Middlesbrough 1-1 Coventry: Coventry City and Sunderland, together with Luton Town and Middlesbrough, will decide who will be promoted to the Premier League. Millwall, Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion snatched a ticket for the play-offs on a blistering final day of the Championship.
Millwall goes wrong: Coventry and Sunderland to Premier League play-offs
In the last round of the Championship, five clubs competed for two tickets for the play-offs. Number five Coventry City had everything in their own hands and in the end a draw at Middlesbrough was enough. Gustavo Hamer took The Sky Blues by the hand by scoring the opening goal. Cameron Archer determined the final score (1-1) just before half-time.
Millwall 3-4 Blackburn Rovers
Number six Millwall was the other team that had placement in their own hands. The Lions, with Zian Flemming in the starting line-up, took on Blackburn Rovers at home. Millwall was halfway through the play-offs with a leg and a half, but completely relinquished it after the break. Thanks to two goals from Brereton Díaz, Rovers won again (3-4) after eight Championship games.
In theory, that could even result in a ticket for the play-offs, but manager Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team was not awarded that. That was because Sunderland made no mistake on a visit to Preston North End (0-3). The Black Cats were promoted to the Championship via the play-offs last season and may try to repeat that trick for a place in the Premier League.
Swansea City 3-2 West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion went to visit Swansea City late down (3-2). WBA were relegated from the Premier League two seasons ago, but can therefore avoid a quick return. Luton Town will play against Sunderland in the semi-finals of the play-offs. The other finalist comes from the diptych between Middlesbrough and Coventry City.
Manager Mark Robins following the result said, “I’m proud of everyone. If you look at the beginning of our season… It took a while to get going. Reaching the playoffs is a phenomenal achievement. There’s only one way to enjoy them and that’s to win them. We still have a few days to think about how to go about it.”
