West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has vowed to take the club up to the Premier League via the playoffs.
Two goals from Carlton Cole at home to Hull City in a 2-1 win was not enough to overhaul Southampton, who secured automatic promotion.
Allardyce and his side will now face Cardiff in the playoff semi-final, with the first leg away on Thursday before being back at home for the second leg a week on Monday.
"I stuck my neck out when I arrived and said we wanted promotion in the first season," said Allardyce.
"I've got a two-year contract but doing it in the first season is important. We still have three games to win, and we will do it.
"We've had a very good season considering where we've come from. In the last few years 86 points has been enough. Our ultimate goal was not achieved, we left ourselves too much to do, but we'll wake up tomorrow morning and look forward to preparing for the playoffs."
West Ham finished the season in third place, two points behind Southampton.
Sam Hughes
