Hull City and West Bromwich Aibion took huge steps towards the Premiership last night by bucking the trend at the top of the Championship and winning their games.

It has been a mighty strange season in England's second tier of professional football with teams falling over themselves to avoid promotion!

Under immense pressure, West Brom made the short trip to their local 'Black Country' rivals Wolves, and Hull City made the short journey across Yorkshire to their near neighbours Barnsley. Wolves are battling for a play-off place and Barnsley had won their last two matches in a desperate attempt to avoid the drop. Neither game was easy and the other promotion candidates would have been hopeful that Hull and West Brom would drop points.

It didn't turn out that way and the two teams put themselves at one and two in the table with three games left for everyone to play.

Hull City took a twenty-fourth minute lead through a Dean Marney penalty. Ian Ashbee doubled the lead in the second half before the evergreen substitute Dean Windass scored a third with his first touch. It would be great to see the thirty-nine year old striker get another go in the Premiership. Barnsley nicked a late consolation but Hull will be well pleased with their night's work.

A second half Zolten Gera goal was enough for West Brom to take all three points at Wolves. In a pulsating game that could have gone either way, West Brom found the final touch that evaded Wolves throughout.

With three games to go the automatic promotion race is far from settled but these two teams have just made themselves favourites to grab the two places.

Of course, so far this season, when any team has put themselves in pole position they have gone on to throw it away.....