Championship Finale – Ipswich return to EPL as Wrexham suffer last-round heartbreak
Championship Finale – Ipswich return to EPL as Wrexham suffer last-round heartbreak The Championship delivered a dramatic final day, with promotion dreams realised, play-off places decided and relegation disappointment confirmed. Coventry City and Ipswich Town sealed automatic promotion, while the battle for the remaining play-off spots went down to the wire, as we review Matchday 46. Automatic promotion Coventry had secured the title and a return to the Premier League for the first time since the start of the century before the final kick-off as the only Championship side this season to smash a 90-point landmark.
Frank Lampard’s high-flying side refused to rest on their laurels and trounced Watford 4-0 on the road to celebrate their long-awaited top-flight return in style. Runners-up Ipswich headed into the last weekend of the regular season as favourites to join the Sky Blues in securing automatic promotion , boasting a narrow one-point lead over third-placed Millwall. Kieran McKenna’s side held up their end of the bargain, hammering mid-table Queens Park Rangers 3-0 at Portman Road to clinch an immediate return to the top flight.
Despite thrashing already-relegated Oxford United at home, Millwall will have to navigate the dreaded play-offs to dine at England’s top table for the first time in over two decades. Play-off spots One point could make all the difference in Millwall’s desperate bid to return to the Premier League, as they now must seek promotion through the iconic Wembley play-offs. Beaten FA Cup semi-finalists Southampton pulled off a dominant 3-1 win at Preston North End to end the regular season with an impressive 18-game unbeaten league run.
The Saints emerged victorious from their last appearance in the play-offs, overcoming Leeds United in the 2024 showpiece, and will be determined to replicate that success this time around. However, they’ll face stiff competition from Middlesbrough, whose last Premier League campaign came in 2016/17. Boro had a play-off spot in the bag before the kick-off, yet they threw a spectacle at the Racecourse Ground.
Seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive promotion, Wrexham needed three points against Kim Hellberg’s team, but there was nothing to separate the sides at half-time. One of the most enthralling first halves of the current Championship season ended in a 2-2 draw, but the scoreline didn’t change until the final whistle, crushing Wrexham’s dreams. Meanwhile, Derby County and Hull City were both poised to pounce on the Robins’ potential mistake and secure a sixth and final place in the post-season mix.