Championship: Four from 10? The race for the play-offs hits the home straight

Luton, Sheffield United, QPR and West Brom are all still in the hunt for a play-off place

Following the conclusion of the last international break of the season the Championship campaign resumes on Friday, with the race for the play-offs still looking wide open.

Runaway league leaders Fulham have a 16-point advantage over third-placed Luton and second-placed Bournemouth look well-set to take the other automatic promotion spot.

So, with the top two looking pretty sewn up (famous last words), BBC Sport takes a look at the runners and riders desperately trying to claim positions three to six, as we head into an exciting and hectic end to the second tier season.

You can let us know who you think will claim a play-off spot in the comments section.

3RD - LUTON TOWN

63 points from 38 games

The story so far: One of the division's surprise packages this season, the Hatters are enjoying a remarkable campaign.

Nathan Jones' men went over a full calendar month without playing a league game between 11 December and 15 January because of Covid-related cancellations, but when they returned to Championship action they hit the ground running.

A 3-2 home victory over Bournemouth was the catalyst for a run of form that has now seen them win 11 of their past 15 league games.

Jones described going third after their 3-1 win at Hull City last time out as "utopia". He will now hope they can finish the job to give them a shot at a first ever promotion to the Premier League and a return to the top flight for the first time since 1992.

Key fixture: The Hatters do not have a kind run-in it has to be said, with four of their remaining eight games against teams in the top 10. They travel to fellow play-off hopefuls Huddersfield on Monday, 11 April and a win there would understandably be huge.

4TH - HUDDERSFIELD TOWN

63 points from 39 games

Huddersfield forward Danny Ward has scored 13 goals this season, having bagged just one in 2020-21

The story so far: Again, like Luton, few would have predicted that Huddersfield would be in this position heading into the final matches of the season.

Spanish boss Carlos Corberan has done an excellent job in turning the team's fortunes around after a difficult first campaign in West Yorkshire.

The Terriers have, basically, spent the whole campaign in and around the top six and even went as high as second during their recent 17-match unbeaten run.

Sadly for them that came to an end with a 2-0 reverse at in-form Millwall before a humbling 3-0 home defeat by Bournemouth last time out.

Can they find a second wind?

Key fixture: Town are involved in the weekend's first game when they travel to Hull City on Friday. A victory there would end a run of successive defeats and boost their lead over seventh place to seven points, albeit having played three games more.

5TH - SHEFFIELD UNITED

61 points from 38 games

The story so far: It's been, excuse the pun, a heck of a ride for Blades fans this season.

Manager Slavisa Jokanovic was appointed in the summer after relegation from the Premier League last season, boasting two promotions to the top flight on his CV.

However, it never really felt like a good fit and he was sacked in November and replaced by Paul Heckingbottom, who had ended last season in caretaker charge of the side.

Heckingbottom has overseen a massive turnaround in terms of form, even if they've found it slightly harder going of late with injuries threatening to curtail their charge for the play-offs.

The goals of veteran striker/skipper/legend Billy Sharp will be key in the closing weeks.

Key fixture: Their home record under Heckingbottom has been terrific. They welcome fellow play-off hopefuls QPR to Bramall Lane on Tuesday, 5 April in what could prove to be a top six six-pointer.

6TH - BLACKBURN ROVERS

61 points from 39 games

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray shows his frustration during their recent 1-0 defeat at struggling Reading

The story so far: A fairly solid but unremarkable start to the campaign was punctuated by a club-record 7-0 home reverse by Fulham in November.

From there, boosted by the goals of Chile star Ben Brereton Diaz, Rovers went on a superb run of form until the turn of the year to rapidly ascend into automatic promotion contention.

That's where things get tricky though.

Since we said goodbye to 2021 and hello to 2022, Blackburn's record has been nothing short of abysmal.

They have won just four of their 15 matches this year and, worse still, scored only six goals in that period. Brereton Diaz has missed the last seven games with injury and Rovers fans will be desperately hoping he can return to fitness and form as soon as possible.

Key fixture: They welcome Lancashire rivals Blackpool to Ewood Park on Saturday, 9 April. The Tangerines, in 13th, will feel they still have an outside chance of a top-six finish, despite missing the cut for this piece, and it's a game that would give Rovers players and fans a huge confidence boost should they prevail.

7TH - MIDDLESBROUGH

59 points from 37 games

The story so far: Boro made a competent start to the season under veteran boss Neil Warnock.

That wasn't enough for owner Steve Gibson though and he made the decision to sack the 72-year-old before a 1-1 draw at West Brom in October, with Warnock taking the game and then telling reporters after the match that he had been removed.

It has to be said, it looks like a masterstroke.

Chris Wilder did a superb job in breathing new life into Sheffield United and taking them from League One to the Premier League. He's on the way to being just as loved on Teesside.

A run to the FA Cup quarter-finals, where they lost to Chelsea, has been a bit of a distraction but now they have nine league games in five weeks to secure a play-off berth. On current form, few would back against them pulling it off.

Key fixture: Although their home record has been sensational they've been less impressive on the road, including a recent 4-1 reverse at the Blades. They travel to Bournemouth on Good Friday and victory over the Cherries would send a real statement to the other play-off hopefuls.

Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder has won 13 of his 24 games in charge of Middlesbrough

8TH - QUEENS PARK RANGERS

59 points from 38 games

The story so far: The R's made a bright start to the season before a run of five wins in seven saw them end January just two points off the automatic promotion places.

However, the 4-0 win over Reading on 29 January was the last time striker Lyndon Dykes scored and he has not featured since 15 February because of injury.

It's been a tough run without their 13-goal top scorer and they have fallen to defeats by struggling Barnsley and Peterborough in the past two months.

Dykes returned to action for Scotland in midweek and Mark Warburton will hope he can hit the ground running to fire his charges back into top six contention.

Key fixture: The R's have lost four of their past five, including a humbling 3-1 home defeat by the Posh last time out. They host Fulham on Saturday and, while the Whites might be miles clear atop the table, they're not in great form themselves. A home win, before a run of three tough-looking away games, could be just what the doctor ordered.

9TH - NOTTINGHAM FOREST

58 points from 36 games

Middlesbrough loanee Djed Spence has been in terrific form for Nottingham Forest

The story so far: Forest looked to be in danger of exiting the division through the trapdoor after a disastrous start to the campaign under Chris Hughton where they took just a single point from their first seven games.

He was replaced by former Swansea boss Steve Cooper in September and the turnaround since his appointment has been nothing short of miraculous.

Loanees James Garner, Djed Spence and Keinan Davis have all played pivotal roles, while Wales international Brennan Johnson has enjoyed a breakthrough season after spending 2020-21 with Lincoln City.

The Reds also dumped Arsenal and local rivals Leicester City out of the FA Cup before falling to a narrow quarter-final defeat by Liverpool. That means they now face a punishing run of 10 games in five weeks to end the season.

On form you'd expect them to get over the line but it might not be that straightforward.

Key fixture: Forest were VERY unhappy when their trip to Bournemouth was postponed at short notice in February because of Storm Eunice. They will now make the trip to the south coast on the Tuesday of the final week of the season. The Cherries will hope to have promotion sorted by then so the Reds might end up benefitting from the original postponement after all.

10TH - MILLWALL

57 points from 38 games

Millwall boss Gary Rowett is looking to lead the Lions into the second tier play-offs for the first time since 2001-02

The story so far: It looked likely to be another season of mid-table safety for the Lions before a run of five successive wins propelled them up the table through February and into March.

Gary Rowett's men are tough to beat, with just 36 goals conceded from their 38 games, but it could ultimately be their lack of cutting edge that ends up counting against them in the final push.

They failed to register a shot of any kind in a recent 0-0 draw at Blackburn and fell to a 2-0 defeat at out-of-sorts Stoke in their previous game to end their eight-match unbeaten run with a bit of a whimper.

Key fixture: The Lions actually have a very attractive looking run-in compared to some of the other challengers. Of their eight remaining games six are against teams in the bottom half. That said, they return to action with a tricky looking trip to Luton on Saturday and, given they're already four points off the top six, can ill-afford to lose further ground.

11TH - COVENTRY CITY

55 points from 38 games

The story so far: The Sky Blues made a brilliant start to the campaign, as they marked their return to their home city.

They were third in the table after a dominant 4-1 win over now runaway league leaders Fulham at the start of October.

Mark Robins' men have struggled to keep up that early-season consistency since. They recently hammered Sheffield United 4-1 at home before losing 2-0 to struggling Hull City in front of their own fans just three days later.

It's a tough ask to make up a six-point gap to the play-offs, but if they miss out their fans must surely see it as a campaign of progress nonetheless.

Key fixture: They host out-of-form Blackburn on Saturday before a run of three away games in 11 days, including trips to Nottingham Forest and Fulham. Realistically they have to beat Rovers to keep their play-off hopes alive.

Viktor Gyokeres has scored 13 goals in 37 league appearances for Coventry this season

12TH - WEST BROM

54 points from 38 games

The story so far: Where do you even begin with this?

The Baggies made a decent start to life back in the second tier under new boss Valerien Ismael but the wheels fell off after a 1-0 home win over Reading on 11 December.

They won just one of the following 12 games, a run which saw the unpopular Ismael sacked and replaced by Championship promotion specialist Steve Bruce without any immediate change in fortunes.

Two wins and two draws from their past four, including a 1-0 home win over leaders Fulham, has given fans some hope of at least being in the equation going into the final weeks but it looks highly improbable.

For a team who many expected to bounce straight back up this looks like being a season to forget.

Key fixture: Realistically they're probably going to have to win at least seven of their remaining eight games to stand any chance, so... all of them.