Championship roundup: Holt hat-trick helps Norwich cut QPR's lead to six points

Grant Holt struck his 21st goal of the season as his hat-trick helped Norwich close the gap on QPR to six points with an emphatic 6-0 victory over lowly Scunthorpe at Carrow Road, while at the other end of the table Crystal Palace gave their survival hopes a timely boost with a narrow 2-1 win against Barnsley. 



Holt and substitute Simeon Jackson both scored hat-tricks for promotion-chasing Norwich as new boss Alan Knill discovered just how tough a task he has on his hands at Scunthorpe.
It was Holt`s third hat-trick for City as he surpassed the 50-goal mark for the club with a near-post finish, a penalty after Iron defender Paul Reid had been sent off, and a well-placed header to complete his treble. Jackson came on to score a stunning hat-trick himself to condemn the visitors to a ninth consecutive away defeat.


James Vaughan tucked away a vital penalty as Palace edged further clear of the drop zone with a home triumph against Barnsley. The Everton loanee was enduring a tough afternoon, passing up a host of opportunities and having numerous penalty appeals turned down. But referee Karl Evans finally obliged after Vaughan took another tumble with 15 minutes remaining, and the striker made no mistake from the spot.
Rejuvenated Preston lifted themselves off the foot of the table thanks to Iain Hume's superb solo strike which clinched a 2-1 triumph over promotion-chasing Swansea.
Ayegbeni Yakubu's hat-trick was not enough for 10-man play-off chasing Leicester as Stephen McManus' injury-time header secured Middlesbrough a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Riverside.

Shane Long grabbed his 50th goal for Reading as they moved into the play-off places with a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth. Long grabbed two first-half goals for Brian McDermott's side to see off Pompey - who had Ricardo Rocha sent off before the break.
Cardiff cruised past a lacklustre Derby 4-1 to keep up the pressure on their promotion rivals at the top of the table. Goals at the start of each half proved too much of a mountain for a poor Rams side to overcome on what was an afternoon to forget for Nigel Clough`s side who are far from safe, albeit nine points clear of the bottom three.

Struggling Coventry earned their first win in eight matches as they beat Watford 2-0 at the Ricoh Arena. Connor Wickham enhanced his burgeoning reputation with a fine goalscoring display to help Ipswich put another dent in Burnley`s play-off hopes as they ran out 2-1 victors. Nicky Maynard`s late goal gave Bristol City a sixth win in seven matches as Doncaster were beaten 1-0 at Ashton Gate.
Earlier in the day, Leeds held their nerve to keep their promotion hopes alive and deal a massive blow to those of Nottingham Forest, who had Chris Cohen controversially sent off in the first half of a 4-1 defeat.
Jonny Howson broke 10-man Forest's resistance early in the second period and Luciano Becchio headed a second soon after to put Leeds in command.
But Forest, who will feel aggrieved referee Mark Halsey showed Cohen a straight red card for his full-blooded tackle on George McCartney 10 minutes before half-time, hit back through substitute Gareth McCleary's brilliant curling effort.
And only after Max Gradel had volleyed home a third goal for Leeds in the 74th minute did most in another big Elland Road crowd feel all the points were going their way. Gradel rifled home a fourth goal from close range for Simon Grayson's side with four minutes left to leave counterpart Billy Davies without a win in his side's last eight matches.

Steve Morison boosted Millwall's play-off bid as Hull's home woes continued with a 1-0 defeat.
The Wales striker may have struggled against England last weekend, but he shot down the Tigers with a superb first-half finish.
Morison's 16th goal of the season saw Millwall leapfrog their hosts in the table to remain in touch with the top six and still dreaming of back-to-back promotions.
City are just a point behind but games are running out and they need to turn around the home form which sees them without a win at the KC Stadium since February 12.



Link