5.34pm BST
That concludes a marathon day at the terminal. Thanks for reading.
5.27pm BST
Dan Ballard is the latest hair-pulling miscreant.
Related: Bueno gives Wolves share of spoils after Sunderland’s Ballard sent off for hair pull
5.26pm BST
Jacob Steinberg saw a punishing defeat for West Ham.
Related: West Ham’s survival bid dented by Brentford and Igor Thiago
5.25pm BST
Louise Taylor saw Newcastle get that important win.
Related: Barnes wraps up Newcastle win against Brighton to ease pressure on Howe
5.24pm BST
Who’s up, who’s down?
Championship: Coventry and Ipswich up; Oxford, Leicester, Sheffield Wednesday down
League One: Lincoln and Cardiff up; Exeter, Port Vale, Rotherham, Northampton down
League Two: Bromley, MK Dons, Cambridge up; Harrogate, Barrow down.
5.21pm BST
The EFL playoffs ahead:
Championship: Millwall v Hull, Southampton v Middlesbrough
League One: Stockport v Stevenage, Bradford v Bolton
League Two: Salford v Grimsby, Notts County v Chesterfield
5.18pm BST
Premier League table, ahead of Arsenal v Fulham
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 34 38 73 2 Man City 33 37 70 3 Man Utd 34 14 61 4 Liverpool 34 13 58 5 Aston Villa 34 5 58 6 Brentford 35 6 51 7 Brighton 35 7 50 8 AFC Bournemouth 34 0 49 9 Chelsea 34 8 48 10 Fulham 34 -2 48 11 Everton 34 0 47 12 Sunderland 35 -9 47 13 Newcastle 35 -2 45 14 Crystal Palace 33 -3 43 15 Leeds 35 -5 43 16 Nottm Forest 34 -4 39 17 West Ham 35 -19 36 18 Tottenham Hotspur 34 -10 34 19 Burnley 35 -36 20 20 Wolverhampton 35 -38 18 5.15pm BST
League One final scores and final league table
AFC Wimbledon 0-4 Huddersfield
Barnsley 1-3 Stockport County
Bolton 2-3 Luton
Exeter 1-2 Bradford
Leyton Orient 2-2 Burton
Mansfield 5-4 Cardiff
Northampton 2-3 Plymouth
Peterborough 1-3 Doncaster
Port Vale 0-2 Lincoln
Reading 0-1 Blackpool
Stevenage 1-0 Wigan
Wycombe 3-2 Rotherham
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Lincoln City 46 48 103 2 Cardiff 46 40 91 3 Stockport County 46 13 77 4 Bradford 46 7 77 5 Bolton 46 18 75 6 Stevenage 46 3 75 7 Luton 46 12 74 8 Plymouth 46 12 73 9 Huddersfield 46 10 67 10 Mansfield 46 12 65 11 Wycombe 46 11 63 12 Reading 46 4 63 13 Blackpool 46 -11 60 14 Doncaster 46 -19 60 15 Barnsley 46 -5 59 16 Wigan 46 -9 56 17 Burton Albion 46 -10 54 18 Peterborough 46 -4 53 19 AFC Wimbledon 46 -21 53 20 Leyton Orient 46 -12 52 21 Exeter 46 -9 49 22 Port Vale 46 -25 42 23 Rotherham 46 -30 41 24 Northampton 46 -35 35 Updated at 5.16pm BST
5.09pm BST
League Two final scores and final league table
Barrow 1-2 Newport County
Bromley 3-1 Walsall
Cheltenham 1-4 Colchester
Crawley Town 0-0 Salford City
Crewe 0-0 Cambridge
Fleetwood Town 1-1 Milton Keynes Dons
Gillingham 1-0 Shrewsbury
Harrogate Town 1-2.Barnet
Notts County 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Oldham 3-0 Accrington Stanley
Swindon 1-2 Chesterfield
Tranmere 1-1 Grimsby
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Bromley 46 25 87 2 Milton Keynes Dons 46 41 86 3 Cambridge Utd 46 33 82 4 Salford City 46 10 81 5 Notts County 46 22 80 6 Chesterfield 46 15 79 7 Grimsby 46 24 78 8 Barnet 46 17 76 9 Swindon 46 11 75 10 Oldham 46 16 68 11 Crewe 46 6 67 12 Colchester 46 13 66 13 Walsall 46 0 65 14 Bristol Rovers 46 -9 62 15 Fleetwood Town 46 -1 61 16 Accrington Stanley 46 -11 53 17 Gillingham 46 -19 53 18 Cheltenham 46 -26 52 19 Shrewsbury 46 -27 49 20 Newport County 46 -29 43 21 Tranmere 46 -25 41 22 Crawley Town 46 -24 40 23 Harrogate Town 46 -29 39 24 Barrow 46 -33 36 Updated at 5.17pm BST
5.04pm BST
Full-time: Newcastle 3-1 Brighton Big win for Newcastle, ending a run of four defeats. Brighton’s push for Europe stalls, that’s a disappointing result for them.
5.03pm BST
Barrow and Harrogate’s relegation from the Football League has been confirmed, while Newport and Tranmere survive.
5.02pm BST
Stevenage into the League One playoffs after that late goal against Wigan. They will play Stockport County in the playoffs.
5.01pm BST
Cambridge United are promoted from League Two after drawing with Crewe, as Salford failed to break down Crawley. That’s Bromley, MK Dons and Cambridge up into League One.
5.00pm BST
Full-time: Brentford 3-0 West Ham All eyes on Sunday now for Spurs at Villa as the Hammers lose their London derby. Brentford up to sixth.
4.58pm BST
Bromley are confirmed champions of League Two, making it two promotions in a row.
4.58pm BST
Goal! Newcastle 3-1 Brighton (Barnes, 90+5) With his Saudi overlords in the stands, Eddie Howe has a much-needed win. Relegation fears surely over, too, with Harvey Barnes getting the job completed.
Updated at 5.03pm BST
4.56pm BST
Final score: Wolves 1-1 Sunderland Is that the first end of season, on the beach game? Will Dan Ballard, sent off, be able to play the rest of the three matches remaining?
4.55pm BST
Luton lead at Bolton, but it may be too little, too late after Stevenage’s goal.
4.53pm BST
Newcastle 2-1 Brighton
Another miss, this time for Newcastle’s Yoane Wissa, who really needs a goal.
Updated at 4.56pm BST
4.52pm BST
Stevenage have scored against Wigan in the 92nd minute through Dan Sweeney and they are on course for the League One playoffs. That’s bad news for Plymouth and Luton.
Updated at 4.52pm BST
4.49pm BST
Newcastle 2-1 Brighton
Ooof! Yankuba Minteh has missed a sitter, laid on for him for Georginio Rutter. Newcastle clinging on.
Updated at 4.57pm BST
4.47pm BST
Barnet have scored at Harrogate , making it 2-1 to the away team and all but condemning the North Yorkshire team to the National League. At Barrow, Newport have scored, and lead 2-1. That means Barrow and Harrogate are heading down. The scenes following Bobby Kamwa’s goal for Newport were uproarious.
4.44pm BST
Kari Tulinius gets in touch: “There were two 3-3 draws this afternoon in the Bundesliga. 10-man Stuttgart got a last minute equalizer away to Hoffenheim, after coming back from 3-1. This keeps Stuttgart in the last Champions League place, at least until Leverkusen host RB Leipzig tonight. Meanwhile, Heidenheim let in a heartbreaking last minute goal, when an Olise shot hit the post and went in off the diving keeper. If they’d held on for a win, they’d have given themselves a good chance to avoid relegation.”
4.42pm BST
Goal! Brentford 3-0 West Ham (Damsgaard, 82) The Hammers are in dire trouble while Brentford are climbing up to sixth. What a job Keith Andrews is doing by the way.
Updated at 4.50pm BST
4.41pm BST
Bradford lead 2-0 at Exeter , Antoni Sarvecic getting it, and that drags them down further towards League Two.
4.40pm BST
Billy Sharp has made it three for Doncaster at Peterborough . Is he trying to sign off with 300 career goals?
4.39pm BST
Newport have equalised at Barrow, and that drags Harrogate into the bottom two of League Two.
4.38pm BST
Brentford 2-0 West Ham
Crysencio Summerville has rattled the crossbar, as West Ham, having changed formation, push for a way back.
4.37pm BST
Plymouth lead 3-2 at Northampton , and climb into sixth in League One after Brendan Sarpong-Wiredu’s goal.
Updated at 4.53pm BST
4.35pm BST
Newcastle 2-1 Brighton
Eddie Howe has made three changes as Brighton push on for the equaliser. Nervy moments for the Toon Army.
4.33pm BST
Stockport lead at Barnsley in League One , and climb into third. Billy Sharp has scored again for Doncaster at Peterborough; what a way to sign off.
Updated at 4.36pm BST
4.30pm BST
Bromley, with open-top bus parade planned for Monday, will do so as champions, and now lead 3-1. MK Dons, vying with them, drawing with Fleetwood as the final minutes of the second half approach.
4.27pm BST
At the bottom of League Two , a huge goal for Tranmere, Nathan Smith getting it, heading home from a corner. Barrow and Newport are heading down at the moment.
4.25pm BST
Bromley lead Walsall 2-1 in League Two, and are on course for the title. In the battle for playoffs, Chesterfield lead Swindon 2-1, and that opens up a four-point gap, as it stands.
4.24pm BST
Luton have made it 2-2 at Bolton, Hakeem Odoffin getting it for Jack Wilshere’s boys.
4.23pm BST
Goal! Newcastle 2-1 Brighton (Hinshelwood, 61) Could Newcastle be blowing a lead again? Danny Welbeck lays up Jack Hinselwood for a smashing finish.
Updated at 4.26pm BST
4.20pm BST
Leyton Orient pegged back by Burton , it’s 2-2 after Alex Hartridge’s goal. Exeter, losing at home to Bradford, are still in the League One ejector seat.
4.18pm BST
Notts County’s automatic promotion hopes in League Two have been hit by a goal from Bristol Rovers’ Ellis Harrison.
4.15pm BST
Goal! Wolves 1-1 Sunderland (Santiago Bueno, 54) The central defender heads home, and after a brief delay for a suspected tug, it will stands.
Updated at 4.23pm BST
4.14pm BST
Billy Sharp, 40, has just scored for Doncaster at Peterborough, in his final game.
4.13pm BST
Goal! Brentford 2-0 West Ham (Igor Thiago, 54 pen) Big moment but Thiago keeps his cool to beat Hermandsen.
Updated at 4.21pm BST
4.12pm BST
Leyton Orient have just scored against Burton , with Dom Ballard getting the goal. That lifts them to 18th in League One.
4.11pm BST
Penalty to Brentford!? Ouatarra has been fouled by Diouf, and VAR is checking whether it was inside the box.
Updated at 4.17pm BST
4.10pm BST
In League Two, Barrow have missed a penalty , in that vital game at the bottom. Barrow are still bottom as it stands.
4.08pm BST
Read Barney Ronay’s report from The New Den.
Related: Millwall’s party in the sun lasts three minutes but Lions take pride in playoff prize
4.07pm BST
Half-times in those key EFL games League One
Barnsley 0-1 Stockport
Bolton 2-1 Luton
Exeter 0-1 Bradford
Leyton Orient 1-1 Burton
Northampton 2-2 Plymouth
Stevenage 0-0 Wigan
League Two
Barrow 1-0 Newport
Bromley 1-0 Walsall
Crawley 0-0 Salford
Crewe 0-0 Cambridge
Fleetwood 1- MK Dons
Harrogate 0-0 Barnet
Notts County 1-0 Bristol Rovers
Swindon 1-1 Chesterfield
Tranmere 0-1 Grimsby
4.02pm BST
OK, back underway for those second halves. I’m back in the chair.
4.01pm BST
James Humphries gets in touch: “One for the Knowledge, maybe, but is that gap between Leicester and the owls the biggest points differential between bottom and second bottom? You’d have to go some to beat a 46-point gap, surely, even allowing for deductions.”
3.59pm BST
In the week that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund finally pulled the plug on LIV golf Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Newcastle’s chair headed a 25 PIF delegation conducting an annual club review at Matfen Hall Hotel in Northumberland.
Al-Rumayyan and co rounded their trip off with a visit to St James’ Park to watch Eddie Howe’s team take on Brighton this afternoon. But the chair - who arrived complete with an expensive set of clubs - is understood to have enjoyed a round of golf at the excellent course adjacent to Matfen Hall yesterday/Friday.
Updated at 3.59pm BST
3.50pm BST
Half-time whistles are blowing. In Leagues One and Two, lots of permutations are being tapped into calculators.
3.49pm BST
Another twist in League One. Luton’s playoff hopes take a knock as they fall 2-1 behind at third-placed Bolton. They’re now eighth in the live table.
3.46pm BST
In League One, Plymouth have now made it 2-2 at Northampton after being 2-0 down. One more goal and from looking down and out they’d move up into the playoff spots. That’s presuming everything else stays the same and, of course, it won’t!
3.43pm BST
Brentford 1-0 West Ham
The Hammers are doing everything to equalise. Mavropanos had a ‘goal’ ruled out while Castellanos has hit both posts. That said, Brentford have just had a huge chance to double their lead via Lewis-Potter but somehow it stays out.
3.40pm BST
Are Bromley going to snatch title glory in League Two? That’s how it stands right now as Ben Thompson puts them ahead against Walsall. They’re currently two… hang on, make that one point ahead of MK Dons, who have just equalised at Fleetwood.
3.37pm BST
Leyton Orient have conceded an equaliser to Burton in League One. They still look safe for now though with Exeter losing at home to Bradford.
3.35pm BST
Twists at the top in League Two. Leaders MK Dons trail Fleetwood so are in danger of being pipped to the title by Bromley. Third-placed Cambridge have missed a penalty at Crewe.
3.31pm BST
Key goal in League One. Exeter are heading to League Two after they fall 1-0 behind to playoff hopefuls Bradford. Plymouth have pulled one back at Northampton.
3.29pm BST
Red card! Sunderland's Dan Ballard sent off at Wolves It’s another hair pulling incident, folks. Ballard yanks Arokodare’s barnet and that’s not allowed is it. Paul Tierney jogs over to the pitchside monitor and soon after shows Ballard the red card. Sunderland still lead 1-0 but they’re down to 10 men.
Updated at 4.15pm BST
3.26pm BST
Goal! Newcastle 2-0 Brighton (Burn, 24) Brighton had made the better start but suddenly they’re 2-0 down to Newcastle as Big Dan Burn heads home at the near-post to double the Magpies’ lead.
Updated at 3.45pm BST
3.25pm BST
Key event Brentford 1-0 West Ham
Mavropanos looks to have equalised but his effort is chalked off for offside. A shame. Always fun to see a player score at both ends.
3.22pm BST
Plymouth have a mountain to climb if they’re to nick a playoff spot as they’re already 2-0 down at Northampton. All happening at Bolton. Luton score a controversial penalty to go into the playoffs and then drop out of them again as Bolton equalise.
3.19pm BST
Goal! Wolves 0-1 Sunderland (Mukiele, 17) And we have goals in all three Premier League kick-offs as Mukiele heads home Xhaka’s corner to put Sunderland in front.
Updated at 3.42pm BST
3.17pm BST
Goal! Brentford 1-0 West Ham (Mavropanos og, 15) Big goal in the London derby as a scramble in the West Ham box results in what is deemed to be a Mavropanos own goal. Brentford are in front; Spurs fans celebrating.
Updated at 3.35pm BST
3.14pm BST
Goal! Newcastle 1-0 Brighton (Osula, 12) Twists and turns at St James’ Park. Brighton go close again as Baleba has a pop from 30 yards but sees his shot smash off the bar. But at the other end, Brighton ‘keeper Verbruggen comes out of his goal to intercept, slips over and that allows Murphy to cross for Osula to head into the unguarded net.
Updated at 3.25pm BST
3.09pm BST
Newcastle 0-0 Brighton
The visitors have come flying out of the blocks. Jack Hinshelwood is put clean through on goal but Nick Pope denies him. But, as I write this, Newcastle have strong penalty claims but nothing doing.
3.06pm BST
In League One, it’s a great start for Leyton Orient. Needing to win to guarantee staying up, they’re in front inside five minutes.
3.03pm BST
In the Women’s Champions League, Arsenal need a huge second half. Taha Hashim is on the live blog.
Related: OL Lyonnes v Arsenal: Women’s Champions League semi-final, second leg – live
3.01pm BST
Peep peep!! The 3pm kick-offs are go!
3.00pm BST
Thanks John. A sunny day in London as Brentford and West Ham prepare to do battle. At Exeter, Bradford fans in fancy dress are more than happy to have hoods on their Bantams outfits as it’s lashing it down!
Updated at 3.01pm BST
2.56pm BST
David Tindall is ready to take over for the first half in the Premier League. I’ll be back…
2.51pm BST
In the EFL, the games to pay attention to are the following, with promotion, playoffs and relegation to be decided.
League One
Barnsley v Stockport
Bolton v Luton
Exeter v Bradford
Leyton Orient v Burton
Northampton v Plymouth
Stevenage v Wigan
League Two
Barrow v Newport
Bromley v Walsall
Crawley v Salford
Crewe v Cambridge
Fleetwood v MK Dons
Harrogate v Barnet
Notts County v Bristol Rovers
Swindon v Chesterfield
Tranmere v Grimsby
2.48pm BST
Rod Wooden gets in touch: “The Hull keeper went down John, and immediately the whole Hull team rushed to the sideline for a team talk. Strange, that.”
2.46pm BST
Newcastle v Brighton teams
Newcastle: Pope, Miley, Thiaw, Botman, Burn, Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock, Jacob Murphy, Osula, Joelinton. Subs: Ramsdale, Trippier, Hall, Wissa, Gordon, Barnes, Elanga, Woltemade, Ramsey.
Brighton: Verbruggen, Wieffer, van Hecke, Boscagli, Kadioglu, Gross, Baleba, Minteh, Hinshelwood, Mitoma, Welbeck. Subs: Steele, Igor, Dunk, Rutter, Kostoulas, Ayari, De Cuyper, O’Riley, Veltman.
2.45pm BST
Wolverhampton v Sunderland teams
Wolverhampton: Bentley, Mosquera, Santiago Bueno, Toti Gomes, Pedro Lima, Joao Gomes, Andre Trindade, Hugo Bueno, Armstrong, Mane, Arokodare. Subs: Doherty, Wolfe, Hwang, Rodrigo Gomes, Bellegarde, Tchatchoua, Angel Gomes, Edozie, Gracey.
Sunderland: Roefs, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Mandava, Xhaka, Sadiki, Hume, Talbi, Le Fee, Brobbey. Subs: Ellborg, Cirkin, Geertruida, Rigg, Mayenda, O’Nien, Isidor, Diarra, Bi.
2.44pm BST
To the Premier League Brentford v West Ham teams
Brentford: Kelleher, Kayode, van den Berg, Collins, Lewis-Potter, Yarmolyuk, Jensen, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade, Thiago. Subs: Valdimarsson, Hickey, Pinnock, Dasilva, Nelson, Ajer, Janelt, Donovan, Furo.
West Ham: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf, Bowen, Soucek, Fernandes, Summerville, Pablo Felipe, Castellanos. Subs: Areola, Wilson, Traore, Lamadrid, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Kante.
2.43pm BST
Here’s our Championship final day reports.
Related: Ipswich win promotion to Premier League after rolling over QPR
Related: Wrexham agony as Middlesbrough draw hands Hull playoff spot
2.38pm BST
Championship 2025-26 final table Coventry and Ipswich promoted; Millwall to play Hull, Southampton to play Middlesbrough in the playoffs; Oxford, Leicester and Sheffield Wednesday relegated; the Owls celebrate reaching zero.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Coventry 46 52 95 2 Ipswich 46 33 84 3 Millwall 46 15 83 4 Southampton 46 26 80 5 Middlesbrough 46 25 80 6 Hull 46 4 73 7 Wrexham 46 4 71 8 Derby 46 8 69 9 Norwich 46 7 65 10 Birmingham 46 1 64 11 Swansea 46 -2 64 12 Bristol City 46 0 62 13 Sheff Utd 46 0 60 14 Preston North End 46 -7 60 15 QPR 46 -12 58 16 Watford 46 -12 57 17 Stoke 46 -5 55 18 Portsmouth 46 -15 55 19 Charlton 46 -14 53 20 Blackburn 46 -14 52 21 West Brom 46 -10 51 22 Oxford Utd 46 -14 47 23 Leicester 46 -10 46 24 Sheff Wed 46 -60 0 2.35pm BST
Championship final day final scores Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Leicester City
Bristol City 2-0 Stoke City
Derby County 1-3 Sheffield United
Hull City 2-1 Norwich City
Ipswich Town 3-0 QPR
Millwall 2-0 Oxford United
Portsmouth 1-1 Birmingham City
Preston North End 1-3 Southampton
Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 West Brom
Swansea City 3-1 Charlton Athletic
Watford 0-4 Coventry City
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
2.33pm BST
There’s a pitch invasion at Hull , even though they have another game to play. Wild celebrations at Ipswich, too. Portman Road is, once again, a Premier League ground.
2.32pm BST
Full-time: Derby 1-2 Sheffield United Derby fall short. At one point, a playoff position was in their hands. Instead, disappointment.
2.31pm BST
Hull go into the playoffs Penalty call for Norwich? They want it, and Maghoma is booked for his complaints. It’s a corner instead. The final moments of the season and Ivor Pandur claims it. That’s the last of the action, and Hull claim sixth place and will play Millwall over two legs in the playoffs.
2.27pm BST
Ipswich promoted! Ipswich are back, and in the Premier League after beating QPR 3-0. They made short work of the job in hand. Well done to Kieran McKenna’s men.
Updated at 2.51pm BST
2.26pm BST
Final score: Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough Kieffer Moore spoons his shot wide, and that’s the last of it. Wrexham fall short. They are relying on Norwich.
2.24pm BST
So, it comes down to Hull and Wrexham. The latter are in the final minute of time added on. Six minutes are added on at Hull.
Updated at 2.24pm BST
2.22pm BST
Coventry now lead 4-0 at Watford, Victor Torp getting it . Leo Walta has made it 3-1 to Swansea against Charlton. Leicester’s horror season is over, and they sign off with a 1-0 win at Blackburn, Stephy Mavididi getting their goal. It’s full-time at Ewood Park, and Bristol City sign off with a 2-0 win over Stoke.
2.20pm BST
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
A huge scramble as Wrexham chase that goal. It’s remaining elusive.
2.18pm BST
Goal! Ipswich 3-0 QPR (McAteer, 86) The job is done as the sub, Kasey McAteer, scores as QPR commit men forward and leae themselves open. Ipswich are back in the big time.
Updated at 2.25pm BST
2.16pm BST
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
Close! Windass smashes over after a counterattack, Nathan Broadhead had laid that on a plate.
2.15pm BST
Swansea now lead again against Charlton , Adam Idah getting his second. At Hillsborough, Karlan Grant has got one back for West Brom. A Baggies equaliser would stop the Owls getting to zero points. Bristol City, in Roy Hodgson’s last game in charge – we think – now lead 2-0, Sam Bell getting it.
2.13pm BST
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
All guns blazing for Wrexham, as they seek the goal that takes them into the playoffs. Imagine the streaming content this would bring about.
2.12pm BST
Hull 2-1 Norwich
This game kicked off later in the second half than the others, and now the Hull keeper, Ivan Pandur, is down.
2.11pm BST
We’re into the last ten minutes of the Championship regular season.
By the way, Charlton have equalised, through Miles Leaburn, son of Addicks great Carl Leaburn.
2.10pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
Jack Clarke, who nearly got the job done at St Mary’s, is on and causing trouble for Rangers. This has been comfortable, and it might have been more when O’Shea heads back across goal, and McAteer can’t get there.
2.06pm BST
Swansea lead Charlton 1-0, Adam Idah getting the goal.
2.06pm BST
Millwall 2-0 Oxford
Femi Azeez, who has scored twice, is subbed off, to be kept for the playoffs. As it stands, Millwall will play Hull, and Southampton will face Middlesbrough.
2.04pm BST
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
News reaches Wrexham fans, looking pensive as they realise their own dream is dying.
2.02pm BST
Goal! Hull 2-1 Norwich (McBurnie, 67) Another shift! Hull are in sixth, and Wrexham will go mad, and they’ve every right to go mad; that looked offside.
Updated at 2.16pm BST
2.01pm BST
Goal! Derby 1-2 Sheffield United (Peck, 69) The Derby dream is slipping away. Is it just Hull and Wrexham with a chance now? Sydie Peck’s goal has them sunk.
1.58pm BST
That’s been the fifth time the final playoff position has changed. The second-placed spot has been in full Ipswich command all afternoon. They cannot let this slip, can they?
1.56pm BST
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
News has reached the Racecourse, and the atmosphere is buoyant. Tom Cannon’s name is being heard in the stands, via transistor radio and 5g.
Updated at 2.17pm BST
1.54pm BST
Goal! Derby 1-1 Sheffield United (Cannon, 62) Tom Cannon’s equaliser puts Wrexham in the final playoff position.
Updated at 1.55pm BST
1.53pm BST
Goal! Preston 1-2 Southampton (Dobbin, 60) A breakaway goal, and Dobbin scores. Saints hoping for the best playoff draw possible.
1.51pm BST
Ellis Simms has made it a hat-trick for Coventry at Watford. The champions of the Championship are cruising.
Updated at 2.08pm BST
1.50pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
Jaden Philogene almost finished it off, only to be denied by Joe Walsh. Life’s been good to Ipswich so far, though.
1.48pm BST
Hull 1-1 Norwich
A fine save from Kovacevic in the Norwich goal, after a McBurnie header.
1.44pm BST
Millwall 2-0 Oxford
Millwall are all over Oxford at the moment. All they can do is keep up the pressure and await good tidings from Suffolk.
1.40pm BST
Southampton now lead 2-0 at Preston, with Ross Stewart on the scoresheet.
Updated at 2.27pm BST
1.39pm BST
Goal! Millwall 2-0 Oxford (Azeez, 48) That man again, and Millwall are keeping up the pressure on Ipswich.
Updated at 1.50pm BST
1.37pm BST
Ipswich appear to be taking their time coming back on. That could delay the conclusion being reached.
1.36pm BST
Back underway for the second halves What fun awaits us in the next 45 minutes?
1.23pm BST
As it stands: automatic promotion
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Coventry 46 50 95 2 Ipswich 46 32 84 3 Millwall 46 14 83 4 Southampton 46 25 80 5 Middlesbrough 46 25 80 As it stands: playoffs
Pos Team P GD Pts 5 Middlesbrough 46 25 80 6 Derby 46 10 72 7 Wrexham 46 4 71 8 Hull 46 3 71 1.21pm BST
Championship half-time scores Blackburn Rovers 0-0 Leicester City
Bristol City 1-0 Stoke City
Derby County 1-0 Sheffield United
Hull City 1-1 Norwich City
Ipswich Town 2-0 QPR
Millwall 1-0 Oxford United
Portsmouth 1-1 Birmingham City
Preston North End 0-1 Southampton
Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 West Brom
Swansea City 0-0 Charlton Athletic
Watford 0-2 Coventry City
Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough
1.16pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
Rangers have come back into this one, having rained the last six shots. Have Ipswich blown themselves out? We’re into time added on of the first halves.
Updated at 1.17pm BST
1.15pm BST
Coventry score a second, as does Ellis Simms, at Watford, their 95th goal of the season.
1.14pm BST
Goal! Wrexham 2-2 Middlesbrough (Strelec, 43) Tommy Conway lays it up for a neat sidefoot, and Derby are back in sixth. Big cheers at Hull for that one.
Updated at 1.27pm BST
1.13pm BST
Sheffield Wednesday are 2-0 up on West Brom , Liam Palmer scores and they will climb to zero points and win a first home game of the season it stays this way.
1.12pm BST
Goal! Wrexham 2-1 Middlesbrough (Smith, 41) A brilliant header from Sam Smith and Wrexham are up into the play-offs.
Updated at 1.26pm BST
1.11pm BST
Jamie Cowper gets in touch: “The Oxford away end at Millwall is a sell out, we’ve been put in the upper stand, plenty of us here cheering the team on as they’ve put up a fight to try and keep us in the division, “We’re going to Bromley, you’re going to Spurs.”
Safe home, Jamie.
1.10pm BST
Sheffield Wednesday, for whom there was already good news of a takeover, have taken the lead against West Brom; Nathaniel Chalobah scored in the 36th minute at a packed Hillsborough.
Updated at 1.30pm BST
1.05pm BST
Goal! Millwall 1-0 Oxford (Azeez, 35) The Lions roaring at last, with Azeez dropping the shoulder and smashing in a fine goal.
Updated at 1.11pm BST
1.03pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
George Hirst, who didn’t start at Southampton, has been full of zest and almost lays up Darrell Furlong.
1.01pm BST
Goal! Hull 1-1 Norwich (McBurnie, 28 pen) Norwich give away a cheap penalty, and the striker converts. Both Wrexham and Hull are just a point behind Derby now.
1.00pm BST
Goal! Hull 0-1 Norwich (Toure, 26) Norwich lead but….
Updated at 1.12pm BST
12.59pm BST
Goal! Wrexham 1-1 Middlesbrough (Windass, 28) A free-kick, a beauty, a family trademark, from Josh Windass. Wrexham are fighting back.
Updated at 1.05pm BST
12.58pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
QPR have been toyed with at Portman Road. Ashley Young, who retires after this game, is watching from the sidelines.
12.56pm BST
Preston 0-1 Southampton
Daniel Peretz, outstanding in Tuesday’s draw with Ipswich, has just made a fine save from Preston’s Alfie Devine.
12.54pm BST
For champions Frank Lampard ’s Coventry, Ellis Simms has scored at Watford, 1-0 at Vicarage Road.
Updated at 1.29pm BST
12.53pm BST
Birmingham have equalised at Portsmouth through August Priske. It’s 1-1.
12.52pm BST
Wrexham 0-1 Middlesbrough
Wrexham need to win this game but also to stay calm. Derby have the place they have been aiming for. There’s a bit of frustration at the Racecourse Ground.
12.51pm BST
Millwall 0-0 Oxford
A series of corners being forced by the home team at an away end that’s very empty.
12.46pm BST
AS IT STANDS: Ipswich promoted, Derby in the playoffs, Hull and Wrexham have to find a way back.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Coventry 46 48 93 2 Ipswich 46 32 84 3 Middlesbrough 46 26 82 4 Millwall 46 13 81 5 Southampton 46 25 80 6 Derby 46 10 72 7 Hull 46 3 71 8 Wrexham 46 3 70 9 Norwich 46 8 66 10 Birmingham 46 0 63 11 Bristol City 46 -1 62 12 Swansea 46 -4 62 13 Preston North End 46 -6 60 14 Watford 46 -8 58 15 QPR 46 -11 58 16 Sheff Utd 46 -2 57 17 Portsmouth 46 -14 57 18 Stoke 46 -4 55 19 Charlton 46 -12 54 20 Blackburn 46 -13 53 21 West Brom 46 -9 52 22 Oxford Utd 46 -12 48 23 Leicester 46 -11 44 24 Sheff Wed 46 -61 -2 12.45pm BST
Ipswich 2-0 QPR
Party atmosphere at Portman Road, where they’re singing about going to Arsenal, and QPR facing Spurs.
12.43pm BST
Goal! Preston 0-1 Southampton (Harwood-Bellis, 12) That’s the 80th goal of the season for Saints, scored by their captain. They will be a team to fear in the playoffs.
12.42pm BST
Portsmouth are 1-0 up on Birmingham, Adrian Segecic opening the scoring.
12.41pm BST
Goal! Ipswich 2-0 QPR (Philogene, 9) As stated previously, Philogene is flying, and is played in by George Hirst to score. This has been awesome from Ipswich.
Updated at 12.54pm BST
12.39pm BST
Sheffield Wednesday takeover completed Sheffield Wednesday have been bought by American consortium Arise Capital Partners, the club have announced.
A Sheffield Wednesday statement and headed ‘Sheffield Wednesday Reborn’, read in part: “The Joint Administrators of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club Limited are pleased to confirm the successful completion of the sale of the Club to Arise Capital Partners LLC, a consortium led by David Storch, alongside Michael Storch and Tom Costin.
“The transaction has been completed following constructive engagement with key stakeholders, including the English Football League (EFL), and in accordance with all relevant regulatory requirements.
“As part of this process, the EFL Board exercised its discretion, as provided by the Insolvency Policy, and concluded that it would not be appropriate to impose a 15-point deduction on the Club following its exit from Administration. As such, the Club will begin the upcoming season on 0 points. A position has also been agreed on wage and transfer parameters that is both acceptable and supportive of the Club’s forward progress.
“The sale secures the long-term future of the Club and marks the beginning of a new era for Sheffield Wednesday - one built on stability, responsibility, and renewed belief.
“Throughout this turbulent period in the Club’s history, staff and players have shown unwavering professionalism and pride. Supporters - through uncertainty and frustration - have shown they are amongst the most loyal in the land.”
12.38pm BST
Ipswich 1-0 QPR
Ipswich have been rampant, Philogene is flying, they want to get the job done, four shot have rained down on the QPR goal.
12.37pm BST
Goal! Derby 1-0 Sheffield United (Szmodics, 5) That goal means Derby climb into the top six.
Updated at 12.48pm BST
12.36pm BST
Goal! Wrexham 0-1 Middlesbrough (Conway, 4) That’s a huge goal, Boro keeping up the pressure and knocking Wrexham out of the playoffs.
Updated at 1.43pm BST
12.34pm BST
Goal! Ipswich 1-0 QPR (Hirst, 3) Ipswich in dreamland, Leif Davis sets up George Hirst to tap in.
Updated at 12.40pm BST
12.33pm BST
Goal! Bristol City 1-0 Stoke (Burgzorg, 1 )
Roy Hodgson’s team get the goals started, after a horror error by the Stoke goalie.
Updated at 12.55pm BST
12.31pm BST
Away we go on the final day of the Championship In two hours or so, destiny will be decided, and the pitches are likely to be invaded, too.
12.28pm BST
Across the Championship , teams are making their way to the field. At Ipswich, it’s a sea of blue, and the pyro is out. Kick-off is but moments away.
12.13pm BST
Bill Preston gets in touch: “I think Wednesday beating West Brom and finishing on zero points, the same as they began the season with*, would be fitting. It would reflect a new start to the club, a fresh page, a story yet to be written.
“Although, one can’t help but feel I’ll be writing the same email again this time next year albeit into the League One finale if they get the expected fourteen points deduction post takeover and slide again.”
12.08pm BST
Derby v Sheff Utd teams
Derby: Zetterstrom, Ward, Langas, Clarke, Forsyth, Ozoh, Travis, Brereton Diaz, Szmodics, Banel, Morris. Subs: Vickers, Batth, Salvesen, Johnston, Sanderson, Fraulo, Eames, Clark, Allen.
Sheff Utd: Adam Davies, Seriki, Tanganga, McGuinness, Burrows, Hamer, Peck, Arblaster, O’Hare, Bamford, Cannon. Subs: Ings, Hoever, Soumare, Chong, Sasnauskas, Riedewald, Rothwell, Betts, McGlinchey.
12.05pm BST
Speaking of Wrexham:
Wrexham AFC, the football club part-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, used taxpayer funds to re-lay its pitch, even though initial grant documents assessing the state investment did not make reference to it.
The club has been awarded £18m in grants, with the first £3.8m tranche in February 2022. However, legally required state aid documents relating to that initial grant made no reference to the pitch works.
Related: Wrexham AFC used taxpayer funds for pitch upgrades not mentioned in initial grant
12.04pm BST
Wrexham v Middlesbrough teams
Wrexham: Ward, Hyam, Scarr, Doyle, Kabore, Dobson, Matty James, Rathbone, Thomason, Windass, Smith. Subs: Okonkwo, Cleworth, Keillor-Dunn, Cacace, Sheaf, Moore, O’Brien, Broadhead, Longman.
Middlesbrough: Brynn, Ayling, Fry, Malanda, Targett, Browne, Morris, Brittain, Whittaker, Strelec, Conway. Subs: Wildsmith, McGree, Gilbert, Kaly Sene, Silvera, Castledine, Edmundson, Hansen, Sarmiento.
Updated at 12.36pm BST
12.01pm BST
Should Sheffield Wednesday beat West Brom today, they will climb to a total of zero points, nil point, if you will
Pos Team P GD Pts 20 Blackburn 45 -13 52 21 West Brom 45 -9 51 22 Oxford Utd 45 -12 47 23 Leicester 45 -11 43 24 Sheff Wed 45 -61 -3 Updated at 12.01pm BST
11.58am BST
Millwall v Oxford teams
Millwall: Patterson, Leonard, Crama, Cooper, Sturge, De Norre, Bannan, Azeez, Neghli, Ballo, Ivanovic. Subs: Crocombe, McNamara, Mitchell, Doughty, Langstaff, Watson, Cundle, Smallbone, Mazou-Sacko.
Oxford: Cumming, ter Avest, Helik, Brown, Spencer, Vaulks, Konak, Mills, Donley, Emakhu, Lankshear. Subs: Ingram, Long, Brannagan, Harris, Currie, Jeon, Makosso, McDonnell, Peart-Harris.
11.53am BST
Hull v Norwich teams
Hull: Pandur, Coyle, Hughes, Egan, Giles, Slater, Crooks, Belloumi, Gelhardt, Millar, McBurnie. Subs: Phillips, Lundstram, Ajayi, Hirakawa, Joseph, Gyabi, Dowell, Koumas, McNair.
Norwich: Kovacevic, Stacey, McConville, Cordoba, Fisher, Mattsson, Wright, Forson, Ben Slimane, Ahmed, Toure. Subs: Grimshaw, Darling, Gibbs, Maghoma, Field, Schlupp, Kvistgaarden, Springett, Mundle-Smith.
11.52am BST
Ipswich v QPR teams
Ipswich: Walton, Davis, O’Shea, Greaves, Furlong, Matusiwa, Taylor, Burns, Nunez, Philogene-Bidace, Hirst. Subs: Palmer, Kipre, Neil, Johnson, McAteer, Akpom, Azon, Mehmeti, Clarke.
QPR: Walsh, Mbengue, Edwards, Clarke-Salter, Norrington-Davies, Bennie, Varane, Morgan, Madsen, Vale, Chair. Subs: Salamon, Adamson, Smyth, Saito, Hayden, Esquerdinha, Smith, Alemayehu, Scarlett.
11.48am BST
Preston v Southampton teams
Preston: Iversen, Storey, Lindsay, Hughes, Potts, Devine, Whiteman, Moran, Vukcevic, Dobbin, Jebbison. Subs: Cornell, Valentin, McCann, Brady, Thompson, Smith, Small, Osmajic, Offiah.
Southampton: Peretz, Charles, Harwood-Bellis, Wood-Gordon, Welington, Bragg, Jander, Fellows, Archer, Scienza, Stewart. Subs: Long, Quarshie, Bree, Manning, Romeu, Edozie, Azaz, Larin, Oyekunle.
11.45am BST
Preamble It’s a big day in the north, and south. The east, too. It all comes down to this. It’s been a vintage Championship season, and though the bottom three has been decided – farewell, Sheff Wed, Leicester and Oxford – there’s automatic promotion and playoffs to be decided. Make no mistake: this is massive.
Automatic promotion, the key games:
Preston v Southampton
Wrexham v Middlesbrough
Millwall v Oxford
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Coventry 45 48 92 2 Ipswich 45 30 81 3 Millwall 45 13 80 4 Middlesbrough 45 25 79 5 Southampton 45 24 77 Playoffs, the key games:
Preston v Southampton
Wrexham v Middlesbrough
Hull v Norwich
Derby v Sheffield United
Pos Team P GD Pts 5 Southampton 45 24 77 6 Wrexham 45 4 70 7 Hull 45 3 70 8 Derby 45 9 69 9 Norwich 45 8 65 It all kicks off at 12.30pm, UK time.
Following that a huge day in the Premier League, and in League One and League Two, too. Join me.