Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City vs Aston Villa - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - March 31, 2018 Aston Villa's Robert Snodgrass in action with Hull City's Markus Henriksen Action Images/John Clifton
LONDON (Reuters) - Former European Cup winners Aston Villa consolidated their position in the playoff places of the Championship with a goalless draw away to Hull City.
It kept them in fourth place in England's second tier, nine points short of the automatic promotion places occupied by Cardiff City and runaway leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In the division's only other game on Saturday Villa's city rivals Birmingham City moved out of the bottom three and ahead of Barnsley with a 1-0 win over Ipswich Town.
Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City vs Aston Villa - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - March 31, 2018 Aston Villa's Lewis Grabban in action with Hull City's Max Clark Action Images/John Clifton
Spanish midfielder Jota scored the only goal from a penalty.
Ipswich, who announced earlier in the week that experienced manager Mick McCarthy would leave at the end of the season, remained in 13th place.
Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City vs Aston Villa - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - March 31, 2018 Aston Villa's John Terry applauds fans after the match Action Images/John Clifton
(Reporting by Steve Tongue,; Editing by Neville Dalton)
Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City vs Aston Villa - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - March 31, 2018 Aston Villa's Axel Tuanzebe in action with Hull City's Harry Wilson Action Images/John Clifton Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City vs Aston Villa - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - March 31, 2018 Aston Villa's Jonathan Kodjia in action with Hull City's Michael Hector Action Images/John Clifton
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