Championship roundup: Forest sustain promotion push with Birmingham win

London, April 9, 2022 (AFP) - Nottingham Forest kept their bid to gain promotion to the Premier League on track with a 2-0 win at home to Birmingham on Saturday.

On-loan Aston Villa forward Keinan Davis put Forest ahead and Scott McKenna's header doubled their lead 11 minutes from time

Forest then saw out 12 minutes of added-time after Birmingham goalkeeper Neil Etheridge was injured following a second-half collision with the Nottingham club's defender Djed Spence.

Victory left Forest, twice champions of Europe, third in English football's second-tier Championship and six points behind Bournemouth.

Only the top two at the end of the regular season are guaranteed automatic promotion to the Premier League, with the next four clubs vying for the other spot in the top flight via a series of play-off games.

Bournemouth's bid for automatic promotion suffered another setback during a goalless draw with play-off contenders Sheffield United that followed a 2-0 midweek defeat by West Brom.

Middlesbrough's play-off prospects were dented by a 1-0 loss at home to Hull that followed a Riverside loss to visitors Fulham by the same score in midweek.

Blackburn missed the chance to move into the play-off positions following a 1-1 draw at home to Blackpool.

Blackpool defender Marvin Ekpiteta's effort soon after half-time at Ewood Park cancelled out Sam Gallagher's early opener for Blackburn.

Queens Park Rangers slumped to a fifth successive defeat as they lost 2-1 at Preston.

Hoops defender Jimmy Dunne's first-half own-goal edged Preston ahead and they doubled their lead through Cameron Archer early in the second half.

Andre Gray pulled one back for QPR with a stoppage-time penalty.

Barnsley's hopes of staying in the division were damaged by a 4-1 loss at Millwall.

Lions defender Danny McNamara scored his first goals for Millwall either side of half-time.

Romal Palmer grabbed a goal back for Barnsley but they remained in the relegation zone after Oliver Burke and Benik Afobe scored two more goals for Millwall.

Joel Piroe struck an early double as Swansea won 2-1 at home to Derby.

Piroe struck his 17th and 18th league goals of the season inside the first 16 minutes before Tom Lawrence pulled a goal back for Wayne Rooney's Rams from the penalty spot.