Quickfire Palace spur hopes of promotion

Clinton Morrison and Doug Freedman, the Crystal Palace strikers both on 18 goals for the season, scored a goal each and Jamie Smith added a third in a six-minute spell at Hillsborough to set up a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday and lift the south London side to fifth in the Nationwide First Division promotion race.

"Two very talented players who work as a good combination," the Palace manager, Trevor Francis, said. And promotion? "There are a number of teams fighting to be in the play-offs, we are one of them."

Morrison was first on the scoresheet with a 20-yard shot in the 31st minute, and he then crossed for Freedman to add the second. On 37 minutes Smith fired in the third. Efan Ekoku's header was the sum total of Wednesday's response as the Owls slipped into the relegation places.

For sustained excitement, however, Fratton Park was the place to be as Portsmouth and Barnsley shared a hectic 4-4 draw. The outstanding Robert Prosinecki scored a hat-trick as Pompey led 1-0, 2-1 and 4-2. "At 4-2 we were in the driving seat and the game was won," Graham Rix, the home side's manager, said. "I'm absolutely gutted."

Chris Lumsdon had scored twice as the Tykes fought back to 4-3. Then Linvoy Primus, Pompey's other scorer, was sent off and Mike Sheron levelled again. "I've got mixed feelings about the result," Steve Parkin, Barnsley's slightly bemused manager, said, "but on a positive note we looked good going forward and are unbeaten in the last 11 games."

At the bottom, Stockport County are 17 points from safety after they lost 3-1 at home to a Nottingham Forest side learning to live without their young midfield star Jermaine Jenas, who is off to Newcastle and the Premiership. "There are many more players in this team capable of doing that," Paul Hart, the Forest manager, admitted. After six games without a goal, Forest scored through Gary Jones, Marlon Harewood and a Leo Roget own goal.

Benito Carbone, fined two weeks' wages by Bradford City for refusing to be a substitute against Preston in midweek, made even greater amends by scoring the 61st-minute winner from a free-kick at Grimsby Town.

"I have seen two sides of his character in a short space of time," Carbone's manager, Nicky Law, said, "but the result gives us a bit of breathing space."

Coventry City's visitors Gillingham had a quick eye for the shooting chance and Iffy Onuora thumped in a long-range volley "from 40 yards", Andy Hessenthaler, his manager, estimated. "It was amazing. His first touch was bad but he fooled the defender and he just struck it. As soon as he did I said it had a chance."

Marlon King was equally alert to claim his 14th goal of the season. The Sky Blues pulled one back and hit the bar in injury time, but the Gills held on to win 2-1.

Reading increased their lead at the top of the Second Division to seven points when they forced a 1-1 draw with Bury at Gigg Lane, their equaliser coming courtesy of John Salako, whose recent transfer was facilitated by cash raised by the club's website. Stoke City missed the chance to go second when they lost 3-1 at Bournemouth while Bristol City, fourth, and Huddersfield Town, seventh, drew 1-1 in the wet West.

Sibling rivalry is rare enough on the football field, but at The Shay it sizzled between the dug-outs as Halifax Town, bottom of the Third Division and managed by Alan Little, were beaten 1-0 by Hull City, managed by his brother Brian. Hull are fourth.