Championship Table 2015: Results, Standings, Promotion and Relegation Outlook

Bournemouth missed the chance to regain top spot in the Championship on a day kinder to some fellow promotion-chasing rivals. In particular, Watford continued a fine recent run and leapfrogged the Cherries to move to the summit.

Middlesbrough held the lead at the top of the Championship standings entering Saturday, following a 1-0 win over Norwich City on Friday, but with the race to the Premier League closer than it's been in years, Saturday's round of fixtures have turned the table on its head once again.

Derby County and Ipswich Town's once clear advantage in the race for the final play-off spots has been reduced after frustrating draws. The latter were held at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers, who are still in with a chance.

At the bottom of the standings, Wigan Athletic postponed, probably temporarily, their tumble to League 1. The Latics held on to beat Brighton and Hove Albion.

The full schedule for this weekend's action:

Date	Time	Match	Score
Friday, April 17	7:15 p.m. (BST) / 2:15 p.m. (ET)	Norwich City vs. Middlesbrough	0-1
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Blackburn Rovers vs. Nottingham Forest	3-3
Saturday, April 18	12.15 p.m. (BST) / 7.15 a.m. (ET)	Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Ipswich Town	1-1
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Blackpool vs. Fulham	0-1
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Bournemouth vs. Sheffield Wednesday	2-2
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Brentford vs. Bolton Wanderers	2-2
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Cardiff City vs. Millwall	0-0
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Charlton Athletic vs. Leeds United	2-1
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Huddersfield Town vs. Derby County	4-4
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Watford vs. Birmingham City	1-0
Saturday, April 18	3 p.m. (BST) / 10 a.m. (ET)	Wigan Athletic vs. Brighton and Hove Albion	2-1

The current Championship standings:

Position	Team	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Watford	44	26	7	11	88	49	+39	85
2	Bournemouth	43	24	12	8	92	45	+47	84
3	Middlesbrough	44	25	9	10	65	33	+32	84
4	Norwich	44	24	10	10	83	45	+38	82
5	Derby	44	21	13	10	82	50	+32	76
6	Ipswich	44	21	12	11	68	50	+18	75
7	Brentford	44	21	9	14	73	59	+14	72
8	Wolverhampton Wanderers	44	20	12	12	65	54	+11	72
9	Blackburn	43	15	15	13	59	55	+4	60
10	Charlton Athletic	44	14	18	12	54	56	-2	60
11	Nottingham Forest	44	15	14	15	69	65	+4	59
12	Sheffield Wednesday	44	14	17	13	41	46	-5	59
13	Cardiff	44	14	14	16	52	58	-6	56
14	Birmingham	43	13	15	15	51	64	-13	54
15	Huddersfield	44	13	14	17	56	73	-17	53
16	Leeds	44	14	10	20	48	60	-12	52
17	Bolton	44	13	12	19	54	63	-9	51
18	Fulham	44	13	10	12	56	76	-20	49
19	Reading	42	12	11	19	44	64	-20	47
20	Brighton	44	10	16	18	44	52	-8	46
21	Rotherham United	43	10	14	19	43	65	-22	44
22	Millwall	43	9	13	21	37	67	-30	40
23	Wigan	44	9	12	23	39	60	-21	39
24	Blackpool	44	4	13	27	34	88	-54	25

Saturday Recap

Watford were the day's big winners thanks to Craig Cathcart's wonder strike that downed Birmingham City. Blues were typically resolute in their role as spoilers throughout most of a rather turgid affair at Vicarage Road.

The game needed a moment of brilliance to liven up proceedings. Cathcart delivered. BBC Sport's Kalika Mehta detailed the brilliant winner: "The 26-year-old defender hit the ball on the volley over his left shoulder into the net from Ikechi Anya's cross."

Now Slavisa Jokanovic's team has moved into pole position in the race to play Premier League football next season.

But it took an uncharacteristic slip from Eddie Howe's Bournemouth to make it happen. Right winger Matt Richie appeared to have completed a stirring comeback from one down.

Yet right on the brink of a priceless 2-1 win, Sheffield Wednesday were awarded a stoppage-time penalty. Chris Maguire duly stepped up to break Bournemouth hearts.

The point has done little for Wednesday, but it has put the Cherries under pressure in the race for promotion. Howe's men are still in the automatic slots, but Middlesbrough are too close for comfort.

Down at the other end, a goalless draw did little to aid Millwall's survival bid. Speaking of survival, that seemed next to impossible for Wigan a week ago.

But a 2-1 win over Brighton has left them just five points from safety. Defender James Perch proved the hero, netting the winner with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.

Wigan still need two wins from their final two games to survive. That's a tall order, but this is a team that often defied the odds in relegation battles in England's top flight. 

Friday Recap

Jon Super/Associated Press

Norwich City and Middlesbrough took to the pitch on Friday with the top spot in the Championship on the line, and the visitors eventually emerged victorious, thanks to an eighth-minute own goal from Alex Tettey.

As shared by Bet365, the result brought an end to a fantastic run for the Canaries:

Tettey put the ball in his own net when pressured on a corner, as Middlesbrough capitalised on a strong start and defended the lead expertly.

The Northern Echo's Scott Wilson almost looked like some kind of seer, in hindsight:

Middlesbrough dominated the first half before Norwich took over in the second, but the league leaders put together a spirited defensive effort: Despite a clear advantage in possession, the Canaries didn't muster a single shot on goal in 98 total minutes.

Jonny Howson should have scored for the hosts after just six minutes, directing a free header over the bar. That would be the best chance on goal Norwich would have all match long.

Manager Alex Neil had a strong message for his players after the match, as shared by BBC Radio Norfolk's Chris Goreham:

The Canaries' push for automatic promotion is far from over, sitting just two points behind Middlesbrough and one behind Bournemouth as things stand. The Cherries will meet Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, while Watford host Birmingham City.

In the race for the play-offs, all eyes will be on the clash between Ipswich and Wolves, and if the hosts manage to beat their rivals, the final two weeks of the season could get quite interesting indeed.

Just three points separate the two sides, and BetBright.com likes Wolves' chances of closing the gap:

For Wigan, the battle to avoid relegation seems lost. Unless Rotherham lose out and the Latics win every match, they'll drop down to League One. Brighton and Hove Albion still aren't mathematically sure they're staying up themselves, so they won't be giving Wigan any gifts on Saturday.

Millwall need a win just as badly as Rotherham do, and a trip to Wales to take on Cardiff City couldn't have come at a worse time.