July 23 – West Bromwich Albion have won promotion back to the Premier League after a two-year absence, joining Leeds United in the top flight next season in a dramatic, nail-biting finale to the Championship season on Wednesday.
A nerve-shredding draw at home against Queens Park Rangers was just enough in the end to secure automatic promotion but only because Brentford, the surprise package of tier 2 this season, surprisingly lost at home to struggling Barnsley whose victory staved off relegation.
A win for Brentford would have sent them into the top division for the first time since 1947 but instead they go into the playoffs along with Fulham, Cardiff and, remarkably, Swansea City who managed to overturn a massive swing in goal difference to edge out former European champions Nottingham Forest for the final playoff place.
At the bottom, Hull City and Charlton were relegated to League One along with Wigan Athletic, who have been making headlines over the last few weeks after being plunged into administration and incurring a 12-point penalty without which they would have finished in a respectable mid-table position.
Wigan’s hopes now rest with their appeal against the points deduction which is due to take place on July 31. Their argument is that no-one could have foreseen that the club’s Hong Kong owner Au Yeung Wai Kay was going to pull the plug on funding.
Meanwhile Leeds, who had already secured their return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, rounded off their campaign with a 4-0 win over Charlton.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714033660labto1714033660ofdlr1714033660owedi1714033660sni@w1714033660ahsra1714033660w.wer1714033660dna1714033660