Championship roundup: Middlesbrough romp closes gap on Ipswich and Hull suffer crucial loss

Middlesbrough’s hopes of winning automatic promotion remain alive after they thrashed Watford 5-1 at the Riverside. With second-placed Ipswich drawing 0-0 at West Brom, Boro moved to within a point of the top-two positions with one game to play – although Ipswich still have a game in hand.

Boro’s 5-1 victory was their joint-biggest win of the season and came thanks to doubles from Morgan Whittaker and Tommy Conway plus a goal from David Strelec. Watford’s goal came at the start of the second half from James Abankwah, but while the visitors were a match for their opponents for most of the first period, they were comprehensively outplayed after the break.

It left Kim Hellberg now hoping that Southampton can do Middlesbrough a huge favour when they host Ipswich on Tuesday night. If Ipswich win at St Mary’s, Boro will travel to Wrexham on the final day knowing they will have to be content with a place in the play-offs. But if it ends in a draw or a Southampton victory, Boro will head into the final weekend with their hopes of securing automatic promotion still alive.

Hellberg said: “Football is an unbelievable sport, and you know that if it goes down to the last day, it is difficult to know how anyone is going to handle that. We’ve come from a position where we really felt we had nothing to lose in the last week. It felt as though it was probably gone, but if Ipswich do not win their next game, then it will come down to the last day of the season.

“If that happens, you never know. There are a lot of things that play into that type of game. Hopefully, Southampton can take at least a point from Ipswich, and then we will get that exciting last day of the season.”

Kieran McKenna, meanwhile, was satisfied with his Ipswich side’s display in their draw at West Brom, but said: “You don’t know if today was a good point, I’ll tell you next weekend. It’s a brutal league.”

For the Baggies, the point secured safety for the second time in a week. The home side were hit with a two-point deduction for breaching Profitability and Sustainability Rules on Friday which had left them mathematically vulnerable to relegation.

Daryl Dike celebrates WBA securing their Championship status after the draw against Ipswich. Photograph: Jacob King/PA

James Morrison, West Brom’s interim manager, said the points deduction had been well timed, in that it gave the players the clarity they wanted. “We had the cloud hanging over us, but finally we knew where we stood … we knew what we had to do,” he said, after seeing their unbeaten run extend to 10 matches. “We spoke to the players over dinner at the training ground, but I didn’t have to say too much – the players made that clear.”

Hull’s hopes of a playoff spot were dealt a major setback as Jayden Fevrier’s second-half goal earned Charlton a 2-1 victory at The Valley. The Tigers have now failed to pick up a victory in their last six matches, taking four points from a possible 18, as they failed to jump back above Wrexham and into the top six.

The Addicks, who led through Charlie Kelman’s seventh goal of the campaign, ended a seven-game winless run and mathematically secured their safety. West Brom’s point and Charlton’s win means Oxford have been relegated.

• This story will be updated