Football: Blake's three lifts Cardiff

ANYONE with the foresight to have put money on Cardiff City beating the Second Division leaders yesterday will have received a handsome, if surprising, return on the dubious outlay. Thanks to a hat-trick by Nathan Blake (a defender by trade) the Welsh side's dismal sequence of 12 games without a win was brought to an end as Stockport County crashed to only their second defeat of the season.

They remain top, however, by virtue of Reading dropping two points at Elm Park in their 1-1 draw with fourth-placed Blackpool. The visitors seemed to be on their way to victory before the league's leading scorer, Jimmy Quinn, levelled the contest with his 21st goal of the season.

Hull City moved into the play-off zone after an emphatic 4-1 win at home to Rotherham in which Steve Moran scored a hat-trick. At the foot of the table, both Fulham and Barnet will have been less happy with their day's work. Without a single win at home all season, the north London side did at least seem to have secured a point before the former Manchester United player Mike Duxbury provided Bradford City with all three points with a last minute winner.

Meanwhile, Fulham, who scored four goals but contrived to concede six at Exeter in midweek, managed a less freakish defeat at home to fellow strugglers Brighton for whom Kurt Nogan scored the only goal of the game. The knowledge that Barnet remain trailing behind them will be of small comfort to Don Mackay's team, who themselves are now six points adrift of the pack.

In the Third Division, Preston had to struggle to preserve their position at the top of the table against bottom-placed Darlington before a second goal by Gavin Nebbeling in the 79th minute ended their frustration.

A draw would have meant Crewe Alexandra usurping their supremacy as Dario Gradi's men secured maximum points at home to promotion rivals Rochdale, having been set on their way by a Paul Butler own goal in the first half. The biggest win of the day came at Hereford where Chester scored five to move into third position.