Sheffield Wednesday’s hopes of avoiding relegation received another blow on Saturday as Ipswich Town fired six goals past them.
The loss sees Wednesday stuck at 23rd in the Championship table, but results elsewhere in the league keep them only one win away from safety.
The battle to avoid the bottom three promises to reach an exciting climax in the coming weeks, with only nine points separating 12th place and the relegation zone.
Reflecting on the loss, manager Danny Rӧhl said: “[Ipswich] should be our role model. We want to be competitive with these teams, this is what we have to improve.
“We have no excuses in the next eight games. This is where we have to take points.”
Braces from Omari Hutchinson and Ali Al-Hamadi helped push Ipswich closer to a Premier League return, having only been in League One last season.
Wednesday managed just one shot on target and were hit with an injury crisis during the game.
Captain Barry Bannan was taken off at half-time, and key attacker Ian Poveda only saw a few minutes of the second half before being scuppered by a muscle injury that puts his Colombian call-up in doubt.
Rӧhl is hoping the international break will provide both with the opportunity to recover before their next duel with Swansea.
Elsewhere in South Yorkshire, bottom-place Rotherham held back relegation contender Huddersfield in a goalless draw to receive their first point in ten games.
But with just 20 points overall, the Millers will need to win at least seven of their final eight games to remain in the Championship.
