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Ipswich Town significantly bolstered their campaign for a Premier League return on Thursday, ascending to second place in the Championship standings following a 2-1 victory over Oxford United.
Goals from Jaden Philogene and Chuba Akpom at Portman Road proved decisive for Kieran McKenna’s side.
The result places the recently relegated Tractor Boys one point ahead of Middlesbrough in the high-stakes battle for automatic promotion, as the club looks to secure back-to-back top-flight transitions.
In contrast, Middlesbrough’s promotion ambitions suffered a setback at Pride Park, where they were defeated 1-0 by Derby County.
Despite dominating possession and creating numerous opportunities, the visitors lacked the clinical finishing required to capitalise.
Bobby Clark exploited this wastefulness, netting a second-half winner that condemned Middlesbrough to their third defeat in four matches, leaving them trailing just outside the automatic qualification spots.
At the top of the table, leaders Coventry City maintained an eight-point cushion despite being held to a 1-1 draw by Charlton Athletic.
Frank Lampard’s side appeared to be in control after an early strike from Ellis Simms, but a resilient Charlton responded through Joe Rankin-Costello, who recorded his first goal for the club, to split the points.
Meanwhile, Watford solidified their hold on fourth place as Tom Ince delivered a standout performance, scoring his first league hat-trick in a decade to secure a 3-0 win over Birmingham City.
The race for the play-offs and the fight for survival also saw significant movement. Millwall dropped out of the top six following a goalless stalemate against a struggling Southampton side, while Preston North End maintained their play-off positioning with a dominant 3-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday.
In the relegation scrap, Norwich City secured a vital 2-1 away win at QPR to move within a single point of safety, while Bristol City dealt a heavy blow to Portsmouth with a 5-0 thrashing.
