Couñago sparks play-off charge

In-form goalscorers helped the supporters of play-off hopefuls Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town and the fans of strugglers Brighton and Stoke City to face 2003 with a lighter heart. Palace's Tommy Black and Ipswich's Pablo Couñago both scored twice as their sides moved up the Nationwide First Division, while the Potters' Chris Iwelumo and Steve Sidwell at Brighton also netted a couple to help in their respective relegation fights.

Couñago's goals enabled Ipswich to follow their draw at leaders Portsmouth last Saturday and win at second-placed Leicester on Boxing Day with a 3-2 defeat of Walsall. "Outstanding," was manager Joe Royle's estimation of the Spanish striker. "He has improved tremendously over the past month and was a joy to watch. When he gets the ball on the edge of the box the opposition have problems." Ipswich are eight points off the play-offs.

Crystal Palace are seventh, two points off the play-offs, following a 2-0 defeat of Preston at Selhurst Park. Black scored both goals to take his tally to seven goals in seven games. "He had his poorest game against Portsmouth [on Boxing Day]," Palace's manager, Trevor Francis, said, "I wanted a reaction from him and he was back today making the headlines."

At the Britannia Stadium, Iwelumo "caused us a lot of problems," the Sheffield Wednesday manager Chris Turner admitted. "We couldn't cope." He scored twice to give Stoke 1-0 and 2-1 leads but the Potters still needed Brynjar Gunnarsson's 90th minute strike to make it 3-2 and their first win in 17 games, and first in 10 under Tony Pulis. Stoke stay in the relegation zone, as do Brighton who grabbed a dramatic point when Sidwell, on loan from Arsenal, scored twice in the final two minutes on the South Coast to force a 2-2 draw with Burnley.

"I definitely feel we can get out of trouble," the 20-year-old midfielder said. "It's much closer now down at the bottom and I'm backing us to turn these draws into wins. I'm sure we can pick up points wherever we go."

Back in the scrap for play-off places, Sheffield United, third, were held to a goalless draw by Coventry City, who had Dean Gordon sent off for a second yellow card with 19 minutes left.

Fourth-placed Norwich City brought a run of five away defeats to an end but were by no means convincing as they took a point from a 1-1 draw at Grimsby. Zema Abbey put the Canaries ahead but John Oster's equaliser saw justice done. Reading had dropped out of the play-off places but moved back up to sixth after inflicting a third defeat in eight days on Derby County. In the last minute, Jamie Cureton ended his lean spell to give the Royals a 2-1 win.

Wolves slipped back to 10th as their indifferent form continued. They lost 2-1 at home to struggling Bradford City, Claus Jorgensen and Andy Gray on target for the Bantams. And Rotherham United's home form betrayed them again as Millwall avenged a 6-0 opening day thrashing at the New Den with a 3-1 win at Millmoor.

The top two in the Second Division, Wigan and Bristol City, won comfortably while in the relegation places there was a point each for Cheltenham and Peterborough.

Rushden and Diamonds' reign as Third Division leaders was brief. They lost 2-0 at home to Oxford United, who move into the third automatic place, while Hartlepool rediscovered their winning touch, beating Cambridge United 3-0 to go top.