by Mark Denham
The Bluebirds' valiant victory at West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday evening moved them up to third place in the Championship table and just five points behind the vanquished Baggies. Newcastle United - who play Coventry City on Wednesday evening - remain four points clear at the top but could stretch the gap to seven with a win at the Ricoh Arena.
Nottingham Forest's 0-0 draw at Sheffield United on Tuesday evening saw them maintain their fourth place position. Forest have the same number of points as Cardiff, though the Bluebirds have a marginally better goal difference. Swansea City stay in fifth place following their dogged 1-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle; Lee Trundle's third goal in two games keeps the Swans just one point behind the Bluebirds and Forest above them.
Blackpool's superb 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough sees them climb back in to the final play-off berth at their Teesside opponents' expense. Gordon Strachan's Boro had reclaimed sixth position following their emphatic win at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, though two first-half goals from Gary Taylor-Fletcher and another from Charlie Adam condemned them to a fifth defeat at the Riverside this season and saw them drop to tenth ahead of Cardiff's visit on Sunday.
Leicester City suffered the most notable slide of the promotion contenders on Tuesday as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at home to Bristol City. Starting the evening in third place, ten-man Leicester were swept aside comfortably by the Robins who sit just behind the fallen Foxes in eighth.
Watford's 3-1 victory at home to Queens Park Rangers on Monday evening had temporarily moved them up to sixth, but they slipped back to ninth following Tuesday's fixtures. Rangers sit in twelfth spot after some disappointing results of late, one point and place below Neil Warnock's Crystal Palace.
AT THE BOTTOM
Peterborough United's 0-0 draw at Ipswich Town did little to help either of the relegation threatened strugglers on Tuesday evening, though the Posh's position is slightly more precarious as they continue to prop up the division with just fourteen points. Ipswich are twenty-second, three points ahead of Plymouth Argyle, though Sheffield Wednesday avoided slipping in to the relegation zone following defeat at Doncaster Rovers by virtue of having a slightly better goal difference than the improving Tractor Boys. Coventry can pull clear of the drop-zone with a win at home to Newcastle on Wednesday, whilst Barnsley or Scunthorpe United could ease their relegation fears when they face each other at Oakwell in the evening's other Championship fixture.
