Razor-sharp pair get brace for Blades
Sheffield United enhanced their Coca-Cola Championship play-off hopes tonight with a 4-0 victory at home to Crewe.
Neil Warnock’s team moved up to eighth, only behind West Ham and Reading on goal difference and with at least one game in hand on all the teams above them, thanks to two goals each for Steven Kabba and Andy Gray.
Kabba, making his first start for the Blades since the 2003 play-off final, twisted and turned before firing a shot low across Crewe goalkeeper Ben Williams and into the corner in the 14th minute.
Gray scored his 12th of the season after Andy Liddell played the ball into the box with six minutes to go to half-time. Kabba got his second in the 66th minute and Gray added a fourth nine minutes later.
Nottingham Forest did their prospects of staying in the Championship the power of good by winning 2-0 at Watford.
Kris Commons scored on the stroke of half-time and added a second in the 79th minute from Darryl Powell’s cross as Gary Megson’s side moved to within three points of safety with a game in hand on the teams around them. The win made it six games unbeaten for Forest.
East midlands rivals Leicester are not out of the woods yet either and they had to settle for a goalless draw at Burnley.
Hull cut the gap on League One leaders Luton to three points with a 1-0 win over fifth-placed Hartlepool at the KC Stadium.
Stuart Elliott netted his 24th goal of the season, turning in the rebound after his penalty was saved by Pools goalkeeper Jim Provett.
Bournemouth’s play-off hopes were dented as they lost 3-2 at home to Blackpool, for whom Keigan Parker scored twice, while Port Vale and Colchester drew 0-0 at Vale Park.
Rochdale moved within two points of the League Two play-off zone with a 1-0 win over Northampton at Spotland. Rickie Lambert’s 56th-minute free-kick settled the match.
Wrexham, still in administration and docked 10 league points as a result, have a Millennium Stadium payday to look forward to after booking their place in the LDV Vans Trophy final by beating Oldham 1-0 at the Racecourse Ground.
Chris Llewellyn’s 65th-minute strike gave them an unassailable 6-3 aggregate lead. They will face Southend in Cardiff after the Shrimpers drew 2-2 with Bristol Rovers in the southern area final second leg to claim a 4-3 aggregate win.
The final will be played on Sunday, April 10.
