English second division leaders Birmingham City's
promotion bid faltered on Tuesday when they lost 1-0 at
Norwich City, allowing Derby Country to draw level
on points. Darren Huckerby's strike early in the second half sealed
the points for Norwich and left Birmingham looking over their
shoulders as the promotion race hots up.
With that result, Derby will be disappointed they
managed only a 1-1 draw at home to struggling Queens Park
Rangers, but the point was enough to put them alongside
Birmingham on 70 points, although Birmingham have a game in
hand.
Third-placed Sunderland also dropped points,
drawing 2-2 at home to Stoke City, while
Preston North End moved up to fourth with a 1-0
victory over Ipswich Town.
With just 10 points separating the top eight teams, the battle for
the two automatic promotion slots, as well as the four playoff
places, is tight.
