The big story is Ipswich’s return to the top flight after a 22-year absence. Back-to-back promotions in his first two seasons as a manager; that Kieran McKenna’s not half bad, eh? There’s also the matter of the two sensational Sammie Szmodics solo goals that indirectly condemned Birmingham City to League One. But amid all the drama, it’s easy to forget that Leicester City are the actual champions of the division, so let’s finish with a picture of the Foxes raising the famous old trophy as they return to the Premier League at the first attempt. Congratulations to them, and to Ipswich; good luck to Leeds, Southampton, West Brom and Norwich in the play-offs, and commiserations to Huddersfield and Birmingham, whose relegations were confirmed this afternoon. Thanks for reading this Clockwatch! Saints will however be going into those play-offs in a better frame of mind than Leeds. Today’s result at Elland Road will see to that. Louise Taylor witnessed it, and here’s her report. Play-off details Got to say, none of these teams are heading into the play-offs in particularly good form. Leeds ended the season losing three of their last four, Saints were on a three-game losing streak before winning today at Leeds, ditto West Brom before today’s victory over Preston, and Norwich drew two and lost one of their last three. Good luck, everyone! Sunday 12 May Norwich City v Leeds United (12pm) West Bromwich Albion v Southampton (2.15pm) Thursday 16 May Leeds United v Norwich City (8pm) Friday 17 May Southampton v West Bromwich Albion (8pm) Sunday 26 May The final At the other end of the table, it was misery for Birmingham. Ben Fisher was on point, and here’s his verdict. Jonathan Liew was at Portman Road. He’s filed his report, presumably from the middle of a blue pyro party. Here it is! Kieran McKenna, who has taken Ipswich Town from League One to the Premier League in short order, speaks to Sky Sports. “It means a lot … mostly seeing how much it means to everyone, the players, the supporters … to be one of the leaders of that is absolutely massive … it’s a wonderful day, I’m very, very proud of everyone involved … we’ve delivered a really good performance … it’s what we’ve done all year … it’s served us well … it’s an incredible amount of effort … I’m sure it’ll sink in in a couple of days … there’s a lot of work to do … it’ll start in a couple of days time … [the Premier League] will be a great challenge and one that I’m really looking forward to.” It’s then pointed out to him that Alf Ramsey took Ipswich from the third tier to the top, and won the title in their first season (1961-62). When will history stop repeating itself? “I think with that one,” McKenna laughs. The Championship 2023-24 Champions: Leicester City Promoted: Ipswich Town Play-offs: Leeds United, Southampton, West Bromwich Albion, Norwich City Relegated: Birmingham City, Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United Full-time scores Ipswich are automatically promoted. West Brom and Norwich secure their play-off spots. Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday and Plymouth save themselves, sending Birmingham down. Birmingham City 1-0 Norwich City Coventry City 1-2 Queens Park Rangers Ipswich Town 2-0 Huddersfield Town Leeds United 1-2 Southampton Leicester City 0-2 Blackburn Rovers Middlesbrough 3-1 Watford Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Hull City Rotherham United 5-2 Cardiff City Stoke City 4-0 Bristol City Sunderland 0-2 Sheffied Wednesday Swansea City 0-1 Millwall West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Preston North End BLUES RELEGATED: Birmingham 1-0 Norwich A good performance by Blues. Too little, too late. They’re down. Replacing John Eustace with Wayne Rooney wasn’t the greatest idea. PLYMOUTH SURVIVE! Plymouth 1-0 Hull The Green Army are safe! That result, coupled with … FULL TIME: Sunderland 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday … condemns Birmingham to League One. BLACKBURN SURVIVE! Leicester 0-2 Blackburn What a solo show by Sammie Szmodics! IPSWICH PROMOTED! Ipswich 2-0 Huddersfield The whistle goes at Portman Road! On come the fans! Blue smoke! Ipswich are up! Huddersfield’s relegation is rubber-stamped. GOAL! Leicester 0-2 Blackburn (Szmodics 90+4) Another entertaining solo run by Sammie Szmodics, and Blackburn’s Championship status is secure! Leicester were on the attack, but it broke down and Szmodics romped from inside his own half, rounded the keeper on the halfway line (!) and celebrated before rolling home. He’s kept Rovers up all by himself! Ipswich 2-0 Huddersfield. Ipswich are in party mode all right, so much so that they’ve just hooked keeper Václav Hladký and sent on Christian Walton, just because they can. RED CARD! Japhet Tanganga (Millwall). RED CARD! Jerry Yates (Swansea). An exchange of views and hands. As it stands, Plymouth are staying up by the skin of their teeth. Can they hold on against Hull? Can Hull do Birmingham a solid? We’ll find out soon enough. Plymouth 1-0 Hull. With Birmingham and Blackburn leading, the nerves are jangling in Devon. Should Hull equalise, it’ll be the Pilgrims going down. Meanwhile … GOAL! Middlesbrough 3-1 Watford (Jones 84). GOAL! Coventry 1-2 QPR (Allen 83). Leicester 0-1 Blackburn. Harry Winks pings a shot off the top of the crossbar from 12 yards. Rovers staying up as things stand. GOAL! Middlesbrough 2-1 Watford (Bangura 78). Boro regain the lead at the Riverside. GOAL! WBA 3-0 Preston (Furlong 68) West Brom tearing clear down the final Furlong. The play-offs certain now. Meanwhile … GOAL! Swansea 0-1 Millwall (de Norre 72). GOAL! Middlesbrough 1-1 Watford (Hoedt 73). GOAL! Rotherham 5-2 Cardiff (Hugill 69). Leicester 0-1 Blackburn. That was an outrageously good solo goal by Szmodics. He spun away from and clear of the last man in his own half, making it all the way down the flank and into the box before bobbling a low diagonal shot home. What a way to ensure survival, if that’s how things pan out! GOAL! Leicester 0-1 Blackburn (Szmodics 68) With Birmingham winning, a goal for Leicester would put Blackburn in the relegation places. Sammie Szmodics responds by barrelling down the left flank, cutting into the box, and threading a shot across the keeper and into the bottom right! Rovers on the way to saving themselves! GOAL! Rotherham 4-2 Cardiff (Nombe 63). League One watch out! GOAL! WBA 2-0 Preston (Bartley 61) A long throw from the right. Kyle Bartley wins a header, sending the ball looping on an absurdly high arc, and back down into the top-right corner. West Brom almost certain of the play-offs now! GOAL! Rotherham 3-2 Cardiff (Eaves 57 pen). Rotherham signing off in style. GOAL! Birmingham City 1-0 Norwich City (Paik 55) Hope for Birmingham! Anderson cuts in from the left. He shoots. The ball deflects, pinballs and bobbles. Paik pokes home at the far stick. Well, well, well. Now, should Leicester score against Blackburn … The Championship first halves started slowly. History repeating itself, right now. GOAL! Rotherham 2-2 Cardiff (Tanner 47). GOAL! Stoke 4-0 Bristol City (Manhoef 49). The goals raining in at the New York and Bet365 stadiums. GOAL! Ipswich 2-0 Huddersfield (Hutchinson 48) The Tractor Boys are surely truckin’ towards the Premier League! Omari Hutchinson turns into space, dribbles down the middle of the park, and threads a shot into the bottom left from distance! Portman Road erupts! The final 45 minutes of the 2023-24 Championship season, then. Coming right up! Half-time entertainment. The Championship isn’t the only show in town this lunchtime. The snooker is on as well. All the latest from the Crucible is just a click away. Half-time scores Birmingham City 0-0 Norwich City Coventry City 0-2 Queens Park Rangers Ipswich Town 1-0 Huddersfield Town Leeds United 1-2 Southampton Leicester City 0-0 Blackburn Rovers Middlesbrough 1-0 Watford Plymouth Argyle 1-0 Hull City Rotherham United 2-1 Cardiff City Stoke City 3-0 Bristol City Sunderland 0-2 Sheffied Wednesday Swansea City 0-0 Millwall West Bromwich Albion 1-0 Preston North End As it stands, Ipswich are going up, West Brom and Norwich have secured their play-off spots, and Huddersfield and Birmingham are going down. GOAL! WBA 1-0 Preston (Mowatt 45+2 pen) The in-flight Furlong is upended in the box, and Mowatt converts the resulting penalty kick. The Baggies are heading for the play-offs. GOAL! Stoke 3-0 Bristol City (Manhoef 45+2). GOAL! Rotherham 2-1 Cardiff (Eaves 45+2). Stoke are finishing strongly all right. Already-relegated Rotherham too. GOAL! Stoke 2-0 Bristol City (Campbell 45). Stoke are safe, whatever happens. They’re finishing their season strongly, Tyrese Campbell scoring a second. GOAL! Plymouth 1-0 Hull (Edwards 40) Joe Edwards gives Argyle the lead at Home Park. A cross from the left and a power header at the far stick. A huge step towards safety! Elsewhere … GOAL! Rotherham 1-1 Cardiff (Phillips 38) GOAL! Coventry 0-2 QPR (Fox 40) GOAL! Sunderland 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday (Windass 38) The Owls are surely staying up. What a job Danny Röhl has done. The Steel City derby next year is on! Birmingham 0-0 Norwich. The game at St Andrews restarted in short order after that medical emergency in the crowd, by the way. Wishes and prayers to whoever was affected. GOAL! Leeds 1-2 Southampton (Smallbone 35) Kyle Walker-Peters, romping down the right, keeps a ball he had no right to reach in play, then tees up Will Smallbone to put Saints back in the lead. It’s all going wrong for Leeds, whose faint hopes of automatic promotion look kaput. Ipswich are going up! GOAL! Coventry 0-1 QPR (Chair 33). Ilias Char gives the Rs the lead against the moral FA Cup finalists. An absolute pearler from distance curled into the top right past a static keeper. GOAL! Middlesbrough 1-0 Watford (Latte Lath 28). A 17th goal of the season for Emmanuel Latte Lath. GOAL! Sunderland 0-1 Sheffield Wednesday (Palmer 29) Wednesday have hit form at the right time to wriggle out of relegation bother. Liam Palmer slams home and the great escape looks on! GOAL! Ipswich 1-0 Huddersfield (Burns 27) Wes Burns goes clean through … but drags his shot wide left. No matter, though, because soon after, the ball’s rolled down the inside-right channel, and he hammers this chance into the bottom right! Portman Road en fête! Ipswich are going up! GOAL! Stoke City 1-0 Bristol City (Cundle 25). GOAL! Rotherham 1-0 Cardiff (Hugill 25). Some goals today matter more than others. But a valedictory win for Rotherham would be nice as they contemplate League One football next season. Birmingham 0-0 Norwich. A pause in play at St Andrews with a medical emergency in the crowd. Ben Fisher reports: “Norwich’s medical team have ran across the pitch and jumped over the advertising hoardings to attend to a supporter.” GOAL! Leeds United 1-1 Southampton (Piroe 21) So much for Southampton’s dream of avenging that 7-0 defeat. Joel Piroe pope up with an equaliser in short order. A murmur of displeasure at Portman Road, where nobody’s taking Ipswich’s automatic promotion for granted just yet. Birmingham 0-0 Norwich. More hot Ben Fisher action for you lucky people. He’s at St Andrews today, as the home side battle to avoid the drop, and here’s his capsule review so far: “Birmingham feeling jittery. Not a lot else to report.” GOAL! Leeds United 0-1 Southampton (A Armstrong 18) Leeds fail to clear a corner. Adams drives down the left and crosses low. Adam Armstrong arrives at the far stick and bashes home. Payback for 1972 begins here? Still no Championship goals. Blimey. Thank the soccer gods for Ben Fisher! Get your Football League fix here. Ipswich 0-0 Huddersfield. Ipswich should be leading. Hirst heads wide left from close range. A big miss. Still, a point’s enough, and the Tractor Boys are going up as things stand. In lieu of no Championship goals, here’s what happened in the Scottish version last night. “The final round of fixtures in the Scottish Championship took place last night and, after the pain of relegation last season, Dundee United celebrated an immediate return to the Scottish Premiership with a 4-1 win against Partick Thistle at Tannadice,” reports Simon McMahon. “United ended the season on 75 points with a goal difference of plus 50, having conceded just 23 goals in 36 games, the fewest in all eight divisions across Scotland and England. Raith, Partick and Airdrieonians will now fight it out amongst themselves to see who will likely take on either St. Johnstone or Ross County in the play-offs. Big Dunc’s Inverness ended up in the relegation play off spot despite finishing only three points behind fifth place Morton. Gotta love the Championship, in England and Scotland.” Ipswich 0-0 Huddersfield. Ipswich have started on the front foot as well. Tuanzebe lashes a fierce low drive into the right-hand side netting from distance. But there are no early goals in the Championship. Birmingham 0-0 Norwich. The home side have started in lively fashion. Miyoshi has a dig from distance. Gunn behind it all the way. Leeds 0-0 Southampton. “I’m not sure a season where Leeds missed out on the title on the final day is the best memory to cheer Leeds fans up!” writes Adam Becker. Yes, good point, though you get the general gist, and in any case, this is Don Revie’s Leeds we’re talking about, last-gasp misery is baked in and taken for granted. Here we go, then. Good luck everyone! For any Leeds fans now thoroughly depressed … here’s a little something from the vault to cheer you up. If Leeds get a point today, they’ll have notched the highest points total in history (91) without winning automatic promotion to the top tier. The top of the list since three points for a win was introduced in 1981 currently looks like this … 90: Sunderland (1997-98) 89: Brighton (2015-16) 88: Fulham (2017-18), Charlton (1997-98), Portsmouth (1992-93) … and Leeds may not be happy to hear that of those sides, only Fulham and Charlton subsequently went up through the play-offs. Leeds boss Daniel Farke talks to Sky Sports. “Regardless of the situation we play against a side in position four in the table …. one of the strongest opponents you can have … so we have to be switched on … we have to concentrate on our game … we have to show a really good performance … it is not in our hands any more … we want to give ourselves a chance to be there if there is a surprise … it is important in our last home game to deliver a good result if it goes to the play-offs … we are highly motivated.” The teams Birmingham City: Ruddy, Laird, Bielik, Sanderson, Buchanan, Sunjic, Paik, Miyoshi, Anderson, James, Stansfield. Subs: Etheridge, Marc Roberts, Bacuna, Tyler Roberts, Jutkiewicz, Drameh, Dembele, Pritchard, Hall. Norwich City: Gunn, Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, McCallum, Nunez, McLean, Sorensen, Gabriel Sara, Sainz, Sargent. Subs: Hanley, Long, van Hooijdonk, Batth, Rowe, Giannoulis, Fisher, Welch, Aboh. Coventry City: Collins, van Ewijk, Thomas, Binks, Bidwell, Eccles, Kelly, Sheaf, Wright, O’Hare, Simms. Subs: Dasilva, Allen, Wilson, Godden, Overgaard, Lusala, Palmer, Andrews, Dausch. Queens Park Rangers: Walsh, Cannon, Cook, Fox, Paal, Hayden, Dixon-Bonner, Willock, Andersen, Chair, Dykes. Subs: Dunne, Colback, Clarke-Salter, Field, Smyth, Larkeche, Armstrong, Adomah, Salamon. Ipswich Town: Hladky, Tuanzebe, Woolfenden, Burgess, Davis, Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Giraud-Hutchinson, Hirst. Subs: Walton, Clarke, Edmundson, Taylor, Jackson, Sarmiento, Moore, Travis, Broadhead. Huddersfield Town: Maxwell, Pearson, Helik, Jackson, Turton, Wiles, Rudoni, Kasumu, Edwards, Ward, Healey. Subs: Nicholls, Radulovic, Koroma, Spencer, Matos, Jones, Iorpenda, Bellagambi, Eccleston. Leeds United: Meslier, Byram, Rodon, Ampadu, Firpo, Gruev, Kamara, Gnonto, Rutter, Summerville, Piroe. Subs: Cresswell, Cooper, Anthony, Shackleton, Gray, Darlow, Gelhardt, Roberts, Fernandez. Southampton: McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bednarek, Smallbone, Downes, Manning, Adams, Adam Armstrong, Aribo. Subs: Stewart, Lumley, Bree, Rothwell, Sulemana, Edozie, Charles, Fraser, Brooks. Leicester City: Hermansen, Ricardo Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin, Ndidi, Winks, Choudhury, Fatawu, Vardy, Mavididi. Subs: Coady, Doyle, Albrighton, Iheanacho, Daka, Praet, Akgun, McAteer, Stolarczyk. Blackburn Rovers: Pears, Carter, McFadzean, Chrisene, Brittain, Tronstad, Rankin-Costello, Pickering, Szmodics, Gallagher, Dolan. Subs: O’Riordan, Wahlstedt, Koumetio, Buckley, Moran, Garrett, Tyjon, Telalovic, Ayari. Middlesbrough: Dieng, Ayling, van den Berg, Clarke, Thomas, Howson, McCabe, Isaiah Jones, Azaz, Gilbert, Latte Lath. Subs: Barlaser, Dijksteel, Silvera, Coburn, Bangura, O’Brien, Greenwood, Connor, Wilson. Watford: Bachmann, Sierralta, Pollock, Hoedt, Sema, Kone, Kayembe, Andrews, Bayo, Rajovic, Asprilla. Subs: Livermore, Hamer, Matheus Martins, Morris, Eames, Massiah-Edwards, Grieves, Nabizada, Ramirez-Espain. Plymouth Argyle: Cooper, Phillips, Scarr, Gibson, Mumba, Randell, Edwards, Devine, Whittaker, Bundu, Hardie. Subs: Houghton, Pleguezuelo, Wright, Hazard, Galloway, Waine, Forshaw, Sorinola, Issaka. Hull City: Allsop, Slater, Jones, Greaves, Jacob, Morton, Seri, Delap, Carvalho, Philogene-Bidace, Tufan. Subs: Ingram, Lewie Coyle, Giles, McLoughlin, Docherty, Ohio, Traore, Sharp, Omur. Rotherham United: Phillips, Revan, Peltier, Humphreys, Bramall, Nombe, Odofin, Rathbone, Appiah, Hugill, Eaves. Subs: Johansson, Ferguson, Hall, Seriki, Hatton. Cardiff City: Horvath, Romeo, Phillips, Goutas, Tanner, Siopis, Wintle, Bowler, Turnbull, Ashford, Diedhiou. Subs: McGuinness, O’Dowda, Sawyers, Rubin Colwill, Joel Colwill, Conte, Turner, Antwi, Mafico. Stoke City: Iversen, Hoever, Wilmot, McNally, Stevens, Laurent, Thompson, Manhoef, Cundle, Bae, Campbell. Subs: Gooch, Rose, Burger, Andre Vidigal, Bonham, Tchamadeu, Leris, Sidibe, Lowe. Bristol City: O’Leary, Tanner, Dickie, Roberts, McCrorie, Knight, Williams, Sykes, Mehmeti, Conway, Twine. Subs: Cornick, King, Wells, Gardner-Hickman, Bajic, Vyner, Knight-Lebel, Morrison, Mebude. Sunderland: Bishop, O’Nien, Ballard, Alese, Hume, Ekwah, Bellingham, Styles, Roberts, Clarke, Aouchiche. Subs: Patterson, Evans, Pembele, Semedo, Mundle, Ba, Rigg, Watson, Dack. Sheffield Wednesday: Beadle, Palmer, Iorfa, Bernard, Valentin, Vaulks, Bannan, Johnson, Musaba, Windass, Ugbo. Subs: Dawson, Bambo Diaby, Paterson, Ihiekwe, Famewo, Smith, Gassama, Cadamarteri, Mohamed Diaby. Swansea City: Rushworth, Key, Cabango, Humphreys, Tymon, Patino, Grimes, Ronald, Cooper, Paterson, Cullen. Subs: Fisher, Yates, Lowe, Kukharevych, Wood-Gordon, Walsh, Govea, Abdulai, Lissah. Millwall: Sarkic, Leonard, Tanganga, Cooper, McNamara, Longman, Mitchell, De Norre, Esse, Bradshaw, Flemming. Subs: Hutchinson, Mayor, Norton-Cuffy, Watmore, Emakhu, Saville, Trueman, Honeyman, Harding. West Bromwich Albion: Palmer, Furlong, Bartley, Kipre, Townsend, Mowatt, Yokuslu, Fellows, Diangana, Johnston, Thomas-Asante. Subs: Ajayi, Wallace, Maja, Phillips, Chalobah, Swift, Reach, M’Vila, Griffiths. Preston North End: Woodman, Hughes, Lindsay, Whatmough, Storey, Browne, Holmes, Millar, Frokjaer-Jensen, Jakobsen, Keane. Subs: Evans, Brady, Stewart, Cornell, Osmajic, Theo Mawene, Best, Noah Mawene, Seary. Ipswich shirt sponsor and mathematics-obsessed tunesmith Ed Sheeran, speaking to Sky from the Miami Grand Prix, has been working out the permutations and has concerns. “I don’t wanna do play-offs because what’s gonna happen is we’ll get to the end of the play-offs and it’ll be Ipswich-Norwich and Norwich will knock us out.” Ipswich Town are going to be the story today, one way or another, and here’s their boss Kieran McKenna talking to Sky as anticipation crackles around Portman Road. “We’ve followed a process … now we’ve got to play a football match … we know we’ve got a competitive match ahead of us … it’s great to be in this position … they’ve come a long way individually and as a team and it’s about trying to take that next step today.” Preamble and permutations A dramatic denouement to a wonderful season of the Championship awaits! A few things we know about already, but so many other questions are still searching for an answer. Leicester City are champions, but will Ipswich or Leeds United secure the other automatic promotion spot? The Tractor Boys just need a point against Huddersfield, but should they lose and Leeds beat Saints, Daniel Farke’s side will finish second on goal difference. Ipswich and Leeds are at least guaranteed a play-off spot, while Southampton are definitely in the play-offs too. Norwich are all but in: they only way they can miss out is if they lose at Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion avoid losing at home to Preston, and Hull City win at Plymouth while overturning a seven-goal deficit with the Canaries. West Brom currently occupy the fourth and final play-off spot. They’ll secure it should they beat Preston at the Hawthorns, though a draw will probably do, as their goal difference is superior to the only team that can catch them, Hull, by 11 goals. Hull will snatch that final spot however if the Baggies lose and Hull win at relegation-haunted Plymouth. To the bottom of the division, then, where Rotherham’s fate has long been sealed. Huddersfield are also as good as gone: to survive, they need to win at promotion-chasing Ipswich and hope Plymouth lose at home to Hull while making up a goal-difference deficit of 15. Birmingham are in serious bother as well. Lose at home to Norwich and they’re down. They need to beat the Canaries and hope Plymouth fail to take all three points against Hull, in which case Argyle will be relegated instead. A draw may be enough though the Pilgrims would have to lose their match by at least five goals. Penny for Plymouth’s thoughts should they go down: they’ve not been in the relegation places all season. They’re guaranteed survival if they win. Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn are also not yet safe. Wednesday will go down if they lose at Sunderland and both Birmingham and Plymouth win; Blackburn are for the off if they lose at champions Leicester, Birmingham and Plymouth win, and Wednesday avoid defeat. Both Wednesday and Blackburn are fine if they win their matches. Elation, relief, disappointment and heartbreak guaranteed! It all kicks off at 12.30pm BST. It’s on! Birmingham City v Norwich City Coventry City v Queens Park Rangers Ipswich Town v Huddersfield Town Leeds United v Southampton Leicester City v Blackburn Rovers Middlesbrough v Watford Plymouth Argyle v Hull City Rotherham United v Cardiff City Stoke City v Bristol City Sunderland v Sheffied Wednesday Swansea City v Millwall West Bromwich Albion v Preston North End