Ipswich handed get out of jail free card to lead three-horse race for Premier League place

Middlesbrough were just minutes away from dragging themselves back into the automatic promotion picture in an epic clash of two Championship juggernauts.

Desperately out of form and drinking in the last chance saloon in terms of their top-two chances, twice Boro had struck to bloody Ipswich Town's nose. But Premier League official Jarred Gillett's controversial decision to award the home side a late penalty after George Hirst went down in the box following contact from Adilson Malanda gave Ipswich a late get out of jail free card.

The ice-cool Jack Clarke made no mistake, dispatching an 87th minute penalty with aplomb to nudge Ipswich back into second and all but eliminate their crestfallen opponents from the top-two race.

Sunday's 2-2 draw means only struggling Charlton Athletic have beaten Kieran McKenna's men on their own patch this season, with their near-flawless home record fuelling their push for an instant return to the Premier League.

But Ipswich's fate will be determined away from Suffolk, rather than in the familiar surroundings of Portman Road. Three away games in a week, starting at Charlton on Wednesday, will dictate whether or not Ipswich will enter the Championship finale in a fortnight's time in the driving seat for automatic promotion.

Make no mistake: if Ipswich are second when they host QPR on May 2, then they are as good as up. Julien Stephan's side are already on the beach and were swatted aside with ease on Saturday afternoon by Millwall, who were in cruise control after overrunning their west London rivals in the opening 20 minutes of their meeting at The Den.

Kieran McKenna's men do not particularly travel well, though, winning just eight of their 20 matches away from Suffolk this term. To get over the line, it is likely they will need to return to East Anglia for that QPR showdown with a nine-point haul in tow - chiefly because sandwiched in between games against Charlton and West Brom is the daunting prospect of a shoot-out with Southampton .

The imperious Saints are well and truly on the march after negotiating a tricky trip to Swansea at the weekend to extend their unbeaten run to 16 games, 13 of which have ended in wins. Momentum is king when spring blooms in the football calendar and Southampton boast it in abundance; they are the team nobody wants to face right now.

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They have absolutely steamrollered teams in recent weeks, including play-off chasing Wrexham, and have games against two teams mired in mid-table obscurity in Bristol City and Preston North End either side of that seismic showdown with Ipswich. If any team look a good bet to not drop another point this season, it's Tonda Eckert's team.

But there is just the small matter of an FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City on the horizon which could sap invaluable energy and focus away from the primary objective of promotion. And while they may even start next week's heavyweight bout with Ipswich on home soil as favourites, even victory would not necessarily put them in the driving seat for second place - that would more than likely go to Millwall.

While Ipswich and Southampton were always billed to tussle for promotion, the Lions were not. After missing out on the top-six on the final day of last season, they have exceeded all expectations to wrestle their way into top-two contention.

Millwall have the kindest run-in on paper: they travel to a Stoke side who effectively have nothing to play for and both Leicester and Oxford could be relegated by the time those respective games come around.

But football isn't played on paper. And Millwall had won just one in five prior to their 2-0 triumph at the weekend, dropping points against West Brom and Blackburn Rovers, though the latter was heavily influenced by a controversial red card for Zak Sturge (which was later overturned on appeal). Traditionally, they fare better in the underdog role than on the other side of the billing.

Write them off at your peril, though. Only Coventry (25) have won more games than Millwall (22) in the Championship this season and the Lions also have the finest away record in the division, accumulating 37 points from 21 games, while no team in the second-tier has lost fewer times away from home than the Londoners, who have tasted defeat just four times away from The Den. They looked rejuvenated against QPR, too, and will attack the run-in knowing their pre-season goal of the play-offs is already accomplished.

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If Ipswich and Southampton do inflict damage on each other, Alex Neil and Co will be the ones to profit. They are behind Ipswich only on goal difference and if they win their three remaining games, there is nothing Southampton can do to catch them.

Middlesbrough on 73 points are not lightyears behind Ipswich and Millwall but second place now feels beyond them after failing to win at Portman Road. Winless in seven, Kim Hellberg's men now need snookers to avoid the unpredictable churn of the play-offs, but the frames are running out.

In a race rich with subplots, Ipswich are still in the most enviable position. And the manner in which they rescued themselves against Boro, effectively eliminating a direct promotion rival, will buoy a team which has struggled to match the sky-high expectations which were placed upon them before a ball had even been kicked.

If they can find their groove on the road in the next few days, then a second promotion to the Premier League in three years will be theirs. But the Championship is as unforgiving as it is unpredictable, which is why they, Millwall and Southampton will all still heavily fancy their chances of going up as Coventry City's plus one.

And it is also why Southampton and Ipswich's meeting a week-and-a-half from now will be seismic but not necessarily decisive in the race for the Premier League.

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