Cardiff City 4 Colchester 1

With the threat of adminstration hanging over them, and the inevitable 10-point penalty that comes with it, Cardiff needed to show some fight to cheer their dwindling band of supporters - this was their lowest home league crowd of the season. They did, but only after Johnnie Jackson put the visitors in front. Steve Thompson’s diving header levelled the scores. Peter Whittingham and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink fired in before Adam Virgo sliced into his own net. Geraint Williams, the Cardiff-supporting Colchester manager, said the home side ‘played the conditions far better than us and fully deserved to win’

Cardiff City: Schmeichel, McNaughton, Loovens, Johnson, Gunter, Whittingham, McPhail, Parry, Ledley, Thompson, Hasselbaink
Colchester: Gerken, Duguid, Elokobi, Connolly, Virgo, Jackson, Watson, Yeates, McLeod, Lisbie, Sheringham

Preston 0 Blackpool 1

In a thrilling derby, in which goalkeepers Andy Lonergan of Preston and Blackpool’s Paul Rachubka were outstanding, Wes Hoolahan scored the only goal, from the penalty spot, after Youl Mawene brought down Ben Burgess. Preston should have been awarded a penalty when substitute Neil Mellor was fouled in the box but referee Mark Clattenburg gave a free kick outside the area. Simon Grayson, the Blackpool manager, said: ‘When you are playing teams around you, you want to win the game or at least not lose, and it’s taken us five points clear of Preston and dragged one or two back into it’

Preston North End: Lonergan, Hill, Mawene, St Ledger, Chilvers, Davidson, Whaley, McKenna, Sedgwick, Agyemang, Gallagher
Blackpool: Rachubka, Crainey, Jackson, Gorkss, Barker, Hoolahan, Jorgensen, Flynn, Taylor-Fletcher, Morrell, Burgess

Scunthorpe 2 QPR 2

Scunthorpe’s bright start to the season is beginning to unravel. Nine matches without a win has sent them dropping rapidly down the Championship table. ‘We want to get 25 points by Christmas,’ Nigel Adkins, the Scunthorpe manager, said. ‘We’ve got 23 now and who would have thought that when we were facing the abyss of the Conference two years ago? Akos Buzsaky put the visitors in front with a 25-yard curler. Martin Paterson poked the ball in from close range before Buzsaky struck again from a free kick. Jonathan Forte fired in Scunthrope’s second equaliser from 12 yards

Scunthorpe: Murphy, Cork, Crosby, Butler, Williams, Forte, Goodwin, Sparrow, Hurst, Hayes, Paterson
Queens Park Rangers: Camp, Malcolm, Stewart, Rehman, Barker, Buzsaky, Rowlands, Bolder, Leigertwood, Sinclair, Vine

Norwich win to move into safety zone

Norwich’s 1-0 defeat of Sheffield United made it four wins in five matches as new manager Glenn Roeder achieved his first target, of lifting the club out of the relegation places. Ched Evans, on loan from Manchester United, hit the winner after 10 minutes with a powerful 12-yard shot. Roeder said that the first 45 minutes was ‘as well as we’ve played since I have been here’

Bristol City were denied a third straight win, but were pleased with a 1-1 draw at Plymouth in appalling conditions. Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s penalty put the home side in front. Krisztian Timar headed into his own net to level the scores. ‘It was a terrific game and credit must go to the referee, [Plymouth’s] Paul Sturrock and, of course, myself,’ Gary Johnson, the Bristol City manager, said

Crystal Palace’s revival under Neil Warnock continued with a 0-0 draw at Barnsley. It was Palace’s eighth match without defeat and ended Barnsley’s four-game winning run at home Sheffield Wednesday’s match against Coventry was abandoned at 0-0 after 27 minutes because of a waterlogged pitch

Win tickets

The Sunday Times has teamed up with Barclays Commercial Bank, title sponsor of the Premier League, to give away a pair of tickets for next Saturday’s match between Derby County and Middlesbrough. For your chance to win, just answer correctly the following question: In which season did Derby first play at Pride Park? E-mail your answer to sporttickets@sunday-times.co.uk , including your address and telephone contact details. Entries must arrive before noon on Tuesday, December 11. To find out how Barclays Commercial Bank can help your business visit: www.barclays.co.uk/commercial/