10-1 Cardiff close in on Hammers and Saints

IT IS as you were both at the top of the Championship table - and in the best title prices - after West Ham and Southampton drew 1-1 at Upton Park on Tuesday night.

Leaders West Ham, who head the Saints by one point, are evens-favourites while Southampton are 4-1 shots. The duo are 3-10 and 10-11 respectively for promotion. 

However, the Saints now only hold a three-point advantage over Cardiff after the Bluebirds beat Peterborough 3-1 to move into third spot. 

And Cardiff are 10-1 for title glory and 9-5 for promotion while Blackpool and Reading moved into the play-off spots immediately behind them with victories as sixth-placed Birmingham and Hull could only draw. 

The Tangerines and Royals are both now 16-1 for the title and 4-1 for promotion. Birmingham are 8-1 for the title and 9-5 for promotion.  

At the bottom of the Championship, bottom-of-the-pile Doncaster and third-bottom Coventry are 2-5 for the drop while 23rd placed Nottingham Forest and administration-haunted Portsmouth, currently ten points above the relegation zone, are both evens. 

Bristol City and Millwall, six points above the current bottom three, are 3-1 and 5-1 to slide into League One. Posh, nine points above, are 6-1.

Charlton are 2-9 for the League One spoils after beating fifth-placed MK Dons 2-1 on Tuesday night and their original nearest pursuers Sheffield Wednesday lost 1-0 at home to sixth-placed Stevenage.

Sheffield United are now second, and 5-1 for glory, two points back after beating fourth-placed Huddersfield 1-0 at the Galpharm, while although the Owls are only one point further adrift they have been eased to 20-1 for the title behind the 12-1 Terriers.

After this big evening for the top six, the latest promotion best prices are 1-20 the Addicks, 4-6 the Blades, 5-4 Huddersfield, 11-8 Sheff Wed, 12-5 MK Dons and 6-1 Stevenage.

However, 11-1 Bournemouth and 18-1 Carlisle will certainly consider themselves in the thick of the play-off place hunt.