Five things learned from Yorkshire's midweek Championship action

IT was a Championship night when South Yorkshire and the North Riding took the honours on the footballing front, with developments somewhat less auspicious out west and east.
ON TARGET: Ross Wallace celebrates scoring Sheffield Wednesday's second goal. Picture: Steve Ellis.ON TARGET: Ross Wallace celebrates scoring Sheffield Wednesday's second goal. Picture: Steve Ellis.
ON TARGET: Ross Wallace celebrates scoring Sheffield Wednesday's second goal. Picture: Steve Ellis.

Sheffield Wednesday, with a bit of a helping hand, once again showed their second-half prowess to beat Blackburn Rovers 2-1, while Boro posted a serene 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town to boost their automatic promotion quest.

Hull City’s top-two pitch hit the buffers in a heavy 4-0 loss at Derby, while Leeds United were denied late on in a 1-1 draw with QPR.

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Here are five things we have learned from last night’s action.

Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.
Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.

1: Hull City have it all to do in their bid for the top two after a calamitous loss

After a welcome 4-0 weekend win over Bristol City, the Tigers came crashing down to earth with an indentikit loss at Derby, who completed a seasonal double over Steve Bruce’s side - scoring an aggregate of six goals and not conceding once.

City’s normally reliable defence capitulated somewhat inexplicably, not admittedly helped by the dismissal of Moses Odubajo, with salt rubbed into wounds at the final whistle following news that Middlesbrough and Brighton had both won.

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It means that Hull must rely on mistakes from others to achieve automatic promotion, with their hopes looking slim this morning. Stranger things have happened and Hull could yet propel themselves back into contention - and their run-in is decent. But not many sides lose 4-0 in April and go on to finish in the top two.

Leeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. 
Picture: Jonathan GawthorpeLeeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. 
Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Leeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe

2: Sheffield Wednesday remain bang on course and look a shoo-in for the play-offs

On the night, the Owls were far from their best against Blackburn, but found a way, while two strokes of fortune unquestionably went their way.

The first saw Adam Henley divert Ross Wallace’s cross past his own goalkeeper and then Rovers’ scorer Craig Conway was dismissed for a high challenge.

When you are going well, the luck tends to go for you.

Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.
Huddersfield Town's Jamie Paterson is tackled by Middlesbrough's Grant Leadbitter during the Sky Bet Championship match at the Riverside. Picture: PA.
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The win secured Wednesday’s 12th of the season at Hillsborough and secured their fourth successive league win for the first time this term.

At such a critical juncture of the season, that is just the sort of statistic that managers like.

3: Gaston Ramirez-inspired Middlesbrough make the perfect start to their home triple header on a disappointing night for Town

Boro were offered a serene start to their run of three successive fixtures at the Riverside and once again, they were indebted to the offensive quality of Gaston Ramirez, who is proving an inspired signing, when many observers felt that Aitor Karanka was taking a considerable punt when he signed him on loan in January.

Leeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. 
Picture: Jonathan GawthorpeLeeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. 
Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
Leeds United's Lewis Cook battles with Queen's Park Rangers' Alejandro Faurlin. Picture: Jonathan Gawthorpe
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He is proving as key to Boro as Patrick Bamford was in the run-in last season.

Town remain waiting to record their first win over a top-six side this term and while the loss was mitigated by the fact that MK Dons lost, David Wagner’s side still need three points before being able to well and truly start planning for next term.

Much of Town’s football has been easy on the eye and flowing during his time at the club, but they need to mix it with a pragmatic edge at times in order to chisel out a few more results.

4: Another late costly error hurts Leeds United

It has not been a good April so far for Giuseppe Bellusci. After his misjudgement against Rotherham United on Saturday which led to a decisive late penalty for the Millers in a 2-1 win, the Italian produced an encore when he fouled Sebastian Polter late on in last night’s game which allowed QPR to snatch a point.

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Leeds are doing it tough defensively, with the issue clouded last night by Sol Bamba being drooped to the bench with the centre-half complaining of illness ahead of the game.

With a trip to Burnley on the agenda at the weekend, United’s defensive frailties do not auger well at all. If they don’t shape up, it could be a long old afternoon.

5: Maybe not a win, but another excellent result for Rotherham United in their safety quest

Rotherham may have been pegged back in a 1-1 draw at Bristol City, but it was still a point gained on a night which the hosts had stoked up beforehand in a bid to get some sort of edge ahead of a game they were desperate to win.

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The Millers’ haul of 17 points from the last 21 has been truly outstanding and if they can win or draw at MK Dons on Saturday, then safety looks nailed-on, barring a late-season implosion, which does not look likely given the organisation and competitive zest that they have showed in the past month or so.