Michael Brown fired a second-half brace to wrack up a stunning 20 goals for the season in Sheffield United's 3-0 win over Bradford.
Neil Warnock's side strengthened their grip on third place behind Portsmouth and Leicester as they ran riot in the second half, with Bradford crashing to a fourth successive away defeat.
With United four points clear of Reading, who have a game in hand, the Blades seem destined to claim third, although just two teams have been promoted from the top play-off spot in its 13-season history.
United's home form, though, is formidable for they have have taken 19 points from their last seven home matches, while Warnock has a 100 per cent play-off record after guiding Notts County (twice), Plymouth and Huddersfield to glory.
However, Bradford could - and should - have bagged three goals inside the first 11 minutes.
After just 30 seconds, Danny Forrest's powerful, 12-yard free header, was straight at a grateful Paddy Kenny, who then superbly denied Andy Gray in the sixth minute with a point-blank save off his legs.
Forrest and Gray teed up Andy Myers five minutes later, but with only Kenny to beat, a searing drive was inches over, while Rob Kozluk cleared Forrest's side-foot shot off the line midway through the half.
The Blades also had their chances, with the visitors indebted to fine saves from Aidan Davison in denying Carl Asaba, Michael Tonge and Peter Ndlovu at various stages in an entertaining opening 45 minutes.
When Davison was beaten in the 36th minute, with Asaba superbly rounding the veteran goalkeeper, it was Gus Uhlenbeek on hand to clear off the line.
The Blades stepped up a gear after the break with Brown's brace sandwiching a lucky Peter Ndlovu strike.
Brown duly showed why on the hour as he cracked a 22-yard screamer beyond Aidan Davison following a one-two on the edge of the area with former Bantam Dean Windass.
Three minutes later, Ndlovu doubled the lead, heading home his own rebound from just three yards after his initial shot, in sliding onto a Michael Tonge pass, had cannoned off Davison.
City's misery was completed 13 minutes from time when Mark Bower's push on sub Paul Peschisolido, who had replaced Ndlovu just six minutes earlier, led to midfielder Brown sending Davison the wrong way from the spot to hit the 20 mark.
Man of the Match: Peter Ndlovu