Round-up: Roberts pulls plug on Argyle

An electrical fault at Home Park delayed the start of the match between Plymouth Argyle and visitors Wigan Athletic by 30 minutes, but it failed to dim the Latics' sparky strike combination of Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington.

An electrical fault at Home Park delayed the start of the match between Plymouth Argyle and visitors Wigan Athletic by 30 minutes, but it failed to dim the Latics' sparky strike combination of Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington.

After a docile first period, Roberts fired in Wigan's first in the 54th minute, and 15 minutes later Ellington set him up to tuck away his second of the game and 10th of the season. Steve Crawford pulled one back for Argyle with 12 minutes remaining, but Wigan held on to win 2-1.

Reading moved up to second in the Championship, a point behind Wigan, after a 1-0 win at Stoke City. The game was settled four minutes before the break when a foul by Wayne Thomas allowed Reading's Nicky Shorey to place a quickly taken free-kick past Ed De Goey. "A tremendous three points," Steve Coppell, the Royals manager, said. "We played some of our best football of the season in the first half and stood up to the inevitable onslaught in the second."

Ipswich Town dropped to fourth when they salvaged a point at home against stubborn Burnley. The Clarets took an early lead after Richard Naylor lost possession deep in his own half and Micah Hyde slipped the ball to Robert Blake, who claimed his seventh goal of the season. A 90th-minute Matt Richards goal earned Ipswich the point.

A tight game at the Stadium of Light between Sunderland and Millwall was settled when a cross by the Wearsiders' substitute, Liam Lawrence, was turned in to his own net by Kevin Muscat. Sunderland move up to fifth.

Watford have picked up more points away from home than at Vicarage Road and that form continued at Pride Park where they drew 2-2 with Derby County. Heidar Helguson scored twice to establish the Hornets' 2-0 lead, but Tommy Smith, the Rams' former Watford striker, pulled one back. Grzegorz Rasiak's late equaliser was the Pole's first goal in English football.

A miserable week for Welsh football ended on a happier note in the relegation battle at Ninian Park where Peter Thorne scored both goals as hosts Cardiff City beat bottom-of-the-table Rotherham United 2-0. The Millers are seven points from safety and looking desperate. "At the moment we can't even buy a goal," Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore said. "We have to grind out results, but it is going to be a massive job for us from now on."

Leeds United beat Preston North End 1-0 at Elland Road through David Pugh's strike and then put in a third bid for the visitors' Northern Ireland striker, David Healy. "There is another bid in," the Preston manager, Billy Davis, confirmed, "although it would not be right for us to make it public." The previous offer was £200,000 for a player who cost £1.5m in 2000. "The offers so far from Leeds have not been anywhere near what we consider the player to be worth. When we sit down tomorrow will discuss the situation, if there is one to discuss." At Gresty Road Kenny Lunt, Andy White, on his debut, and Michael Higdon scored in Crewe Alexandra's 3-1 defeat of Brighton.

The rampant League One leaders, Luton Town, lost for the first time this season, Junior Mendes scoring twice in Huddersfield Town's 2-1 win at Kenilworth Road.

Leyton Orient are the new leaders in League Two. Their 4-1 defeat of Shrewsbury Town was the only win among the section's top four.