The Coca-Cola Championship this season has been a close one, and with the end drawing ever closer there are still eight clubs in contention for two Premiership (allowing that Reading are home and hosed) places, one of them via the play-off positions. 
Of these, three teams still hold realistic automatic promotion aspirations, Kevin Blackwell’s notoriously difficult to beat Leeds United, Aidy Boothroyd’s perhaps more adventurous
Both the former are fighting tooth and nail and beginning to succeed in closing the gap on Neil Warnock’s men.
The remaining quintet,
Here at the Golden Boys we take a look at the teams eyeing the Premiership, and give our predictions on how they will be placed come 4pm on Sunday 30th April.
For so long positioned in an automatic promotion slot, is the world about to come crashing down for Neil Warnock and his expensively assembled team?
After the at times unpopular Warnock had spent wisely in the summer, assembling a combative team around the likes of David Unsworth and Paul Ifill in particular, the Blades began the campaign with a bang and after ten matches even headed
By November however Reading’s well oiled machine was in full flow and with Warnock being tempted by Portsmouth’s overtures following the departure of Allan Perrin, the South Yorkshire men took one eye off the ball.
Two draws, at home to Millwall (2-2) and away to Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-0) was followed by a 2-4 defeat at Leicester City, and although the straight talking boss eventually decided to stay with the club he has supported all his life, Sheffield United have struggled to regain the fluency they enjoyed in the early part of the campaign.
Christmas came and went with a massive advantage over fellow ‘would be’ promotion candidates, but as the business end of the season approaches the Blades have become less sharp.
Perhaps it was the Golden Boys' scintillating 4-1 SKY TV victory at the start of February, which has unsettled them again, but a return of just one win, albeit a meritorious one at city rivals Wednesday in their last six Championship matches has left them looking vulnerable and anxiously over their shoulders at the hunting pack, neighbouring Yorkshire rivals, Leeds United in particular.
Can they hold on?
Well here at the Golden Boys we think they have enough big time players with the experience to cope with the increasing pressure and recent signing, Ade Akinbiyi (pictured) should also help ease the goal scoring burden on the flagging Steve Kabba. 
Hold onto your seats at Bramall Lane, it is going to be a rocky ride but providing you avoid defeat on Easter Monday when Leeds United are in town we predict you are off to the Premiership.
Predicted Final Position: 2nd
Leeds United
The team from West Yorkshire have had a great season this year, and manager, Kevin Blackwell has bought wisely and assembled a good team that appear to have enough about them to challenge Sheffield United all the way for that second spot place all the way. 
The
Although the Tykes did not necessarily play the most attractive football, they are extremely effective, and also boast the division’s best strike force consisting of
Leeds United do have a tendency to be a quite aggressive and dirty side, with Sean Gregan, Shaun Derry and Paul Butler the main culprits, mustering 23 cards between the three of them.
Blackwell’s side have becoming increasingly consistent as the season has progressed, and with Sheffield United apparently beginning to choke, there might be an opportunity for the
For them to reclaim their place at
Predicted Final Position: 3rd
Watford
Like Leeds United,
The Golden Boys managed six wins in their opening 10 fixtures, and from there on never looked back. Their attractive style of football has made everyone take notice and an unlikely promotion charge has ensued.
Indeed a tremendous winning streak of five straight wins from mid January to February really cemented the Horns place in the top six, and even though automatic promotion is not out of reach, a play off position would make most Golden Boys’ fans happy.
A complete overhaul of the squad last summer by new manager Boothroyd saw old, tired players leave the club with younger, quicker players joining.
Marlon King has been the master of the show, and he tops the goal scoring charts for the division with 18 goals. Not too far behind the former 
The Golden Boys are a good team that never gives up, and plays stylish football that is pleasing on the eye to neutrals. Second spot and automatic promotion remains a long shot, but stranger things have happened in football.
Predicted Final Position: 4th
Crystal Palace
The Selhurst Park outfit have been a strange team this year as they have put some good runs of results together, but inconsistency has and remains their main problem.
The Eagles won 50% of their first ten matches at the start of the campaign, an average start after relegation from the Premiership last May.
Thereafter, Iain Dowie’s men gradually worked their way up through the division and into play-off contention, but inconsistency has prevailed, with the Eagles never managing more than three wins in a row.
Since
Most of the Eagles better players stayed loyal to them after their demotion last season, in particular the speedy Andy Johnson (pictured left), who even though he has been injured quite a bit during the campaign has still been firing in the goals when fit.
Together with strike partner, Clinton Morrison the pair has managed 21 goals between them.
The South Londoners are a match for anyone in the division on their day and play some good football, but realistically, their inconsistency has proved an achilles heel and the play-offs are the bets they can hope for as the season comes to its conclusion.
Predicted Final Position: 5th