Leagues One and Two both had double game-weeks as those campaigns crescendo towards an exciting finale, whilst in the Championship there were some dramatic moments in the fight to earn promotion to the Premier League.
Championship
This week in the Championship began with the teams who had played in the FA Cup fifth round catching up on their games in hand.
Burnley conceded their first league goal of 2025 in their 2-1 win over Cardiff City, whilst Cardiff’s relegation rivals Hull City beat Plymouth Argyle 2-0 to boost their chances of staying up.
Playoff-chasing Bristol City continued their charge by beating Millwall 2-0, and Preston North End and Swansea City played out a 0-0 draw in a midtable clash.
The weekend matches started with playoff chasing Norwich City being held 1-1 at home by Oxford United. Playoff rivals Coventry City saw Bobby Thomas score yet another late winner, this time to beat Stoke City 3-2, whilst 4th placed Sunderland beat Cardiff 2-1.
West Brom also consolidated their playoff spot by defeating QPR 1-0, but Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers both lost ground on their rivals by dropping points against Hull City and Derby County respectively.
League leaders Leeds United suffered a shock 1-0 loss at Portsmouth. This result meant that Sheffield United went level on points with them, after they defeated Preston North End 1-0. Burnley beat Luton Town 4-0 to keep the gap to second at 2 points and ensure the pressure remains on in the race to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
Millwall catapulted themselves into outside contention to secure a playoff spot by beating Watford 2-1. Swansea City, who have been resurgent since the departure of Luke Williams, cemented themselves in midtable by winning 1-0 against Middlesbrough.
There were some huge results for sides battling relegation. Plymouth and Luton were thrashed by Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley respectively, but Derby County picked up a 2-1 win against manager John Eustace’s former side Blackburn Rovers.
That win means that Stoke and Cardiff, who both lost over the weekend, are now looking nervously over their shoulder as they only have a four point gap above the Rams and the bottom 3.
League One
In the promotion race, Birmingham City suffered only their third defeat of the season as they lost 3-1 at Bolton Wanderers.
Wycombe Wanderers and Wrexham both won in midweek, 2-0 against Burton Albion and 1-0 over Huddersfield Town respectively, to continue their push for 2nd place and automatic promotion.
Huddersfield's defeat to Wrexham, as well as Stockport County's 1-1 draw at relegation threatened Northampton Town, saw those sides lose ground in the playoff race. That was capitalised on by Bolton with their stunning victory over Birmingham and Charlton Athletic, who beat Barnsley 1-0.
Leyton Orient fell even further behind the playoffs with a 1-0 defeat at Rotherham for their fourth loss in a row, and Reading drew 0-0 with Exeter City.
In the relegation battle, Cambridge United lost 1-0 against Stevenage and Crawley Town were defeated 4-1 by Lincoln City, leaving both sides firmly in danger. Burton were defeated by Wycombe, whilst Shrewsbury picked up a point against rivals Bristol Rovers.
Just above them, Exeter, Peterborough, Northampton and Bristol Rovers all picked up draws to edge themselves further away from danger, relieving some pressure for the matches across the weekend.
The playoff race intensified on Saturday. Stockport County drew 0-0 with Charlton Athletic in a game between two sides with top 6 ambitions. Reading were unable to capitalise as they dropped points against relegation threatened Crawley, but Bolton could as they won 2-1 at Burton.
Huddersfield Town lost again, this time 1-0 at Bristol Rovers, which saw the departure of manager Michael Duff as it left them outside the playoff places.
At the top of the table, Birmingham returned to winning ways as a Kieran Dowell penalty saw them beat Lincoln City 1-0, but Wycombe Wanderers needed an injury time equaliser from Richard Kone to draw 1-1 with Peterborough. That meant Wrexham drew level on points with Wycombe in the race to secure the second automatic promotion place as they beat Rotherham 1-0.
In the relegation battle, Northampton Town, Exeter City and Bristol Rovers all picked up crucial wins against Leyton Orient, Shrewsbury and Huddersfield.
These results created a gap of at least six points between these teams and those in the relegation zone, as none of Burton, Cambridge, Crawley, or Shrewsbury won this weekend.
League Two
Teams at the top of League Two had poor midweek results, with only one team of the top 7 winning.
Bradford City defeated Cheltenham Town 3-0 at home to gain ground on their rivals, but league leaders Walsall were held 1-1 away to bottom of the league Carlisle United. Doncaster Rovers lost 1-0 at Bromley and Notts County were defeated 2-1 by a Barrow side who hadn't won an away game since September. Port Vale drew 0-0 with Harrogate Town, and AFC Wimbledon lost 1-0 at Morecambe.
Crewe Alexandra were thrashed 4-1 by Fleetwood Town, meaning Grimsby Town gained ground on the playoffs with a 1-1 draw against Tranmere Rovers.
These results meant sides at the bottom of the table all had positive midweek results, as Carlisle, Morecambe and Tranmere all drew or won against sides at the top, whilst Accrington Stanlley beat MK Dons 2-0. These results increased the pressure on the sides around them heading into the weekends fixtures.
The weekend fixtures didn’t fare much better for the teams chasing promotion. AFC Wimbledon secured a 2-0 victory against rivals Notts County to bolster their promotion hopes, but they were the only team in contention to win.
League leaders Walsall lost 3-1 at playoff chasing Grimsby, but second place Bradford couldn’t capitalise as they were defeated 1-0 by Gillingham. Doncaster Rovers drew 2-2 with Swindon, and Port Vale needed a 96th minute penalty to earn a 1-1 draw at Fleetwood.
These results mean there is still only a four point gap separating 3rd and 6th, with those knocking on the door of the automatic promotion places having games in hand on those in them.
Crewe drew 1-1 at Salford City, meaning Grimsby's victory against Walsall took them level on points with Crewe in the final playoff place. Colchester United secured their third victory in a row by beating Cheltenham 1-0, meaning they move into playoff contention.
At the bottom of the league, Carlisle United were defeated 1-0 at Harrogate, whilst Morecambe lost 2-1 against MK Dons. This enabled Tranmere to open up a four point gap above the relegation zone as they defeated Bromley 2-1.