Hornets flying high in seventh heaven

The law stating any team a week away from playing in an FA Cup semi-final will be keen to avoid injuries or unnecessary exertion was vigorously rewritten yesterday by Watford of the Nationwide First Division. They prepared for next Sunday's tie against the Premiership's Southampton at Villa Park by thrashing Burnley 7-4 at Turf Moor. Star of the Hornets' show was Michael Chopra, the on-loan Newcastle striker, who scored four. "Marvellous, his finishing was just first class," Ray Lewington, the Watford manager, said. "We got the ball into his feet and he showed just how dangerous he is." But spare a thought for Gareth Taylor. The Burnley striker scored a hat-trick in 30 first-half minutes but ended up a loser.

The top two, Portsmouth and Leicester City, both charged on, Pompey winning 2-1 at Walsall and second-placed Leicester beating stubborn Grimsby 2-0 at home. So they relished the rest the international games provided? "The two-week break we have just had did us no favours at all," Micky Adams, Leicester's manager, complained, "it meant we lost the momentum we had built up."

In the big play-off meeting, two Tommy Miller goals, including a twice-taken penalty, swept Ipswich Town, seventh, into an early lead over Nottingham Forest at Portman Road. But Paul Hart's side responded magnificently, the substitute John Thompson and a Marlon Harewood miscued shot drawing them level before a Richard Naylor own goal put Forest ahead. Marcus Bent equalised, but Harewood's second of the game gave Forest the 4-3 win and lifted them to fourth. "We never really recovered from the hubbub about the penalty and the hoo-hah that followed," Joe Royle, Ipswich's manager explained. "We picked the wrong day to have a nervous time defensively."

Hubbub and hoo-hah at Molineux, too. Wolves, after a goalless draw with visitors Rotherham, stay sixth but they had striker Nathan Blake sent off after 15 minutes and later on Colin Cameron missed a penalty. "Nathan says he grappled [Shaun Barker] to the ground, the referee said he elbowed him and their player reckoned it was a punch," Inspector Dave Jones, the Wolves manager, revealed. "They can't all be right." It beats Cluedo.

Back in the relegation shuffle, Lloyd Owusu scored twice as bottom-of-the-table Sheffield Wednesday earned a rare win, 4-2 over Wimbledon at Hillsborough. The Owls are five points from safety with five matches left. Stoke City picked up a point from their goalless draw at home with Gillingham.

Elsewhere, Neil Harris scored Millwall's 90th-minute goal in the Lions' 1-0 win at Bradford City, while Pawel Abbott was just as late with his equaliser for Coventry as they drew 2-2 at Preston North End.

In the Second Division, Cardiff City's hopes for automatic promotion were dealt a blow when visiting play-off aspirants Queen's Park Rangers won 2-1. Cardiff slipped to fourth; Oldham went third after they beat Barnsley 2-1 at Boundary Park.

The Third Division leaders, Hartlepool, scored their first goal in 374 minutes in earning a 2-2 draw at Kidderminster, while Onandi Lowe scored both goals as second-placed Rushden & Diamonds won 2-1 at Bristol Rovers, the defeat pushing the Pirates back into the demotion places, a point from safety. Bournemouth regained the third promotion place with a 2-0 win at Scunthorpe and wins for Torquay United and Oxford United took them back into the play-off berths.

Finally, Yeovil need a point from Saturday's match at Doncaster to confirm promotion the Football League.