IRELAND INTERNATIONAL Callum Robinson moved up to joint third in the Championship scoring charts tonight.

The 30-year-old’s seventh in 10 games means he is now just three goals off joint the league’s top scorers — Leeds United’s Joël Piroe and Norwich’s Borja Sainz, who each have 15.

Robinson scored the winner in a crucial 1-0 victory for relegation-threatened Cardiff City in a 1-0 win over Hull.

Fellow Ireland international Finn Azaz also continued his remarkable season.

The former Aston Villa youngster scored and assisted to make it 19 goal involvements for the season.

Azaz is now joint second in the Championship assist charts with 10 alongside Coventry City’s Jack Rudoni and one adrift of West Brom’s Tom Fellows.

Irish youngster Andrew Moran also registered an assist but it was to no avail, as his Stoke City side were beaten 3-1 by Middlesbrough.

Robinson broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute after neither side had really threatened in a cagey first half as moved Cardiff up two places in the table and six points clear of the relegation zone.

Both teams knew there was a lot at stake. Hull lost Eliot Matazo to an injury after only 20 minutes, while Cardiff found a way to press forward and create chances.

Twice in the space of as many minutes, Cardiff top scorer Robinson was given the chance to shoot from inside the box, but on both occasions, his left-footed efforts were comfortably dealt with by Ivor Pandur in the Hull goal.

Some neat interplay between Robinson and Andy Rinomhota down the right flank gave the Ireland striker his first chance, but his shot went inches past the right-hand post. His second was well held by Pandur.

Hull moved the ball well from side to side but failed to get it forward often enough. They ended the first half with two shots, both of which were blocked outside the box.

The best chance of the half came in the third minute of added time after Cian Ashford had sped from halfway into the Hull box before crossing for Yousef Salech.

He controlled the ball, twisted and fired on target to force Pandur to make the best save of the game.

Cardiff started the second half brightly and a great run by Ashford into the heart of the Hull defence forced Regan Slater to haul him down on the edge of the box. Slater picked up a yellow card for his efforts as Perry Ng lined up the resulting free-kick.

Ng’s shot went over the wall and forced Pandur into a full-length diving save.

From the corner Hull were able to clear their lines, but Chris Willock crossed the ball back into the danger zone and Salech made a big enough nuisance of himself to force the defence to clear only as far Robinson near the penalty spot.

Robinson took the ball early, hit it on the volley and found the bottom right-hand corner to notch his 12th goal of the season.

Hull’s best chance of the game came in the 72nd minute after they had broken from the halfway line down the left wing.

The cross came in from Gustavo Puerta and Joao Pedro missed making contact with it a yard out from gaol as he threw himself at the ball with nobody home.

One saving grace for Hull was that relegation-rivals Stoke failed to make up any ground in their game in hand at home with Middlesbrough. The Potters remain two points ahead of Hull in 20th with Cardiff now up to 19th.

Finn Azaz of Middlesbrough under pressure from Ben Wilmot of Stoke City Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Middlesbrough eased the pressure on manager Michael Carrick as Azaz and Tommy Conway scored second-half goals to seal a 3-1 win.

Boro had lost their five previous games and had not won on their travels since beating Hull on New Year’s Day.

Stoke’s South Korean star Bae Jun-ho cancelled out Marcus Forss’ first goal of the season, but Boro wrapped up victory to boost their faltering play-off hopes.

Conway, who had missed a sitter to make it 2-0, assisted for Azaz to restore the Teessiders’ lead after 52 minutes.

The duo combined again 21 minutes later, with Conway atoning for his earlier blunder with a 10th goal of the campaign.

Boro certainly did not start like a team low on confidence and short on wins and they might have been in front before Forss fired in a terrific opener.

Morgan Whittaker blazed over but then forced a first save of the game from Viktor Johansson after Conway’s initial effort was blocked by Ashley Phillips.

The visitors’ goal started in their own half and Whittaker’s assist was the last pass of a fine move, finished off in style by Forss.

Conway should have doubled the lead on the half-hour but after Forss crossed from the Potters’ left, the former Bristol City star fired over from a couple of yards.

Stoke used the miss as badly needed inspiration. Lewis Baker scored one of City’s all-time best goals in the previous home game against Swansea; a magnificent effort from inside his own half.

This time he let fly from just outside the penalty area. Goalkeeper Mark Travers saved and rose quickly to block Million Manhoef’s follow-up.

Stoke equalised against the run of play before the break. Moran crossed into the area and Bae ran in to score his second Championship goal of the season with a low right-foot effort.

If Stoke believed the tide had turned, seven minutes into the second half Boro regained their lead.

Hayden Hackney powered forward and slipped a pass to Conway who smartly created the assist for Azaz.

Conway then wasted another chance to put the game out of Stoke’s reach, firing into the side-netting with Azaz and Forss better placed, waiting for a cut-back.

But the Scot had the last word, calmly shooting home from 12 yards after 73 minutes following a one-two with Azaz.

Boro’s clinching goal- to move them within four points of the top six — signalled chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ from angry home fans, whose side sit only five points above the drop zone.

Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy