Championship relegation battle takes fresh twist as Hull City watch on nervously

Josh Laurent's goal eight minutes from time for Reading to earn a point at Barnsley ensured Hull City's Friday night defeat to Huddersfield Town didn't prove too costly in the battle to remain in the Championship next season. That 1-1 draw at Oakwell between the two sides directly below the Tigers probably favoured the Royals.

Barnsley, who led early on through Carlton Morris, move onto 29 points, five points adrift of Reading and 12 points adrift of the Tigers, although they do have a game in hand which comes later this month against Blackpool at Oakwell.

City have just six games of the season left while their Yorkshire rivals have seven, though the Tigers' goal difference is vastly superior to Barnsley effectively making the distance between the two extend by a further point. Friday night's 1-0 home defeat by Huddersfield was their sixth on the spin at home, and boss Shota Arveladze will be hoping his side can spring a surprise at play-off chasing Middlesbrough next Saturday and continue their solid away form.

Elsewhere at the bottom of the table, goals from Marcus Tavernier, Folarin Balogun, Josh Coburn and Duncan Watmore gave Boro a convincing 4-0 win at Grant McCann's Peterborough United to prepare themselves for the meeting next weekend, while a late, late strike from Ravel Morrison gave bottom side Derby County hope of pulling off a stunning survival by beating Preston North End by a goal to nil at Pride Park. Morrison's strike in the final 10 minutes gave them three points to move off the bottom and leapfrog Peterborough who look destined for an instant return to League One.

In the day's early game, Nottingham Forest maintained their resurgence under Steve Cooper by thrashing Blackpool 4-1 at Bloomfield Road with