Southampton celebrated promotion to the Premier League on the final day of the Championship season, as Cardiff clinched a play-off spot.
Southampton earn promotion as Cardiff land play-off spot
Southampton celebrated promotion to the Premier League in style on the final day of the Championship season, as Cardiff clinched a play-off spot.
Southampton started the day two points ahead of West Ham in the knowledge that victory would secure second place behind champions Reading, and they kept their nerve to thrash already-relegated
Coventry 4-0.
Two goals inside the opening 20 minutes, from Billy Sharp and Jose Fonte, eased any early anxiety and generated a party atmosphere inside St Mary's.
Jos Hooiveld and Adam Lallana then scored in the second half as Nigel Adkins' Saints won promotion for a second straight year.
West Ham needed a favour from Coventry to pull off an unlikely last-day heist and with regular score updates filtering through from Southampton there was little excitement in the air at Upton Park, but Sam Allardyce's side did all they could as Carlton Cole scored twice in a 2-1 success against
Hull City.
The other big battle of the day focused on the battle for the final play-off spot, with Cardiff in pole position but Middlesbrough just two points adrift and ready to pounce on any slip-up.
Cardiff were given a major fright when they fell behind to
Crystal Palace but Peter Whittingham and Don Cowie struck to overturn the deficit and clinch a 2-1 win that keeps the Bluebirds' hopes of promotion alive.
Middlesbrough could not fulfil their part of the bargain anyway, going down 2-1 at
Watford to finish a season that had held so much promise outside the top six.
While Cardiff will face West Ham in one play-off semi-final, Birmingham will take on Blackpool in the other in a clash between two teams relegated last season.
Birmingham climbed above the Seasiders into fourth and built some momentum ahead of the tie thanks to a 2-0 victory over a
Reading side unable to put on a show for their promotion-celebrating supporters.
Blackpool are unbeaten in seven games, though, after playing out a 2-2 draw at The Den with a
Millwall side that finished the campaign strongly.
Relegated
Portsmouth bowed out of the Championship with a whimper as they lost 2-0 to
Nottingham Forest, Dexter Blackstock finding the target twice at the City Ground.
Doncaster's stay in the Championship also ended on a disappointing note as the division's bottom club lost 3-2 to
Ipswich at the Keepmoat Stadium.
Barnsley and
Brighton played out a goalless draw at Oakwell and both sides will be looking forward to brighter times next term after struggling in the last few weeks.
Burnley and
Bristol City drew 1-1 at Turf Moor after Danny Ings' opener for the home side was cancelled out by a Ryan Taylor equaliser.
Harry Panayiotou snatched a last-minute winner at Elland Road as
Leicester beat
Leeds 2-1 to finish ninth and leave their opponents in the bottom half of the table.
Derby ended in 12th spot despite being held to a 1-1 draw by
Peterborough at Pride Park in their final game.
