Football League: Cardiff grab last-gasp draw, Northampton sack Hasselbaink

Championship

• Cardiff City are eight points clear of third-placed Fulham but needed a last-gasp Anthony Pilkington equaliser to earn a point at Sheffield United. Leon Clarke’s deflected first-half opener appeared to be enough to lift the Blades into the top six, and put pressure on Neil Warnock’s side before their game against leaders Wolves on Friday. Instead, Pilkington’s 91st-minute volley extended Cardiff’s unbeaten league run to 13 games, and pushed United back down to ninth.

• Any hope garnered by Sunderland from their Good Friday win over Derby vanished at the Stadium of Light on Easter Monday as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. With six games remaining, Chris Coleman’s side are five points from safety after squandering a chance to register their first back-to-back league wins since November 2016. Goals by Lucas João, Tom Lees and Atdhe Nuhiu sealed the win while Lee Cattermole rattled the post and Barry Bannan appeared to have fouled Lynden Gooch, the Sunderland winger, inside the penalty box.

• They did not make it a magnificent seven consecutive away wins but Millwall remain primed for a tilt at the play-offs after a frenetic 2-2 draw at Ipswich. Neil Harris’s side trailed the top six by 13 points in December but George Saville’s equaliser on the hour mark ensured they sit just a point outside the play-offs. Middlesbrough stay in sixth place after Britt Assombalonga’s 90th-minute equaliser at Burton, his first goal in 15 matches.

• Bristol City missed the chance to climb into the top six with a home loss to Brentford, with Neal Maupay’s goal 10 minutes from time enough to earn Dean Smith’s side three points. In the early-kick-off Derby returned to winning ways at Preston while QPR ran in four goals at home to Norwich City, with Rangers’ Ryan Manning scoring at both ends.

Preston 0-1 Derby, Bristol City 0-1 Brentford, Burton 1-1 Middlesbrough, Ipswich 2-2 Millwall, QPR 4-1 Norwich City, Sunderland 1-3 Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United v Cardiff (19.45), Nottingham Forest P-P Barnsley

League One

• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has parted company with Northampton after the 2-0 defeat to Peterborough with the Cobblers two points from safety. Hasselbaink took over in September 2017 but has failed to find a win in Northampton’s last nine games. Assistant manager Dean Austin will take caretaker charge for the final five games of the season. Oldham climbed out of the bottom four after rallying from a goal down to beat Blackpool.

• An Adam Armstrong double fired Blackburn to top spot with victory over MK Dons, with the on-loan Newcastle striker scoring his 10th and 11th goals for the club. Shrewsbury climbed to second with a 3-2 win over Oxford, while Wigan missed the chance to return to the summit after a 2-1 defeat to Portsmouth, who boosted their own play-off bid in the late match. Joe Aribo scored twice against Rotherham as Charlton Athletic made it three wins from three under their caretaker manager, Lee Bowyer.

Charlton 3-1 Rotherham, Fleetwood 2-0 Bristol Rovers, MK Dons 1-2 Blackburn, Oldham 2-1 Blackpool, Peterborough 2-0 Northampton, Shrewsbury 3-2 Oxford, Southend 4-0 Gillingham, Portsmouth 2-1 Wigan, Bradford P-P Walsall, Doncaster P-P Wimbledon, Scunthorpe P-P Plymouth

League Two

• Eye-catching result of the day came at Coventry, who were humbled 6-2 at home by Yeovil. The Glovers raced into a 3-0 lead after just 15 minutes in a game where four players scored twice. Accrington stay top after a 1-0 win over Notts County, with goalkeeper Aaron Chapman absent after going to hospital as a precaution following a car accident. Exeter, Luton and Wycombe all won while Lincoln City won 1-0 at Carlisle before their Checkatrade Trophy final appearance on Sunday. Elsewhere, Stevenage dented Barnet’s survival hopes with a 4-1 win, and Charlie Kirk’s late equaliser earned Crewe a point against Port Vale.

Accrington 1-0 Notts County, Carlisle 0-1 Lincoln, Coventry 2-6 Yeovil, Crawley 1-1 Swindon, Crewe 2-2 Port Vale, Exeter 2-1 Cheltenham, Forest Green 1-2 Colchester, Luton 2-1 Mansfield, Stevenage 4-1 Barnet, Wycombe 2-1 Grimsby, Chesterfield P-P Newport, Morecambe P-P Cambridge