Championship football as it happened

1. Seven of the top eight teams win
2. Derby still two points clear of Middlesbrough
3. Toral hat-trick for Brentford sinks Blackpool
4. Malky Mackay's Wigan lose 1-0 to Cardiff

So while a Luis Suarez-inspired Barcelona were busy humbling Manchester City at the Etihad, the goals were flying in all over the place up and down the country in the Football League.

However, all good things must come to an end, and it is indeed time to bid you farewell. But thanks for your company this evening, we've enjoyed every minute of a fun-packed programme of domestic fixtures.

Until next time, goodnight.

Tonight's headlines

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Derby County end tonight exactly where they started it - at the top of the Championship table - thanks to a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to Charlton Athletic.

It was less routine for second-placed Middlesbrough at the Riverside, but Aitor Karanka's side got the job done with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bolton.

Among the chasing pack, Ipswich Town recorded an eye-catching 4-2 victory over Birmingham, Norwich City came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1 and Watford eased to a 3-0 success over Rotherham United.

Seven of the top eight teams in the Championship won. The other, Bournemouth, don't play until tomorrow. The Cherries have a tough act to follow.

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Darren Campbell: If there's one thing tonight proves, the current top eight in the Championship are clearly a cut above the rest. Fascinating run-in.

Couldn't agree more...

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Accrington - and third-placed Wycombe - seem pretty pleased with tonight's result in League Two.

Leaders Burton Albion lost 1-0 to Josh Windass's first-half goal for Stanley. Wycombe, five points behind Burton with a game in hand, expressed their thanks for assisting their title chances.

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Fulham manager Kit Symons told BBC Sport: "To say that was frustrating is an understatement. I'm fuming. We looked by far the better side and had a stonewall penalty for handball turned down at 1-0. But you can't concede goals like that and still hope to win games. To go in at 3-0, it then becomes a mountain to climb."

How it stands at the bottom

BBC

It's a similar tale at the other end of the table, with each of the bottom three sides losing. Blackpool's goal difference of -37 isn't looking too clever, is it?

A notable mention for Brighton, however, who moved up to 18th with a solid victory over Leeds.

Wolves defender Scott Golbourne: Another top win!!

After winning 5-0 at the weekend, Wolves beat Fulham 3-0 at Molineux to continue their push for the play-offs.

How it stands at the top

BBC

An exciting night of Championship football, with 32 goals across our 11 matches, but it's pretty much as you were for the top six.

Ipswich Town are the only movers, leapfrogging Bournemouth into third, with the Cherries not in action until tomorrow night when they visit Nottingham Forest.

Brentford are a point behind the play-off places in seventh, while Wolves are four points further back in eighth.

Burton missed the chance to extend their lead at the top of League Two to six points tonight, as they went down 1-0 at Accrington.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth came from 2-0 down in the last 15 minutes to beat Tranmere 3-2 in a thriller at Fratton Park, while it finished goalless in the division's other game between Cambridge and Wimbledon.

BBC Sport's Ian Westbrook at Griffin Park: "Totally one-sided game at Griffin Park, where only poor finishing, bad luck and great goalkeeping by Blackpool's Joe Lewis kept the score down to four. It was a surreal atmosphere that felt like training match at times, but there was delight all round the ground when Jon Toral completed his hat-trick."

A good night for the teams at the top of League One as leaders Bristol City recorded a 3-1 victory over Doncaster, while Swindon overcame Bradford City 2-1.

Preston sealed three points against Walsall with a 1-0 win, while Sheffield United sealed a 2-1 win against Rochdale.

Barnsley came out on top with a 1-0 away win at Scunthorpe United.

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Norwich midfielder Elliott Bennett on Twitter: Massive win! Boys are on fire at the minute. That #YellowTrain steaming through different cities!

Next up for Norwich, who have won five in a row in the Championship, is a local derby with Ipswich on Sunday.

FULL-TIME

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Bradley Johnson's screamer has won it for Norwich City. Alex Baptiste had put Blackburn ahead in the first half, but Cameron Jerome and Johnson turned the match on its head after the break.

FULL-TIME

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A comfortable win for the hosts keeps up their push for the play-offs courtesy of a Jon Toral hat-trick.

Andre Gray got the other, and as Toral will get many of the headlines tomorrow, here's a picture of Gray's goal.

FULL-TIME

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Watford wrap up a comfortable 3-0 victory over Rotherham United, after two Odion Ighalo goals, plus another from Troy Deeney.

There was even time for Almen Abdi to hit Adam Collin's left-hand post in the fifth minute of injury time, but it mattered not.

FULL-TIME

A disappointing night for struggling Millwall, who remain in trouble and in the relegation zone after conceding three second-half goals to Sheffield Wednesday.

FULL-TIME

The Molineux side just love scoring goals at the minute and despite a tepid second half, Wolves hold on to seal three points and carry on their play-off push.

FULL-TIME

After a nervy last few minutes for Middlesbrough with a seemingly endless amount of corners from Bolton which result in nothing for the visitors, the hosts hold on to seal three points.

FULL-TIME

And Cardiff City have indeed held on at the DW Stadium, with Aron Gunnarsson's 20th-minute strike the difference between the sides.

GOAL

Diego Fabbrini controls the ball and fires past Chris Kirkland, but it's no more than a consolation for Millwall.

FULL-TIME

In-form Leeds are beaten by Brighton goals either side of half-time from Sam Baldock and Inigo Calderon.

FULL-TIME

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The whistle goes at Portman Road and Ipswich have secured an important win that sees them move up to third in the table, until tomorrow at least. Birmingham kept fighting to the end and had the ball in the net through Nikola Zigic deep into stoppage time but the goal was disallowed for offside.

Gary Rowett's men have scored five goals in their last two away games but come away from both of them without any points. They remain without a win since 10 January.

Freddie Sears will take the plaudits for the hosts though as his clinical brace was the difference between the sides tonight.

GOAL

And Jon Toral gets a hat-trick after a scramble in the box from a Brentford corner allows the midfielder to finish from close range.

Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall has produced another magnificent save to keep the score at 1-0, brilliantly keeping Bo-Kyung Kim's effort out. Into four minutes of stoppage time.

After breaking on the counter, Middlesbrough's Lee Tomlin wins a free-kick and after insisting to his teammates that he takes it, the striker hits the bar. Still no goal in an end-to-end second half, though.

FULL-TIME

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Derby County will hold onto top spot in the Championship after absolutely cruising to a 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic.

Rams goalkeeper Lee Grant was rarely troubled, which is probably why he's looking so chuffed here.

GOAL

After a mistake by Birmingham, Daryl Murphy has his initial shot saved by Darren Randolph but Kevin Bru is there to slot home.

That, you'd think, should be that.

GOAL

Big, big goal for Norwich City. And what a strike that is from Bradley Johnson. He hits a terrific, left-footed strike from 25 yards into the top corner. The Canaries have come from behind and they know how important a win here would be. Could be five straight wins for the Canaries.

Empics

BBC Sport's Ged Scott at Molineux: "This game appears to be drifting towards a 3-0 home win at Molineux following that late first-half Bakary Sako double salvo. Apart from one smart save by Marcus Bettinelli to deny Benik Afobe, the second half has been, in all honesty, a rather flat affair. Even the attempts to create an atmosphere by the few chanters on the South Bank have been somewhat dirge-like!"

Bolton are leaving it late to find something from this game but young Zach Clough comes close to levelling. His clever run into the box comes to nothing. Neil Lennon has just thrown on Adam Le Fondre on in the hope of going home with a point.

Can Middlesbrough hold on?

GOAL

Stevie May slides the ball under the onrushing David Forde to extend Sheffield Wednesday's lead. Surely too late for a Millwall comeback, now.

Big chances at both ends as first Birmingham's Lee Novak can't quite get a touch on Nikola Zigic's centre, and then Blues goalkeeper Darren Randolph is forced into action again to deny Daryl Murphy.

This situation is a familiar one for Birmingham. Just as in Saturday's seven-goal thriller at Brighton, Gary Rowett's side have twice tonight pulled a goal back when they've been two goals down. They certainly haven't given this one up just yet, and the towering Nikola Zigic has been brought on to help with their late push for an equaliser. Can Ipswich see this one out?

It's changes all round as Neil Lennon throws on some fresh legs in Zach Clough for Eidur Gudjohnsen, in the hope that Bolton can find a late equaliser. A frustrating night in front of goal for Patrick Bamford is ended by Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka, who replaces him for Kike, while Adam Reach is replaced by Adam Forshaw.

Cardiff City have goalkeeper David Marshall to thank for keeping their one-goal advantage intact, the former Celtic and Norwich man diving full-length to keep Harry Maguire's low drive out.

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Daniel Tozser has been Watford's nearly man this evening, this time whipping a 25-yard free-kick just wide of Adam Collin's left-hand upright.

GOAL

Back come Birmingham and it's a second goal of the game for Blues midfielder David Davis, who gets on the end of a knockdown and finishes well from the edge of the box. Game on again at Portman Road.

GOAL

Huddersfield are enjoying themselves now. Ishmael Miller scores his first goal for the club and it's a lovely, lobbed finish from just inside the box. You can't see any way back for Reading now.

GOAL

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The visitors double their lead through Atdhe Nuhiu as the big striker takes a touch in the box before finishing nicely from eight yards.

It's the final countdown...

We've now had goals in all 11 of our Championship matches tonight. But what late drama do we have ahead of us?

We're into the final quarter in each of our second-tier games.

While that flurry of Championship goals was going on, both Bristol City and Swindon Town were pegged back to 2-1 in their respective League One matches.

Curtis Main halved Doncaster's deficit against leaders City, while Billy Clarke scored for Bradford against third-placed Swindon.

Aaron Wilbraham has eased Bristol City's nerves though - they now lead 3-1.

Elsewhere, Barnsley lead 1-0 at Scunthorpe and Rochdale have got a goal back against Sheffield United, meaning they trail 2-1 to the Blades at Spotland.

The Rams are still seeking a third and killer goal against Charlton. They've had a couple of half chances to put the match to bed since the break, but nothing too much to speak of. Into the final 20 minutes.

GOAL

Wes Hoolahan turns and crosses in the box and Cameron Jerome is unmarked at the far post. The substitute slots home through the legs of the goalkeeper to level things at Ewood Park. How big a goal could that be, in the race for the play-offs? Or indeed automatic promotion...

Bolton almost find a leveller but Dorian Dervite is unlucky to see his effort just cleared off the goalline.

GOAL

Leeds' good run is set to come to an end tonight. Excellent work down the Brighton left from Beram Kayal, whose shot is parried onto Inigo Calderon and into the net.

GOAL

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He hadn't scored for Mick McCarthy's side at Portman Road before tonight - now he has two. Freddie Sears restores the home side's two-goal cushion with another confident finish past Darren Randolph after sprinting clear once again. Birmingham just haven't dealt with his pace tonight.

Watford are on the charge here. Tommie Hoban almost scores a fourth Hornets goal, but his shot from the left of the Rotherham penalty area goes just over the bar.

George Friend pulls the ball back for Patrick Bamford to somehow miss the target from close range again. Not the youngster's night so far.

GOAL

Nahki Wells taps in for Huddersfield after Adam Federici could only parry an effort from Jacob Butterfield. The hosts could be heading for a spot in the top half of the table tonight.

The goalscorer is replaced moments later by substitute James Vaughan.

GOAL

Poor old Blackpool. All over at Griffin Park and Brentford could be heading back into the top six if things stay like this. Andre Gray adds a third, scoring at the second attempt after Joe Lewis kept out his first shot.

GOAL

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Oh no, this has been a horrible three-minute spell for Adam Collin.

This time Miguel Layun's shot is straight at the Rotherham keeper - but again it's too hot to handle and Odion Ighalo has a simple finish from close range. Game, set and match Watford.

GOAL

After spell of Millwall pressure, Sheffield Wednesday go straight up the other end and Lewis McGugan puts the visitors in front as he slides the ball home from close range.

GOAL

David Davis gets Birmingham back into it. Just when it looked as though Ipswich could run away with this game, Paul Caddis does well down the right flank and finds the midfielder in the centre, who heads home with a clinical finish. Game on.

GOAL

Troy Deeney has bagged his 13th goal of the season to put Watford up - but again there's a hint of an error from Rotherham.

Daniel Toszer's free-kick from distance is straight at Adam Collin, but the goalkeeper, who has been excellent on the whole tonight, can only parry the ball out and Troy Deeney converts from close range.

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

Pippa Sundquist: Who needs Messi - we've got Massi! Luongo double hopefully sending Swindon back towards the top where we belong! #stfc #coyr

Conference strugglers AFC Telford United have conceded the opening goal at Grimsby just after half-time.

Bad news for their modest away support at Blundell Park...

@telfordutd

GOAL

A long ball from Tommy Smith is collected by Freddie Sears, who finds himself clear of the defence and confidently slots past an indecisive Darren Randolph.

The goal came just moments after a Daryl Murphy far-post header had struck the bar for the hosts. They look good value for their two-goal lead now.

KICK-OFF

Here we go again then. We're under way up and down the country once more. We've had 14 Championship goals in the first half, how many more will we be treated to in the second period?

Beast Mode On? Not quite - AFC Wimbledon striker Adebayo Akinfenwa has seen a penalty saved by Cambridge goalkeeper Chris Dunn. Still 0-0 there.

Leaders Burton, who could go six points clear at the top tonight, trail 1-0 at improving Accrington, while Tranmere lead Portsmouth by a single goal at Fratton Park.

It remains goalless between Cambridge and AFC Wimbledon in the other game in League Two.

All going well for the sides at the top of League One. Leaders Bristol City are 2-0 up at Doncaster, while Swindon lead by the same scoreline at home to those FA Cup giantkillers Bradford.

Preston are 1-0 ahead against Walsall, while Sheffield United are a goal up at Rochdale.

The other game in the third tier between Scunthorpe and Barnsley is goalless.

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

It's been a busy old evening in the Football League so far.

As things stand, of the sides to begin the night in the top 10, only Norwich City are behind, with everyone else leading at the break.

That means Derby County and Middlesbrough will occupy the top two places if the scores stay as they are, and Brentford will leapfrog the Canaries into the play-off positions.

The question is - will the scores stay as they are? You tell us, using #bbcfootball on Twitter.

HALF-TIME

The hosts are in front at half-time. Albert Adomah's goal separates the sides at the interval but let's not forget the build-up play - the Bolton back line looked shocked that Lee Tomlin was cheeky enough to attempt the pass that sent Adomah clean through.

HALF-TIME

BBC Sport's Ged Scott at Molineux: "It already looks game over. Lively Fulham appeared to have battled back well from conceding an early goal to Danny Batth, but two goals in seven minutes just before the break by Bakary Sako has changed the whole complexion of the evening. The first of them was a belter - a crisp, low left-footed strike. When Sako found the same bottom corner from a narrow angle, this time goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli was at fault, beaten for pace at his near post."

Here are all the half-time scores in the Championship then...

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Norwich City

Brentford 2-0 Blackpool

Brighton 1-0 Leeds United

Derby County 2-0 Charlton Athletic

Huddersfield Town 1-0 Reading

Ipswich Town 1-0 Birmingham City

Middlesbrough 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

Millwall 0-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Watford 1-0 Rotherham United

Wigan Athletic 0-1 Cardiff City

Wolves 3-0 Fulham

HALF-TIME

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Charlton Athletic fans won't like me for saying it, but as things stand Derby County look like their coasting to victory at the iPro Stadium.

Jeff Hendrick and Jesse Lingard have the goals and the Rams are in cruise control.

HALF-TIME

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Ipswich Town lead but their job tonight certainly isn't done yet. Lacking just a little cutting edge in the final third, Birmingham look more than capable of getting back into this one.

The pace of Clayton Donaldson and Wes Thomas has led to some nervous moments for the hosts, but Tyrone Mings' header separates these sides at the break and, on the whole, Ipswich manager Mick McCarthy will feel it is a deserved half-time lead.

It's the visitors' chance to apply the pressure as Janko unleashes a fierce shot from a tight angle, which Dimi Konstantopoulos just about gets the better of.

But then at the other end, Bolton fall asleep at the back and Patrick Bamford somehow misses from a couple of yards out after a frantic goalmouth scramble.

GOAL

And it's Bakary Sako again with a brilliant finish! He's got a foot like a traction engine! The Molineux man puts them 3-0 up right on half time after finishing from an acute angle through Marcus Bettinelli's legs.

Jeff Hendrick is on fire tonight. Derby, who'd stepped off it slightly after going 2-0 up, come so close to scoring again in first-half stoppage time, only for Hendrick's shot from the edge of the area to rattle back off the crossbar.

RED CARD

It goes from bad to worse for bottom club Blackpool as defender Charles Dunne is shown a straight red card for a tackle on Jota. They trail 2-0 at Brentford.

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Stuie Neale: Well I said Swindon needed a win. Our Aussie star doing good!

Two goals from Australia international Massimo Luongo have put Swindon 2-0 up at home to Bradford.

The Latics have the ball in the Cardiff City net - but James McClean is ruled offside and the goal won't stand. It was a smart finish from the Republic of Ireland international too.

Reading midfielder Oliver Norwood almost nets the goal of the season, but his stunning effort from the halfway line is just about tipped away by Alex Smithies. That would have been Beckham-esque!

GOAL

Wonderful from Wolves. A move of more than 20 passes ends with a one-two with Dominic Iorfa and Bakary Sako, who double Wolves' lead with a sublime finish from 20 yards.

An excellent save from Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant - his first of the evening - prevents Chris Solly's near-post strike from getting Charlton back into the match.

BBC Sport's Matt Newsum at Riverside Stadium: "Middlesbrough go ahead. The first signs they were gaining a foothold on the game was the Patrick Bamford chance well saved by Ben Amos. However, Amos had no chance when Lee Tomlin slipped a delicious pass to Albert Adomah, who finished coolly. It's harsh on Bolton, who have defended brilliantly, with ex-Boro man David Wheater playing superbly."

After all that Watford pressure, a couple of Rotherham chances to tell you about. First Matt Derbyshire's shot is well blocked behind for a corner, and then Kari Arnason, at fault for the Hornets' goal, forces Heurelho Gomes into a smart save from the resulting set-piece.

BBC Sport's Ged Scott at Molineux: "Wolves continued where they left off here in Saturday's 5-0 rout of Rotherham by taking the lead after just 10 minutes at Molineux, when Danny Batth met Bakary Sako's near-post corner. But they have not had it all their own way since. Fulham's fancy footwork has helped them weave their way into the penalty box on more than one occasion - and Ross McCormack should have equalised."

Bristol City and Swindon Town have both extended their leads to 2-0, Greg Cunningham netting a penalty for City at Doncaster and Massimo Luongo getting his second of the night for Town against Bradford.

Wowzer, Will Hughes comes so close to putting Derby 3-0 to the good, his curling effort from the edge of the area drifting inches wide with goalkeeper Stephen Henderson well beaten.

Birmingham have responded well since going behind, Lee Novak looping a header wide shortly after David Cotterill had seen his testing shot blocked.

GOAL

You could sense it was coming and Middlesbrough deserve their lead after a sustained spell of pressure in the last five minutes. A terrific piece of play by Lee Tomlin allows Albert Adomah through to coolly finish.

Middlesbrough look the more hungry now as Patrick Bamford forces Ben Amos into a fantastic close-range save from a tight angle.

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Tyrone Mings' goal has certainly livened things up in this one. At one end, Birmingham's Clayton Donaldson broke clear and forced a top save out of Ipswich goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski, before Daryl Murphy almost scored down the other for the home side but his strike hit the side-netting.

Adam Collin is keeping Rotherham in this match at the moment.

Three saves in quick succession, denying Almen Abdi, Troy Deeney and Joel Ekstrand, and Watford are left frustrated that their lead is still so slender.

A relatively action-less first half so far at the Riverside. Middlesbrough's best chance of the night came as some clever link-up play between Adam Reach and Grant Leadbitter allowed Patrick Bamford time to shoot but the striker fired over the bar.

GOAL

Brighton are ahead at the Amex, and it's former Bristol City and West Ham striker Sam Baldock with the simplest of finishes.

Craig Mackail-Smith got clear down the right, sent a low cross to the far post and Baldock can't miss from close range. Well worked by the Seagulls.

GOAL

Tom Cairney's free-kick finds Alex Baptiste, who plants a header past Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy. In-form Norwich are behind.

GOAL

On his 50th appearance for the club, young defender Tyrone Mings heads in Paul Anderson's corner and Mick McCarthy's men lead.

It's going well for the sides at the top of League One - a goal from Daniel Johnson has put Preston North End 1-0 up against Walsall at Deepdale, while Marc McNulty has done likewise for Sheffield United at Rochdale.

But League Two leaders Burton are a goal down at Accrington, for whom Josh Windass has found the net.

GOAL

The goals are really flowing now, aren't they? Iceland international Aron Gunnarsson weaves his way down the left-hand side, cuts inside and places the ball nicely across goal and into the bottom corner.

An excellent run and finish. The Bluebirds lead.

GOAL

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Super Jon Toral gets his second in just two minutes as he enjoys a free header at the back post. It could be a long night for Blackpool.

GOAL

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Oh dear, Kari Arnason won't want to see this one again in a hurry. The ball is worked back to Rotherham's Swedish defender but, under no great pressure, he can only let it slip under his foot and into the path of Odion Ighalo.

In fairness, the Watford man still has plenty to do, but confidently rounds goalkeeper Adam Collin and the Hornets are deservedly ahead.

GOAL

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Jonathan Douglas sets up Jon Toral, who has all the time in the world to put the ball past Joe Lewis from six yards.

A scrappy opening quarter of an hour on a chilly Teesside as both sides get a measure of each other. The hosts are starting to make tracks but are finding it tough to break through a resilient Bolton defence.

A quiet start from both teams at Portman Road, where tonight's visitors Birmingham City haven't won since Boxing Day 2008. The home side have been the most adventurous so far, Daryl Murphy's curling strike the closest either side has come to an opener.

Hot on the heels of the leaders going in front, Swindon Town follow suit against Bradford through Massimo Luongo.

GOAL

Goodness me, this could be a long night for Charlton. Jeff Hendrick, scorer of the first Derby goal tonight, has now turned provider, slipping the ball nicely through to Jesse Lingard, who calmly places a right-footed shot with his instep across goal and into the bottom corner.

The Rams are on the rampage here. Thomas Ince has whipped a delightful, curling effort past goalkeeper Stephen Henderson - but unfortunately for him just past the post as well. Derby are sensing blood.

The Hornets have started brightly against the Millers at Vicarage Road, with Daniel Tozser's effort being blocked away from danger.

GOAL

Jacob Butterfield's free-kick is powered in by Harry Bunn. That was some header, and Adam Federici couldn't get near it.

Leaders Bristol City are in 1-0 front at Doncaster with a goal from Luke Freeman.

GOAL

Danny Batth breaks the deadlock for the Molineux side after he nods home Bakary Sako's corner.

BBC Sport's Ged Scott at Molineux: "Just kicked off on a comparatively balmy evening and on what looks a wonderfully inviting green sward. It's a bit of a contrast to six weeks ago when Wolves and Fulham finished their FA Cup third-round replay penalty shootout with a white blanket of snow covering the same surface."

GOAL

Ah, what was I saying?

On-loan striker Darren Bent shows a lovely turn of pace to get to the byline and play in a teasing, low cross which the goalkeeper and defence can do nothing about - and Jeff Hendrick makes no mistake at the far post just a couple of yards from goal.

The first chance of the game at the Riverside goes to Bolton, with Emile Heskey forcing the onrushing Dimi Konstantopoulos into an awkward clearance.

The home side are again on the attack. Will Hughes manages to break through a couple of challenges this time but, just as he looks to wriggle his way into a shooting position, he loses control of the ball and it goes out for a goalkick.

We're still waiting for our first Football League goal of the evening.

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

Thomas Day: Hoping that Charlton can make it three 3-0 wins in a row! Although I will be happy if we get anything out of the game.

A decent start by Championship leaders Derby at the iPro Stadium, winning a corner inside the opening 90 seconds, but Charlton successfully clear the danger.

KICK-OFF

Right then, it looks like we're just about under way in each of our 11 Championship matches. Where's the first goal going to arrive?

BBC Sport's Matt Newsum at Riverside Stadium: "Bitterly cold night here at the Riverside as the teams take the field. Middlesbrough lost their proud home record last time out and there is a determination to bounce back. Bolton need to tighten up - a big job for Ben Amos, who takes over between the sticks for a side who have leaked goals in recent weeks."

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

Paul Whittenbury: Cannot understand Watford's formation tonight. We play 3-5-2 but have 4 CB's starting, 3 CMs, a LWB and 2 up top?

Is Paul right to be concerned? Or or has Slavisa Jokanovic got it right? We're about to find out, as our 11 Championship games are set to get under way.

As the action unfolds this evening, lend us your thoughts on your team's performance using #bbcfootball on Twitter.

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With kick-off now just a few moments away, it's worth pointing out that we'll be keeping a particularly close eye on Championship leaders Derby County tonight.

Steve McClaren's side beat Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday to knock Middlesbrough off top spot, bringing to an end a run of two matches without a win in the process.

Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic, the Rams' opponents tonight, will be hoping to make it three victories in a row, following a rather unpleasant sequence of 13 league matches without a win.

Both of these sides could really do with a result from this one, after disappointing weekends.

Promotion-chasing Ipswich may only be five points off the top but they have won just three of their last 10 games in all competitions, so Mick McCarthy will expect a big response from his side after their surprise home defeat by Reading.

As for Birmingham, while 15th place represents a vast improvement on where they were when Gary Rowett arrived in October, they have not won any of their last seven league games and some of their fans will be starting to look nervously over their shoulders once more.

PA

Bolton Wanderers have lost four of their last six Championship games and have conceded four times in each of their last two outings. No wonder manager Neil Lennon is unhappy with his side right now.

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester ahead of tonight's game at Middlesbrough, Lennon said: "When people are making individual and clear-cut mistakes, there is not a lot you can do.

"We're a soft touch at the minute and I need to correct it quickly.

"As a manager I have to take responsibility, but I will not take all of the responsibility as some of them have gone back to the way they were before we came in. We need to change that."

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Despite only having spent one week of the season so far in the relegation zone, it's not exactly been a straightforward campaign for Rotherham, who travel to Watford on the back of a 5-0 mauling at Wolves on Saturday.

Recent whispers linking their manager Steve Evans with the vacancy at Peterborough can't have helped matters either - but you needn't whisper any longer.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony has confirmed that Posh won't be making approach for the former Boston and Crawley boss.

"There's no way I'm paying a fee," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. "There's enough people out there to seek out without having to fork out compensation."

Huddersfield Town: Smithies, Edgar, Hudson, Hogg, Butterfield, Miller, Wallace, Robinson, Wells, Smith, Bunn.

Substitutes: Murphy, Vaughan, Lolley, Gobern, Boyle, Wright, Majewski.

Reading: Federici, Kelly, Obita, Pearce, Hector, Akpa, Norwood, Guthrie, McCleary, Taylor, Yakubu.

Substitutes: Andersen, Gunter, Cooper, Chalobah, Mackie, Robson-Kanu, Blackman.

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Huddersfield Town were involved in a forgettable 0-0 draw with Cardiff at the weekend and go into tonight's match with Reading looking for their first home win since 10 January.

"I think in the time that I've been here we have been entertaining but we didn't do that on Saturday," manager Chris Powell told BBC Radio Leeds. "That's going to happen in a 46-game season.

"Our last two home games haven't been to our liking, but let's put it into perspective. We created 31 chances against Wolves and lost 4-1. Is that entertaining?"

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Birmingham City won seven of their first 11 league games after Gary Rowett was appointed as manager in October, but things have stuttered a little since then.

Blues have drawn five of their last seven Championship games, losing the other two, but Rowett doesn't feel his team's performances have dipped too much.

He told BBC WM 95.6: "In the first 11 games, the margins went for us and we managed to win seven of those, which is a phenomenal amount. We knew it wasn't going to be as plain sailing as that.

"The five draws we've had - three or four of those fell on fine margins and we could have easily won three or four of those. I don't feel we're doing an awful lot wrong."

BBC

Brentford: Button, Dean, Douglas, Odubajo, Dallas, Toral, Gray, Diagouraga, Pritchard, Jota, Tarkowski.

Substitutes: Bonham, Craig, Saunders, McCormack, Smith, Yennaris, Long.

Blackpool: Lewis, McMahon, Clarke, Hall, Aldred, Dunne, Perkins, O'Hara, Rothwell, Madine, Davies.

Substitutes: Parish, Ferguson, O'Dea, Oliver, Cameron, Telford, Delfouneso.

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Hands up those of you who expected Middlesbrough to be second in the Championship table at this stage of the season?

Boro have not lost consecutive league games since August and head coach Aitor Karanka believes his side can bounce back from Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Leeds.

"We've had some very good reactions and I expect another one, especially as we are playing at home," Karanka told BBC Tees.

"I'm sure the players feel the same as me and they want to play their best in front of our home crowd."

Middlesbrough boss Aitor Karanka brings Dimi Konstantopoulos back into the side after the goalkeeper missed Saturday's defeat by Leeds through suspension.

Striker Jelle Vossen misses out after suffering a clash of heads with United defender Lewis Cook on Saturday, while Patrick Bamford is preferred over Kike.

Veterans Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen start for Bolton Wanderers, with Adam Le Fondre moving to the bench despite netting in the 4-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Middlesbrough: Konstantopoulos, Fredericks, Kalas, Gibson, Friend, Adomah, Leadbitter, Clayton, Reach, Tomlin, Bamford.

Substitutes: Meijas, Whitehead, Kike, Omeruo, Forshaw, Carayol, Wildschut.

Bolton Wanderers: Amos, Moxey, Feeney, Dervite, Danns, Heskey, Gudjohnsen, Vela, Bannan, Wheater, Janko.

Substitutes: Fitzsimmons, Le Fondre, Twardzik, Clough, Threlkeld, Slavchev, Walker.

League Two preview

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In League Two, leaders Burton Albion will go six points clear at the top of the table if they win at Accrington Stanley tonight.

There's a mid-table clash between Cambridge United and AFC Wimbledon, while Tranmere Rovers go to Portsmouth hoping to move away from the bottom two.

Brighton: Stockdale, Bruno, Greer, Dunk, Bennett, Ince, Kayal, Teixeira, Calderon, Mackail-Smith, Baldock.

Substitutes: Walton, Hughes, Stephens, LuaLua, Ledesma, Best, O'Grady.

Leeds United: Silvestri, Wootton, Cooper, Bamba, C. Taylor, Cook, Murphy, Austin, Mowatt, Sloth, Morison.

Substitutes: S. Taylor, Berardi, Del Fabro, Doukara, Cani, Antenucci, Sharp.

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Few Championship clubs can match the form of Leeds United right now. Saturday's 1-0 win at Middlesbrough made it five victories out of the last six for the side currently 11th in the table.

Manager Neil Redfearn is on a contract until the end of the season and he hopes that excellent run of form will boost his chances of remaining in charge at Elland Road beyond the summer.

"There is an option that is in the club's favour but I don't think it has gone unnoticed what we have done," Redfearn told BBC Radio Leeds.

"My thoughts are purely and simply with Leeds United but I hope it can be sorted out sooner rather than later."

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Blackburn Rovers: Steele, Baptiste, Hanley, Kilgallon, Olsson, Cairney, Spearing, Evans, Conway, Rhodes, Gestede.

Substitutes: Eastwood, Henley, King, Brown, Marshall, Williamson, Duffy.

Norwich City: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Olsson, Redmond, Howson, Johnson, Dorrans, Hoolahan, Grabban.

Substitutes: Rudd, Turner, Jerome, Andreu, Garrido, Murphy, Tettey.

And Dominic Iorfa will register his 12th league start of the season against Fulham tonight...

Wolves: Kuszczak, Iorfa, Batth, Stearman, Golbourne, McDonald, Price, Edwards, Sako, Afobe, Dicko.

Substitutes: Flatt, Doherty, Henry, van La Parra, Doyle, Ebanks-Landell, Hause.

Fulham: Bettinelli, Richards, Hutchinson, Bodurov, Stafylidis, Tunnicliffe, Christensen, Fofana, Ruiz, Rodallega, McCormack.

Substitutes: Kiraly, Burn, Hoogland, Kavanagh, Parker, Kacaniklic, Woodrow.

'He still brings his washing round'

Sam Bagnall/Wolverhampton Wanderers

As days go, Saturday was a decent one for Wolves defender Dominic Iorfa.

A few hours after being named as the Football League's Young Player of the Month for January, Iorfa helped Wolves to a 5-0 home win against Rotherham.

BBC Sport's Phil Cartwright has been to meet the 19-year-old and discovered that Iorfa has found keeping clean sheets much easier than keeping clean clothes.

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Norwich City manager Alex Neil has every reason to smile. The Canaries have won their last four games to move into the top six in the Championship.

It's been quite a transformation since the 33-year-old took charge at Carrow Road in January.

Neil told BBC Look East: "I think they were inconsistent more than anything else [earlier in the season]. They were beating good teams and playing well on occasion, but couldn't really get a run of consistency.

"At the moment, we're relatively consistent. We've kept four clean sheets in five, we're scoring goals and we've deserved to win the games we've won."

Millwall: Forde, Abdou, Dunne, Hooiveld, Harding, Tonge, Williams, Woolford, Fabbrini, Taylor-Fletcher, Gregory.

Substitutes: King, Beevers, Nelson, Upson, Gueye, O'Brien, Fuller.

Sheffield Wednesday: Kirkland, Semedo, Palmer, Nuhiu, Lees, Zayatte, Maghoma, Lee, Dielna, McGugan, Keane.

Substitutes: Wildsmith, Mattock, Hutchinson, May, Maguire, Helan, Vermijl.

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Confirmation of those line-ups at Portman Road...

Ipswich Town: Bialowski, Parr, Mings, Chambers, Smith, Berra, Skuse, Murphy, Anderson, Bru, Sears.

Substitutes: Gerken, Clarke, Chaplow, Tabb, Connolly, Bishop, Varney.

Birmingham City: Randolph, Caddis, Spector, Robinson, Grounds, Cotterill, Gleeson, Davis, Novak, Donaldson, Thomas.

Substitutes: Doyle, Kiernan, Reilly, Zigic, Shinnie, Gray, Dyer.

Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy makes two changes to the side that were beaten by Reading on Saturday, as Jonathan Parr and Paul Anderson come in for Jay Tabb and Teddy Bishop.

Gary Rowett hands starts to Wes Thomas and Lee Novak, who both came off the bench to score as Birmingham City lost 4-3 to Brighton at the weekend.

David Davis returns after a knock and there's also a recall for David Cotterill, meaning Demarai Gray, Lloyd Dyer, Andrew Shinnie and Rob Kiernan all drop to the bench.

League One preview

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League One leaders Bristol City are away at Doncaster Rovers, while FA Cup quarter-finalists Bradford City will look to maintain their recent good form at third-placed Swindon Town.

Preston North End, who lie fourth, host Walsall and fifth-placed Sheffield United go to Rochdale.

Tonight's other League One game is between Scunthorpe United and Barnsley, with both clubs hoping to move further clear of the bottom four.

Empics/BBC

The much-travelled Jermaine Pennant looks all set for a Latics debut tonight...

Wigan Athletic: Al Habsi, Maguire, McClean, Pennant, Kim, Boyce, Ojo, Bong, Perch, Pearce, Fortune.

Substitutes: Carson, Taylor, McCann, McKay, Cowie, Waghorn, Robles.

Cardiff City: Marshall, Ralls, Connolly, Ecuele Manga, Morrison, Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Noone, Kennedy, Jones, Doyle.

Substitutes: Moore, John, Revell, McAleny, O'Keefe, Adeyemi, Harris.

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

Gregory P: Derby's defence been shaky recently but backing the boys to beat Charlton and open a gap at the top.

Arthur Pickthorn: Great chance for Ipswich to keep the pressure up on the top three ahead of Sunday's massive East Anglian derby. COYB!

Stuie Neale: Swindon need a win tonight to close the gap at the top.

Fear not, Stuie. We'll also be keeping a close eye on League One and League Two tonight - more on that shortly...

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Sheffield Wednesday are currently 16 points away from a play-off place and it's unlikely that they'll make the top six by the end of the season but Stuart Gray hasn't given up hope just yet.

"The next four games will tell us where we will end up in the league and whether we will be pushing for a go at that last play-off spot," Owls boss Gray told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"It's no wins in seven but I am positive. It's still mathematically possible for us to get in the top six. Progress would be finishing higher than last season and being better than we were last season."

Watford: Gomes, Cathcart, Ekstrand, Angella, Hoban, Layun, Watson, Tozser, Abdi, Deeney, Ighalo.

Substitutes: Bond, Munari, Forestieri, Paredes, Pudil, Vydra, Anya.

Rotherham: Collin, Hunt, Morgan, Arnason, Fryers, Green, Smallwood, Milsom, Pringle, Sammon, Derbyshire.

Substitutes: Loach, Broadfoot, Bowery, Richardson, Ward, Hammill, Clarke-Harris.

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Goals were the problem for Wolves earlier in the season - have they found the solution by signing striker Benik Afobe?

The 21-year-old had already scored 19 goals on loan at MK Dons before moving to Molineux from Arsenal in January and five goals in seven outings for Wolves, including two in Saturday's 5-0 win over Rotherham, have kept Kenny Jackett's side in touch with the play-off places.

"There's no point winning one game, losing the next two, then winning again," Afobe told BBC Midlands Today. "Teams that are consistent are the ones that go up and we want to be one of the three that go up."

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Wigan Athletic host Cardiff City this evening, meaning Latics manager Malky Mackay will come up against his former club for the first time since his dismissal in December 2013.

The Scot led Cardiff to the Championship title in 2012-13 but was sacked midway through their first - and only - season in the Premier League.

"I've got very, very good memories of my time at Cardiff," Mackay told BBC Sport. "The fans are sensational.

"We managed to do something that hadn't been done for 50 years [win promotion to the top flight] and it's absolutely a large part of my life."

But the fall-out of Mackay's departure from the Welsh side continues to rumble on, with members of the Cardiff board choosing to boycott tonight's match.

Already we can tell you that Derby County boss Steve McClaren has made a couple of changes to the side that beat Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, with Ryan Shotton and Jesse Lingard replacing Jake Buxton and Simon Dawkins.

There's one change to the Charlton Athletic line-up too, with Lawrie Wilson replacing Jordan Cousins.

Derby County: Grant, Christie, Forsyth, Keogh, Hendrick, Lingard, Hughes, Ince, Shotton, Thorne, Bent.

Substitutes: Bryson, Buxton, Dawkins, Ward, Roos, Thomas, Mascarell.

Charlton Athletic: Henderson, Soll, Fox, Ben Haim, Johnson, Gudmundsson, Buyens, Wilson, Bulot, Vetokele, Watt.

Substitutes: Dmitrovic, Gomez, Bikey-Amougou, Eagles, Harriott, Diarra, Lepoint.

BBC local radio coverage

Unfortunately, because of a rights issue, we are unable to broadcast Football League commentaries on the BBC Sport website.

However, there will be coverage of the matches being played in your area this evening on your BBC local radio station.

And you can follow all of tonight's action on Midweek Final Score from 19:00 GMT, which you can view by pressing the play button at the top of the page.

So we're going to be spending the next hour or so looking ahead to tonight's Football League programme - and, fear not, we'll also be bringing you all the team news from the Championship as and when we get it.

Matt Newsum/BBC Sport

BBC Sport's Matt Newsum at Riverside Stadium: "Sprinklers on for the visit of Bolton - should be a canny game."

Hopefully someone will have turned the rest of the floodlights on by the time the game kicks off...

Speaking of the league table, now is probably as good a time as any to remind you how things stand at the top of the Championship ahead of tonight's fixtures...

BBC

Join the debate at #bbcfootball

These live text commentaries always tend to work better when you get involved - and you can do just that tonight by using #bbcfootball on Twitter.

So, who will be on top of the Championship by the end of this evening?

The current top three - Derby, Middlesbrough and Bournemouth - have all sat at the top of the Football League at some point already during February alone, but who'll be there come 22:00 GMT?

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With 11 Championship, five League One and three League Two fixtures we already have plenty to get our teeth into.

In the Football League's top tier, five of the top six sides are all in action, including leaders Derby, who host Charlton at the iPro Stadium, and second-placed Middlesbrough, who welcome Bolton to the Riverside.

And there's plenty to speak about at the wrong end of the table too, with Blackpool, Wigan and Millwall all facing tricky fixtures against Brentford, Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday.

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What a night we have ahead of us.

A sold-out Etihad Stadium, the might of Barcelona in town and some of the world's finest players on show.

Who'll come out on top in the last 16 of the Champions League? Sergio Aguero or Lionel Messi? David Silva or Luis Suarez? Manuel Pellegrini or Luis Enrique?

No, now we come to mention it, all that glitz and glamour isn't really for us either...