Goodbye Championship - It Was Nice Knowing You (Or Was It?)

Last updated : 03 May 2010 By Footy Mad - Editor

CHAMPIONSHIP

Sheff Wed 2 Crystal Palace 2
Blackpool 1 Bristol City 1
Swansea 0 Doncaster 0
QPR 0 Newcastle 1
West Brom 1 Barnsley 1
Scunthorpe 2 Nott'm Forest 2
Derby 2 Cardiff 0
Leicester 2 Middlesbrough 0
Ipswich 0 Sheffield United 3
Reading 4 Preston 1
Coventry 0 Watford 4
Plymouth 1 Peterborough 2

Was relegation a good thing?

Did it give us the chance to rid ourselves of the deadwood, and give us a season to rebuild?

Or was it a wasted season?

YOU tell us on our message bboard.

Sheffield Wednesday were relegated from the Championship on Sunday after a dramatic match at Hillsborough against Crystal Palace.

Only victory over the visitors would ensure survival, but they could only manage a 2-2 draw.

Alan Lee put Palace ahead in the first half, only for Leon Clarke to level matters just before the break. Palace went ahead again thanks to a second half Darren Ambrose goal, but the Owls fought back with a Darren Purse shot with just three minutes of normal time remaining.

Five minutes of injury time ensured a nervous end to the game but Palace, who had 10 points deducted this season for going into administration, managed to hang on.

At the other end of the table Blackpool celebrated securing a play-off place with a 1-1 draw at home to Bristol City.

Nicky Maynard gave City a surprise first-half lead with a wonderful opportunist strike, but Brett Ormerod levelled nine minutes after the break to earn the hosts a share of the spoils.

That draw meant a victory for Swansea over Doncaster at the Liberty Stadium would mean the Welsh side made the play-offs at the Seasiders' expense.

But they could only manage a goalless draw and to make matters worse had a Lee Trundle strike disallowed in the final seconds.

West Brom - already guaranteed second place and like Newcastle a quick return to the Premier League - scored a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Barnsley.

Hugo Colace put the visitors in front with an hour on the clock, but West Brom's player of the season Graham Dorrans popped up with a stoppage-time equaliser.

Nottingham Forest ended the season third in the table with a 2-2 draw at Scunthorpe.

They looked on course for an easy victory thanks to two first half goals from Joe Garner and George Boyd. However, the home side hit back after the break with a Niall Canavan goal and a superb Garry Thompson 25-yard strike late on.

Forest will take on Blackpool in the play-offs, while Leicester will meet Cardiff.

Leicester will go into the game on a five-game winning streak after beating Middlesbrough 2-0.

Yann Kermorgant's wonder goal shortly before half-time set the Foxes on their way, before Richie Wellens rounded things off with a penalty on his 400th career appearance. Boro had keeper Brad Jones was sent off for bringing down Lloyd Dyer for the penalty.

Cardiff, however, will have to pick themselves up for the match after a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Derby. Jay McEveley and David Martin scored the goals in the second half.

Sheffield United made the trip to Ipswich and brushed them aside 3-0. Mark Yeates scored in the first half and created another two in the second period for Ched Evans and Richard Cresswell.

Reading also ran out easy winners with a 4-1 success at home to Preston. Jimmy Kebe, Jobi McAnuff, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Simon Church netted for the home team with Ross Wallace scoring a spectacular consolation goal.

Watford also scored four in their 4-1 victory at Coventry. Danny Graham struck either side of a goal from Henri Lansbury before substitute Marvin Sordell put the seal on an easy win for Malky Mackay's men.

Bottom side Peterborough ended their terrible season with a victory, beating hosts Plymouth 2-1. Bradley Wright-Phillips gave Plymouth the lead but Craig Mackail-Smith grabbed a quick second-half brace for the visitors.