half goals from Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te and then Craig Davies were enough for Barnsley, though Ross McCormack's second-half free kick made for a supercharged atmosphere.

Birmingham snatched a 2-2 draw at Blackpool in a battle between two clubs relegated from the top flight last season, with Serbia striker Nikola Zigic coming off the bench to salvage a point with three minutes left at Bloomfield Road.

The point was enough to edge Blackpool into the last play-off spot ahead of Hull, who conceded a last-minute goal to suffer a 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley.

The Tigers had been 2-0 up with 12 minutes to go before a brace from Canada defender David Edgar and a winner from Jay Rodriguez condemned former England midfielder Nick Barmby to his first defeat as Hull's caretaker manager.

Leicester's David Nugent returned to haunt Portsmouth, the former Pompey striker scoring an impressive equaliser in a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park to spoil Michael Appleton's first match in charge of the south coast club.

Portsmouth's Russian owner Vladimir Antonov was granted conditional bail by a London court on Friday as Lithuania tries to extradite him over the collapse of the bank he owns.

Reading grabbed a dramatic 3-2 victory at Ipswich with two goals in the 90th minute to consign the Tractor Boys to their fifth straight Championship defeat.

The Suffolk side had looked set for victory with a 79th-minute goal but Alex Pearce and Josh Hunt struck late to snatch victory for the Royals.

Crystal Palace and Millwall played out a goalless south London derby at Selhurst Park, with Palace missing a second-half penalty.

Brighton extended visitors Coventry's winless streak to eight games with a 2-1 win that leaves the Sky Blues six points from safety in the relegation zone.

Rock-bottom Doncaster held lowly visitors Watford to a goalless draw.

Saturday scores:

Blackpool 2 Birmingham 2 FT
Crainey 31 
Eardley 57 
King 29 
Zigic 87 
 
Attend: 13,436
Half-time: 1-1  
 
 
Brighton 2 Coventry 1 FT
Keogh og 7 
Vincelot 37 
Gardner 9   
Attend: 19,108
Half-time: 2-1  
 
 
Bristol City 2 Southampton 0 FT
Adomah 48 
Maynard 84 
   
Attend: 16,346
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Cardiff 1 Nottm Forest 0 FT
Mason 70     
Attend: 22,556
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Crystal Palace 0 Millwall 0 FT
Attend: 15,150
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Doncaster 0 Watford 0 FT
Attend: 7,650
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Hull 2 Burnley 3 FT
Fryatt 11 , 55  Edgar 78 , 82 
Rodriguez 90 
 
Attend: 20,238
Half-time: 1-0  
 
 
Ipswich 2 Reading 3 FT
Murphy 56 
Carson 79 
Gorkss 76 
Pearce 90 
Hunt 90 
 
Attend: 17,154
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Leeds 1 Barnsley 2 FT
McCormack 55  Vaz Te 27 
Davies 43 
 
Attend: 25,900
Half-time: 0-2  
 
 
Peterborough 1 Middlesbrough 1 FT
Taylor 81  Bates 54   
Attend: 10,013
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
Portsmouth 1 Leicester 1 FT
Norris 68  Nugent 74   
Attend: 14,391
Half-time: 0-0  
 
 
West Ham 3 Derby 1 FT
Cole 44 
Nolan 64 
Noble pen 74 
Priskin 34   
Attend: 27,864
Half-time: 1-1  
 

Source: AFP