The Season 2013/14: For the record

Manchester City - Premier League title winners 2013/14

THE SEASON 2013/14: FOR THE RECORD
THE WORLD CUP countdown can begin in earnest following the last game of the domestic season as Fleetwood Town beat Burton Albion 1-0 at Wembley in the League Two playoff final.

Lancastrians Fleetwood secured a sixth promotion in nine years thanks to Antoni Sarcevic's 75th-minute free-kick, and the Cod Army will play in League One for the first time ever from August.

At the other end of the scale, the biggest winner domestically this year was Manchester City, who overhauled Liverpool in the closing weeks for a second league title in three seasons.

And, at long last, there was joy for Arsenal who ended a nine-year trophy drought with a fine comeback in the FA Cup Final from 2-0 down against Hull City. The Gunners eventually won 3-2 in extra time thanks to Aaron Ramsey's goal.

Leicester City stormed the Championship and were promoted alongside surprise package Burnley, while Queens Park Rangers made it through the playoffs thanks to Bobby Zamora's last minute goal against Derby County.

Wolverhampton Wanderers won League One to keep their sojourn at the third level down to one season - but the other two promoted sides have waited rather longer.

Runners-up Brentford will play at Championship-level for the first time since 1993, and playoff winners Rotherham United for the first time since 2005 after they beat unlucky Leyton Orient 4-3 on penalties having come back from 2-0 down.

Chesterfield won League Two from Scunthorpe United with third-placed Rochdale also promoted and the aforementioned Fleetwood joining them through the playoffs.

But rock-bottom Torquay United dropped out of the Football League for a second time in the last seven years.

The more shocking news, though, came from the Memorial Stadium where Bristol Rovers were  relegated to the Conference for the first time ever.

And the Conference is an unforgiving division as Luton Town have discovered with the Hatters only finally promoted this year after enduring five seasons in the fifth flight.

Cambridge United, meanwhile, had to wait even longer - nine years - before a 2-1 win over Gateshead in the playoffs restored their Football League status last week.

In Scotland, the three big prizes went to three different clubs. Celtic unsurprisingly won the Premier League by a distance, but it was St Johnstone who won the FA Cup - for the first time ever - by beating Dundee United.

Earlier, Aberdeen had beaten Inverness Caledonian Thistle on penalties to win the League Cup for their first major trophy in 18 years.

But Hearts, who began the season with a 15-point deduction for going into administration, could not haul back their deficit and were comfortably relegated to the Championship.

There, they will face League One champions Rangers next season - and, incredibly, Hearts' Edinburgh rivals Hibernian joined them too.

The Hibees finished second bottom in the league but had seemed to gain a reprieve by taking a 2-0 lead in the away leg of their relegation playoff against Hamilton Academical.

At Easter Road yesterday, though, it all went wrong. Hamilton forced an equaliser with a last-minute goal from Anthony Andreu and then joined champions Dundee in the top flight by winning 4-3 on penalties.

In Wales and Northern Ireland, The New Saints and Cliftonville defended their respective titles with TNS going on to win the Double by beating Aberystwyth Town 3-2 in the Welsh Cup Final. Glenavon won the Irish Cup by the same score against Ballymena United.

A rather bigger occasion in Lisbon saw Real Madrid win La Decima - a 10th European Cup - as they beat city rivals Atlético after extra time.

Sadly, the eventual scoreline did not do justice at all to Atléti who had led the final until the dying seconds of normal time thanks to Diego Godín's first half header after a misjudgement by Real captain Iker Casillas.

But, with their last attack of the game, Real equalised through a pinpoint Sergio Ramos header from a Luka Modric corner.

Atléti hung on until half time in extra time - but they were unable to change the momentum of the game and Gareth Bale gave Real the lead by nodding in the rebound from Angel di Maria's saved shot.

Real then harshly added two late goals to the final score, with Marcelo's strike in the 118th minute and Ronaldo's record 17th goal of the tournament coming from the penalty spot. 4-1 to Real.

Los Rojiblancos can at least console themselves with a first La Liga title since 1996 - although none of the other major league winners in Europe can be considered much of a surprise.

Overall, La Liga in Spain still remains the most powerful top division.

As well as the Madrid derby in the Champions League final, Sevilla won a third Europa League in eight years, beating Benfica on penalties after a 0-0 draw in a match which was much more open than the score suggests.

That was Benfica's eighth consecutive defeat in UEFA finals, a sequence which stretches back to 1962 and the days of Eusebio. The curse of Bela Guttman had struck again.
 
ENGLAND
Premier League
Champions Manchester City
Runners-up Liverpool
Champions League Chelsea, Arsenal
Europa League Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, Hull City
Relegation Norwich City, Fulham, Cardiff City

Championship
Champions Leicester City
Runners-up Burnley
Playoff winners Queens Park Rangers (beat Derby County 1-0 in the Final)
Relegation Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley, Yeovil Town

League One
Champions Wolverhampton Wanderers
Runners-up Brentford
Playoff winners Leyton Orient or Rotherham United
Relegation Tranmere Rovers, Carlisle United, Shrewsbury Town, Stevenage

League Two
Champions Chesterfield
Runners-up Scunthorpe United
Also promoted Rochdale
Playoff winners Fleetwood Town or Burton Albion
Relegation Bristol Rovers, Torquay United

Conference Premier
Champions Luton Town
Playoff winners Cambridge United (beat Gateshead 2-1 in the Final)
Relegation Chester, Dartford, Tamworth, Hyde

Conference North
Champions AFC Telford United
Playoff winners Altrincham (beat Guiseley 2-1 in the Final)
Relegation Oxford City, Histon, Workington

Conference South
Champions Eastleigh
Playoff winners Dover Athletic (beat Ebbsfleet United 1-0 in the Final)
Relegation AFC Hornchurch, Billericay Town, Truro City

Domestic Cup Finals
All matches played at Wembley
FA Cup Final Arsenal 3-2 Hull City (after extra time)
League Cup Final Manchester City 3-1 Sunderland
FA Community Shield Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Johnstone's Paint Trophy Peterborough United 3-1 Chesterfield
FA Trophy Cambridge United 4-0 Gosport Borough
FA Vase Sholing 1-0 West Auckland Town

SCOTLAND
Premier League
Champions Celtic
Runners-up Motherwell
Europa League Motherwell, Aberdeen, St Johnstone
Relegation Hearts, Hibernian

Championship
Champions Dundee
Runners-up (promoted) Hamilton Academical
Relegation Morton

League One
Champions Rangers
Runners-up (not promoted) Dunfermline Athletic (lost 1-4 on agg to Cowdenbeath)
Relegation Arbroath, East Fife

League Two
Champions Peterhead
Also promoted Stirling Albion (beat East Fife 3-2 on agg)
Runners-up (not promoted) Annan Athletic (lost 4-8 on agg to East Fife)

Domestic Cup Finals
FA Cup Final St Johnstone 2-0 Dundee United
League Cup Final Aberdeen 0-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (after extra time). Aberdeen won 4-2 on penalties.
Challenge Cup Final Raith Rovers 1-0 Rangers

WALES/NORTHERN IRELAND
Welsh Premier League
Champions The New Saints
Europa League Airbus UK Broughton (runners-up), Aberystwyth Town (Cup runners-up), Bangor City (playoff winners)
Relegation Afan Lido

NIFL Premiership
Champions Cliftonville
Europa League Linfield (runners-up), Crusaders (third place), Glenavon (Cup winners)
Relegation Ards

Domestic Cup Finals
Welsh FA Cup Final The New Saints 3-2 Aberystwyth Town
Welsh League Cup Final Carmarthen Town 0-0 Bala Town (after extra time). Carmarthen Town won 3-1 on pens.
IFA Cup Final Glenavon 2-1 Ballymena United
Northern Irish League Cup Final Cliftonville 0-0 Crusaders (after extra time). Cliftonville won 3-2 on pens.

EUROPE
UEFA Finals
Champions League Real Madrid (Spa) 4-1 Atlético Madrid (Spa) after extra time
Europa League Sevilla (Spa) 0-0 Benfica (Por) after extra time. Sevilla won 4-2 on pens.
Super Cup Bayern Munich (Ger) 2-2 Chelsea (Eng) after extra time. Bayern Munich won 5-4 on pens.

Major European League champions
Spain Atlético Madrid
Italy Juventus
Germany Bayern Munich
France Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal Benfica
Netherlands Ajax Amsterdam
Belgium Anderlecht
Greece Olympiacos
Turkey Fenerbahçe

THE SEASON 2013/14
17.08 Preview: All change at the top
23.09 Mackems ditch Di Canio
05.11 Arsenal stride five points clear
22.12 Tyneside full of festive cheer
04.01 FA Cup Third Round features North London clash
04.02 Arsenal lead a three-horse race
14.04 Title tilts towards Anfield
27.04 Go ahead, Gateshead
12.05 Manchester City surface first
17.05 Comeback ends Arsenal drought (stats only)
19.05 Heed just fall short

The Season 2013/14: Heed fall just short

Cambridge United 2 Hughes 51, Donaldson 71
Gateshead 1 Lester 80 

Cambridge United Smith - Roberts, Miller (c), Coulson, Taylor - Champion, Berry (Chadwick 65), Hughes, Donaldson - Elliot (Cunnington 76), Sam-Yorke (Dunk 45) Booked Champion, Cunnington Subs not used Bonner, Chambers
Gateshead Bartlett - Baxter, Magnay, Curtis, Clark (c) - Chandler (Lester 69), Turnbull, Oster, Larkin (Hatch 58), Maddison (O'Donnell 58) - Marwood Booked Maddison, Oster, Clark Subs not used Walker, Ramshaw
Attendance 19,613 at Wembley Stadium Referee Peter Banks
Kick-off 4pm. Live on BT Sport.

GALLANT Gateshead narrowly missed out on a return to the Football League after 54 years following a 2-1 defeat to Cambridge United in the Conference playoff final at Wembley.

Veteran striker Jack Lester scored with 10 minutes left to give the Heed hope of forcing extra time but the Us survived seven minutes of stoppages to hang on.

It was a bitterly disappointing way to end a campaign which had begun with one point out of 15 and yet still finished in the club's first ever visit to the National Stadium.

Nevertheless, Gary Mills' men can be proud of the way that they never gave in on a scorching hot day in the capital.

Backed by around 7,000 fans who had made the long trip down from Tyneside, Gateshead made a nervous start as former Heed forward Ryan Donaldson went close for Cambridge.

The Tynesiders were then almost their own worst enemy as Marcus Maddison, already booked for an early dive, escaped a second caution for a rash tackle.

And, by then, the most experienced man on the pitch - former Everton and Sunderland midfielder John Oster - had also gone into the book for bringing down Donaldson.

Gradually, though, Gateshead felt their way into the half, aiming to tire their opponents in the heat with a sharp, possession game.

But, with Cambridge happy to sit in and soak up the pressure, Heed had fashioned little in the way of chances with Jamie Chandler's long-range effort going straight to Adam Smith.

An improvement was needed in the second 45 and, in fairness, Gateshead began the half on the front foot as James Marwood let fly - but again the ball went straight to Smith.

Cambridge then forced a corner - and, with it, the lead - as Donaldson's cross evaded goalkeeper Adam Bartlett and left the unmarked Liam Hughes to head in from barely a yard.

It was time for a change up front with centre-forward Liam Hatch brought on for Colin Larkin, and Marwood moved out to the right wing. JJ O'Donnell also replaced Maddison and Lester was soon on for Chandler.

Hatch immediately gave Gateshead much more presence up front but the Tynesiders' delivery from the wings was not at its best. Meanwhile, Donaldson was proving a constant menace for the Us.

The Geordie had already scored twice for Cambridge at Wembley in March in a 4-0 win over Gosport Borough in the FA Trophy Final.

And, having won another free-kick after a challenge by Ben Clark on the edge of the Gateshead box, the 23-year-old capped another man of the match performance by bending the ball around the wall and just inside the post.

Two goals down, Gateshead were really up against it now - and yet Mills' side continued to stick to their principles, plugging away by dominating the possession.

On 80 minutes, Heed finally got their just reward as the three substitutes combined. O'Donnell crossed for Hatch and, though his header was saved, the ball fell straight to Lester to ram home the rebound.

Gateshead were back in it - and Marwood almost equalised with a shot which brought a fingertip save from Smith.

But the Heed's momentum was almost immediately disrupted by a bad injury to Us captain Ian Miller who left the field in agony having ruptured his Achilles.

Nevertheless, the delay left Gateshead with plenty of time to complete the comeback and force an extra 30 minutes - and there was always a feeling that a huge chance would fall the Heed's way.

It did and it fell to 'Mr Gateshead' himself, Jamie Curtis. Up from the back in his 505th game for the club, he sadly could not direct his header on target - and that was indeed the very last chance.

Gateshead had given their all but left themselves with too much to do.

Overall, though, the season can surely only be regarded as a success. The first Wembley appearance in the club's history only came about from a belief instilled by Mills that, arguably, was not previously there.

After all, Curtis himself had booked his wedding for this weekend - before hastily having to rearrange it for this coming Wednesday.

No doubt, the 32-year-old had hoped to walk down the aisle having got Gateshead into the Football  League - but, in the words of the Rolling Stones, you can't always get what you want.

What the Heed do have is a chairman, Graham Wood, with ambition and a manager, Mills, with bags of self-belief.

Gateshead may have missed out this time - but, if they keep that combination, a return to the Football League should not actually be that far away. Ho'way the Heed!

The Season 2013/14: Comeback ends Arsenal drought

Arsenal 3 Cazorla 17, Koscielny 71, Ramsey 109
Hull City 2 Chester 4, Davies 8
After extra time

Arsenal Fabianski - Sagna, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Gibbs - Arteta, Ramsey, Cazorla (Rosicky 105), Ozil (Wilshere 105) - Podolski (Sanogo 61), Giroud Booked Giroud Subs Szczesny, Vermaelen, Monreal, Flamini
Hull City McGregor - Davies, Bruce (McShane 67), Chester, Rosenior (Boyd 104), Elmohamady - Livermore, Huddlestone, Meyler, Quinn (Aluko 75) - Fryatt Booked Huddlestone, Meyler, Davies Subs Figueroa, Koren, Sagbo, Harper
Attendance 89,345 at Wembley Stadium Referee Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Kick-off at 5pm. Live on ITV and BT Sport.

ARSENAL won their first trophy for nine years with a fantastic comeback in a brilliant FA Cup Final at Wembley.

ROUTE TO THE FINAL
Arsenal
3R beat Tottenham Hotspur (H) 2-0
4R beat Coventry City (H) 4-0
5R beat Liverpool (H) 2-1
QF beat Everton (H) 4-1
SF beat Wigan Athletic 4-2 on penalties, following 1-1 aet

Hull City
3R beat Middlesbrough (A) 2-0
4R beat Southend United (A) 2-0
5R beat Brighton & Hove Albion (H) 2-1 in reply, after 1-1 (A)
QF beat Sunderland (H) 3-0
SF beat Sheffield United 5-3

PREVIOUS FA CUP FINALS
Arsenal
1927 lost 0-1 v Cardiff City
1930 won 2-0 v Huddersfield Town
1932 lost 1-2 v Newcastle United
1936 won 1-0 v Sheffield United
1950 won 2-0 v Liverpool
1952 lost 0-1 v Newcastle United
1971 won 2-1 v Liverpool (aet)
1972 lost 0-1 v Leeds United
1978 lost 0-1 v Ipswich Town
1979 won 3-2 v Manchester United
1980 lost 0-1 v West Ham United
1993 won 2-1 v Sheffield Wednesday aet in replay, following 1-1 aet
1998 won 2-0 v Newcastle United
2001 lost 1-2 v Liverpool
2002 won 2-0 v Chelsea
2003 won 1-0 v Southampton
2005 won 5-4 on pens v Manchester United, following 0-0 aet

Hull City
None

The Season 2013/14: Manchester City surface first

(C) 1 MANCHESTER CITY (P38 W27 D5 L6 F102 A37 Pts 86) PL:WLWDWLWWLWLWWWDWWWWWWWWLDWWWWDWLDWWWWW
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (H) in QF
League Cup: won 3-1 v Sunderland at Wembley in Final
Europe: lost 1-4 on agg v Barcelona (0-2h, 1-2a) in Last 16
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero (28)
Timed to perfection, Manchester City won their last five games to overhaul Liverpool and win a second Premier League title in three years. It has indeed been an exceptional first season at the Etihad for manager Manuel Pellegrini whose side overcame early troubles on the road to draw four times and lose just twice in 27 games from the end of November onwards. The second of those defeats, at Anfield, took the title out of City hands - but, while the Reds then slipped up, City stepped up and they finished the season on 102 league goals, just one short of Chelsea's record from 2009-10. For good measure, Man City also won the League Cup against Sunderland at Wembley meaning it is now four trophies in the last three years.

2 LIVERPOOL (P38 W26 D6 L6 F101 A50 Pts 84)
PL:WWWDLWWDWLWDLWWWWLLWWDWDWWWWWWWWWWWLDW
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Arsenal (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Manchester United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Luis Suarez (31)
The best attacking duo in the Premier League, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, gave Liverpool genuine belief of a first league title in 24 years - and that belief grew bigger as the Reds embarked on an amazing 11-match winning streak. But the defensive failings which had become evident throughout the season would ultimately come back to haunt them. For, Steven Gerrard - of all men - slipped up in the 2-0 home defeat to Chelsea - before a crazy 3-3 draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park effectively extinguished all hope. Exactly where Brendan Rodgers' men failed to win the title is not difficult to pinpoint - Liverpool had an attack which could blow away most of the league but the 50 goals conceded is actually the Reds' worst record since 1914-15. Clear at the top with three games left, one wonders if they will ever have a better chance.

3 CHELSEA (P38 W25 D7 L5 F71 A27 Pts 82)
PL:WWDLWDWWWLDWWWLWDWWWWWDWWDWWWLWLWWLWDW
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Manchester City (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 aet v Sunderland (A) in fifth round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Atletico Madrid (0-0a, 1-3h) in SF
Top scorer: Eden Hazard (16)
Despite heavy investment in strikers in recent seasons, it was a lack of firepower that left Chelsea short in the final reckoning. Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba scored only 17 goals between them - and, having completed doubles over their main rivals, Manchester City and Liverpool, it was instead at some of the lesser lights where Chelsea struggled. Away defeats came at Stoke City, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa - and, even at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho's men were not exactly exemplary. A 0-0 draw against West Ham in January led to the Portuguese branding the Hammers' tactics as "19th century football". Then later, the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland - Mourinho's first home loss in the Premier League - prompted an astonishingly unsporting reaction on the final whistle.

4 ARSENAL (P38 W24 D7 L7 F68 A41 Pts 79)
PL:LWWWWWDWWWLWWWDLDWWWWWDWLDWLWLDDLWWWWW
FA Cup: Final v Hull City at Wembley on 17-May
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Chelsea (H) in fourth round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Bayern Munich (0-2h, 1-1a) in Last 16
Top scorer: Olivier Giroud (22)
Arsenal led the league for far more days than any other team this season but had dropped out of the title race by April after a run of just two wins in nine games. It was a sequence which included heavy defeats to Liverpool and Chelsea, the latter horror show actually coming on the occasion of Arsene Wenger's 1000th game. Nevertheless, the Gunners picked themselves back up to finish the campaign with five successive wins and a place in the Champions League for the 18th year in a row. Now, the next aim for Arsenal is for them to break their nine-year trophy drought on Saturday in the FA Cup Final against Hull City. Surely the North Londoners will do it this time, won't they?

5 EVERTON (P38 W21 D9 L8 F61 A39 Pts 72)
PL:DDDWWWLWWDDDWWDWWLWDWDLWLLWWWWWWWLWLLW
FA Cup: lost 1-4 v Arsenal (A) in QF
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Fulham (A) in third round
Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (16)
With a month of the season left, Everton went fourth and had an eye on a Champions League spot after beating their nearest rivals Arsenal 3-0 at Goodison Park. In the end, though, the Toffees' tougher run-in was the most telling factor. For, although a league double was completed over Manchester United and former manager David Moyes, defeats to Crystal Palace, Southampton, and Manchester City in the last five games, meant the Merseysiders were seven points short in the end. Nevertheless, this fifth-placed finish gives Roberto Martinez something to work on for next season which will feature European football at the club for the first time since 2010.

6 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P38 W21 D6 L11 F55 A51 Pts 69)
PL:WWLWWDLWWDLLDWWLWDWWWWLDWWLWLLWLWDWWLW
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Arsenal (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v West Ham United (H) in fifth round
Europe: lost 3-5 on agg v Benfica (1-3h, 2-2a) in Last 16 Europa League
Top scorer: Emmanuel Adebayor (14)
Tim Sherwood is expected to leave Tottenham Hotspur despite the North London club finishing just three points short of their total from last year and level on points with their ill-fated fourth place finish in 2011-12. The reason seems to be Sherwood's inability to break through the glass ceiling above Spurs with heavy defeats against Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool in the second half of the season simply repeating what had happened earlier under Andre Villas-Boas. The loss of Gareth Bale was pretty telling and a few of the players brought in using the money received for the Welshman endured difficult introductions to English football, Roberto Soldado and Erik Lamela in particular.

7 MANCHESTER UNITED (P38 W19 D7 L12 F64 A43 Pts 64)
PL:WDLWLLWDWWWDDLLWWWWLWLWLDDWWLWLWWLWLWD
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Swansea City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 on pens after 3-3 agg v Sunderland (1-2a, 2-1h) in semi final
Europe: lost 2-4 on agg v Bayern Munich (1-1h, 1-3a) in QF
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney (19)
Fallible to the last, Manchester United finished in their lowest league position since placing 13th in 1990. Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton completed league doubles while the likes of Newcastle United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion have all ended long winless runs. The cups were no better with Swansea City recording a first ever win at Old Trafford in the FA Cup and Sunderland winning on penalties in the semi finals of the League Cup. Indeed, it had been so poor that, ultimately, Moyes' sacking after defeat on his return to Goodison did not come as much of a surprise. Club legend Ryan Giggs provided a lift as caretaker with Norwich dispatched 4-0 - but Sunderland, in their great escape bid, doled out one last sobering defeat. The next man, expected to be Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, had better hit the ground running for there is much work to be done.

8 SOUTHAMPTON (P38 W15 D11 L12 F54 A46 Pts 56)
PL:WDLDWWWDWDWLLLDDLWLLWDDWDWLLWWLWLLDWWD
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Sunderland (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Sunderland (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Jay Rodriguez (17)
Set to become victims of their own success, Southampton's stylish team could be torn apart if the big boys have their way. Luke Shaw, the 18-year-old left back called up to the England World Cup squad, has already been reportedly subject to a £27m bid from Manchester United - while Adam Lallana is being pursued by Liverpool. Even coach Mauricio Pochettino could be off, possibly to Tottenham Hotspur, if he gets the impression he has taken the Saints as far as he can. And the Argentine may well be right if the south coast club begins to sell the starlets who have taken them to their highest points total in the Premier League era.

9 STOKE CITY (P38 W13 D11 L14 F45 A52 Pts 50)
PL:LWWDLLLDLDDWLDWDWLLDLLLWDDLWDWWWLWDLWW
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Chelsea (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Manchester United (H) in fifth round
Top scorer: Peter Crouch (10)
Stoke City reached a half-century of points for the first time in their six-year Premier League stay and, in fact, enjoyed their best top flight finish since 1975. Manager Mark Hughes has recovered really well from an uncertain start to build on the foundations laid by previous boss Tony Pulis. Of course, things didn't look so good at the end of January when defeat at Sunderland dropped the Potters as low as 16th - but, following their first win over Manchester United since 1984, City then won seven of their last 11 games and lost just twice - to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur - in a thoroughly encouraging campaign.

10 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P38 W15 D4 L19 F43 A59 Pts 49)
PL:LDWWLLWDLWWWWLWDWWLLLWDLLLWWLWLLLLLLWL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Cardiff City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-2 aet v Manchester City (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Loïc Remy (13)
Never mind a game of two halves, Newcastle United had a season of two halves with an encouraging first part of the campaign completely undermined by a disastrous second. Sitting sixth on Boxing Day after beating Stoke City 5-1, having already beaten Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, the Magpies then lost 14 of their last 20 league games, and seven of their last eight. Newcastle also failed to score in 13 of those last 20 and, across the season as a whole, lost by three goals or more on nine separate occasions, including against Sunderland at home - again. Manager Alan Pardew added to his own woes by getting banned for a ridiculous headbutt in the win at Hull - and now many fans, in open revolt, are hoping for Pardew's absence to be made rather more permanent. There are no signs of any movement from owner Mike Ashley yet, though.

11 CRYSTAL PALACE (P38 W13 D6 L19 F33 A48 Pts 45) PL:LLWLLLLLLLDWLWWLLWLDLWWLWLDLDLWWWWWLDD
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Bristol City (A) in second round
Top scorer: Dwight Gayle (8)
If the season had started when Tony Pulis was appointed Crystal Palace manager on 23 November, the Eagles would have finished eighth. As it is, a dreadful start under previous boss Ian Holloway meant that Pulis's side have spent most of the campaign still battling against the drop. It is a battle which has been won handsomely however, a fine achievement capped by five consecutive wins which took the south Londoners into the safety of mid-table . It also means that, for the first time since the Premier League began in 1992, Palace will play two successive top-flight seasons.

12 SWANSEA CITY (P38 W11 D9 L18 F54 A54 Pts 42) PL:LLWDWLLWDLDWLWDDLLDLLLWLWDLDLLDWLLWWLW
FA Cup: lost 1-3 v Everton (A) on fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Birmingham City (A) in third round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Napoli (0-0h, 1-3a) in Last 32 Europa League
Top scorer: Wilfried Bony (22)
Europa League exertions and squad unrest threatened to derail Swansea City's Premier League project as the Welsh side endured a run of just two league wins in 17 attempts in a winter of discontent. Manager Michael Laudrup had been dumped during that period but, with Michu absent through injury for most of the season, the Swans nevertheless always looked to have enough firepower through Wilfried Bony to stay up under new boss Garry Monk. So it proved with Swansea finishing the season on a high after winning three of the last four.

13 WEST HAM UNITED (P38 W11 D7 L20 F40 A51 Pts 40) 
PL:WDLDLLWLDDLLWLLDLLDLWLDWWWWLLLWWLLLLWL
FA Cup: lost 0-5 v Nottingham Forest (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-9 agg v Manchester City (0-6a, 0-3h) in semi final
Top scorer: Kevin Nolan (7)
West Ham United failed to act as party-poopers at the Etihad where Manchester City won the Premier League on the final day. There is no shame in that, of course - but defeat in Manchester was the Hammers' 20th of a league campaign which was only saved from complete disaster by a stunning run of four successive wins in February. That sequence won Sam Allardyce a Manager of the Month award - but discontent with the boss remains high at the Boleyn Ground, and even a win over Hull City was greeted with jeers, coming as it did courtesy of an own-goal against 10 men. Since then, West Ham have won two and lost five and made it to 40 points - but no more.

14 SUNDERLAND (P38 W10 D8 L20 F41 A60 Pts 38)
PL:LDLLLLLLWLWLDLLDDWDLWDWWLLDLLLLLDWWWWL
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Hull City (A) on QF
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Manchester City at Wembley in Final
Top scorers: Fabio Borini/Adam Johnson (10)
A stunning season on Wearside, and certainly one which was not for the faint-hearted. A dreadful start had left the Black Cats bottom on Christmas Day with Gus Poyet taking over from dumped fascist Paulo di Canio. And, while the Uruguayan manager inspired a first Wembley Cup final appearance since 1992 and a first double over Newcastle United since 1967, league form remained stubbornly poor. Well, at least it did until April when a stunning point at Manchester City and victory at Chelsea inspired a run of 13 points out of 15 which also included a first win at Old Trafford since 1968. The 3-1 home defeat to Swansea City on the final day was disappointing but largely irrelevant in the wider context of needing to keep Poyet at the Stadium of Light. 

15 ASTON VILLA (P38 W10 D8 L20 F39 A61 Pts 38)
PL:WLLLWWDLLDWDDWLLLLDWLDWLLDLWWLLLLDLWLL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Sheffield United (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (H) in third round
Top scorer: Christian Benteke (11)
Aston Villa finished this season in exactly the same position as last year - and actually with three points fewer, having taken just four points out of the last eight games. Indeed, the campaign finished in appropriate style with Villa slumping to a meek 3-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur as the fans sang "We want our Villa back". At least the prospect of real change is on the horizon, though - disenchanted owner Randy Lerner has put the club up for sale - and if the American does depart, manager Paul Lambert will surely not be far behind.

16 HULL CITY (P38 W10 D7 L21 F38 A53 Pts 37) 
PL:LWLDWWDLLWLLWLDDDLWLLLLDWLWLLWLLWLDLLL
FA Cup: Final v Arsenal at Wembley on 17 May
League Cup: lost 7-8 on pens (after 2-2 aet) v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in fourth round
Top scorers: Matty Fryatt/Nikica Jelavic (6)
Hull City gladly got almost all of their 37 league points on the board by early April to avoid the drop quite comfortably despite an eventual finishing position of 16th. Of course, late-season collapses in the league are nothing new in Steve Bruce's management career - but at least the Tigers' boss has had the ready-made excuse of having been thoroughly distracted by the Humber club's first ever FA Cup Final appearance at Wembley on Saturday. Second favourites at odds of 7/1 in places, and beaten by the Gunners 3-0 in the run-in, it is fair to say, nevertheless, that surely all Hull fans would have taken this at the start of the season.

17 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P38 W7 D15 L16 F43 A59 Pts 36)
PL:LDLDWWDDLWDDLLLLDDDWLDLDLDDLWLDWDLWLLL
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Crystal Palace (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 3-4 on pens (after 1-1 aet) v Arsenal (H) in third round
Top scorer: Saido Berahino (9)
West Bromwich Albion scrambled over the line of a wretched season, as a 1-0 home win over West Ham United proved to be enough to finish on the right side of the safety line - just. That victory at the Hawthorns was one of only seven league wins all season - and the Baggies lost the other four of their last five games to finish on only 36 points. Spanish coach Pepe Mel had failed to impress since his arrival in January and his end-of-season meeting with chairman Jeremy Peace simply signalled the end of his brief sojourn in the Midlands.

(R) 18 NORWICH CITY (P38 W8 D9 L21 F28 A62 Pts 33)
PL:DLWLLWLLDLWLWLWDDLLDLWDLDLWLDLWLLLLLDL
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Fulham (A) in third round replay, following 1-1
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Manchester United (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Gary Hooper (8)
Norwich City ran out of the winnable games well before the finish line with those tough final four fixtures - against Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea - unsurprisingly producing just a single point. Yes, the Canaries' fate was effectively sealed having gone into that run still only on 32 points having acted too late on replacing the forlorn Chris Hughton with youth coach Neil Adams as caretaker. A total of just 28 league goals, the lowest in the division, tells its own story and £8.5m signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel should feel particularly guilty. The Dutchman netted just once all season - and that was on the opening day.

(R) 19 FULHAM (P38 W9 D5 L24 F40 A85 Pts 32)
PL:WLLDLLWWLLLLLLWLLWLWLLLLDLDLLWLLWWLDLD
FA Cup: lost 0-1 aet v Sheffield United (H) in fourth round replay
League Cup: lost 3-4 v Leicester City (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Steve Sidwell (8)
A disastrous campaign brought to an end a 13-year Cottagers stay in the top flight, the club's longest streak in its history. There were three managers and an amazing 39 different players - but it was the same story all season long as the Premier League's leakiest defence conceded an eye-watering 85 goals, and lost 24 out of 38 games. Consecutive wins in April against Aston Villa and Norwich City had offered some hope - but only two points from the last 12 extinguished it almost as quickly, and relegation was confirmed in a 4-1 collapse at Stoke City.

(R) 20 CARDIFF CITY (P38 W7 D9 L22 F32 A74 Pts 30)
PL:LWDDLWLLDWLDLDLWLLDLLLLWLDLLWLLDLWDLLL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (H) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Ham United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Fraizer Campbell (9)
Having spent years trying to make it into the Premier League, including three successive failed playoff bids, the red-shirted Bluebirds were relegated after just one season in the top flight, and deservedly finished bottom after only seven league successes. Incredibly, one of those was an amazing 3-2 opening home victory over eventual champions Manchester City - and, indeed, Malky Mackay was doing a respectable job in the Welsh capital until controversial Malaysian owner Vincent Tan started to meddle. Form fell away badly over Christmas and the New Year - but Tan's answer, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, fared even worse overall as Cardiff ultimately limped out of the league on the back of three successive defeats.

EARLIER 2013/14 BLOGS
17.08 Preview: All change at the top
23.09 Mackems ditch Di Canio
05.11 Arsenal stride five points clear
04.02 Arsenal lead a three-horse race
14.04 Title tilts towards Anfield

The Season 2013/14: Go ahead, Gateshead

 

FOOTBALL CONFERENCE PLAYOFF FIXTURES

Wed 30-Apr	19:45	HALIFAX TOWN	1-0	CAMBRIDGE UNITED		3668
Thu 01-May	19:45	GRIMSBY TOWN	1-1	GATESHEAD		5234
Sun 04-May	13:30	CAMBRIDGE UNITED	2-0	HALIFAX TOWN	(2-1)	6262
Sun 04-May	16:30	GATESHEAD	3-1	GRIMSBY TOWN	(4-2)	8114

FINAL: CAMBRIDGE UNITED v GATESHEAD on Sun 18-May at Wembley Stadium

GATESHEAD extended their season and gave hope to a possible first ever Wembley trip after a highest finish in the English football pyramid for 54 years.

The Heed beat Cambridge United 2-0 at International Stadium in front of a crowd of 2,916 to end the regular season in the Football Conference in third, setting up a two-legged playoff tie against Grimsby Town.

It is one heck of an achievement for Gateshead who now have a real chance of regaining a place in the Football League for the first time since being harshly voted out in 1960.

Seeking re-election for the first time, the Tynesiders were kicked out in favour of Oldham Athletic, who were applying for a second year running, and Southport - who were making a third successive application.

Hartlepool United gained a fourth reprieve while Peterborough United - far more geographically-friendly for the southern-dominated Football League - took Gateshead's place.

Ever since, even to get back this far, the road has been long and torturous, featuring two liquidations in 1973 and 1977.

As recently as 2003-04, Gateshead were playing in the eighth tier of the English football system before restructuring and two successive playoff promotions under Ian Bogie put the Heed back in Conference in 2009.

Becoming full-time professionals in 2010-11, Gateshead finished a stable 14th then fell just short of the playoffs in 2011-12.

Last season was a more difficult campaign however, and Bogie was relieved of his duties as Heed eventually came 17th.

This season also looked like it would be another disappointment after just one point from the first 15 and the early resignation of Anth Smith.

But experienced former York City manager Gary Mills took over and soon strung a run together of six wins in seven to take the Tynesiders into the top half.

Indeed, Gateshead were beaten just four times in the league from November onwards, although too many draws in December and January, and two costly-looking defeats in February had left the Heed adrift.

With two months left, it was a clear case of either letting a half-decent season fizzle out or going for as many wins as possible and seeing where it got them.

Thankfully, the Heed took the latter option, finishing the season unbeaten in 12, with a run that included five straight wins.

Successive draws against Braintree Town and against Southport on Good Friday had left the Tynesiders' fate still in the balance.

But it also remained in their own hands - and a win against Macclesfield Town on Easter Monday left Gateshead needing just a point to guarantee a top-five spot.

Mills' men did better than that, victory over long-time Conference pacesetters Cambridge ensuring a home tie in the second leg on Sunday.

Two weeks after that, the playoff semi final winners will step out in the Final at Wembley. There is much work to be done against Grimsby, of course, but it would be Gateshead's first ever appearance at the National Stadium.

It would also be a much-merited reward for the only professional club in the north east to have approached this season with any sense of positivity.

Yes, Sunderland have already been to Wembley for the League Cup final (which they lost) - but the Black Cats have also been embroiled in another season-long relegation battle.

Newcastle United did have some hope earlier in the campaign - the Magpies sat sixth after thumping Stoke City 5-1 on Boxing Day.

But the sale of Yohan Cabaye and the absence due to injury and suspension of the club's only genuine goalscorer - the on-loan Loic Remy - has a precipitated a drift into the middle of the pack on the back of a record-breaking string of increasingly-depressing defeats.

As for Middlesbrough - remember them? Well, the Boro will finish their Championship season in 12th or 13th, and must prepare in the summer for a sixth consecutive campaign outside the top flight.

Gateshead, then - after their own slow start - have provided north east football with a wonderful breath of fresh air, battling and often succeeding against the very best in their division.

Two steps away from Wembley and just three from the Football League. Ho'way the Heed!

THE CONTENDERS
2 CAMBRIDGE UNITED (P46 W23 D13 L10 F72 A35 Pts 82)
Manager Richard Money (since October 2012)
Top scorer Luke Berry (12)
Form WDWWWWLLLL (16 points)
Record vs Halifax Town (H) won 5-1 on 11-Aug, (A) drew 1-1 on 18-Jan
Record vs Gateshead (H) won 1-0 on 14-Sep, (A) lost 0-2 on 26-Apr
Most recent Football League season 2004-05
Pacesetters Cambridge led the Conference until the turn of the year - and, even after losing the lead to eventual champions Luton Town, still look like they may still chase the Hatters for the automatic spot. However, a damaging run of four defeats in six ended any such hopes - and, though a nine-game unbeaten run followed, the Us actually ended the season on the back of four defeats. Favourites they may still be - but Richard Money's men enter these playoffs horribly out of form.

3 GATESHEAD (P46 W22 D13 L11 F72 A50 Pts 79)
Manager Gary Mills (since September 2013)
Top scorer James Marwood (11)
Form DWWWWWDDWW (24 points)
Record vs Grimsby Town (H) lost 1-2 on 13-Aug, (A) drew 2-2 on 18-Jan
Most recent Football League season 1959-60
Gateshead recovered from taking just one point out of their first 15 by climbing gradually up the league under new manager Gary Mills. Nevertheless, too many draws in December and January, and two costly-looking defeats in February had left the Heed adrift - but an unbeaten run of 12, including five straight wins, means the bookies' outsiders are actually the most in-form team of these four with goals spread all around the team. 

4 GRIMSBY TOWN (P46 W22 D12 L12 F65 A46 Pts 78)
Manager Paul Hurst (solely since September 2013)
Top scorer Ross Hannah (13)
Form WWWDLWLDWD (18 points)
Record vs Gateshead (A) won 2-1 on 13-Aug, (H) drew 2-2 on 18-Jan
Most recent Football League season 2009-10
Grimsby Town began the season with two managers in charge, Paul Hurst and Rob Scott, before the latter was dismissed for gross misconduct. Nonetheless, the former has not done too badly on his own, overcoming the early-season upset to lead the club into the playoffs for a second year in a row. Things did not look too clever after defeat to Southport in late-February left the Mariners down in ninth - but, while never hitting top form, Grimsby lost just four times thereafter.

5 FC HALIFAX TOWN (P46 W22 D11 L13 F85 A58 Pts 77)
Manager Neil Aspin (since April 2009)
Top scorer Lee Gregory (29)
Form WWWDWWWWLD (23 points)
Record vs Cambridge United (A) lost 1-5 on 11-Aug, (H) drew 1-1 on 18-Jan
Record vs Gateshead (A) drew 1-1 on 26-Dec, (H) drew 3-3 on 01-Jan
Most recent Football League season 2001-02 as Halifax Town AFC
FC Halifax Town timed their best run of the season to perfection, taking 28 points out of 30 in March and April to jump from ninth to third. That run left the Shaymen with enough breathing room to take just a point from their final two fixtures - though even this is, of course, still better form than their semi-final opponents, Cambridge. Halifax's threat comes mainly from striker Lee Gregory who hit 29 regular season goals to finish as the division's second-top scorer, behind only Luton's Andre Grey on 30.

The Season 2013/14: Title tilts towards Anfield

THE SEASON 2013/14

Preview - 10 Games In - Jan window

1 LIVERPOOL (P34 W24 D5 L5 F93 A42 Pts 77)
PL: WWWDLWWDWLWDLWWWWLLWWDWDWWWWWWWWWW
Run-in: 20-Apr Norwich City (A), 27-Apr Chelsea (H), 03-May Crystal Palace (A), 11-May Newcastle United (H)
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Arsenal (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Manchester United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Luis Suarez (29)
Liverpool took a giant leap towards their first league title for 24 years with a 10th straight win in a dramatic 3-2 win over Manchester City at Anfield. The Reds began in their typical attacking style, which had brought them 90 goals before yesterday, with Raheem Sterling outfoxing Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart for the opener before Martin Skrtel's excellent glanced header for 2-0 after just 26 minutes. But, while Liverpool's attacking prowess is unmatched this season, the defence has conceded more goals than Crystal Palace - and Man City were back in the game with two goals shortly after half time. Having steadied the ship, the Reds then struck a massive blow with 12 minutes left when Brazilian youngster Philippe Coutinho fired into the bottom corner. Liverpool had won a titanic battle and, as tearful captain Steven Gerrard rallied his players at the end of the game, it had clearly begun to sunk in that four more wins will definitely win the title. Dangerously, Chelsea are one of those four opponents - but the fixture falls right in the middle of the Blues' two-legged Champions League semi final. The match is also at Anfield where, thanks to the brilliant form of strike-pair Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, Brendan Rodgers' men have dropped just five points all season.
 
2 CHELSEA (P34 W23 D6 L5 F66 A24 Pts 75)
PL: WWDLWDWWWLDWWWLWDWWWWWDWWDWWWLWLWW
Run-in: 20-Apr Sunderland (H), 27-Apr Liverpool (A), 03-May Norwich City (H), 11-May Cardiff City (A)
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Manchester City (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 aet v Sunderland (A) in fifth round
Europe: SF v Atletico Madrid (A) on 22-Apr/(H) on 30-Apr
Top scorer: Eden Hazard (17)
Chelsea kept up the pressure on leaders Liverpool ahead of their match at Anfield on 27 April - but their 1-0 victory at ten-man Swansea City was not exactly thrill-a-minute stuff. At least it was a win for the Blues, though, as it ended a run of three successive away defeats in all competitions to Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Paris Saint-Germain. Former Newcastle United striker Demba Ba scored the vital goal against Paris, and the Senegalese was at it again midway through the second half against the struggling Swans. With a European Cup semi final against Atletico Madrid already booked, Chelsea can also look forward to a run-in which, outside of the tussle at Anfield, is actually pretty kind. Although they will be fighting hard for their Premier League status, Sunderland, Norwich City and Cardiff City are all currently in the bottom four for a reason - and so the title race is not over by a long stretch. Indeed, the Blues need only land one of the big two prizes for this to have been another pretty special season for the self-proclaimed Special One, Jose Mourinho.

3 MANCHESTER CITY (P32 W22 D4 L6 F86 A32 Pts 70)
PL: WLWDWLWWLWLWWWDWWWWWWWWLDWWWWDWL
Run-in: 16-Apr Sunderland (H), 21-Apr West Bromwich Albion (H), 27-Apr Crystal Palace (A), 03-May Everton (A), 07-May Aston Villa (H), 11-May West Ham United (H)
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (H) in QF
League Cup: won 3-1 v Sunderland at Wembley in Final
Europe: lost 1-4 on agg v Barcelona (0-2h, 1-2a) in Last 16
Top scorer: Sergio Aguero (26)
Manchester City slipped seven points adrift of leaders Liverpool after a sixth league defeat of the season, with this one being easily the most costly of all. City's two games in hand against Sunderland and Aston Villa are both eminently winnable but the Reds' lead at the top has nullified the advantage of having the extra games. Yes, with the League Cup already sealed up, City will definitely win more than their potless Manchester rivals this season - but, having poured hundreds of millions of pounds into the team, the season can only be considered a disappointment if that is the only thing they do win. And, while the defeat at Anfield may end up being the most costly because of the direct advantage which it gives Liverpool, Manuel Pellegrini need only look at four losses in the first 11 games to see where his team lost this title, which would still only be City's second since 1967.

4 EVERTON (P33 W19 D9 L5 F53 A31 Pts 66)
PL: DDDWWWLWWDDDWWDWWLWDWDLWLLWWWWWWW
Run-in: 16-Apr Crystal Palace (H), 20-Apr Manchester United (H), 26-Apr Southampton (A), 03-May Manchester City (H), 11-May Hull City (A)
FA Cup: lost 1-4 v Arsenal (A) in QF
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Fulham (A) in third round
Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (13)
Everton equalled their club record of seven wins in a row against Sunderland on Saturday to leapfrog Arsenal into fourth having beaten the Gunners 3-0 the weekend before. The Toffees found it surprisingly tougher going against rock-bottom Sunderland with only a Wes Brown own goal separating the sides at the final whistle. But, oddly enough, the Black Cats are one of only five sides to beat Everton in the league this season, and the only one at Goodison. Nevertheless, the many draws of earlier in the campaign have now turned into a string of wins - and the Merseysiders have now broken their record for the most points in a season in the Premier League era by surpassing the 65 points they managed in 2007-08. It may be difficult to stay in a Champions League place given that Arsenal do not have to play either Manchester club in the run-in and Everton face both. Regardless of where they end up, though, former Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez will be able to reflect on a fine first season at the club.

5 ARSENAL (P33 W19 D7 L7 F56 A40 Pts 64)
PL: LWWWWWDWWWLWWWDLDWWWWWDWLDWLWLDDL
Run-in: 15-Apr West Ham United (H), 19-Apr Hull City (A), 28-Apr Newcastle United (H), 03-May West Bromwich Albion (H), 11-May Norwich City (A)
FA Cup: Final v Hull City at Wembley on 17-May
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Chelsea (H) in fourth round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Bayern Munich (0-2h, 1-1a) in Last 16
Top scorer: Olivier Giroud (19)
Arsene Wenger breathed a huge sigh of relief at full time on Saturday as Arsenal scraped through their FA Cup semi final against Wigan Athletic on penalties. Despite being cup holders, Wigan are also a Championship side so when they still held the lead with 10 minutes left, it looked as if this was going to be yet another one of those days for the Gunners. But Per Mertesacker spared his side's blushes to make up for giving away the penalty from which Wigan took the lead - and, in the shootout, Arsenal were far more composed. Still, the wild celebrations afterwards have been criticised in some quarters as a sign of the level of where Arsenal are, following a run of just three league wins in 11 games since the end of January. That poor form has seen the Gunners drop well out of the title race which they had led through the autumn and beyond Christmas, and now they are even outside the top four because of Everton's good form. Nevertheless, a better set of fixtures than the Merseysiders should mean Wenger's men make it to UEFA's elite competition for the 17th year in a row and they should also win a first trophy for nine years in the Cup Final against Hull City. There is no such thing as a certainty in football, though - and even less so when it comes to Arsenal.  

6 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P34 W18 D6 L10 F48 A48 Pts 60)
PL: WWLWWDLWWDLLDWWLWDWWWWLDWWLWLLWLWD
Run-in: 19-Apr Fulham (H), 26-Apr Stoke City (A), 03-May West Ham United (A), 11-May Aston Villa (H)
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Arsenal (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v West Ham United (H) in fifth round
Europe: lost 3-5 on agg v Benfica (1-3h, 2-2a) in Last 16 Europa League
Top scorer: Emmanuel Adebayor (13)
Mystery continues to shroud the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood who effectively talked his way into an 18-month contract following the departure of Andre Villas-Boas after a 5-0 home drubbing against Liverpool in December. Sherwood started well - better than any Tottenham manager before, in fact, by winning five of his first six games. But, over a longer period of time, the same vulnerabilities have been exposed, with Spurs still losing heavily to the title challengers Manchester City (1-5), Liverpool (0-4) and Chelsea (0-4) under his watch. Also, a further duo of defeats to North London rivals Arsenal - 2-0 in the FA Cup Third Round and 1-0 in the league - have ended the chance of any real progress in a season in which £105m was spent on seven new players in the summer. Of course, £85m of that came from the sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid - but how Tottenham must wish they had that extra little spark back in their team now. The completely even goal difference for a top six side says a lot - and, if Dutch manager Louis van Gaal is to replace Sherwood after the World Cup, he will find there is much work to do.

7 MANCHESTER UNITED (P33 W17 D6 L10 F55 A38 Pts 57)
PL: WDLWLLWDWWWDDLLWWWWLWLWLDDWWLWLWW
Run-in: 20-Apr Everton (A), 26-Apr Norwich City (H), 03-May Sunderland (H), 06-May Hull City (H), 11-May Southampton (A)
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Swansea City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 on pens after 3-3 agg v Sunderland (1-2a, 2-1h) in semi final
Europe: lost 2-4 on agg v Bayern Munich (1-1h, 1-3a) in QF
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney/Robin van Persie (17)
Manchester United must face up to the reality that there will not be any Champions League football at Old Trafford in 2014-15 after being dumped out of Europe by Bayern Munich last week. It completes a miserable first season at the club for manager David Moyes whose troubled reign reached its nadir when a flypast calling for his dismissal flew overhead during the game against Aston Villa. Of course, the Red Devils won that match 4-1 and then hit another four goals against Newcastle United a week later - but the successive 3-0 home defeats to Liverpool and Manchester City in March will not be so easily forgotten. It meant for the first time ever that both clubs completed the double over Man United - and, while their two bitterest rivals fight it out for the title, Moyes' defending champions are left battling it out with Tottenham Hotspur for the final European spot. Yes, it was always going to be a tough act following Sir Alex Ferguson but it should it really have ever come to this?

8 SOUTHAMPTON (P34 W13 D9 L12 F50 A45 Pts 48)
PL: WDLDWWWDWDWLLLDDLWLLWDDWDWLLWWLWLL
Run-in: 19-Apr Aston Villa (A), 26-Apr Everton (H), 03-May Swansea City (A), 11-May Manchester United (H)
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Sunderland (A) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Sunderland (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Jay Rodriguez (17)
Buoyed by a trinity of English forwards - Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and top scorer Jay Rodriguez - Southampton recovered well from their mid-season slump to go eight league and cup games unbeaten in January and February. But there is still room for improvement at St Mary's as the two disappointing cup exits to rock-bottom Sunderland and the poor defeat to Cardiff City on Saturday demonstrate. Now deprived of the unfortunate Rodriguez, who will miss any chance of a World Cup selection following an anterior cruciate knee ligament injury, the Saints can still look forward to reaching a half-century of points in the top flight for the first time since 2003 if they can manage one more win. Indeed, the south coast club remain an impressive work in progress.

9 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P34 W14 D4 L16 F38 A52 Pts 46)
PL: LDWWLLWDLWWWWLWDWWLLLWDLLLWWLWLLLL
Run-in: 19-Apr Swansea City (H), 28-Apr Arsenal (A), 03-May Cardiff City (H), 11-May Liverpool (A)
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Cardiff City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-2 aet v Manchester City (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Loïc Remy (13)
The tide has finally turned against manager Alan Pardew after Newcastle United slipped to a fourth successive defeat on Saturday with the only surprise perhaps being that it was not by a margin of more than one goal. Nevertheless, a 16th league defeat of the season allowed their hosts Stoke City to close to within three points - and the Magpies, who were sixth at Christmas, will now simply do well to remain in the top-half. After all, the goal difference is very much bottom half standard thanks to the second half of the season. A calamitous series of defeats in February - 3-0 to Sunderland, 3-0 to Everton and 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur - were followed by a slight recovery, only for there then to be another even more calamitous trio of reverses - 3-0 to Everton, 4-0 to Southampton and 4-0 to Manchester United. Indeed, Newcastle have now lost 11 of their last 16 league games, and failed to score in 12 of those matches, a run of form coinciding with suspension and injury to top scorer Loïc Remy. The Frenchman does not even belong to Newcastle, though, and he is unlikely to stay beyond the end of this campaign, leaving next year barely worth thinking about at this stage.

10 STOKE CITY (P34 W11 D10 L13 F38 A48 Pts 43)
PL: LWWDLLLDLDDWLDWDWLLDLLLWDDLWDWWWLW
Run-in: 19-Apr Cardiff City (A), 26-Apr Tottenham Hotspur (H), 03-May Fulham (H), 11-May West Bromwich Albion (A)
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Chelsea (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Manchester United (H) in fifth round
Top scorer: Peter Crouch (10)
Huge credit must go to Mark Hughes whose first season at the Britannia Stadium remains well on target to become Stoke City's first top-10 finish in the top flight since 1975. Of course, things did not look too clever after a run of just one point from 15 had dropped the Potters to 16th at the end of January. But a first win against Manchester United since 1984 in front of the boisterous home support lifted spirits and, since then, Stoke have only lost away at Manchester City and Chelsea. Indeed, the only home defeat of the calendar year came against the other title challengers, Liverpool, back in January. If anything, though, it was the stylish 4-1 away win over Aston Villa a few weeks ago which best showed off Stoke's progress this season. 

11 WEST HAM UNITED (P33 W10 D7 L16 F37 A44 Pts 37) 
PL: WDLDLLWLDDLLWLLDLLDLWLDWWWWLLLWWL
Run-in: 15-Apr Arsenal (A), 19-Apr Crystal Palace (H), 26-Apr West Bromwich Albion (A), 03-May Tottenham Hotspur (H), 11-May Manchester City (A) 
FA Cup: lost 0-5 v Nottingham Forest (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-9 agg v Manchester City (0-6a, 0-3h) in semi final
Top scorer: Kevin Nolan (7)
West Ham United put their worrying form at the turn of the year behind them with a fabulous February which landed Sam Allardyce his first Manager of the Month award in over seven years. Out of both domestic cups to heavy defeats, and having also slipped into the bottom three in the league, the Hammers' turning point came in a 0-0 at Stamford Bridge at the end of January. Further clean sheets followed against Swansea City, Aston Villa and Norwich City - all of which were 2-0 victories - before a fourth successive win against Southampton (3-1). There was then a run of three losses to Everton, Stoke City and Manchester United - but another two wins over Hull City and Sunderland mean West Ham fans can breathe easily in the run-in.

12 CRYSTAL PALACE (P33 W11 D4 L18 F24 A39 Pts 37)
PL: LLWLLLLLLLDWLWWLLWLDLWWLWLDLDLWWW
Run-in: 16-Apr Everton (A), 19-Apr West Ham United (A), 27-Apr Manchester City (H), 05-May Liverpool (H), 11-May Fulham (A)   
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Bristol City (A) in second round
Top scorer: Marouane Chamakh/Jason Puncheon (6)
Faced with a fifth immediate relegation from the Premier League after just one win and no draws from the first 10 games, Crystal Palace turned to the wily Tony Pulis following Ian Holloway's resignation - and what an inspired choice! Since the Welshman's arrival at the end of November, the Eagles have had the eighth-best league record and kept nine clean sheets including three in their last three games. Each of those have been victories - over Chelsea (1-0), Cardiff City (3-0) and Aston Villa (1-0) - and that little streak has surely just about got Palace to the safety line. Strong at Selhurst Park, the south Londoners have attained 12th place despite a Premier League low of 24 goals. Then again, seven of Palace's wins have been by a 1-0 scoreline.

13 HULL CITY (P33 W10 D6 L17 F34 A40 Pts 36)
PL: LWLDWWDLLWLLWLDDDLWLLLLDWLWLLWLLW
Run-in: 19-Apr Arsenal (H), 26-Apr Fulham (A), 03-May Aston Villa (A), 06-May Manchester United (A), 11-May Everton (H)
FA Cup: Final v Arsenal at Wembley on 17 May
League Cup: lost 7-8 on pens (after 2-2 aet) v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Matty Fryatt (5)
What a brilliant season this has been for Hull City! Just about safe in the league after beating Swansea City at home just over a week ago, the Tigers now have a post-season ball to attend with Arsenal on 17 May - the club's first-ever FA Cup Final. Of course, if the match is even half as dramatic as their 5-3 semi final win over third-tier Sheffield United, manager Steve Bruce might spontaneously combust - and that might just happen with Hull now providing increasingly good value. Despite the inconsistencies which come naturally with a team in its first season back in the top flight, Bruce has done well to act decisively on the lack of goals up until January by recruiting Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long. As expected, neither of them have been especially prolific - but their three league goals apiece have often come at vital times - though, as both are cup-tied, the run to Wembley shows there are actually goals right across this team.

14 ASTON VILLA (P33 W9 D7 L17 F35 A49 Pts 34)
PL: WLLLWWDLLDWDDWLLLLDWLDWLLDLWWLLLL
Run-in: 19-Apr Southampton (H), 26-Apr Swansea City (A), 03-May Hull City (H), 07-May Manchester City (A), 11-May Tottenham Hotspur (A)  
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Sheffield United (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (H) in third round
Top scorer: Christian Benteke (11)
Expected to be a season of progress after last year's struggle, things have turned very sour at Villa Park for manager Paul Lambert. The 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace was a fourth successive loss and saw Aston Villa's opponents go above them - not so worrying in isolation but certainly a desperate cause for concern when part of a growing pattern. For, in December too, Villa lost four games in a row - scoring once - while, in February, the Midlanders took just one point from four games and again scored just once in those matches. Some of the worst performances have been reserved for the home crowd with 10 league defeats at home adding to nine from last season and eight the year before that. And, while there is still the occasional stunning win, like the recent 1-0 beating of Chelsea, Lambert looks largely clueless when top scorer Christian Benteke is out injured.   
15 SWANSEA CITY (P34 W8 D9 L17 F45 A50 Pts 33)
PL: LLWDWLLWDLDWLWDDLLDLLLWLWDLDLLDWLL
Run-in: 19-Apr Newcastle United (A), 26-Apr Aston Villa (H), 03-May Southampton (H), 11-May Sunderland (A)
FA Cup: lost 1-3 v Everton (A) on fifth round
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Birmingham City (A) in third round
Europe: lost 1-3 on agg v Napoli (0-0h, 1-3a) in Last 32 Europa League
Top scorer: Wilfried Bony (20)
Having coped with second season syndrome admirably by winning the League Cup and finishing top half, third time has certainly not been a charm for Swansea City. The Welsh club slipped to a 17th league defeat of the season against Chelsea yesterday to remain deep in trouble at the wrong end of the Premier League table in the same season in which they beat Valencia 3-0 at the Mestalla. Those days already seem long ago now, though, with the lack of goals and lack of confidence evident in having drawn a blank in their last two outings. Still happy to dominate possession under new manager Garry Monk, the Swans desperately need to find a cutting edge outside of the talent of top scorer Wilfried Bony to win two of their last four games. Fortunately for Monk's men, the fixtures do not look too daunting with the woefully out-of-form Newcastle United up next.  

16 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P33 W6 D15 L12 F40 A51 Pts 33)
PL: LDLDWWDDLWDDLLLLDDDWLDLDLDDLWLDWD
Run-in: 21-Apr Manchester City (A), 26-Apr West Ham United (H), 04-May Arsenal (A), 07-May Sunderland (A), 11-May Stoke City (H)
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Crystal Palace (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 3-4 on pens (after 1-1 aet) v Arsenal (H) in third round
Top scorer: Saido Berahino (8)
Draw specialists West Bromwich Albion remain deep in relegation trouble - and the Baggies have no-one to blame but themselves. Yes, a run of three unbeaten games at this stage of the season is precious enough - but it really could have been so much better than five points over the past two weeks for the Midlands club. First, just over two weeks ago, Thievy Bifouma scored in the 94th minute to put West Brom 3-2 up against relegation rivals Cardiff City, only for Mats Moller Daehli to equalise even later for the Welsh club. And now, just this weekend gone, the Hawthorns bore witness to a second 3-3 draw - but only after the home side had blitzed into a three-goal lead against Tottenham Hotspur. Those dropped points could prove vital in the final reckoning although Pepe Mel's side still have a couple of winnable home games against mid-table clubs in the run-in.  

17 NORWICH CITY (P34 W8 D8 L18 F26 A53 Pts 32)
PL: DLWLLWLLDLWLWLWDDLLDLWDLDLWLDLWLLL
Run-in: 20-Apr Liverpool (H), 26-Apr Manchester United (A), 04-May Chelsea (A), 11-May Arsenal (H)
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Fulham (A) in third round replay, following 1-1
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Manchester United (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Gary Hooper (7)
Norwich City are perilously close to going down - not only my perspective but even that of their new manager Neil Adams which is surely never good to hear. In their first game since replacing Chris Hughton at a ridiculously late stage of the season, the Canaries lost 1-0 to Fulham on Saturday, allowing their opponents to move within two points of them. And, now City must get some sort of result in their final four fixtures - each of which come against teams in the top seven. It really is looking forlorn for the East Anglians having hit just 26 all season and none in their last three games. Of course, much of the blame for that lies squarely on the shoulders of £8.5m striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel who scored on the opening day - and then not at all since. But, harsh as it may sound, Norwich have a squad chock full of players who will always struggle at this level.   

18 FULHAM (P34 W9 D3 L22 F34 A74 Pts 30)
PL: WLLDLLWWLLLLLLWLLWLWLLLLDLDLLWLLWW
Run-in: 19-Apr Tottenham Hotspur (A), 26-Apr Hull City (H), 03-May Stoke City (A), 11-May Crystal Palace (H)   
FA Cup: lost 0-1 aet v Sheffield United (H) in fourth round replay
League Cup: lost 3-4 v Leicester City (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Steve Sidwell (7)
Almost two-thirds of Fulham's league games this season have ended in defeat but, amazingly, the Cottagers still have a pretty good chance of staying up after victory in the biggest six-pointer of the season so far against Norwich City. Following his late winner last week against Aston Villa, Colombian Hugo Rodallega struck just before half time against the Canaries to put the west Londoners within two points of their opponents - and with a better set of fixtures in the run-in. Going through three managers and a heap of players usually spells disaster for a club in a Premier League season but Fulham have proven to be the exception in a relegation battle before - and, in the demanding German Felix Magath, the club's new owner Shahid Khan appears to have made a better choice than when René Meulensteen was briefly in charge.

19 CARDIFF CITY (P34 W7 D8 L19 F30 A64 Pts 29)
PL: LWDDLWLLDWLDLDLWLLDLLLLWLDLLWLLDLW
Run-in: 19-Apr Stoke City (H), 27-Apr Sunderland (A), 03-May Newcastle United (A), 11-May Chelsea (H)
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (H) in fifth round
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Ham United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Fraizer Campbell (9)
Cardiff City kept their hopes alive of surviving in their debut Premier League season after sneaking a 1-0 win away at Southampton thanks to Juan Cala's second half strike. But the Bluebirds remain exactly where they started the day - down in 19th place - having failed to win consecutive league matches all season. Nevertheless, the Welsh club have largely stayed in touch with those above them and a little run now would most likely keep them up, something which would be a decent achievement by Ole Gunnar Solskjær in his first assignment in England. Their run-in fixtures would certainly seem to offer the opportunity to string a few wins together - but, if Cardiff ultimately do fail, they need only back to the vital Christmas period where they took just one point from 21 while the Malky Mackay's ill-fated position as manager remained totally in flux. The lack of a genuine goalscorer has been a major weakness all season long - midfielder Jordan Mutch is top Premier League scorer with seven.

20 SUNDERLAND (P32 W6 D7 L19 F29 A54 Pts 25)
PL: LDLLLLLLWLWLDLLDDWDLWDWWLLDLLLLL
Run-in: 16-Apr Manchester City (A), 20-Apr Chelsea (A), 27-Apr Cardiff City (H), 03-Apr Manchester United (A), 07-May West Bromwich Albion (H), 11-May Swansea City (H)   
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Hull City (A) on QF
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Manchester City at Wembley in Final
Top scorer: Adam Johnson (10)
Following just one point from their last eight games, Sunderland have now matched their wretched run from the start of the season which saw unpredictable fascist Paulo di Canio replaced by Gus Poyet. And, with Manchester City away and Chelsea away next on the fixture list, it is difficult to see the gloom over Wearside lifting any time soon. That trip to Wembley at the end of February for a first Cup final since 1992 seems a long time ago now and, while Poyet's men still have games in hand as a result of their creditable cup exploits, they are also running out of games - and fast. A fourth relegation from the top flight since 1997 beckons then although, at least for their sake, the Black Cats will depart having completed a first league double over north east rivals Newcastle United since 1967.

CHAMPIONSHIP
Already promoted: Leicester City
Leicester City edged their way to the Championship title with their 90th point of the season coming in a hard-fought 1-1 draw away at Reading tonight. The Foxes were beaten in the playoff semi finals in heartbreaking fashion last season but came back stronger in this campaign, the highlight of which was a 21-match unbeaten run featuring nine straight wins.
Burnley also failed to win at the weekend, going down 1-0 at home to Middlesbrough for only their second home defeat of the season - although, like buses, they have come together. Nevertheless, Sean Dyche's Clarets remain in good shape for a return to the top flight as they still sit eight points clear of the chasing pack with just four games left.
Steve McClaren's Derby County therefore look like they will have settle for the playoffs alongside Harry Redknapp's big-spending Queens Park Rangers. The other two places are not as easy to predict but Wigan Athletic are in pole position for one of them if they can recover from their FA Cup exertions while the Latics' next opponents Reading slipped into sixth on goal difference ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion and Ipswich Town. Bournemouth, in ninth, are the real surprise package in the division, and have a genuine chance of extending their season, as they sit just two points off sixth following a recent six-game winning run. 
At the other end of the table, Barnsley are currently bottom but are level on points with Yeovil Town have a game in hand against fellow strugglers Charlton Athletic. Nevertheless, the Tykes have much work to do as they - and the Glovers - are four points adrift of Millwall who are third bottom and five away from Charlton.
Early season leaders Blackpool had a truly awful run of 17 games without a win between December and March, and remain in trouble just two points above the drop zone - while neither Doncaster Rovers nor Birmingham City will feel safe yet, sitting as they do just a point further clear.

LEAGUE ONE Table
Already promoted: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers ensured their first sojourn at the third level of English football in 25 years would not extended beyond a single season after gaining promotion on Saturday by beating Crewe Alexandra 2-0. Kenny Jackett's men suffered a wobble over the Christmas period but have won 14 and lost just one of their 17 fixtures since 11th January.
Brentford look likely to join the Midlanders in the Championship despite a 1-0 defeat at Swindon Town at the weekend. With four games left, the Bees remain seven points clear of third-placed Leyton Orient who recorded a stunning 5-1 win over Gillingham to leapfrog Rotherham United. The Millers had drawn 0-0 in a Yorkshire derby with Bradford City on Friday night.
Preston North End also celebrated the certainty of a top six finish with a 6-1 thumping of struggling Carlisle United, while Football League Trophy winners Peterborough United remain favourites for the final playoff spot after a 1-0 win over Coventry City.
At the bottom, Stevenage are beginning to run out of the games and Shrewsbury Town remain two points adrift though with a better goal difference than most of the clubs immediately above them. Crewe and Carlisle currently fill the other two relegation places but they are level on 43 points with Notts County with Tranmere Rovers and Colchester United only a further three points further ahead.

LEAGUE TWO Table
Scunthorpe United moved to the top of the ever-changing League Two table after a 2-2 draw with Bury extended their unbeaten run to an amazing 26 league games. The Iron, on 76 points, are a point ahead of second-placed Rochdale who have hit a roadblock at the worst time of the season after failing to score in the last three games. Chesterfield are in the third automatic spot on 74 points after victory at Hartlepool United at the weekend.
Then there is a gap to Fleetwood Town in fourth on 69 points and Burton Albion in fifth on 68 - and then another gap to Southend United and Oxford United in the last two playoff spots on 62 points. York City, unbeaten in 13, are just outside the top seven on 61 - but Plymouth Argyle's hopes have faded after a third defeat in four on Saturday.
Fellow Devon outfit Torquay United look even more forlorn, still seven points adrift at the bottom despite a 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers. The gap to Northampton Town remains after the Cobblers won 1-0 for a second week in a row - but at least that means several other teams have been dragged into the scrap. Wycombe Wanderers are now outside of the drop zone on goal difference only while Bristol Rovers, Exeter City, Morecambe, Hartlepool - and even Accrington Stanley on 50 points - have no guarantees of playing in the Football League next season.

FOOTBALL CONFERENCE Table
Already relegated: Hyde, Tamworth
The champagne remains on ice at Luton Town after the Hatters were beaten 3-2 by Braintree Town in an early Saturday kick-off. But, even though second-placed Cambridge United took full advantage of the slip-up with a 7-2 thrashing of rock-bottom Hyde, Luton's lead remains a steady 10 points with four games remaining.
Cambridge are at least certain of a playoff spot and Grimsby Town, in third, look set to join them. The final two spots - currently occupied by Gateshead, on 71 points, and Halifax Town on 70 - look less clear cut with Braintree, on 68, still threatening after their shock win at Kenilworth Road. Seventh-placed Alfreton Town, on 66 points, are also still in contention but they are hamstrung by a negative goal difference and poor form.
At the bottom, Hyde have won just once - 2-0 away at Welling United in January - and recorded just 10 points all season. That is a massive 23 points adrift of second-bottom Tamworth whose own relegation was confirmed on Saturday after a 2-0 reverse at Southport made it just one point from their last 27. The last two spots will go to the wire though, with Dartford, on 44 points, and Hereford United, on 45, chasing down Aldershot Town, also on 45, and Chester, on 49. All of those teams have just three games left.