The Season: Man United scramble into Europe with FA Cup Final win

FA Cup Final 2024  Attendance 84,814 at Wembley Stadium  Referee Andrew Madley

Manchester City 1 Doku 87
Manchester United 2  Garnacho 30, Mainoo 39

Manchester City Ortega - Walker (c), Stones, Ake (Akanji 46), Gvardiol - Rodri, Kovacic (Doku 46) - Silva, De Bruyne (Alvarez 56), Foden - Haaland  Booked Alvarez
Manchester United Onana - Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Dalot - Garnacho, Mainoo, Amrabat, Rashford - Fernandes, McTominay  Booked Mainoo, McTominay

MANCHESTER UNITED produced an uncharacteristically convincing performance to lift the FA Cup for a 13th time by beating Manchester City at Wembley.

The build-up to the match was dominated by rumours about Erik Ten Hag's position as head coach at Old Trafford after 14 league defeats in 2023-24 and a lowest finishing place since 1989-90.

Man United also went out of the Champions League in humiliating fashion, bottom of a seemingly manageable group featuring Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen.

But the FA Cup was a trophy which the Red Devils seemed destined to win.

In the quarter finals, Liverpool should have been out of sight at Old Trafford - but spurned chance after chance to extend their 2-1 half time lead before the home side won in the last minute of extra time. 

By contrast, the semi final against Championship side Coventry City went the opposite way - Man United sped 3-0 in front through Scott McTominay, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes.

However, the Red Devils then lost their way altogether - and the Sky Blues forced extra time.

During that 30-minute period, Coventry thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

And, in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United prevailed 4-2.

Finally, in the Final itself, Man City were in sight of a Double after securing yet another Premier League crown last weekend.

There was an early shout for a Man City penalty after Erling Haaland fell under a clumsy challenge by Lisandro Martinez.

Thereafter, though, the match degenerated into a stalemate with Man United sitting deep and Man City passing the ball in unthreatening positions.

Indeed, Man United were deep when, on the half hour mark, Diego Dalot hooked a ball forward and Alejandro Garnacho took advantage of a high defensive line and a terrible mix-up to race onto it.

Man City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega left himself in no man's land and teenager Garnacho had a simple tap-in to make it 1-0.

Nine minutes later, Man United took complete control of the Final after England squad member Kobbie Mainoo - another teenager - benefited from more blancmange weak Man City defending to score.

At this point, Man United had plenty to hold onto and Ten Hag's men never really allowed their opponents to get up a real head of steam.

True, Haaland hit the underside of the bar in the second half in an otherwise anonymous display - and Jeremy Doku got one back late on by firing a daisy cutter past Andre Onana.

But, despite seven minutes of stoppage time, nothing else significant followed - and, in truth, Man United were able to stroll to victory.

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Man City will console themselves with their unprecedented fourth consecutive English league title following a pretty straightforward win at home to West Ham United.

Phil Foden fired Pep Guardiola's men in front inside 79 seconds with a rocket into the top corner before doubling the lead on 18 minutes.

West Ham have appeared very fragile at times this season, conceding 74 goals - a figure surpassed only by the dire bottom three.

But, in David Moyes's last game as boss in his second spell at the London Stadium, the Hammers showed some resilience - and pulled a goal back on the stroke of half time through Mohammed Kudus's audacious overhead kick.

No matter. Man City were simply too strong for their opponents - and wrapped up a ninth successive league win through Rodri.

For much of the afternoon anyway, there had been little doubt about the destination of the title after Arsenal fell 1-0 behind in their game against Everton.

As it happened, the Gunners pulled it around and generally have shown far more backbone in the title race this year than 12 months ago - but the reality is that Guardiola's men have again proven far too strong for the North London outfit.

That is how it looks in the record books for now at least - but, while the 115 Premier League charges against Man City for alleged financial irregularity remain outstanding, there will always be some doubt over the outright validity of their successes.

For their part, Man City vehemently deny the charges - and some reports suggest it could be at least another year before any verdict.

Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp said farewell - though perhaps not goodbye - to the Kop, with Liverpool safely nestled in third ahead of their closing 2-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.

Meanwhile, fourth-placed Aston Villa were clearly already on the beach during their 5-0 defeat to Crystal Palace - whose own excellent recent run under new coach Oliver Glasner secured a top-10 position.

Tottenham Hotspur were almost certain of finishing fifth and confirmed their place in the Europa League next season with a facile 3-0 win over rock-bottom Sheffield United.

And fellow capital outfit Chelsea joined Spurs in Europe by finishing sixth - albeit that was only enough for the Conference League after the FA Cup Final result.

The Blues hit a purple patch in the second half of the season with nine wins and 32 points in their 15 league game - although that run was still not enough for Mauricio Pochettino to keep his job following another underwhelming season at Stamford Bridge overall.

Newcastle United finished seventh - above Manchester United for the first time in the Premier League era after scoring 85 league goals.

That is in fact the most in a single top division campaign for the Magpies since 1960-61 - a season which incredibly ended with 109 goals conceded and relegation.

Nevertheless, a ridiculous injury crisis and some equally ridiculous Cup draws in 2023-24 contributed heavily to the fact that Eddie Howe's men failed in their attempt to qualify for European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

At the bottom, all three of the promoted teams made an immediate return to the Championship for the first time in 26 years and only the second time in the Premier League era.

Sheff United were relegated back on 27 April - and, finishing on 16 points, only narrowly avoided being the worst Premier League team ever.

The Blades' desperate record of 104 goals conceded is a Premier League record, though - and they also matched the -69 goal difference recorded by statistically the worst team of all, Derby County.

Across the Pennines, Burnley went down on the penultimate matchday following their 2-1 defeat to Spurs as head coach Vincent Kompany failed to transfer his coaching philosophy in the Championship into sustainable success in the top flight.

Despite this, somewhat astonishingly, Kompany has just been appointed as the new Bayern Munich head coach, no doubt to the raising of more than a few eyebrows. 

Finally, Luton Town were the third side to go down after their first top flight season since 1991-92.

To their credit, as the supposed weakest of the three teams to get promoted in 2022-23, the Hatters officially took their fight to the final day.

Realistically, though, Rob Edwards's men were also already down on the penultimate matchday - and, needing a swing in their favour of three points and 12 goals, their fate was sealed by a 2-1 win for Nottingham Forest at Burnley.

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EFL Championship playoff final  Attendance 86,862 at Wembley Stadium  Referee John Brooks

Leeds United 0

Southampton 1  A Armstrong 24

Leeds United Meslier - Gray, Rodon, Ampadu (c), Firpo (Joseph 83) - Gruev, Kamara (Roberts) - Gnonto (James 66), Rutter, Summerville (Anthony 74) - Piroe  Booked Summerville, Ampadu

Southampton McCarthy - Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens (c) - Smallbone, Downes, Aribo - Brooks (Edozie (Manning)), A Armstrong, Fraser  Booked Bednarek, Fraser (Adams 70), Harwood-Bellis, Adams, Downes, Aribo

SOUTHAMPTON secured an immediate return to the Premier League after beating Leeds United in the Playoff Final.

Adam Armstrong scored the only goal of a largely low-quality contest, striding clear of a poorly-executed offside trap and finishing neatly past Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier on 24 minutes.

The Whites actually started more brightly with Willy Gnonto putting an early shot on target - but the fact that their next such effort came in stoppage time at the end of the match tells its own story.

In between, the Saints defence was barely tested despite Daniel Farke's outfit enjoying the majority of the ball - as Russell Martin's men got the better of the Yorkshire club for the third time this season.

Wales international Daniel James came on as a second half substitute for Leeds and injected some much-needed spark to his team's performance, striking the underside of the bar with six minutes of the 90 left.

It was also James who tested the desperately under-worked Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy in the 94th minute with a low drive from the edge of the box.

But there was very little to be said otherwise for Leeds' attacking endeavours - as the Saints went marching up.

In League One, Oxford United returned to the second tier for the first time in 25 years after upsetting Bolton Wanderers in the playoff final.

Josh Murphy - the identical twin brother of Newcastle winger Jacob - scored twice in the latter part of the first half as the Yellows cruised to victory under the arch.

Finally, in League Two, Crawley Town completed a remarkable playoff campaign with promotion to the third tier for the first time since 2014-15.

The Red Devils thrashed Mike Williamson's fourth-placed Milton Keynes 5-1 at Stadium:mk on the way to an 8-1 aggregate win in the semi finals - then completed the job against Crewe Alexandra in the Final.

Danilo Orsi and Liam Kelly scored late in the first and second halves respectively against the Alex - although the victory by the Sussex club was well-deserved. 

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ROLL OF HONOUR 2023-24

ENGLAND

	Premier League
Champions	Manchester City
Runners-up	Arsenal
Champions League	Liverpool (3rd), Aston Villa (4th)
Europa League	Tottenham Hotspur (5th), Manchester United (cup winners)
Europa Conference	Chelsea (6th)
Relegation	Luton Town, Burnley, Sheffield United

	Championship
Champions	Leicester City
Runners-up	Ipswich Town
Playoff winners	Southampton (won 1-0 v Leeds United)
Relegation	Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United

	League One
Champions	Portsmouth
Runners-up	Derby County
Playoff winners	Oxford United (won 2-0 v Bolton Wanderers)
Relegation	Cheltenham Town, Fleetwood Town, Port Vale, Carlisle United

	League Two
Champions	Stockport County
Runners-up	Wrexham
Also promoted	Mansfield Town
Playoff winners	Crawley Town (won 2-0 v Crewe Alexandra)
Relegation	Sutton United, Forest Green Rovers

	National League
Champions	Chesterfield
Playoff winners	Bromley (won 4-3 on penalties v Solihull Moors, following 2-2 aet)
Relegation	Boreham Wood, Kidderminster Harriers, Dorking Wanderers, Oxford City

	National League North
Champions	Tamworth
Playoff winners	Boston United (won 2-1a v Brackley Town)
Relegation	Blyth Spartans, Banbury United, Gloucester City, Bishop's Stortford

	National League South
Champions	Yeovil Town
Playoff winners	Braintree Town (won 4-3a v Worthing, after extra time)
Relegation	Dartford, Taunton Town, Havant & Waterlooville, Dover Athletic

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
League Cup Final	Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea, after extra time
FA Community Shield	Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City. Arsenal won 4-1 on penalties
EFL Trophy	Peterborough United 2-1 Wycombe Wanderers
FA Trophy	Gateshead 2-2 Solihull Moors, after extra time. Gateshead won 5-4 on pens.
FA Vase	Romford 3-0 Great Wakering Rovers

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SCOTLAND

	Premiership
Champions	Celtic
Runners-up	Rangers
Europa League	Hearts (3rd), Kilmarnock (4th)
Europa Conference	St Mirren (5th)
Relegation	Livingston

	Championship
Champions	Dundee United
Runners-up	Raith Rovers (not promoted; lost 1-6 on agg v Ross County (1-2h, 0-4a))
Relegation	Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Arbroath

	League One
Champions	Falkirk
Runners-up	Hamilton Academical (won 5-3 on agg v Inverness Caledonian Thistle (2-1h, 3-2a))
Relegation	Stirling Albion, Edinburgh City

	League Two
Champions	Stenhousemuir
Runners-up	Peterhead (not promoted)
Playoff winners	Dumbarton (won 4-3 on agg v The Spartans (2-1h, 2-2a))
Relegation	None (Stranraer won 5-3 on agg v East Kilbride (2-2a, 3-1h aet))

	Domestic Cup finals
FA Cup Final	Celtic 1-0 Rangers
League Cup Final	Rangers 1-0 Aberdeen
Challenge Cup Final	Airdrieonians 2-1 The New Saints (Wal)

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WALES

Champions	The New Saints
Europa Conference	Connah's Quay Nomads (2nd), Bala Town (3rd), Caernarfon Town (playoffs)
Relegation	Colwyn Bay, Pontypridd United

FA Cup Final	Connah's Quay Nomads 2-1 The New Saints
League Cup Final	The New Saints 5-1 Swansea City

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Champions	Larne
Europa Conference	Linfield (2nd), Cliftonville (cup winners), Crusaders (playoff winners)
Relegation	Newry City

IFA Cup Final	Cliftonville 3-1 Linfield, after extra time
League Cup Final	Linfield 3-1 Portadown

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EUROPE

	UEFA finals
Champions League	Real Madrid (Spa) 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (Ger)
Europa League	Atalanta (Ita) 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Europa Conference	Olympiacos (Grc) 1-0 Fiorentina (Ita), after extra time
Super Cup	Manchester City (Eng) 1-1 Sevilla (Spa). Manchester City won 5-4 on penalties.

	Selected league champions
Spain	Real Madrid
Italy	Internazionale
Germany	Bayer Leverkusen
France	Paris Saint-Germain
Portugal	Sporting Lisbon
Netherlands	PSV Eindhoven
Belgium	Club Brugge
Greece	PAOK Thessaloniki
Turkey	Galatasaray

The Run-In: Crunch time for Arsenal and Manchester City in title race

	Premier League	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Arsenal	36	26	5	5	88	28	+60	83
2	Manchester City	35	25	7	3	87	33	+54	82
3	Liverpool	36	23	9	4	81	38	+43	78
4	Aston Villa	36	20	7	9	73	53	+20	67
5	Tottenham Hotspur	35	18	6	11	69	58	+11	60
6	Newcastle United	35	17	5	13	78	56	+22	56
7	Chelsea	35	15	9	11	70	59	+11	54
8	Manchester United	35	16	6	13	52	55	-3	54
9	West Ham United	36	13	10	13	56	70	-14	49

ARSENAL find themselves in a familiar position as they lead the Premier League in its closing stages but have Manchester City breathing down the back of their neck.

The Gunners, fresh from holding their nerve in the North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur after a fast start, beat Bournemouth comfortably on Saturday.

And Mikel Arteta's men appear to be dealing with the pressure rather better this time than last season ahead of their final couple of fixtures against Manchester United (12 May) and at home to Everton (19 May).

Of course, the big problem for Arsenal is that their fate is not in their own hands.

Man City have a game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on 14 May, as well as fixtures against Fulham (11 May) and West Ham United (19 May) as they seek to extend their current sequence of six wins in a row.

Win all three remaining games - and Pep Guardiola's men will become the first team in English football history to achieve four top division titles in a row, and there is nothing which Arsenal will be able to do about it.

Now, for much of the season, the title race had actually been a three-way tussle - but Liverpool fell away badly in April.

Jurgen Klopp's men dropped 10 points from the 18 available last month - and went out of the Europa League to Atalanta after an unexpected collapse in the first leg at Anfield.

In March, the Reds were beaten 4-3 after extra time by Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter finals at Old Trafford - and all this has left Klopp's ambitions of a glorious trophy-laden conclusion to his nine-year reign on Merseyside rather diminished.

The German will not finish the season entirely empty-handed after Virgil van Dijk headed a late extra time winner against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final in February.

However, this is not exactly how Klopp would have envisaged his last few weeks in charge at Anfield playing out.

The top three have, of course, secured Champions League football in 2024-25 - leaving only one place remaining after the Italian Serie A and German Bundesliga teams outperformed Premier League clubs in Europe this season to take the new-fangled extra spots.

Despite defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, Aston Villa are still deservedly big favourites to qualify having been almost ever-present in the top four since beating Tottenham away at the end of November.

Unai Emery's outfit need only three points from their last two games against Liverpool (13 May) and Crystal Palace (19 May) to guarantee their place in the premier European premier competition for the first time since 1982-83.

But it may well be less than three required as the signs are that fifth-placed Spurs' race is run following a series of recent damaging defeats.

Since beating Villa 4-0 in their return fixture in March, Ange Postecoglu's side have taken just seven points from their last eight matches with defeats on the road at Fulham, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool compounded by the 3-2 defeat at home in the North London Derby.

By contrast, Newcastle have hit their best form since the autumn - and, in thumping Sheffield United for a second time as well as Spurs and Burnley, Eddie Howe's side have moved up to sixth.

Consequently, the Magpies could yet finish a difficult, injury-ravaged campaign on a high by securing European football in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the Sir Bobby Robson era.

Then again, Chelsea's recent upturn in form - with back-to-back London Derby victories over Spurs and West Ham - has propelled the Blues right back into the reckoning.

Additionally, a favourable-looking fixture list against Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Bournemouth suggests the Stamford Bridge club could yet finish in the top six after all.

Certainly, though, the same cannot be said with any confidence by Man United supporters after the Red Devils stayed in eighth place following their 4-0 humbling at Crystal Palace last night.

Erik Ten Hag's men remain two points behind Newcastle, who they play at Old Trafford on 15 May - while the heavy defeat also meant they slumped back to a negative goal difference.

But, whatever happens from hereon in, this campaign has undoubtedly been a backwards step for the Dutch manager following his team's third-placed finish in 2022-23.

Indeed, it could have been worse if Coventry City had completed their comeback in the FA Cup semi final - or rather had been allowed to.

The Sky Blues forced extra time from 3-0 down with 20 minutes left - and then thought they had won it, only for Victor Torp's effort in injury time in extra time to be ruled out by a dubious offside call.

In the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Man United won 4-2 - but, even aside from that massive let-off, performances by Ten Hag's men have been unconvincing with just two wins coming inside 90 minutes in their 10 other matches since the start of March.

Now, while there is much yet to be decided at the top end of the Premier League, the battle to avoid relegation has - amid much controversy - started to become a little clearer.

For a start, Sheffield United are definitely down - having suffered throughout a truly dreadful season.

Beaten by four goals or more on no fewer than seven occasions, the Blades have became the first Premier League team since Swindon Town in 1993-94 to concede 100 goals - and there are still two matches left.

Above the hapless Yorkshire club, only three other teams now can be condemned to the other two relegation places.

For now, the two other clubs promoted from the Championship last season - Burnley and Luton Town - remain in most trouble, with Nottingham Forest just outside the bottom three.

In fact, Vincent Kompany's Clarets have been in the relegation zone since the very first day of the season - and their 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle means they will be relegated on Saturday if they fail to beat Tottenham.

Meanwhile, Luton's form - which picked up with 11 points from six matches either side of Christmas - has tailed off badly in the spring.

A run of just one win in 15 games has left Rob Edwards's side in 18th place - although their remaining fixtures against West Ham (11 May) and Fulham (19 May) provide a realistic prospect of points.

The Hatters cannot control their own destiny, though - and at least one of their rivals will pick up points on the final day when Burnley take on Forest at Turf Moor.

The Tricky Trees beat Sheff United on Saturday to improve their chances of survival - but, along with the alarming frequency of the errors made by video assistant referees (VAR), points deductions among the bottom half teams have been the scourge of the season.

Everton were first to fall foul of the profit and sustainability rules (PSR) and received a 10-point deduction on 26 February which was reduced to six points on appeal.

Then, on 8 April, the Toffees were hit with another two-point deduction to take their overall penalty to eight points, although again the Merseysiders have lodged an appeal.

At least, for their own sake, Everton have played well enough on the field in recent weeks to pull away from trouble regardless. 

However, Nuno Espirito Santo's side were also given a four-point deduction on 18 March for breaching PSR - and it was announced today that the decision would stand following the failure of the appeal submitted by the East Midlands club.

At least now Forest and the two other potential relegation candidates know exactly where they stand ahead of their final two fixtures.

In the wider scheme of things, though, the highly restrictive nature of PSR has left newly-promoted clubs with one hand tied behind their back in their attempts to improve their squad to compete in the top division.

Moreover, the rules prevent highly-ambitious clubs with wealthy owners like Aston Villa and Newcastle from challenging the established elite.

In response to concerns raised by several Premier League clubs, a new spending cap in place of PSR is set to be introduced from the 2025-26 season onwards - with the threshold linked to a multiple of the amount which the lowest-earning club receives in television revenue.

Strikingly, though, comprehensive details behind the new regulations have yet to be made available. 

17	Nottingham Forest*	36	8	9	19	45	63	-18	29
18	Luton Town	36	6	8	22	49	78	-29	26
19	Burnley	36	5	9	22	39	74	-35	24
R	Sheffield United	36	3	7	26	35	100	-65	16

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	EFL Championship	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Leicester City	46	31	4	11	89	41	+48	97
P	Ipswich Town	46	28	12	6	92	57	+35	96
3	Leeds United	46	27	9	10	81	43	+38	90
4	Southampton	46	26	9	11	87	63	+24	87
5	West Bromwich Albion	46	21	12	13	70	47	+23	75
6	Norwich City	46	21	10	15	79	64	+15	73
7	Hull City	46	19	13	14	68	60	+8	70
8	Middlesbrough	46	20	9	17	71	62	+9	69

JAMIE VARDY hit a brace as Leicester City comfortably beat Preston North End 3-0 last Monday to seal the Championship title following their immediate return to the top flight.

The Foxes gained promotion on the previous Friday without kicking a ball after Leeds United were thrashed 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers.

But all this came much later in the season than expected for Leicester after they dominated the first two-thirds of the campaign.

In mid-February, the title and rise back to the top flight seemed inevitable – Leicester were 12 points clear at the top and had a 14-point cushion to third place, with 25 wins and 78 points from 32 games.

But there followed a run of just one win and four defeats in six matches - and, with Leeds and Ipswich Town both in good form, the gap quickly closed. 

Leicester even fell out of the automatic promotion places over the Easter weekend - but, just as the Foxes faltered, those around them also dropped crucial points.

Leeds took just eight points from six matches while Ipswich similarly stalled with three consecutive draws.

That allowed Leicester to regroup through back-to-back wins against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton - with the 5-0 thrashing of the Saints last Tuesday showing Enzo Maresca's side truly had overcome their wobble.

Nevertheless, the Foxes celebrations have been tempered somewhat by news that they may face an immediate points deduction in the Premier League for breaching PSR after announcing a near-£90 million loss for 2022-23.

Meanwhile, Ipswich - who were only just promoted from League One last season - took the second automatic place after winning 2-1 at Coventry City last Tuesday before beating Huddersfield Town 2-0 in the sunshine at Portman Road on Saturday. 

It is a magnificent achievement by Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys who became the first team since Southampton made a double bounce between 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Consequently, Leeds must now settle for the playoffs alongside fourth-placed Southampton who won 2-1 in front of a nervy Elland Road.

The Saints had already secured a top six position - but will be disappointed having pushed themselves into the top two on the back of a record unbeaten run of 22 league games between September and February. 

Ultimately, though, a slow start and - more critically - a run of three successive defeats in April left Russell Martin's men out of the picture. 

Elsewhere, the last two playoff spots went to West Brom and Norwich City, with the pair swapping places back on the final day after the Baggies beat Preston North End while the Canaries were beaten at Birmingham City.

Hull City, in seventh, had harboured hopes of gatecrashing the playoff places - but lost away at relegation-threatened Plymouth Argyle, leading to the sacking today of Tigers boss Liam Rosenior.

Indeed, those fixtures for Norwich and Hull ultimately had more bearing on the battle at the bottom of the table.

With Rotherham United relegated way back on 5 April and Huddersfield  effectively down after their draw on the previous weekend against Birmingham, only one place remained to be avoided.

At one stage, it looked as if most of the bottom half would be involved in the scrap - but, during the course of April, Millwall, QPR and Stoke City all earned a string of key wins to pull away from danger. 

As a result, four clubs were in trouble at the start of the final day - with Birmingham in the bottom three, one point adrift of Plymouth ahead of the visit of Norwich to St Andrews.

The Blues won their own game, beating the playoff-bound Canaries - but the Pilgrims also pulled off that unexpected victory against Hull.

Blackburn Rovers and Sheffield Wednesday had also mathematically been at risk - but Rovers secured their status against a Leicester side which failed to put on a champions' display at the King Power Stadium.

Elsewhere, the Owls had a plum fixture against a Sunderland side which treaded water for months after the ill-fated Michael Beale tenure ended on Wearside in February.

By contrast, Wednesday manager - 34-year-old German Danny Roehl - revived his team upon taking charge at Hillsborough in October, following the worst start in the club's history.

15	Watford	46	13	17	16	61	61	0	56
16	Sunderland	46	16	8	22	52	54	-2	56
17	Stoke City	46	15	11	20	49	60	-11	56
18	Queens Park Rangers	46	15	11	20	47	58	-11	56
19	Blackburn Rovers	46	14	11	21	60	74	-14	53
20	Sheffield Wednesday	46	15	8	23	44	68	-24	53
21	Plymouth Argyle	46	13	12	21	59	70	-11	51
R	Birmingham City	46	13	11	22	50	65	-15	50
R	Huddersfield Town	46	9	18	19	48	77	-29	45
R	Rotherham United	46	5	12	29	37	89	-52	27

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	EFL League One	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Portsmouth	46	28	13	5	78	41	+37	97
P	Derby County	46	28	8	10	78	37	+41	92
3	Bolton Wanderers	46	25	12	9	86	51	+35	87
4	Peterborough United	46	25	9	12	89	61	+28	84
5	Oxford United	46	22	11	13	79	56	+23	77
6	Barnsley	46	21	13	12	82	64	+18	76
7	Lincoln City	46	20	14	12	65	40	+25	74
8	Blackpool	46	21	10	15	65	48	+17	73
9	Stevenage	46	19	14	13	57	46	+11	71

PORTSMOUTH ended their long absence from the second tier by winning promotion and taking the League One title on the same night.

Conor Shaughnessy's late winner sealed a 3-2 win over Barnsley on 16 April as Pompey ended 12 years of exile in the lower two divisions.

Four of those seasons came in the League Two basement - but, having fallen through the leagues at a rapid rate amid financial turmoil in the early 2010s, the south coast club return to the Championship on a much surer footing.

Derby County took the second automatic promotion place to ensure their own tenure at this level lasted only two seasons.

The Rams were involved in a tight tussle with yet another former Premier League outfit, Bolton Wanderers - but, after a good late run of form, Paul Warne's men needed only a draw on the final day.

A 2-0 victory at Pride Park against already-relegated Carlisle United therefore proved more than enough - and the pitch invasion at full-time signalled a huge emotional release from the sold-out crowd of 31,027.

By contrast, Bolton have now been left to consider how to make it through the playoffs, where the Trotters will be joined by Peterborough United.

Posh's slim hopes of gatecrashing the automatic promotion places were ended in a crushing 5-0 defeat at Oxford United on 13 April - and, coincidentally, the two teams will meet again in the playoff semi finals.

But, despite that recent mauling, Darren Ferguson's side will fancy their chances in that tie.

After all, Peterborough have already proven their knockout credentials at this level this year by beating Wycombe Wanderers to win the EFL Trophy at Wembley.

Furthermore, Oxford - and sixth-placed Barnsley - only sealed their playoff places on the final day after being threatened by a late run of form from Lincoln City.

Indeed, Lincoln beat Oxford on 16 April and, four days later, moved into the top six at the expense of the Us after defeating Cheltenham Town.

But the Imps then lost at home to Pompey on Saturday and allowed Oxford to take the place back again with a 2-1 win at mid-table Exeter City.

Barnsley, meanwhile, used almost all of the comfort room which they had built up - and head into the post-season on the back of a dismal run of two draws and four defeats from their last six matches.

At the bottom, Carlisle were relegated back on 6 April following a 2-0 defeat at Northampton Town - while Port Vale fared only marginally better after taking until 23 March to record their first win of 2024.

Fleetwood Town also failed to take their survival fight to the last day, leaving Cheltenham, Burton Albion and Cambridge United in a scrap on Saturday to avoid the fourth and final place.

Ultimately, Cheltenham went down following defeat at Stevenage, as they paid the price for hideous start to the season.

It took the Robins until 7 October to score a single league goal, let alone win a game - and, though they were vastly improved after Darrell Clarke replaced Wade Elliott as manager, they were never able to clamber out of the bottom four at any stage.

Burton then were left to breathe a sigh of relief as their 3-0 defeat at Fleetwood did not cost them, while Cambridge secured the point which they needed in a stalemate at Vale.

18	Cambridge United	46	12	12	22	39	61	-22	48
19	Shrewsbury Town	46	13	9	24	35	67	-32	48
20	Burton Albion	46	12	10	24	39	67	-28	46
R	Cheltenham Town	46	12	8	26	41	65	-24	44
R	Fleetwood Town	46	10	13	23	49	72	-23	43
R	Port Vale	46	10	11	25	41	74	-33	41
R	Carlisle United	46	7	9	30	41	81	-40	30

⚽

	EFL League Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Stockport County	46	27	11	8	96	48	+48	92
P	Wrexham	46	26	10	10	89	52	+37	88
P	Mansfield Town	46	24	12	8	90	47	+43	86
4	Milton Keynes Dons	46	23	9	14	83	68	+15	78
5	Doncaster Rovers	46	21	8	17	73	68	+5	71
6	Crewe Alexandra	46	19	14	13	69	65	+4	71
7	Crawley Town	46	21	7	18	73	67	+6	70
8	Barrow	46	18	15	13	62	56	+6	69
9	Bradford City	46	19	12	15	61	59	+2	69
10	AFC Wimbledon	46	17	14	15	64	51	+13	65

STOCKPORT COUNTY took another big stride to recovering the ground which they painfully lost between 2002 and 2013 when they dropped from the second tier to the sixth. 

The Hatters went from reaching the League Cup semi finals in 1997 and then playing in five successive Championship-level seasons to enduring a six-year spell in the National League North. 

But promotion from that level finally came in 2019 and they then added the National League title in 2022.

Last season ended in playoff final heartache after a penalty shoot-out at Wembley - but Dave Challinor's side left nothing to chance this time. 

Having been placed in the top two since October, Stockport were promoted on 13 April with a 2-0 win over Morecambe before sealing yet another title with a 5-2 bashing of Notts County. 

Elsewhere, on the same day as the Hatters went up, Wrexham added the latest chapter to their Disney fairytale, thumping Forest Green Rovers 6-0 to confirm their return to the third tier for the first time since 2004-05.

Third-placed Mansfield Town waited only three days longer for their own promotion party which began after Nigel Clough's Stags beat Accrington Stanley. 

And, in truth, there has been little doubt for some time about the trio of clubs who would be promoted automatically. 

Milton Keynes, in fourth place, were the best of the rest - but still ended eight points adrift - while sixth-placed Crewe Alexandra and Crawley, in seventh, were always there or thereabouts.

However, Doncaster Rovers are easily the most remarkable of the playoff contenders. 

Rovers strung together a club record sequence of 10 consecutive wins to rise all the way up from 22nd place on 3 February, eventually finishing in fifth. 

By contrast, Barrow - who had occupied a playoff spot since mid-November - slipped the other way and out of the reckoning on the last day. 

Pete Wild's men took just two points out of the 21 available in April - although at least the Bluebirds still have their Football League status. 

That cannot be said for Sutton United who head back down to the National League, after just three seasons - despite a four-match winning run in March and April giving the south London club hope of surviving the drop. 

Steve Morison's side even made a gallant comeback on the last day in their 4-4 draw at Milton Keynes - but they needed three points at the very minimum. 

Indeed, their result was rendered academic as Colchester United took a home point against Crewe to guarantee safety.

Below Sutton, Forest Green had already been relegated ahead of the final day following that earlier heavy reverse at Wrexham, although they did bow out by beating Notts at the New Lawn. 

Undoubtedly, though, a second successive relegation has left attention-seeing owner Dale Vince and the pitiful fanbase choking on their vegan sausage rolls.

For sure, the Gloucestershire non-entities are unlikely to be much missed by too many opposition supporters in the Football League. 

22	Colchester United	46	11	12	23	59	80	-21	45
R	Sutton United	46	9	15	22	59	84	-25	42
R	Forest Green Rovers	46	11	9	26	44	78	-34	42

Haaland breaks goal record to send Man City back top

	Premier League	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1	Manchester City	33	25	4	4	87	30	+57	79
2	Arsenal	34	24	4	6	81	39	+42	78
3	Newcastle United	33	18	11	4	61	27	+34	65
4	Manchester United	33	19	6	8	49	40	+9	63
5	Liverpool	34	17	8	9	66	42	+24	59
6	Brighton & Hove Albion	32	16	7	9	62	40	+22	55
7	Tottenham Hotspur	34	16	6	12	63	57	+6	54
8	Aston Villa	34	16	6	12	46	42	+4	54

ERLING HAALAND broke the Premier League record for number of goals in a single season as Manchester City returned top with a 3-0 win over West Ham United on Wednesday.

Haaland's sublime chip over Lukasz Fabianski took him on to 35, one clear of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer, whose 34-goal tallies had come in a 42-match campaign.

The Norwegian is now on 51 in all competitions, 12 behind Dixie Dean's all-time English record, with a potential nine games still to play as Man City seek a Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble.

Arsenal had kept up the pressure by beating Chelsea easily at the Emirates on Tuesday - but, having led the title race by eight points on 1 April, a recent winless run has taken it out of their hands.

The Gunners gave away 2-0 leads in successive away draws at West Ham and Liverpool before having to rescue a point at home from 3-1 down late on against Southampton.

All of that came ahead of the clash between the top two at the Etihad Stadium in which Haaland twice turned provider for Kevin De Bruyne as Man City prevailed 4-1 on 26 April.

Man City subsequently went top by beating Fulham 2-1 - and Pep Guardiola's men enjoy a one-point lead, a significant goal difference advantage, and still have a game in hand.

Behind the top two, this season's two League Cup finalists - Newcastle United and Manchester United - currently sit in the remaining Champions League spots, with the Red Devils having won the Final 2-0 at Wembley.

Newcastle, in third, have responded well since that League Cup Final defeat by going on a fantastic run of league form, winning eight of the last nine games.

Indeed, Eddie Howe's men now have the Champions League in sight - at most, it is mathematically only eight points away.

So, certainly, this campaign for the Magpies is in a sharp contrast to the last one when Howe had to rescue a Steve Bruce-trashed side which were placed in 19th on three points upon Bruce's departure in October 2021.

On the subject of contrasts, Man United - who beat Brighton & Hove Albion to reach the FA Cup Final against Man City - are making hard work of their Premier League run-in.

Erik Ten Haag's team have stumbled recently in a draw away at Tottenham Hotspur and a league defeat last night to Brighton.

Nevertheless, they will no doubt back themselves in a campaign during which has been fought on several fronts.

Their eternal rivals Liverpool, in fifth, have had an admittedly disappointing campaign - but remain in contention for a top four placing after making it five wins in a row by beating Fulham 1-0 on Wednesday.

The Reds will also start favourites in each of their remaining four fixtures - but even their best spell of results this season still leaves Jurgen Klopp's men four points adrift having played a game more.

It has now worked out that the teams in fifth and sixth place will qualify for the Europa League while seventh place will be enough for the Europa Conference League.

This is because both Manchester clubs are guaranteed to finish in the European places and win both domestic cup competitions.

Brighton last night jumped into sixth following a dramatic win last night in the ninth minute of stoppage time as Alexis MacAllister kept his cool to thump in a penalty following Luke Shaw's injudicious handball.

The Seagulls have had an especially fine campaign, particularly considering the disruption which could have been caused when Chelsea nabbed Graham Potter and Roberto De Zerbi arrived midway through the season.

Now, the south coast club still have a backlog of fixtures due to their run to the FA Cup semi finals - and De Zerbi's outfit could finish higher than their present position by using their games in hand.

However, a full assault on the top four looks beyond them, given the severity of their fixtures which include both of the top two.

Tottenham and Aston Villa currently occupy seventh and eighth and face each other at Villa Park on 13 May.

But, regardless of the result of that match, it is surely too late for either side to make it into the top four, particularly Spurs who have lost their way completely at the tail end of this campaign.

The North London club were 5-0 down at Newcastle in 21 minutes in an extraordinary collapse which cost Cristian Stellini his job.

Stellini himself had replaced Antonio Conte after the multiple champion had delivered a spectacular rant against the club's ownership and "selfish" players following a 3-3 draw at Southampton.

Yet, within the first 15 minutes of the first game under new caretaker Ryan Mason against Liverpool at Anfield last Sunday, Spurs were 3-0 down again.

This time, in fairness, Spurs battled back to 3-3, but they still then lost to a last-gasp goal.

Meanwhile, Villa have been hamstrung by a poor start to the season and have been far better since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard as head coach at the start of November.

However, as Gerrard left the Villains down in 17th place with just nine points, it is an achievement in itself that Emery's men are even in the conversation.

Some teams struggle for the whole season, though - and Southampton have been stuck in the relegation zone since November and have now been cut somewhat adrift of the other stragglers.

Presently, the Saints - with only six league wins all season - must win three of their last four games to stand any chance of survival.

But, with the number of teams involved above them taken into account, it is a distinct possibility that even maximum points may not be enough.

Second-bottom Everton have also only won six league games this season - and, having secured safety last year with just one match to spare, it looks likely to be an even closer call this time around.

For a start, the Toffees, on 29 points, must make up a point on at least two of the three clubs above them over the last four games. Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Leicester City are all on 30 points.

Forest currently occupy the remaining relegation spot with a rather rotten goal difference of -32 following a difficult start in which a whole slew of new signings struggled to adapt.

Steady improvement followed but a run since February of just one win and three draws in 12 matches has sunk Steve Cooper's battlers back into trouble ahead of a vital game on Monday against Southampton.

Elsewhere, Leeds have suffered severe damage in their goals against column in their more recent matches.

In the month of April alone, the Yorkshire side shipped four goals to Arsenal, five to Crystal Palace, six to Liverpool, and four again to Bournemouth - and the last of those defeats spelled the end of Javi Gracia's short tenure at Elland Road.

The unmistakable Jabba the Hutt-like figure of Sam Allardyce has arrived as the Whites' white knight - but, with three of their last four fixtures coming against teams currently in the top six, he has his work cut out with a squad so low on confidence.

Leicester - who won the Premier League in 2016 and the FA Cup just two years ago - are, on the face of it, surprise relegation candidates.

However, poor transfer business has left the Foxes notably weaker at the back this season - and a slow start was compounded by a more recent run of just one point out of 27 during which the club dispensed of the services of Brendan Rodgers.

In such a tight battle, though, Leicester's comparatively favourable goal difference of -13 might yet be the decisive factor and new man Dean Smith will need to protect it.

West Ham also have the same goal difference of -13 and David Moyes's men have four more points to boot - but, following successive top seven finishes, this season must be regarded as something of a disappointment.

Indeed, despite the coming distraction of a Europa Conference League semi final, the Hammers are still be looking for another Premier League win to secure their place in the top flight for next season.

After all, the Londoners will want to avoid it from getting too nervous ahead of their final day fixture - which happens to be away at Leicester.

15	West Ham United	34	9	7	18	37	50	-13	34
16	Leicester City	34	8	6	20	46	59	-13	30
17	Leeds United	34	7	9	18	43	67	-24	30
18	Nottingham Forest	34	7	9	18	30	62	-32	30
19	Everton	34	6	11	17	27	52	-25	29
20	Southampton	34	6	6	22	28	60	-32	24

<⚽️>

	Championship	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Burnley	45	28	14	3	84	35	+49	98
P	Sheffield United	45	27	7	11	71	38	+33	88
3	Luton Town	45	21	16	8	57	39	+18	79
4	Middlesbrough	45	22	8	15	83	55	+28	74
5	Coventry City	45	18	15	12	57	45	+12	69
6	Millwall	45	19	11	15	54	46	+8	68
7	Sunderland	45	17	15	13	65	55	+10	66
8	West Bromwich Albion	45	18	12	15	57	50	+7	66
9	Blackburn Rovers	45	19	9	17	48	51	-3	66

BURNLEY made an immediate return to the Premier League with a record seven games to spare as Vincent Kompany's team completely dominated the Championship.

The Clarets equalled the Championship record of 10 consecutive wins by taking three points from every league fixture between mid-November and mid-February.

And, following a Nathan Tella hat-trick in a 3-0 home win over Preston North End at the end of that sequence, Vincent Kompany's men were 17 points clear of third place with a game in hand.

Still, the unbeaten run went on beyond that and promotion was secured with a 2-0 win over second-placed Sheffield United at Turf Moor on Easter Monday.

There followed an uncharacteristic sequence of two points from nine which prevented a possible tilt at several outright Championship records.

Nevertheless, this merely allowed Burnley to wrap up the title in delicious fashion in the East Lancashire derby against Blackburn Rovers away at Ewood Park.

Manuel Benson delivered the decisive blow with a superb strike in a 1-0 win as Burnley were able to celebrate in style.

For their part, Sheffield United also make a fairly swift return to top-flight action after keeping the length of their absence down to just two seasons.

It looked as if the Blades might be wobbling when they lost four league games out of six between mid-February and mid-March.

But, in truth, Paul Heckingbottom's men maintained a clear gap to their most prominent chasers, Luton Town and Middlesbrough, and complimented their Championship form with an impressive run to the FA Cup semi finals.

Once that pleasant distraction ended in a respectable 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, the Yorkshire side got over the line with room to spare with a 2-0 home win against West Bromwich Albion.

Consequently, the Hatters and Boro must content themselves with a playoff spot - although at least they have avoided the complete dog-fight immediately behind them.

No fewer than five teams head into the final day with hopes of extending their season by finishing in fifth or sixth - and, until last week, the whole of the rest of the top half of the division were in with a shout.

Currently, Coventry City and Millwall sit in the box seats on 69 and 68 points respectively - but the Sky Blues finish the regular season away to a Boro side whose only home league defeat since October came against Burnley.

Meanwhile, the Lions face Blackburn who kept their top six chances alive on Monday with Hayden Carter's late equaliser against Luton.

Indeed, Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn - all on 66 points - are the teams looking to gatecrash the top six with variable goal differences of +10, +7 and -3 respectively.

To stand any chance, though, they each must win their respective away fixtures against Preston, Swansea City and Millwall.

Meanwhile, matters at the bottom end of the division have now completely resolved themselves over the past week.

The bottom three - Reading, Blackpool and Wigan Athletic - have been relegated with the Tangerines first to go following a 3-2 home defeat to Millwall last Friday night.

Wigan's immediate return to the third tier was confirmed when a stoppage-time by Yakou Meite equaliser for Reading ensured the Latics would be prevented from taking their struggle into the final day.

Ultimately, though, even a win would not have been enough as third-bottom Reading were also relegated last night after 74-year-old Neil Warnock notched up another impressive achievement in his 36-year Football League managerial career.

Huddersfield Town were 23rd when Warnock took charge - but five wins and two draws from the last eight games, including a 1-0 success over Sheffield United last night, have lifted the West Yorkshire club all the way up to 18th.

It also means that Reading return to the third tier for the first time since 2002 - and their supporters can hold their board directly responsible.

On 4 April, the Royals agreed to accept a six-point deduction for failing to satisfy a business plan agreed after a historical breach of the Football League Profit and Sustainability limits.

And now there can be no doubt that those minus points have been a determining factor over whether the Berkshire club had any sort of chance on the final day.

18	Huddersfield Town	45	13	11	21	45	62	-17	50
19	Queens Park Rangers	45	13	11	21	44	69	-25	50
20	Rotherham United	45	11	16	18	49	60	-11	49
21	Cardiff City	45	13	10	22	41	55	-14	49
R	*Reading	45	13	11	21	46	66	-20	44
R	Blackpool	45	10	11	24	47	72	-25	41
R	**Wigan Athletic	45	10	14	21	38	65	-27	41

* Reading were deducted 6 points for breaching an EFL business plan
** Wigan Athletic were deducted 3 points for failing to pay players and staff on time

<⚽️>

	League One	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
P	Plymouth Argyle	45	30	8	7	79	46	+33	98
P	Ipswich Town	45	28	13	4	99	33	+66	97
3	Sheffield Wednesday	45	27	12	6	80	37	+43	93
4	Barnsley	45	26	8	11	80	45	+35	86
5	Bolton Wanderers	45	22	12	11	59	34	+25	78
6	Derby County	45	21	13	11	67	45	+22	76
7	Peterborough United	45	23	5	17	73	54	+19	67

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE and Ipswich Town left Sheffield Wednesday stranded in the ultra-competitive League One promotion race.

The Pilgrims remained top of the standings on 98 points following a 1-0 win over Burton Albion last weekend - while Ipswich, on 97, thrashed Exeter City 6-0.

Kieran McKenna's men were 5-0 at half time as his Tractor Boys made it 37 points from 39 since mid-February - and extended their League One-high tally to 99 goals.

The East Anglia outfit also beat Charlton Athletic 6-0 earlier in April, won 4-0 on four occasions at Portman Road, and 3-0 on seven occasions.

Yet, in order to become champions, they must get a better result at Fleetwood Town than Plymouth on the final day.

That is because Argyle still hold pole position in the title race having survived a mini-wobble in taking just seven points out of 15 in February.

Since then, though, Steven Schumacher's men have won seven out of eight - and the Devon club will be the cream of the crop for certain by beating Port Vale.

At one stage, it looked like Sheffield Wednesday might take advantage of the nerves shown by Plymouth - and, indeed, the Hillsborough club went top following a 23-match unbeaten run which included a sequence of 34 points out of 36.

But it was followed by a run of just one win in eight at the worst possible time - and, instead, the Owls must try their best in the playoffs having lost at that stage to Sunderland this time last year.

Also assured of the playoffs are Wednesday's South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley, as well as Bolton Wanderers - and the final place will be taken by Derby County or Peterborough United.

The Rams hold a two-point advantage and have a slightly better goal difference by three goals ahead of their final day fixture against Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Posh must win away at Barnsley to stand any chance of overhauling the East Midlands club who are spending their first season at this level since 1985-86.

At the bottom, already-relegated Forest Green Rovers have been well adrift of safety for some time - and they will surely be joined by Accrington Stanley.

Accrington not only need to beat Oxford United on the final day but must overturn a significant goal difference deficit on all three of the teams above them and hope that none gets even so much as a point.

Those three other teams still in trouble are Milton Keynes, Cambridge United and Morecambe, with MK currently the only side above the drop zone on goal difference.

That position means a win for MK away at Burton will almost certainly keep them out of the bottom four at the end of the season unless Morecambe beat Exeter by eight more goals.

Finally, Cambridge, who host Duncan Ferguson's Forest Green, are in the worst position of the trio. Mark Bonner's men are a point adrift of MK and Morecambe so will need to win to stand any chance of overhauling both for survival.

19	Oxford United	45	11	14	20	48	54	-6	47
20	Milton Keynes Dons	45	11	11	23	44	66	-22	44
21	Morecambe	45	10	14	21	45	75	-30	44
22	Cambridge United	45	12	7	26	39	68	-29	43
23	Accrington Stanley	45	10	11	24	38	76	-38	41
R	Forest Green Rovers	45	6	9	30	31	87	-56	27

<⚽️>

	League Two	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
C	Leyton Orient	45	26	12	7	60	33	+27	90
P	Stevenage	45	23	13	9	60	39	+21	82
3	Northampton Town	45	22	14	9	61	42	+19	80
4	Stockport County	45	22	12	11	64	36	+28	78
5	Carlisle United	45	20	15	10	65	42	+23	75
6	Salford City	45	22	9	14	72	53	+19	75
7	Bradford City	45	20	15	10	60	42	+18	75
8	Mansfield Town	45	20	12	13	70	55	+15	72

LONG-TIME leaders Leyton Orient took advantage of a strong start to return to League One for the first time since 2014-15 as deserved champions.

The Os sealed promotion back on 18 April despite losing 2-0 to Gillingham - and followed that up by beating Crewe Alexandra at home by the same scoreline to lift the title in E10.

Orient took 28 points out of the first 30 to set up their promotion charge before also going unbeaten for 12 games between the start of February and mid-April.

And, impressively, Richie Wellens's men have been top since October.

Stevenage join the Os in the third tier for the first time since 2013-14 with promotion coming only 12 months after the Hertfordshire outfit finished fourth-bottom of the Football League.

Additionally, the Boro earned a famous FA Cup comeback win away to Aston Villa in the third round in January with two goals in the last two minutes.

Certainly, it has been a fine season for manager Steve Evans and his men as he notches up another success to his chequered CV.

The third automatic promotion place remains up for grabs - and, for Northampton Town, there is an unavoidable dreaded feeling of deja vu at Sixfields.

Just like last season, the Cobblers are in third place heading into the final day - but, it all went wrong in 2021-22 despite victory over Barrow as Bristol Rovers overcame a goal difference deficit by beating relegated Scunthorpe United 7-0.

This time, Northampton hold a two-point advantage - but anything short of victory on the final day against Tranmere Rovers will allow Stockport County with a chance of avoiding the chaos of the playoffs by beating relegated Hartlepool United.

Northampton or Stockport are at least assured of a place in the top seven - while Carlisle United, Salford City and Bradford City look likely to take the remaining playoff spots.

The Cumbians travel to Sutton United, Salford host Gillingham and Bradford host Orient, all aware that a point will be good enough to maintain a chance of promotion.

Even then, defeat for either side might not matter as the only team which can take advantage are Mansfield Town - and the Stags must win at Colchester United while also making up a goal difference deficit.

At the other end of the table, rock-bottom Rochdale have dropped out of the Football League alongside Hartlepool, despite both of them winning last Saturday.

Hartlepool are no strangers to the National League having already spent four seasons at that level between 2016-17 and 2021-22 - and Crawley Town's upturn in form meant perennial strugglers Pools left it too late for survival this time.

Rochdale, though, have rather momentously lost League status for the first time for 102 years - and join an ever-growing graveyard of Greater Manchester-based clubs.

Bury and Macclesfield Town briefly disappeared off the football map altogether - while Oldham Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and Stockport have come perilously close to following them over the cliff edge. 

But, if there is any hope for Rochdale and indeed any other clubs currently in turmoil, it comes from Stockport.

The Hatters have a chance of League One football having recently been out of the Football League for 11 years including a period of six seasons in the sixth-tier National League North.

22	Crawley Town	45	11	13	21	47	69	-22	46
R	Hartlepool United	45	9	15	21	51	77	-26	42
R	Rochdale	45	9	10	26	45	69	-24	37

<⚽️>