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Key events
NO GOAL! Millwall 1-0 Blackburn
Bradshaw went too early and was offside.
GOAL! Millwall 2-0 Blackburn (Bradshaw 11)
A brilliant free-kick curled onto the post and Bradshaw sticks away the rebound!
“Regarding Millwall,” says Bogdan Kotarlic, “I know that they think nobody likes them (according to one of their chants) but I, although not being a fan of their club, have a soft spot for that team, I actually quite like them. I don’t know why, maybe because of their beautiful kit (my favourite colour is dark blue), and I hope they play in the Premier League next season.”
I’d like them up too as I fancy Millwall away, but EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF!
GREAT GOAL! Millwall 1-0 Blackburn (Watmore 8)
Another long throw, a flick, a bobble …then Watmore lashes a shot that shrieks into the roof! Millwall have earned that, and look good for the playoffs now!
On which point, the cameras at the Cottage are far too high.
At Craven Cottage, Richard Hirst’s Fulham have started the better against Leicester, who look to be working their way into things.
Zack Steffen has made a good save for Boro against Cov and, while we’re here, what a job Michael Carrick has done. I’m not entirely surprised – he played like someone who knew the game and observed some decent managers, but I wasn’t certain he’d have the communication skills.
Gosh, everyone in the Blackburn defence misses a long throw and Bradshaw, arriving on time, narrowly misses knocking it home. It’s going on!
Millwall have started well against Blackburn, Burke having a shot blocked.
Away we go!
We’re getting anthems for the coronation.
“Never have the words ‘lost three straight’ concealed so much,” gently chides Richard Hirst. “One-goal defeats to Villa, Man City and Liverpool, with the latter two hanging on at the end (two City players booked for timewasting). I don’t think Marco Silva has received the credit he deserves this season. No one was forecasting that Fulham would have done as well as we have this season – and with seven or eight of the Championship side in the team most weeks, especially since most of those players had experienced two relegations from the Premier League. PS Last match of the season at Old Trafford; revenge for the FA Cup defeat and keep Man Utd out of the Champions League – sweet dreams are made of this!”
Ha! As we slunk out of the London Abomination Stadium last evening, I said to one of my mates that at this point I’d take a win on the last day to secure top-four – but real talk, I can barely be bothered to care about that given the prospect of losing a derby Cup final in humiliating circumstances, as part of a treble. Otherwise, though, I agree: Silva has done an incredible job. I’d assumed Fulham – and Bournemouth for that matter – would go straight back down again.
I guess I’m going to watch, or at least start watching Millwall v Blackburn. I can’t lie, I’m keen to watch Preston v Sunderland to see how Amad Diallo does – he’s a lovely footballer, so I hope he’s got the physicality to play in the Premier League.
Tangentially, what a job Mark Robins has done at Coventry. He’s remembered for the goal at Forest when it looked like Fergie might get sacked if they lost, but don’t forget he also scored the semi-final winner that took them to Wembley that season.
Someone told me this morning that Alex Ferguson retired 10 years ago today, so while we wait for our next dose of football, here are my thoughts from that day.
Northampton’s winner was a bit of alright. Sam Hoskins, take a boo!
League Two: final standings
League Two results: final day
Barrow 0-1 Stevenage
Bradford City 1-1 Leyton Orient
Colchester 0-2 Mansfield Town
Grimsby Town 1-0 AFC Wimbledon
Harrogate Town 1-1 Rochdale
Newport County 2-2 Crewe Alexandra
Salford City 0-1 Gillingham
Stockport County 1-1 Hartlepool
Sutton United 1-1 Carlisle
Swindon Town 2-1 Crawley Town
Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Northampton Town
Walsall 2-1 Doncaster Rovers
Email! “The team I’ve always supported,” says Jonny Mills in Brescia, “didn’t used to begin and end with the same letter, but since I’ve been living in Italy it does…
L’Arsenal. Boom boom.”
L’thearsenal, you mean.
Full time: Colchester 0-2 Mansfield Town
Mansfield, who knocked Northampton out of those playoffs before losing in the final, miss out again – and by the barest of margins, one measly goal. Salford, who lost today, scrape in.
Full time: Tranmere Rovers 0-1 Northampton Town
Northampton are up! They lost in the playoffs last term but they’re there now, and their fans invade the pitch, players hoisted onto shoulders. Beautiful.
GOAL! Colchester 0-2 Mansfield Town (Gale 90+7)
We’re into the eighth minute of injury-time; can Mansfield find the goal they need to eject Salford from the playoffs?!
A few fans from the away end invade the pitch and are summarily ordered back into it by Jon Brady, the Northampton manager.
Northampton Town are promoted to League One!
Stockport and Hartlepool have drawn 1-1, so they can’t be caught even if they lose.
Full time: Salford City 0-1 Gillingham
Mansfield need to score twice in whatever’s left of added time to rob the Ammies of a playoff place.
Drama! Stockport have just had a penalty saved, and there are cheers and singing from the Prenton Park away end. The Cobblers are almost there…
Premier League team news:
Fulham: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Reed, Palhinha; Wilson, Cairney, Willian; Vinicius. Subs: Rodak, Duffy, Kebano, Solomon, Cedric, Decordova-Reid, Lukic, Harris, Dibley-Dias.
Leicester City: Iversen; Castagne, Faes, Soyuncu, Kristiansen; Tielemans, Soumare, Praet; Maddison, Vardy, Barnes. Subs: Ward, Evans, Souttar, Daka, Pereira, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndidi, Thomas, Tete.
So Fulham bring in Tete and Reed for Soares and Lukic; Leicester replace Thomas and Ndidi with Kristiansen and Praet, while Evnas is back on the bench after injury.
Colchester v Mansfield is into injury-time and it’s still 0-1; the Stags are running out of time, because Salford v Gillingham is nearly finished too.
GOAL! Salford City 0-1 Gillingham (Alexander pen 84)
Now then. Goal-difference swing of two now required, though Mansfield need to hit the net at least once to avoid losing out on goals scored.
Tranmere are doing their best for Stockport, but Northampton, resplendent in pink, and hanging on and Bowie, their centre-forward, has just leathered a vicious shot over the bar.
Otherwise, Stockport, Carlisle, Salford and Bradford started the day in the playoff places with only Mansfield able to challenge; they need a win at Colchester and for Bradford or Salford to lose, along with a goal-difference swing of three or four respectively. Currently, Mansfield are a goal up while Bradford are, as discussed, level with Orient while Salford v Gillingham is goalless.
However, even if Northampton concede and draw, they’ll have to settle for the playoffs only if Stockport beat Hartlepool, and it’s currently 1-1 with roughly 15 minutes to go.
Northampton Town – one of few clubs whose name begins and ends with the same letter, feel free to send in the others – lead Tranmere 1-0. If they hang on, they’ll be promoted along with Orient, level at 1-1 with Bradford, and Stevenage, 1-0 up at Barrow.
But even before we get involved with all of that, we’ve 20 minutes and change left of the League Two season, so:
Preamble
Once upon a time, bank holiday football was a tradition, the time of year when key developments took place at both ends of our various tables; it’s funny, the nonsense for which we can become nostalgic. Well, because of this year’s addition to our day-off calendar, we’ve all sorts going on with plenty up for grabs, so let’s wade in.
In the Premier League, relegation will now befall three from five. Southampton, five points adrift, look done for, but above them Everton have 29 points and Forest, Leeds and Leicester 30, so which two go down is impossible to say. Leicester, though, are the “form” team with a win and two draws from their last three games, plus they also have better players than their rivals, so will fancy themselves to do enough – especially given Fulham, to whom they travel this afternoon, are nicely ensconced in 10th and have lost three straight.
But that is not our sole focus. Championship promotion – Burnley and Sheffield United – and relegation – Reading, Blackpool, Wigan – is settled, likewise two playoff spots – Luton and Boro – but the final two berths remain in play. Coventry and Millwall currently sit fifth and sixth respectively, the former needing a point at fourth-placed Boro and the latter a win at home to ninth-placed Blackburn; should either fail, Sunderland will move above whichever it is with a win at Preston, while West Brom and the aforementioned Blackburn are also in the mix – which is where it gets complicated, so:
Blackburn must beat Millwall and if they do, they will make the playoffs provided Sunderland and West Brom do not win at Swansea. West Brom, meanwhile must first win at Swansea, then hope for at least two of the following three things: Coventry lose and there’s a goal-difference swing of five; Millwall lose or draw; Sunderland lose or draw. Capiche? Excellent. This is going to be fun.
Kick-offs/kicks-off: 3pm BST
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