Thompson papers over Forest's lack of conviction

Fifth-placed Nottingham Forest missed the chance to significantly close the gap on third-placed Sheffield United – whose game against Burnley fell victim to the weather – with a 1-1 draw at home to Walsall. The point was enough to lift Forest above Norwich – whose game at Gillingham was also postponed – into fourth place, but they were far from convincing.

Walsall's on-loan Wimbledon winger, Gareth Ainsworth, grabbed a point for his side as both sides, struggling for form, did little to turn around their fortunes. Forest had lost four out of five going into the game and Walsall had been beaten in their last three – each played as though lacking in confidence.

John Thompson made amends for an inauspicious start by giving Forest a 15th-minute lead, but their promotion bid has stuttered badly since December arrived and it now looks like the play-offs at best for Paul Hart's side.

The first half belonged to the home side, but the visitors showed more attacking threat after the interval and after 62 minutes the perseverance paid off. Darren Bazeley sent the ball in from the right and Ainsworth headed it past Ward to make it 1-1. Forest were stung by the equaliser and Johnson missed a chance to restore their lead after 67 minutes, volleying wide when connecting with a cross from Andy Reid.

Ipswich's resurgence continued with a 4-1 victory over Millwall, extending their unbeaten run to six matches. Second-half goals from the substitutes Marcus Bent and Jermaine Wright, along with two from Tommy Miller, saw Joe Royle's men keep the play-offs firmly in sight. Steven Reid had levelled the scores in the 64th minute before the Tractor Boys ran away with it.

A delighted Ipswich manager, Joe Royle, said: "We scored three awesome goals, and more than anything I'm so pleased for our fans. They turned up in great numbers again today and they're really responding to what we've started to do.

"We've had a great Christmas, and this win keeps our run going. Things are in our own hands – but it's a question of getting the balance right between believing in ourselves and keeping our feet on the ground."

Miller broke the deadlock with a sizzling 25-yarder after the Lions only partially cleared a corner by Jamie Clapham. Jermaine Wright repeated the trick with 15 minutes left with a 30-yard drive. Four minutes later Clapham's left-wing cross was controlled by Bent. The striker, having emerged off the bench only at the start of the second half, picked his spot with a cool finish.

The home side sealed victory with a penalty in the closing stages, after Darren Ambrose was upended by a fellow substitute, Robert Ryan.

Down at the bottom, Stoke's 2-1 win over Preston gave them hope for their relegation battle. Brynjar Gunnarsson and Peter Hoekstra struck twice in a two-minute period just before the interval to secure Stoke's second successive victory. It puts them within a point of fourth-from-bottom Grimsby, whose home game against Bradford fell victim to the weather.