Will March's games decide Championship promotion?

Steve McClaren has got Derby ticking

The 2014/15 Championship season is just two months from completion and, after 35 thrilling games, there is plenty still to play for.

While Blackpool and Wigan Athletic look doomed down at the bottom, there is still much interest throughout the table. Millwall and Rotherham United look like the final two teams fighting it out to avoid relegation but the business end of the table is what grabs the headlines.

Promotion to the Premier League this season is not going to be easy. For a change, there is no front runner at present that looks set to clinch promotion early.

It sounds like a cliche, but every month is important in a division like the Championship. On their day, the team placed bottom could beat a team in the top two and it is a nightmare to predict.

March is clearly a pivotal month in the football calendar, but will it decide promotion this year?

The Football League obviously cannot predict the teams that will finish at the top but they have done a good job of delivering some very exciting fixtures in the next four weeks.

March started with a bang with the East Anglian derby between Norwich City and Ipswich Town. The Canaries won that match 2-0 and it has put them right in the promotion picture with the Tractor Boys now slipping out of the play-offs.

That was followed up by an action-packed mid-week card that, once again, proved promotion this term could be there for anybody in the top eight.

Brentford's top-flight ambitions were rocked last month by the news that Mark Warburton would be leaving the club at the end of the season.

For a short while the momentum stopped but the Bees secured a crucial 4-1 win over Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

Despite returning to the play-offs, midfielder Moses Obudajo insists nobody in the team can get carried away.

He told BBC London 94.9: "We can't look at it that way as we're going to get too excited and ahead of ourselves - before you know it we're putting unnecessary pressure on us.

"We're looking at the next game and the next game rather than thinkingn/a 'If we win seven we're going to be at the top'. As long as we keep winning and not worry about anyone else that's all we can do."

Derby County were one of the early favourites around Christmas time after their barnstorming start to the Championship campaign.

Steve McClaren will have wanted his side to really turn up the heat in March but they have started poorly and lost two games on the bounce.

Middlesbrough's blip against Sheffield Wednesday was soon forgotten about thanks to a 3-0 win over Millwall, while Watford moved closer to the top two with a 1-0 win over Fulham.

Norwich had won six games in a row coming into March but their 1-0 defeat at home to Wigan just proves how difficult the month could be.

Saturday's fixtures on March 7 could cause more chaos with a number of teams facing difficult games. Bournemouth travel to London to face Fulham, while Ipswich have a chance to bounce back when they host Brentford at Portman Road.

Nottingham Forest have turned their form around under new boss Dougie Freedman and that will give Middlesbrough plenty to think about as they travel to the City Ground.

Wolves are hoping for a late play-off push but they will be up against it when they host Watford.

It does not get any easier for Boro as seven days later they face Ipswich Town, before Bournemouth face a potential banana skin against Championship strugglers Blackpool.

Brentford's clash against Cardiff on March 14 will be a difficult contest, while Wolves face the daunting task of travelling away to play Brighton.

Forest's chances of promotion are incredibly slim but a win against Leeds United at Elland Road could push them closer to a late play-off chance.

Another mouth-watering tie in March sees Norwich take on Derby in a game that could push either team back into the top two.

Another mid-week fixture list sees Blackburn face Brentford, while Cardiff take on Bournemouth.

Under Neil Lennon, Bolton have certainly improved and they will be hopeful of causing more mayhem to the promotion race by beating Ipswich.

Friday March 20 sees another crucial tie, with Wolves welcoming Derby to Molineux. Both teams can exert some early pressure with Watford set to face Ipswich less than 24 hours later on the Saturday.

The final weekend of the month also sees Norwich do battle with Forest while Bournemouth take on Middlesbrough at home.

There is no doubt that the next few weeks of Championship football are going to deliver more surprise results.

Weeks ago Derby County, Ipswich Town, and Brentford looked certain to compete for the top three but the top six takes no prisoners and teams out of the promotion race are trying their best to cause some problems.

With just six points separating first and seventh, it is impossible to predict how the table will look come April. In previous years, teams have guaranteed promotion in April but that does not look like happening this time around.

None of the top six seem to be able to pull clear and March's fixtures once again could cause more problems for those aiming to reach the top flight by the end of May.

At the moment Watford looks like the team to beat, while Ipswich need to turn their form around very quickly.

After missing out on promotion last season, Derby will be hoping they can rally after two defeats. However, they have lost striker Darren Bent when they need him the most after he picked up an injury.

The relegation battle looks all but finished this season but promotion should go down the wire.

The race for promotion may not even be decided during April as the Championship continues to throw up surprises each and every week.