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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
John Brewin

Wigan and Luton promoted as Macclesfield return to Football League

The Wigan players celebrate after their 4-0 win at Fleetwood Town sealed their return to the Championship.
The Wigan players celebrate after their 4-0 win at Fleetwood Town sealed their return to the Championship. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Action Images

Championship

Wolves were confirmed as champions after a 4-0 romp at relegation-threatened Bolton. Goals from Barry Douglas, Benik Afobe, Diogo Jota and a Conor Coady penalty also left Wolves just two points shy of reaching a century of points.

Cardiff reacted to Fulham overtaking them with a 3-0 win at Millwall on Friday night by despatching Nottingham Forest 2-1 at home to go back into second place. Aron Gunnarsson scored his first goal in a year to save the day for the Bluebirds after Liam Bridcutt had cancelled out Sean Morrison’s opener.

And after Sunderland’s relegation was confirmed by their defeat to Burton, it was a mixed day for those trying to avoid joining them, with Bolton’s defeat leaving them two points above third-bottom Barnsley, who lost 2-1 at Leeds.

Tom Pearce’s first senior goal and Ezgjan Alioski’s tap-in did the damage for Paul Heckingbottom’s Leeds against his former club after Paudie O’Connor had equalised for Barnsley with an own-goal.

Birmingham climbed within touching distance of safety with a hugely important 2-1 defeat of play-off chasing Sheffield United. Marc Duffy had put Blades in the lead but Marc Roberts and Jacques Maghoma’s goals grabbed the three points. Birmingham are now five points clear of Barnsley.

Premier League

Manchester City have won their fifth English league title. Manchester United  (74), Liverpool (71) and Tottenham (68) look set to join United in the top four with Chelsea five points behind Spurs in fifth. Arsenal are just two points above Burnley in sixth, but could still reach the Champions League if they win the Europa League. Burnley look bound for Europe, unless Southampton win the FA Cup.

West Brom (25pts) are still eight points from safety, after their draw with Liverpool, and could be relegated on Sunday. Stoke (28pts) and Southampton (29) are losing touch with Swansea (33), Crystal Palace (35), West Ham (35), Huddersfield (35) and Brighton (36) in the fight to avoid relegation.

Championship

Wolves (pictured) have won the title and with it promotion to  the Premier League. Cardiff's defeat to Derby leaves them in a race with Fulham (85pts) one point behind them and Aston Villa (82) with an outside chance of finishing second. There is a fierce battle for the final two play-off spots, with Middlesbrough (72) and Derby (71)  leading the wayMillwall, Brentford, Preston, Bristol City and Sheffield United are separated by three points.

Sunderland (34pts) have been relegated after their defeat to Burton (38), who face a relegation shootout with Bolton (40) on Saturday. Barnsley (38pts) will look to take advantage whatever the result there as they host Brentford. Birmingham (43) and Reading (43) are closing on safety.

League One

Wigan (94pts) and Blackburn (93pts) have sealed automatic promotion and will now battle for the title. Shrewsbury and Rotherham have sealed play-off places, and will be joined by two from Charlton (68), Scunthorpe (67), Plymouth (65) and Portsmouth (63).

Bury have been relegated to League Two while MK Dons have only a mathematical chance of survival. Northampton (46) and Oldham (48) are in the bottom two with WalsallRochdale (both 48) and Wimbledon (50)  still in trouble.

League Two

Accrington Stanley and Luton have sealed promotion. Wycombe (78pts), Exeter City (77) and Notts County (76) are battling for third place. Lincoln (74) are set for the play-offs and could still sneak into third after beating Coventry, who have a three-point cushion over Mansfield in the fight for the final play-off place.

Chesterfield have been relegated to the National League after 97 years, while Barnet are five points from safety with two to play. Grimsby and Morecambe are the only teams the Bees can still catch.

Macclesfield Town have secured the only automatic promotion spot from the National League, with one other team set to come up via the play-offs. Tranmere, Sutton and Aldershot have all sealed their places.

The undoubted game of the day in the Championship came at Bristol City, who drew 5-5 with Hull. City had led 4-2 after Bobby Reid’s goal, only for strikes from Harry Wilson, Abel Hernandez and Fraizer Campbell put Hull into an unlikely lead. It took Joe Bryan’s equaliser in the 94th minute to take a point for Lee Johnson’s team, though failing to win left them three points shy of a play-off place.

Aston Villa kept alive their slim hopes of automatic promotion with a 4-0 win at manager-less Ipswich with goals from Conor Hourihane, two from Lewis Grabban and Henri Lansbury defeating the ten-man Tractor Boys, who had Grant Ward dismissed for a bad tackle on Neil Taylor.

Middlesbrough meanwhile consolidated their play-off position with a 2-1 win at Derby, for whom defeat left them a point and a place outside the top six. Muhamed Besic, on loan from Everton, scored his first goal in English football and Britt Assombalonga scored a second. David Nugent’s injury-time penalty came far too late for Derby.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Wolverhampton 44 46 98
2 Fulham 44 34 85
3 Cardiff 42 29 83
4 Aston Villa 44 31 82
5 Middlesbrough 44 20 72
6 Millwall 44 12 69
7 Derby 43 17 68
8 Brentford 44 12 68
9 Preston North End 44 9 67
10 Bristol City 44 10 66
11 Sheff Utd 44 7 66
12 Leeds 44 -6 57
13 Norwich 44 -8 57
14 Ipswich 44 -7 56
15 Sheff Wed 44 -5 53
16 QPR 44 -12 53
17 Nottm Forest 42 -15 49
18 Hull 44 2 48
19 Reading 44 -18 43
20 Birmingham 44 -30 43
21 Bolton 44 -34 40
22 Barnsley 43 -20 38
23 Burton Albion 44 -44 38
24 Sunderland 44 -30 34

League One

Wigan’s promotion to the Championship was sealed by a 4-0 win at Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury being held by already relegated Bury.

Incoming Fleetwood manager Joey Barton was watching from the Highbury stands and saw Paul Cook’s men cruise to victory. Goals from Max Power, Gavin Massey, Dan Burn and Chey Dunkley got the celebrations underway.

An equaliser from Bury’s Jay O’Shea meant Shrewsbury, now seven points behind second-placed Blackburn, cannot catch Wigan, now ten points clear of them. Abo Eisa had opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw.

At the bottom, a relegation six-pointer between AFC Wimbledon and Oldham ended up with the points shared after a 2-2 draw.

Charlie Wyke’s injury-time equaliser for Bradford kept Rochdale fourth from bottom and in the relegation zone.

Northampton’s 2-0 defeat of Plymouth kept them within two points of safety, and kept the Pilgrims outside the play-off positions.

Charlton stayed in fifth place with a 1-0 win at Portsmouth, who remained in eighth and are four points shy of sixth-placed Scunthorpe, who beat Walsall 1-0 to leave the Midlanders just a single point above the bottom four.

Second-bottom MK Dons’ 4-0 defeat to Southend left them six points behind 20th placed Oldham

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Wigan 43 59 93
2 Blackburn 43 41 90
3 Shrewsbury 43 20 83
4 Rotherham 44 20 76
5 Charlton 44 7 68
6 Scunthorpe 43 11 67
7 Plymouth 42 3 64
8 Portsmouth 44 0 63
9 Peterborough 43 10 61
10 Blackpool 44 6 59
11 Bradford 42 -10 58
12 Bristol Rovers 43 -6 56
13 Southend 43 -9 56
14 Doncaster 42 2 54
15 Fleetwood Town 44 -9 54
16 Oxford Utd 44 -5 53
17 Gillingham 44 -8 52
18 AFC Wimbledon 43 -11 50
19 Walsall 43 -12 48
20 Oldham 43 -14 48
21 Rochdale 43 -8 47
22 Northampton 44 -33 46
23 Milton Keynes Dons 43 -23 42
24 Bury 44 -31 32

League Two

Luton’s promotion to League One was confirmed after their 1-1 draw at Carlisle. Exeter’s 2-2 draw with Crawley meant they could no longer catch Nathan Jones’ team.

Accrington are within a point of claiming the League Two title after a thumping 4-0 win at Wycombe.

Joining League Two next season will be Macclesfield Town, who returned to the Football League after six years’ absence with a 2-0 win at Eastleigh securing the National League title.

A fourth-minute goal from striker Tyrone Marsh after a cross from David Fitzpatrick was followed by a close-range finish from Mitch Hancox on the hour. Victory in Saturday’s early kick-off put automatic promotion beyond chasers Tranmere Rovers, who must now negotiate the play-offs.

At the bottom of League Two, Chesterfield are all but relegated, needing to make up a goal difference of 19 goals in their last three matches on third-bottom Morecambe to survive. Barnet meanwhile beat Newport 2-0 to be four points off Morecambe, who lost 1-0 to Crewe. Five-times manager Martin Allen has two games to save the Bees.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Accrington Stanley 43 33 90
2 Luton 44 46 84
3 Wycombe 44 17 78
4 Exeter 44 11 77
5 Notts County 44 24 76
6 Lincoln City 43 15 71
7 Coventry 43 14 71
8 Mansfield 44 14 68
9 Swindon 44 -1 64
10 Carlisle 44 7 63
11 Colchester 44 2 61
12 Cambridge Utd 43 -8 60
13 Crawley Town 44 -7 58
14 Newport County 42 -3 57
15 Stevenage 44 -6 52
16 Cheltenham 44 0 51
17 Crewe 44 -15 50
18 Port Vale 44 -12 47
19 Yeovil 43 -15 46
20 Forest Green 43 -18 46
21 Grimsby 44 -28 45
22 Morecambe 43 -14 44
23 Barnet 44 -23 40
24 Chesterfield 43 -33 35
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