Swansea boosted their bid for promotion to the Premier League after a 3-1 win at Ipswich moved the Welsh club within one point of second-placed Cardiff yesterday.

With Championship leaders QPR taking a forced weekend off following the postponement of their match at Hull, the focus switched to the battle for the second automatic promotion place.

At present that scrap is between Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea and their local rivals Cardiff.

At Portman Road, on-loan Tottenham midfielder Andros Townsend gave Ipswich the lead with his first goal for the club as he headed home Carlos Edwards’ cross five minutes into the second half, but Craig Beattie levelled for the Swans with a close-range header.

Joe Allen poked home Swansea’s second after hesitancy in the Ipswich defence and Beattie fired in a long-range third moments after the hosts had a good shout for a penalty turned down by referee Andy D’Urso.

That result increased the pressure on Cardiff, who needed a last minute equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to bottom of the table Preston.

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