Hi everyone, thanks for joining me for the final day of the regular season in the Championship. The second tier has arguably provided the best entertainment in English football this season and as it stands, the playoff race is still wide open.
Watford were promoted to the Premier League last weekend and will be confirmed as champions if they better Bournemouth's result today. Today is merely a formality for The Cherries, who - barring a 20-goal swing this afternoon - will move into the top flight for the first time in their history even if they lose at Charlton.
The race for automatic promotion for Middlesbrough and Norwich City is over, although they both have confirmed their playoff places. The only question mark between them is who will finish third and who will finish fourth at the end of this afternoon. The order of the playoff places will become more relevant later on to determine the semi-final ties. As it stands, Middlesbrough will face Derby, while Norwich will take on Ipswich Town in a tasty East-Anglian derby.
As mentioned though, the fight for the final two playoff places is still wide open. Ipswich currently sit fifth on 78 points, with Derby one back on 77 points. Brentford are in seventh on 75, joint with Wolves in eighth.
This is where goal difference could well play its part. Of the four, Derby are way ahead of the pack on 32, meaning that just a point is needed from their home clash with Reading to take one of the two spots. Ipswich have a difference of 19, while Brentford are on 16 and Wolves are on 12. The Bees and Wolves are at home to relegated sides in the form of Wigan Athletic and Millwall respectively, while Ipswich have the toughest fixture of the four - a trip to ninth-placed Blackburn Rovers - and must not be defeated to avoid worries about goal difference playing a part.
At the other end of the table, the business is already taken care of. Some might argue that Blackpool were relegated before the season even began, but
their fate was formally confirmed at the start of April. Milwall and Wigan both
suffered the drop to the third tier on Tuesday when 21st-placed Rotherham United won their game over Reading to open up a four-point gap ahead of today's fixtures.
So the scene is set on what is set to be a thrilling final day in the race for the most lucrative prize in football anywhere in the world: promotion to the Premier League. All 12 games kick off at 12.15pm this afternoon and I'll be here throughout to bring you every twist and turn as we go.
Sad news away from the Championship, and it's just been confirmed that Rio Ferdinand's wife has died after a short battle with cancer. More on that developing story
here.
Earlier in the season, Rotherham boss Steve Evans made a bizarre vow to wear a sombrero and flipflops if he managed to secure their Championship status. True to his word, here he is at Elland Road this morning...
Team news is now starting to flood in, so let's take a look at who's lining up in this final round of fixtures.
TEAM NEWS! Let's start with that game for Rotherham at Leeds, where Neil Redfearn has named an unchanged lineup.
Leeds: S Taylor, Wootton, Bamba, Cooper, Berardi, Byram, Murphy, Austin, Mowatt, C Taylor, Morison
Rotherham: Martinez, Wilson, Wood, Morgan, Lafferty; Frecklington, Smallwood, Arnason, Pringle; Ward, Derbyshire
TEAM NEWS! Birmingham have handed a start to Watford loanee Lloyd Dyer for their trip to Bolton, who keep Danns and Bannan in midfield.
Bolton: Bogdan, Threlkeld, Ream, Taylor, Moxey, M Davies, Danns, Bannan, Gudjohnsen, Le Fondre, Heskey
Birmingham: Randolph, Caddis, Morrison, Spector, Grounds, Gleeson, Tesche, Gray, Fabbrini, Dyer, Donaldson
TEAM NEWS! With goal difference at the front of Kenny Jackett's mind Wolves hand starts to goal threat Dave Edwards and attacking trio Nouha Dicko, Bakary Sako and Benik Afobe for their game with relegated Millwall.
Wolves: Kuszczak; Iorfa, Ebanks-Landell, Stearman, Golbourne; van La Parra, McDonald, Edwards, Sako; Afobe, Dicko
Millwall: Forde; Dunne, Nelson, Beevers, Harding; Upson, Abdou, Powell, Martin; O'Brien, Gregory
TEAM NEWS! Ipswich bring back Jay Tabb in place of Stephen Hunt for their trip to Blackburn, who name David Dunn as captain in his final game for Rovers.
Blackburn: Raya; Henley, Lenihan, Spurr, Olsson; Conway, Evans, Williamson, Dunn; Rhodes, Gestede
Ipswich: Bialkowski, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Mings, Skuse, Parr, Bishop, Tabb, Sears, Murphy
TEAM NEWS! Alex Pritchard is passed fit for Brentford, while Billy Mckay starts up front for visiting Wigan.
Brentford: Button, Bidwell, Dean, Douglas, Odubajo, Judge, Gray, Diagouraga, Pritchard, Jota, Tarkwoski
Wigan: Nicholls, Maguire, Mckay, Kim, Cowie, Boyce, Bong, Perch, Pearce, Fortune, Chow
TEAM NEWS! Darren Bent makes a welcome return for Derby, while Adam Federici returns in goal for visiting Reading.
Derby: Grant; Shotton, Keogh, Albentosa, Forsyth; Warnock, Hughes, Hendrick; Russell, Ince, Bent
Reading: Federici, Gunter, Obita, Pearce, Hector, Karacan, Norwood, Chalobah, McCleary, Stacey, Appiah
TEAM NEWS! For second-place Bournemouth, full-back Simon Francis returns from suspension for their trip to Charlton, where boss Guy Luzon makes just one change as Alou Diarra replaces Jordan Cousins.
Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Fox, Johnson, Ben Haim, Gudmundsson, Diarra, Buyens, Bulot, Vetokele, Watt
Bournemouth: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Surman, Arter, Pugh, Kermorgant, Wilson
TEAM NEWS! Chris Hughton makes three changes to his Brighton side for their trip to Boro, who start with Dwight Tiendalli at left-back after George Friend's red card in the defeat to Fulham last week.
Middlesbrough: Dimi, Tiendalli, Ayala, Gibson, Amorebieta, Adomah, Clayton, Leadbitter, Forshaw, Tomlin, Kike
Brighton: Walton, Halford, Greer, Dunk, Bennett; Ince, Stephens, Kayal; Forster-Caskey, LuaLua, O'Grady
TEAM NEWS! Over in Norfolk, Lewis Grabban is out for Norwich, so Gary Hooper comes in up front as the Canaries welcome Fulham.
Norwich: Ruddy; E Bennett, Martin, Bassong, Olsson; Redmond, Howson, O'Neil, Johnson; Hoolahan; Hooper
Fulham: Bettinelli, Hoogland, Hutchinson, Burn, Richards, Tunnicliffe, Guthrie, Kavanagh, Ruiz, Rodallega, McCormack
TEAM NEWS! Title-chasers Watford recall Matej Vydra, Marco Motta and Miguel Layun, while visiting Sheffield Wednesday bring in Felipe Malo and Will Keane, as well as Chris Kirkland between the sticks.
Watford: Gomes; Angella, Cathcart, Connolly; Motta, Layun, Watson, Abdi, Anya; Deeney, Vydra
Wednesday: Kirkland; Buxton, Semedo, Maguire, Lavery, Lees, Helan, Lee, Melo, Vermijl, Keane
TEAM NEWS! Joe Ralls is fit enough to start for Cardiff City for their trip to Nottingham Forest, who name Villa loanee Gary Gardner in the starting XI in his final game for Dougie Freedman's side.
Forest: Darlow, Kane, Vaughan, Mancienne, Antonio, Hobbs, Lansbury, Gardner, Burke, Lascelles, Blackstock
Cardiff: Marshall, Peltier, Morrison, Turner, Fabio, O'Keefe, Gunnarsson, Ralls, Kennedy, Mason, Doyle
TEAM NEWS! Blackpool's final game in the Championship sees Darren O'Dea return from injury at centre-back, while for Huddersfield, James Vaughan partners former Blackpool man Ishmael Miller in attack.
Blackpool: Parish, Maher, Clarke, Addison, O'Dea, Dunne, Perkins, Cubero, O'Hara, Telford, Delfouneso
Huddersfield: Smithies, James, Hudson, Butterfield, Vaughan, Coady, Miller, Lolley, Smith, Gobern, Lynch
The team news is all in and there are around ten minutes to go until kickoff in this afternoon's games. Just enough time for a last-minute Bovril...
I'll have all the goals as they go in across the division over the next couple hours, but we also have coverage of a featured game on
Sports Mole this afternoon. We've selected the toughest game for the playoff chasers as Mick McCarthy's Ipswich visit Blackburn Rovers. For detailed updates of that game, join our Championship correspondent and long-suffering Town fan Pascal Lemesre
right here.
PREDICTION! As a Wolves fan myself, my heart is pining for the most lucky of circumstances to allow Kenny Jackett's charges into the playoffs at the last moment. Much like Iggy Azalea though, I'm a realist and expect Wolves to fall just short on goal difference. You'd have to fancy Derby to go through and as I'm in a mischievous mood, I'll predict Ipswich to go down at Ewood Park and Brentford to sneak into sixth place on goal difference.
With a minute to go, let's all rise for the national anthem. Just me? Okay then...
And we're off!
GOAL! Blackburn 0-1 Ipswich
True to stubborn form, Mick McCarthy laughs off my prediction as Ipswich take the lead inside two minutes. Top scorer Daryl Murphy is the hero with his 26th of the season.
GOAL! Derby 0-1 Reading
Great news for Brentford and Wolves fans as Derby get off to the worst possible start in their game with Reading as Kwesi Appiah finds the net for the visitors. As it stands though, Derby are still in sixth in the table.
As it stands, Ipswich are sitting pretty in fifth in the table on 81 points. This is Town's 13th consecutive season in the second tier and under Mick McCarthy's second full season in charge, they've amassed their highest points total in ten years. It's also been ten years since they last reached the playoffs.
GOAL! Charlton 0-1 Bournemouth
Matt Ritchie scores his 14th of the season for the Cherries, who go top of the table as it stands.
GOAL! Charlton 0-2 Bournemouth
Harry Arter goes one-on-one with the keeper and wins, picking up his ninth of the season to put Bournemouth two clear.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-1 Cardiff City
Joe Ralls thumps it home for the Bluebirds, who leapfrog Forest to go 11th in the table.
GOAL! Wolves 1-0 Millwall
Allow me to enjoy this moment while I can. Wolves move into the final playoff position as it stands courtesy of Nouha Dicko!!!
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 0-2 Cardiff
GOAL! Watford 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Matej Vydra gets his 16th of the season to put Watford on course for the title at Vicarage Road. Meanwhile, Eoin Doyle, who joined Cardiff from Chesterfield in February, doubles the Bluebirds' advantage in Nottingham.
As it stands, here's the race for the playoff places:
5. Ipswich - 81pts
6. Wolves - 78pts, GD+13
7. Derby - 77pts, GD+31
8. Brentford - 76pts, GD+16
GOAL! Brentford 1-0 Wigan
Brentford knock Wolves out of the playoff places on goal difference as Alex Pritchard breaks the deadlock for the hosts with their first meaningful attempt of the game. Derby are currently down in eighth.
As it stands, here's the race for the playoff places:
5. Ipswich - 81pts
6. Brentford - 78pts, GD+17
7. Wolves - 78pts, GD+13
8. Derby - 77pts, GD+31
Over in the Premier League, Leicester have broken the deadlock against Newcastle at the King Power! Full updates from that game can be found on
SM right here.
While it may seem bleak for Derby fans at the moment, they only need to find an equaliser to put them firmly back in the playoff places due to their superior goal difference over Brentford and Wolves.
GOAL! Blackburn 1-1 Ipswich
Jordan Rhodes gets his 21st of the season to put the Tractor Boys on edge. As it stands, Ipswich drop to 79 points and 1 point clear.
GOAL! Norwich 1-0 Fulham
Norwich leapfrog Middlesbrough into third in the table courtesy of Bradley Johnson. As it stands, they'll avoid Ipswich in the playoffs.
GOAL! Norwich 2-0 Fulham
A good finish from Nathan Redmond puts the Canaries two up at Carrow Road. Over in Derby, Steve McClaren has made a bold move with half an hour played, taking off Stephen Warnock and bringing on United loanee Jesse Lingard.
GOAL! Blackburn 2-1 Ipswich
The playoff race gets tighter still! Craig Conway puts Blackburn ahead over Ipswich, who stay in fifth but ahead of Brentford by just one goal in the GD column.
GOAL! Bolton 0-1 Birmingham
Robert Tesche breaks the deadlock to move Birmingham into the top half of the table.
As it stands, here's the race for the playoff places:
5. Ipswich - 78pts, GD+18
6. Brentford - 78pts, GD+17
7. Wolves - 78pts, GD+13
8. Derby - 77pts, GD+31
PENALTY TO DERBY!
PENALTY SAVED!
Unbelievable at the iPro as Reading keeper Adam Federici makes a superb save to deny Darren Bent!
HALF-TIME CHECK! Here's how the scores look in our 12 fixtures at the break...
Blackburn 2-1 Ipswich
Blackpool 0-0 Huddersfield
Bolton 0-1 Birmingham
Brentford 1-0 Wigan
Charlton 0-2 Bournemouth
Derby 0-1 Reading
Leeds 0-0 Rotherham
Middlesbrough 0-0 Brighton
Norwich 2-0 Fulham
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Cardiff
Watford 1-0 Sheffield Wednesday
Wolves 1-0 Millwall
Derby currently sit eighth in the table but they just need to find an equaliser to propel them from eighth to fifth as it stands. For Ipswich, concede another and things will start to look bleak but they too just need a point to secure their playoff spot. Brentford need to increase their lead to look more secure, while Wolves need a goal-shower in the second 45 to stand any chance of breaking through if Brentford slip up.
At the top, Watford are on course to be promoted as champions, with Bournemouth's ascension to the top flight now less than an hour from being certified.
The half-time talks are done, but we're now starting to get back underway at games up and down the country.
Bizarre scenes at Bloomfield Road as the players are forced back into the tunnel early in the second half after a pitch invasion.
GOAL! Brentford 2-0 Wigan
No messing around for Brentford here as they find the net within the first minute of the second half through Jota. If Derby were to find an equaliser now, Brentford would drop out of the playoffs on goal difference, while Wolves' task looks all the harder.
The Blackpool fans are staging a relentless protest on the pitch at Bloomfield Road, holding banners with the slogan "Oystons Out".
GOAL! Wolves 2-0 Millwall
Nouha Dicko powers a second into the net at Molineux with all the ferocity of a tennis serve. Wolves really need another few goals to get themselves back in contention here.
GOAL! Blackburn 3-1 Ipswich
GOAL! Wolves 2-1 Millwall
Rudy Gestede gets Blackburn's third to make things more uncomfortable for Ipswich. It's one step forward, one step back for Wolves though as Millwall pull one back through Aiden O'Brien.
Things are looking ugly at Bloomfield Road as the supporters are still sitting on the pitch. The police have now arrived on the scene in an attempt to get the game back underway.
A reminder of how the playoff race looks right now:
5. Brentford - 78pts, GD+18
6. Ipswich - 78pts, GD+17
7. Wolves - 78pts, GD+13
8. Derby - 77pts, GD+31
It's end to end at Ewood Park as Ipswich look to claw back the deficit. Full coverage of that game
here.
GOAL! Wolves 3-1 Millwall
Wolves need three more goals to oust Ipswich from the final playoff spot after Ethan Ebanks-Landell restores the hosts' two-goal lead over Millwall at Molineux.
GOAL! Derby 0-2 Reading
Michael Hector puts Reading 2-0 up to all but end Derby's playoff hopes. All eyes are now on Ipswich and Wolves, where three goals separate them in the race for the final playoff place.
OFF! Cardiff keeper David Marshall receives his marching orders at Nottingham Forest
GOAL! Norwich 3-0 Fulham
GOAL! Blackburn 3-2 Ipswich
GOAL! Brentford 3-0 Wigan
GOAL! Wolves 3-2 Millwall
GOAL! Norwich 3-1 Fulham
Woah, a flurry of action to deal with here. Brentford's playoff place now looks certain as they go 3-0 up over Wigan through Andre Gray. Great news for Ipswich and bad for Wolves, meanwhile, as Ipswich score from the penalty spot and Wolves concede. Now looking increasingly likely that Brentford and Ipswich will take the final two playoff spots, with Wolves missing out on goal difference.
PENALTY TO READING!
GOAL! Derby 0-3 Reading
Game over at the iPro now - Derby will finish eighth and a point shy of the playoffs. Steve McClaren is shaking his head.
As it stands, Brentford will face Middlesbrough in the playoffs while Ipswich will take on Norwich.
GOAL! Watford 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
There's still time for a bit of drama at the top of the table, meanwhile, as Sheffield Wednesday find an equaliser. As it stands, Bournemouth will lift the title!
GOAL! Charlton 0-3 Bournemouth
Double good news for Bournemouth as Matt Ritchie finds the net to put them 3-0 up at Charlton in the dying minutes.
GOAL! Norwich 4-1 Fulham
GOAL! Wolves 4-2 Milwall
Too little, too late for Wolves as Bakary Sako finds the net in the first minute of injury time.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-2 Cardiff
GOAL! Norwich 4-2 Fulham
FULL TIME: Watford 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday
Watford's draw means that Bournemouth will be promoted to the Premier League as champions within minutes.
FULL TIME: Blackburn 3-2 Ipswich
BRENTFORD ARE INTO THE PLAYOFFS
IPSWICH TOWN ARE INTO THE PLAYOFFS
BOURNEMOUTH ARE PROMOTED TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE AS CHAMPIONS
Here's the final standings of the top eight:
1. Bournemouth, 90pts
2. Watford, 89pts
3. Norwich, 86pts
4. Middlesbrough, 85pts
5. Brentford, 78pts GD+19
6. Ipswich, 78pts, GD+18
7. Wolves, 78pts, GD+13
8. Derby, 77pts
It's heartbreak for Wolves fans, myself included, as they miss out on the playoff places on goal difference. Brentford power to fifth in the table with a convincing win, while Ipswich are leapfrogged after their loss but reach the playoffs for the first time in ten years. In the most unlikely storyline, Derby finish bottom of the top eight after being thumped 3-0 at home to Reading.
With the results all in, the playoff ties are now confirmed:
IPSWICH vs. NORWICH
BRENTFORD vs. MIDDLESBROUGH
Because local rivals Norwich and Ipswich have been drawn against each other, the playoff fixture dates have been juggled slightly to accommodate the derby. Here's the fixture dates:
Friday, May 8, 7.45pm: Brentford vs. Middlesbrough
Saturday, May 9, 12.15pm: Ipswich vs. Norwich
Friday, May 15, 7.45pm: Middlesbrough vs. Brentford
Saturday, May 16, 12.15pm: Norwich vs. Ipswich
Still fans remain on the pitch at Bloomfield Road. The game is paused three minutes into the second half and as things stand, it's Blackpool 0-0 Huddersfield Town. There's nothing at stake in this game, with the possibility that Huddersfield could leapfrog Leeds into 15th with a win.
On what could be his final game at the club, Wolves favourite Bakary Sako salutes the fans after the final whistle.
BLACKPOOL vs. HUDDERSFIELD ABANDONED
The fan protest over at Bloomfield Road has led to the match being abandoned. An hour and a quarter after play was delayed, police have been unable to clear fans from the pitch.
With that, it's time to bring this blog of the final Championship matchday to a close. I hope you've enjoyed our coverage this afternoon - but if you're a Wolves or Derby fan, you're more than deserving of a cold one or two right now. Congratulations to Brentford and Ipswich for making the playoffs, and of course Bournemouth, who are promoted to the Premier League as champions! Do stick with us on Sports Mole this afternoon for full coverage of a packed day in the Premier League, and join us again tonight for live updates from Las Vegas as Mayweather Jr and Pacquiao finally take to the ring for their long-awaited bout. Good afternoon!
