That’s all for today’s bumper Champo clocko. Don’t forget to join Simon Burnton for all this afternoon’s other business. Bye!
Match report: Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough
Paul MacInnes was at the CBS Arena, where Coventry won a thrilling match to secure a playoff place.
Luton captain Carlton Morris reacts to relegation
It’s tough to put into words. I feel sorry for the fans and also for the lads with the effort they’ve put in recently. We gave ourselves too much of a mountain to climb. To go out like that is really frustrating. We’ll receive a backlash for today’s result and rightfully so to an extent, but the lads have put blood, sweat and tears into the last few weeks.
[On Luton fans chanting ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ at the players] You’ve got to face the music. Ultimately we’ve put ourselves in this situation and we need to take accountability.
A beaming Frank Lampard talks to Sky Sports
I loved it, I loved it. It’s so tense for everyone involved. The performance was brilliant in the first half and we fully deserved to lead. The second half was tense but I always felt we were a threat. The players deserve so much credit for getting over the line after where we’ve come from. We got what we deserved.
[On the goalscorer Jack Rudoni] I speak a lot with Rudi because he’s a great kid: he wants to get better, he wants to do more. He’s got quality, and he’s definitely got more talent than me in the air!
We have to expect respect the best version of Sunderland: for most of the season they were really strong. We need to rest up, reboot and go again.
It’s great for the club. It’s been a long week!
Still want more?
Well aren’t you the lucky one.
Match report: Bristol City 2-2 Preston
Neither team got the result they wanted at Ashton Gate, but they both got the desired outcome.
Here’s a first-take roundup on the chaos this afternoon.
Updated
The playoff dates
Thursday 8 May
Bristol City v Sheffield UnitedFriday 9 May
Coventry v SunderlandMonday 12 May
Sheffield United v Bristol CityTuesday 13 May
Sunderland v CoventrySaturday 24 May
Playoff final
The draw for the final will take place after Sunderland v Coventry on 13 May.
The final Championship table
As it stands, now and forever.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 46 | 65 | 100 |
| 2 | Burnley | 46 | 53 | 100 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Coventry | 46 | 6 | 69 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 46 | 4 | 68 |
| 7 | Blackburn | 46 | 5 | 66 |
| 8 | Millwall | 46 | -2 | 66 |
| 9 | West Brom | 46 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 8 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 3 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 19 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 20 | Preston North End | 46 | -11 | 50 |
| 21 | Hull | 46 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -24 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -37 | 46 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -25 | 44 |
All the full-time scores
Bristol City 2-2 Preston North End
Burnley 3-1 Millwall
Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 4-2 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-2 Leeds
Portsmouth 1-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 3-3 Oxford Utd
Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 5-3 Luton
The Championship ups and downs
Champions Leeds
Promoted Burnley
Playoffs Sheff Utd, Sunderland, Coventry, Bristol City
Relegated Luton, Plymouth, Cardiff
Bristol City are in the playoffs
Full time: Sheffield United 1-1 Blackburn The final whistle has gone at Bramall Lane, prompting an explosion of joy and a pitch invasion at Ashton Gate! Bristol City are in the playoffs
Goodness knows how their manager Liam Manning must feel right now after everything he has been through this season.
Leeds are champions!
Full time: Plymouth 1-2 Leeds Manor Solomon’s injury time goal has put the seal on a wonderful season for Leeds. They and Burnley both finished with 100 points – but Leeds are champions on goal difference.
Updated
Full time: Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough
Coventry will play Sunderland in the playoffs after winning a pulsating match against Middlesbrough.
Updated
LUTON ARE RELEGATED TO LEAGUE ONE!
Full time: Portsmouth 1-1 Hull It’s all over at Fratton Park and Hull City have survived by the skin of their gnashers.
Updated
Full time: Bristol City 2-2 Preston
All over at Ashton Gate. Bristol City will make the playoffs unless Blackburn score at Bramall Lane.
Full time: West Brom 5-3 Luton
Luton need a goal from Portsmouth or they will be playing in League One next season.
90+4 min: Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn the home side are down to 10 men because of injury – Chris Wilder has already used all his substitution windows.
GOAL! Burnley 3-1 Millwall (Brownhill 90+3)
Josh Brownhill’s second goal, his 18th of the season, seals victory for Burnley. They are going to finish second with 100 points.
Updated
Full time: Derby 0-0 Stoke
Both teams are safe, that’s all they’ll care about.
GOAL! Plymouth 1-2 Leeds (Solomon 90+1)
The brilliant Manor Solomon has won the Championship title for Leeds!
Updated
90 min: Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn Just the eight minutes of added time. A goal for Blackburn would put them into the playoffs (unless Bristol City score a winner).
GOAL! West Brom 5-3 Luton (Alli 88)
Millenic Alli’s second goal has given Luton an outside chance of an astonishing comeback from 5-1 down. But as it stands they are heading for League One.
GOAL! Coventry 2-0 Middlesbrough (Rudoni 88)
Jack Rudoni’s second goal has secured a playoff place for Coventry! What a job Frank Lampard has done there, quite outstanding.
Updated
85 min: Sunderland 0-1 QPR Sunderland are heading into the playoffs, where they could meet Coventry, on the back of five straight defeats.
The latest scores (Swansea and Cardiff have scored in the last couple of minutes)
Bristol City 2-2 Preston North End
Burnley 2-1 Millwall
Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 4-2 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-1 Leeds
Portsmouth 1-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 3-2 Oxford Utd
Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 5-2 Luton
82 min: Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough Morgan Whittaker has hit the post for Boro with a fine effort from the edge of the area. You’ve got to love the Championship: with less than 10 minutes of the season remaining, Middlesbrough sit in in 10th place – yet they still have a realistic chance of promotion.
Right. So.
Blackburn will leapfrog Bristol City if they score a winner at Sheffield United.
Luton are going down unless Portsmouth score a winning goal at home to Hull.
80 min: Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough “Watching an absolutely brilliant game of football,” says Espen Bommen, “where it’s attack vs attack with both teams adopting the defensive tactic known as desperate last ditch.”
80 min: Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn Tom Cannon has missed a glorious chance for Bristol City/Sheffield United, blasting over from eight yards.
Swansea 2-2 Oxford Joe Allen, playing his last game of professional football at the age of 35, walks off to a standing ovation.
77 min: Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough It sounds like this game could easily be about 5-5. Middlesbrough are tenth as things stand – but two goals would move them into the playoff places.
One more time
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | 46 | 52 | 100 |
| 2 | Leeds | 46 | 64 | 98 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Coventry | 46 | 5 | 69 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 46 | 4 | 68 |
| 7 | Blackburn | 46 | 5 | 66 |
| 8 | Millwall | 46 | -1 | 66 |
| 9 | West Brom | 46 | 11 | 64 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 4 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 19 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 20 | Preston North End | 46 | -11 | 50 |
| 21 | Hull | 46 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -25 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -36 | 47 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -26 | 44 |
GOAL! Bristol City 2-2 Preston (McCrorie 74)
Ross McCrorie – who the last time I checked was a left-back, not Romario II – has scored his second goal to bring Bristol City level! He made a terrific run infield, onto Jason Knight’s penetrative pass, and finished smartly on the run with his right foot.
It doesn’t actually change that much, in that a Blackburn goal would move them above City, but it increases City’s chances of winning the game. And if they do that, nobody can catch them.
Updated
The latest scores with around 20 minutes remaining
Bristol City 1-2 Preston North End
Burnley 2-1 Millwall
Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 4-1 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-1 Leeds
Portsmouth 1-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 2-2 Oxford Utd
Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 5-2 Luton
The games in bold are the ones that are likely to decide who goes down and who makes the playoffs.
72 min: Bristol City 1-2 Preston A Bristol City player – I don’t know, okay* – has just smashed a heatseeker off the crossbar.
* Jason Knight, it says here.
“Just to check, would Luton still get parachute payments in League One? It’d be bleak to see them distort two divisions at once.”
I think so, but don’t quote me at the dinner party. I’m pretty sure Sunderland received parachute payment after back-to-back relegations in 2017 and 2018.
GOAL! Bristol City 1-2 Preston (McCrorie 69)
The left-back Ross McCrorie heads Bristol City back into the game at Ashton Gate. All bets are off in that one now – especially as Preston’s players must know they will be safe even if they lose this game.
“Following this Clockwatch with you is like watching a horse race (which I might do later today), with the TV graphics showing the horse numbers constantly changing position,2 says Joe Pearson. “Very entertaining!”
Tell that to my cardiologist.
Goal! Norwich 4-1 Cardiff (Duffy 67)
The table as it stands
It’ll probably have changed by the time you see this.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | 46 | 52 | 100 |
| 2 | Leeds | 46 | 64 | 98 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Coventry | 46 | 5 | 69 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 46 | 2 | 67 |
| 7 | Blackburn | 46 | 5 | 66 |
| 8 | Millwall | 46 | -1 | 66 |
| 9 | West Brom | 46 | 11 | 64 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 4 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Preston North End | 46 | -9 | 52 |
| 19 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 20 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 21 | Hull | 46 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -25 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -36 | 47 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -26 | 44 |
GOAL! Burnley 2-1 Millwall (Anthony 65)
A superb goal from Jaidon Anthony puts Burnley top of the table. He controlled a long free-kick beautifully on the run, beating the last defender in the process, and passed the ball into the far corner. That’s very good news for Bristol City, who are clinging on to the last playoff place despite trailing Preston 2-0.
Updated
GOAL! West Brom 5-2 Luton (Clark 65)
Meanwhile, Michal Helik has equalised for Oxford at Swansea; it’s 2-2 there, and Coventry and Middlesbrough are having a basketball match at the CBS Arena.
The faulty parachute club
If Luton go down, they would join a small band of unhappy clubs who have suffered back to back relegations from the Premier League:
Swindon Town (1994-1995)
Wolves (2012-2013)
Sunderland (2017-2018)
The latest scores
Bristol City 0-2 Preston North End
Burnley 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 3-1 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-1 Leeds
Portsmouth 1-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 2-1 Oxford Utd
Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 5-1 Luton
GOAL! West Brom 5-1 Luton (Styles 61)
Two goals in quick succession for Callum Styles. Luton are having a shocker – but they could still live to tell the tale.
GOAL! Bristol City 0-2 Preston (Osmajic 61)
Milutin Osmajic has doubled Preston’s lead at Ashton Gate, finishing nervelessly after being put through on goal. My word, I didn’t see this result coming. It means that Bristol City need favours from Sheffield United, Burnley and Coventry to reach the playoffs; at the moment they’re getting them.
Updated
GOAL! Swansea 2-1 Oxford (Ronald 57) Not now Ronald! Because…
GOAL! West Brom 4-1 Luton (Styles 57)
Luton’s fate is now truly, madly, deeply in Portsmouth’s hands.
Updated
GOAL! Sheff Utd 1-1 Blackburn (Ahmedhodzic 60)
‘Would’ being the operative word: Sheffield United have equalised and now Bristol City are back in the top six! Anel Ahmedhodzic poked in from close range after a header back across the face of goal.
Updated
GOAL! Norwich 3-1 Cardiff (Salech 56 pen)
The updated league table
If Blackburn get into the playoffs they will be the form team, an odd thing to say given they’re 29 points behind their potential opponent. A win today would be Blackburn’s fifth in a row.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 46 | 64 | 98 |
| 2 | Burnley | 46 | 51 | 98 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 26 | 89 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Coventry | 46 | 5 | 69 |
| 6 | Blackburn | 46 | 6 | 68 |
| 7 | Bristol City | 46 | 3 | 67 |
| 8 | Millwall | 46 | 0 | 67 |
| 9 | West Brom | 46 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 3 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -13 | 54 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Preston North End | 46 | -10 | 52 |
| 19 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 20 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 21 | Hull | 46 | -10 | 49 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -24 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -36 | 47 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -25 | 44 |
Updated
GOAL! Portsmouth 1-1 Hull (Saydee 55)
Hope for Luton, hell for Hull. Christian Saydee has equalised for Portsmouth at Fratton Park, smashing a shot past Ivor Pandur at the near post.
Hull are still safe as things stand, but a second Portsmouth goal would move them below Luton.
Updated
The ups and downs as things stand
Champions Leeds
Promoted Burnley
Playoffs Sheff Utd, Sunderland, Coventry, Blackburn
Relegated Luton, Plymouth, Cardiff
GOAL! Plymouth 1-1 Leeds (Gnonto 53)
Leeds are back on top of the Championship table. Willy Gnonto has equalised from close range after good wingplay from Manor Solomon.
Updated
52 min: Burnley 1-1 Millwall Jaidon Anthony has missed a good chance for Burnley, shooting too close to the keeper after a surging run from Hannibal Mejbri.
GOAL! Sheff Utd 0-1 Blackburn (Ohashi 50)
Blackburn have leapfrogged Bristol City are in the playoff places! A fast break ended with Yuki Ohashi wrongfooting the keeper Adam Davies from 15 yards. I say!
Updated
Peep peep! The second halves are under way in the Championship. Things are looking for good for Coventry, bad for Luton, and for the rest it’s complicated.
A bit of half-time reading
As. It. Stands.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | 46 | 51 | 98 |
| 2 | Leeds | 46 | 63 | 97 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Coventry | 46 | 5 | 69 |
| 6 | Bristol City | 46 | 3 | 67 |
| 7 | Millwall | 46 | 0 | 67 |
| 8 | Blackburn | 46 | 5 | 66 |
| 9 | West Brom | 46 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | 64 |
| 11 | Swansea | 46 | -5 | 61 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 4 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -14 | 53 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -16 | 53 |
| 18 | Preston North End | 46 | -10 | 52 |
| 19 | Hull | 46 | -9 | 51 |
| 20 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 21 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -24 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -35 | 49 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -26 | 44 |
The half-time scores in the Championship
Bristol City 0-1 Preston North End
Burnley 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 3-0 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-0 Leeds
Portsmouth 0-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 0-0 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 1-1 Oxford Utd
Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 3-1 Luton
GOAL! Watford 1-1 Sheff Wed (Sissoko 45+1)
GOAL! Coventry 1-0 Middlesbrough (Rudoni 44)
A big goal at the CBS Arena. Both sides have had chances but it’s Coventry who have struck first. Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, a constant threat on the right, teased his man and flipped a lovely cross to the near post, where Jack Rudoni rose highest to guide a header into the far corner.
That goal, and results elsewhere, gives Coventry a bit of a cushion. For now, anyway; you’d imagine there will be another 5478 twists in the second half.
Updated
43 min: Bristol City 0-1 Preston It sounds like City haven’t played well at all in the first half. They’re still in the playoff places right now, but a goal for Millwall or Blackburn would change that.
GOAL! Swansea 1-1 Oxford (Leigh 40)
41 min: West Brom 3-1 Luton Things are looking bleak for Luton, who are facing back-to-back relegations. They came into this game in terrific form – three wins in a row, one defeat in the last nine – but they’ve been taken apart by West Brom.
Updated
The ups and downs as things stand
Champions Burnley
Promoted Leeds
Playoffs Sheff Utd, Sunderland, Coventry, Bristol City
Relegated Luton, Plymouth, Cardiff
Miss-of-the-season contender
36 min: Burnley 1-1 Millwall An untimely miss-of-the-season contender from Millwall’s Josh Coburn, who has poked wide of an open goal from about three yards. Sheesh, that will be swimming round his subconscious all summer if it costs Millwall a playoff place.
Updated
The latest scores
Bristol City 0-1 Preston North End
Burnley 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 3-0 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-0 Leeds
Portsmouth 0-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 0-0 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 1-0 Oxford Utd
Watford 0-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 3-1 Luton
Updated
Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough Still goalless in this one, but after a tough start Middlesbrough are beginning to create chances. As things stand, a goal for Boro would put them in the playoffs.
Updated
GOAL! West Brom 3-1 Luton (Fellows 33)
Luton are now officially in all sorts. Tom Fellows has put West Brom 3-1 up, finishing expertly after a classy passing move. If Luton lose, they will be down unless Hull – currently 1-0 up – lose at Portsmouth.
GOAL! West Brom 2-1 Luton (Dike 30)
Luton are in trouble now. The USA international Daryl Dike, starting his first league game in a couple of years, has headed West Brom in front at the Hawthorns. This is what it means at the bottom of the table.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 21 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -23 | 49 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -35 | 49 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -26 | 44 |
Updated
The latest scores
Josh Windass has put Sheffield Wednesday ahead at Vicarage Road.
Bristol City 0-1 Preston North End
Burnley 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 3-0 Cardiff
Plymouth 1-0 Leeds
Portsmouth 0-1 Hull
Sheff Utd 0-0 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 1-0 Oxford Utd
Watford 0-1 Sheff Wed
West Brom 1-1 Luton
Updated
GOAL! Bristol City 0-1 Preston (Riis 28)
Well well, this changes the picture at both ends of the table. Emil Riis has put Preston ahead from a corner, a goal that lifts Preston from 21st to 17th. To say things are Spandex-tight would be an understatement.
Updated
The as-it-stands table after 25 minutes
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burnley | 46 | 51 | 98 |
| 2 | Leeds | 46 | 63 | 97 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 46 | 27 | 90 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 76 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 4 | 68 |
| 6 | Coventry | 46 | 4 | 67 |
| 7 | Millwall | 46 | 0 | 67 |
| 8 | Blackburn | 46 | 5 | 66 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 10 | 65 |
| 10 | Swansea | 46 | -4 | 63 |
| 11 | West Brom | 46 | 8 | 62 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 46 | -9 | 58 |
| 13 | Norwich | 46 | 4 | 57 |
| 14 | Watford | 46 | -8 | 57 |
| 15 | QPR | 46 | -10 | 56 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 46 | -14 | 53 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 46 | -17 | 52 |
| 18 | Hull | 46 | -9 | 51 |
| 19 | Stoke | 46 | -17 | 51 |
| 20 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 21 | Preston North End | 46 | -11 | 50 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -22 | 50 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -35 | 49 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -26 | 44 |
GOALS! Norwich 3-0 Cardiff (Sainz 23); Swansea 1-0 Oxford (Eom 23)
Ji-Sung Eom’s goal for Swansea was extremely tasty, flashed into the top corner from the left edge of the area.
Updated
GOAL! Norwich 2-0 Cardiff (Nunez 17) Double jeopardy for Cardiff at Carrow Road. Calum Chambers was sent off for a last-man foul, and Marcelino Nunez curled the resulting free-kick into the top corner for his second goal.
GOAL! Plymouth 1-0 Leeds (Byram og 19)
Leeds are behind at Home Park, which means Burnley are champions as things stand. Musatapha Bundu turned Joe Rodon inside out and hit a shot that deflected in off Sam Byram.
GOAL! Portsmouth 0-1 Hull (Crooks 18)
Another twist at the bottom – Hull are ahead at Fratton Park, which is bad news for Luton in particular. Matt Crooks finished off from close range after a corner was touched across the area.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Derby | 46 | -8 | 50 |
| 21 | Preston North End | 46 | -11 | 50 |
| 22 | Luton | 46 | -22 | 50 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 46 | -36 | 47 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 46 | -25 | 44 |
The latest scores
Marcelino Nunez has put Norwich ahead against Cardiff, who are down to 10 men after Calum Chambers was sent off for a Dogso. Lots of Arsenal alumni at Carrow Road today: the two managers are Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey.
Bristol City 0-0 Preston North End
Burnley 1-1 Millwall
Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough
Derby 0-0 Stoke
Norwich 1-0 Cardiff
Plymouth 0-0 Leeds
Portsmouth 0-0 Hull
Sheff Utd 0-0 Blackburn
Sunderland 0-1 QPR
Swansea 0-0 Oxford Utd
Watford 0-0 Sheff Wed
West Brom 1-1 Luton
Updated
GOALS! Burnley 1-1 Millwall (Brownhill, Ivanovic 11)
Millwall were ahead at Burnley… for about 20 seconds. Mihailo Ivanovic poked home at the end of an efficient counter-attack; then, almost straight from the kick-off, Josh Brownhill passed the ball into the net for his 17th goal of the season.
Updated
Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough Coventry are missing chances galore in the early stages of this one. Meanwhile…
Updated
GOAL! West Brom 1-1 Luton (Alli 9)
Luton are no longer in the bottom three. Millenic Alli has equalised straight away with a fine solo goal, one that he celebrated with a Beagrie backflip.
GOAL! West Brom 1-0 Luton (Kaminski og 8)
Luton have dropped into the bottom three of the as-it-stands table. Tom Fellows’ shot hits the post, then ricochets into the net off the back of the Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski.
Updated
5 min: Coventry 0-0 Middlesbrough It’s been a fast start from Coventry, with Ellis Simms cracking a shot just wide of the near post from a right-wing cross.
GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 QPR (Madsen 5)
The first goal of the day has come in one of the less important games – Nicolas Madsen has put QPR ahead at the Stadium of Light with a smart finish.
Sunderland will finish fourth regardless of today’s result, but they could do with a win.
Updated
Kick off
Peeeeeeeeeeep peeeeeeeeeep!
Parachute payments. Discuss.
The Football League’s hope that the new football regulator would intervene in the debate were also dashed when the sport minister, Stephanie Peacock, said in October that the government “absolutely [doesn’t] want [parachute payments] to be abolished”. It is understood that the system would be reviewed only if the regulator could establish a “direct causal link” between those payments and the risk of clubs facing insolvency. In other words, the arrangement is here to stay.
Coventry v Middlesbrough team news
Coventry (4-2-3-1) Wilson; van Ewijk, Thomas, Kitching, Bidwell; Grimes, Sheaf; Sakamoto, Rudoni, Wright; Simms.
Subs: Collins, Binks, Allen, Paterson, Borges Rodrigues, Latibeaudiere, Thomas-Asante, Eccles, Moore.
Middlesbrough (4-2-3-1) Travers; Dijksteel, Fry, Howson, Iling-Junior; Hackney, Morris; Whittaker, Borges, Azaz; Conway.
Subs: Glover, van den Berg, Barlaser, Iheanacho, Burgzorg, Forss, Edmundson, Lenihan, Giles.
Referee Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)
Updated
Burnley v Millwall team news
Burnley (4-2-3-1) Trafford; Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Lucas Pires; Brownhill, Cullen; Edwards, Mejbri, Anthony; Barnes.
Subs: Hladky, Sonne, Worrall, Sarmiento, Redmond, Foster, Ramsey, Laurent, Koleosho.
Millwall (4-2-3-1) Evans; Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Sturge; De Norre,
Saville; Honeyman, Ivanovic, Azeez; Coburn.
Subs: Przewozny, Wintle, Kelly, Langstaff, Leonard, Emakhu, Cundle, Harding, Matthews.
Referee Andrew Kitchen (Durham)
Derby v Stoke team news
Derby (3-5-2) Vickers; Langas, Phillips, Clarke, Wilson, Armstrong, Adams, Thompson, Forsyth; Yates, Harness.
Subs: Luthra, Barkhuizen, Osborn, Roofe, Mendez-Laing, Goudmijn, Jackson, Blackett-Taylor, Pieters.
Stoke (4-2-3-1) Johansson; Wilmot, Phillips, Gibson, Gooch; Burger, Baker; Lawal, Bae, Al Hamadi; Gallagher.
Subs: Bonham, Pearson, Seko, Moran, Koumas, Manhoef, Fawunmi, Lowe, Griffin.
Referee Oliver Langford (W Midlands)
Plymouth v Leeds team news
Plymouth (3-4-2-1) Hazard; Szucs, Palsson, Taloverov; Edwards, Roberts, Randell, Mumba; Hardie, Bundu; Tijani.
Subs: Grimshaw, Ogbeta, Houghton, Wright, Boateng, Katic, Sorinola, Baidoo, Issaka.
Leeds (4-2-3-1) Darlow; Bogle, Rodon, Ampadu, Byram; Tanaka, Gruev; Gnonto, Aaronson, Solomon, Piroe.
Subs: Meslier, Schmidt, Wober, Guilavogui, Rothwell, Ramazani, Gray, Fernandez, Bamford.
Referee Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire)
Updated
Portsmouth v Hull team news
Portsmouth (4-2-3-1) Killip; Devlin, Shaughnessy, Atkinson, Ogilvie; Potts, Lang; Blair, Pack, Murphy; Bishop.
Subs: Schmid, Poole, Bramall, Dozzell, Hayden, Gordon, Ritchie, Saydee, O’Mahony.
Hull (4-2-3-1) Pandur; Lewie Coyle, Egan, Hughes, McLoughlin; Crooks, Puerta; Kamara, Gelhardt, Joseph; Joao Pedro.
Subs: Lo-Tutala, Jones, Lincoln, Burns, Alzate, Drameh, Amrabat, Palmer, Burstow.
Referee John Busby (Oxfordshire)
Bristol City v Preston North End team news
Bristol City (3-4-2-1) O’Leary; Tanner, Vyner, Dickie; Hirakawa, Williams, Knight, McCrorie; Twine, Bird; Wells.
Subs: Bajic, Roberts, Morrison, McGuane, Earthy, Bell, Mehmeti, Armstrong.
Preston North End (3-1-4-2) Cornell; Storey, Lindsay, Gibson; Whiteman; Kesler-Hayden, Ledson, Brady, Hughes; Osmajic, Jakobsen.
Subs: Stowell, Porteous, Bauer, Meghoma, Thordarson, Greenwood, Evans, Mawene.
Referee James Linington (Isle of Wight)
Updated
Sheff Utd v Blackburn team news
Sheff Utd (possible 4-2-3-1) Adam Davies, Gilchrist, Ahmedhodzic, Holding, McCallum; Vinicius Souza, Peck; Brooks, O’Hare, Brooks; Cannon.
Subs: Faxon, Brewster, Moore, Burrows, Robinson, Tom Davies, Campbell, Seriki, One.
Blackburn (4-2-3-1) Toth; Brittain, Hyam, Batth, Yuri Ribeiro; Tronstad, Travis; Dolan, Cantwell, Hedges; Ohashi.
Subs: Pears, Sanderson, Carter, Pickering, Forshaw, Kargbo, Woodrow, Dennis, Gueye.
Referee Farai Hallam (Surrey)
Updated
Relegation permutations
Hull start in 22nd place, one point adrift of Luton, Preston and Derby, and two behind Stoke. Derby play Luton, which adds to the intrigue and means Hull will definitely stay up if they win at Portsmouth.
West Brom v Luton team news
West Brom (4-2-3-1) Griffiths; Furlong, Bartley, Heggem, Styles; Diakite, Mowatt; Fellows, Price, Ahearne-Grant; Dike.
Subs: Wildsmith, Ajayi, Molumby, Whitwell, Johnston, Diangana, Lankshear, Armstrong, Cole.
Luton (3-4-3) Kaminski; Makosso, McGuinness, Mengi; Jones, Clark, Walsh, Bell; Alli, Morris, Aasgaard.
Subs: Krul, Andersen, Naismith, Chong, Burke, Dabo, Baptiste, Nelson, Nordas.
Referee Darren Bond (Lancashire)
Playoff permutations
In short, all five teams in contention need to win to be guaranteed a playoff place. But a draw or even a defeat could be enough for some teams. The fact two of the contenders have extremely tough games – Millwall are at Burnley, Blackburn at Sheff Utd – means even ninth-placed Middlesbrough have a realistic chance of qualifying if they win at Coventry.
Bristol City are in pole position, aka fifth, and will be guaranteed a playoff semi-final against Sunderland if they win. They could theoretically lose and still make the cut.
Updated
As I type, Ben Fisher is doing an EFL Q&A over on our matchday live blog. Pop along if you’d like to ask him any questions.
Mind the trapdoor
Today's fixtures
The ones in bold are our featured games.
Bristol City v Preston North End
Burnley v Millwall
Coventry v Middlesbrough
Derby v Stoke
Norwich v Cardiff
Plymouth v Leeds
Portsmouth v Hull
Sheff Utd v Blackburn
Sunderland v QPR
Swansea v Oxford Utd
Watford v Sheff Wed
West Brom v Luton
Preamble
Twelve out of 24 ain’t bad. That’s how many teams have something significant to play for on the last day of the regular Championship season. All 12 games kick off at 12.30pm, and we’ll be following all the action here. Before we look at the fixtures, let’s see what’s at stake.
Title Leeds and Burnley are aiming to become champions.
Playoffs Two of Bristol City, Coventry, Millwall, Blackburn and Middlesbrough will join Sheffield United and Sunderland in the playoffs.
Relegation One of Hull City, Luton Town, Preston North End, Derby County and Stoke City will join Cardiff and Plymouth in League One next season.
Look, one way or another, it’s going to be dramatic.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leeds | 45 | 64 | 97 |
| 2 | Burnley | 45 | 51 | 97 |
| 3 | Sheff Utd | 45 | 27 | 89 |
| 4 | Sunderland | 45 | 15 | 76 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 45 | 4 | 67 |
| 6 | Coventry | 45 | 4 | 66 |
| 7 | Millwall | 45 | 0 | 66 |
| 8 | Blackburn | 45 | 5 | 65 |
| 9 | Middlesbrough | 45 | 10 | 64 |
| 10 | West Brom | 45 | 8 | 61 |
| 11 | Swansea | 45 | -5 | 60 |
| 12 | Sheff Wed | 45 | -9 | 57 |
| 13 | Watford | 45 | -8 | 56 |
| 14 | Norwich | 45 | 1 | 54 |
| 15 | QPR | 45 | -11 | 53 |
| 16 | Portsmouth | 45 | -13 | 53 |
| 17 | Oxford Utd | 45 | -16 | 52 |
| 18 | Stoke | 45 | -17 | 50 |
| 19 | Derby | 45 | -8 | 49 |
| 20 | Preston North End | 45 | -11 | 49 |
| 21 | Luton | 45 | -22 | 49 |
| 22 | Hull | 45 | -10 | 48 |
| 23 | Plymouth | 45 | -36 | 46 |
| 24 | Cardiff | 45 | -23 | 44 |
Updated
