I was expecting Hull's promotion to be confirmed on Saturday but they surprisingly lost 2-0 at Barnsley. They'd only conceded three goals in the previous six games and a win at Oakwell would have seen a return to the Premier League after three years. They needed that win after Watford had won at Leicester on the Friday.
One of them will go up. Hull currently have a one point lead but play the champions in their last game at home. Like Hull, Watford will play at home against Leeds and, because of a better goal difference, it means a draw would be enough if Hull were to lose. It's still in Hull's own hands though.
The other will be in the play offs with Brighton and two from Crystal Palace, Bolton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester although it isn't possible for the latter two to both make it. They play each other too this Saturday.
The mist is clearing down at the bottom. It's hard to believe that we'd have been right in it, just a point clear of the bottom three, had we lost at Wolves. We relegated Dean Saunders last season when we won at Doncaster and it looks as though we've all but done it again.
They can survive but they would need to win at Brighton while Barnsley and Peterborough both lose. They would also have to turn round the goal difference with Peterborough by five goals or more.
It looks as though they are all but down with one of the other two likely to join them although it is still possible for one of Huddersfield, due to their appalling goal difference, Millwall and Sheffield Wednesday to be relegated.
Blackburn are safe. We will play them again next season in the league. I say safe because the only way they could go down is if Barnsley beat Huddersfield and then Blackburn would need to lose by at least 15 goals against Birmingham.
Not as though it is all sweetness and light down at Ewood where there has been some brilliant news today. The news actually came from the High Court in Manchester where former manager Henning Berg won compensation of £2.25 million against them.
Having stung them for such an amount, Berg said: "The club has always had, and continues to have, a special place in my heart. I was very disappointed to be dismissed after only eight weeks in charge without being able to make the changes I felt were necessary to take the club towards the Barclays Premier League.
"When the club refused to honour its obligations I had no option but to take legal action."
As for our local rivals, they've been labelled a shambles by their own lawyers and I don't think Mrs Desai will be happy with today's news. Meanwhile Shebby is understood to be considering whether to delay his return from India until a decision is made on Derek Shaw's future. The former Preston chairman should be worried.
The league is starting to take some shape for next season. We had already welcomed former manager Eddie Howe when his Bournemouth team went up a week earlier and he's been joined by former Claret Brian Flynn who took Doncaster up after that amazing finish at Brentford.
Another former manager, Steve Cotterill, has been part of the backroom team at QPR. They and Reading were both relegated yesterday. Apparently QPR are already considering Harry Redknapp's future and will make a decision in the next 48 hours.
It will all be decided this Saturday, then it's the play offs, but my overriding thought is still that we have finally got ourselves safe after a worrying last two or three weeks.
The results and stats are below along with the last league fixtures of the season.
The Results Tuesday 23rd April Millwall 1 Blackburn Rovers 2 Friday 26th April Leicester City 1 Watford 2 Saturday 27th April Barnsley 2 Hull City 0 Leeds United 1 Brighton & Hove Albion 2 Blackburn Rovers 1 Crystal Palace 1 Middlesbrough 2 Charlton Athletic 2Blackpool 2 Derby County 1
Millwall 0 Nottingham Forest 1 Bristol City 1 Huddersfield Town 3 Peterborough United 1 Sheffield Wednesday 0 Cardiff City 1 Bolton Wanderers 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 Burnley 2 Ipswich Town 3 Birmingham City 1The Stats Biggest Win Barnsley 2-0 v Hull City (home)Huddersfield Town 3-1 v Bristol City (away)Ipswich Town 3-1 v Birmingham City (home) Total Goals Scored 35 (17 home - 18 away)
Player Scoring Most Goals
3 - James Vaughan (Huddersfield Town) Highest Attendance 26,418 - Cardiff City v Bolton Wanderers Lowest Attendance 8,607 - Millwall v Blackburn Rovers Total Yellow Cards 38 Total Red Cards 4 Most Cards in a Game Millwalll v Blackburn Rovers (6Y) Ref: Gavin WardBlackpool v Derby County (6Y) Ref: Gavin WardLeeds United v Brighton & Hove Albion (3Y 3R) Ref: Graham ScottWolverhampton Wanderers v Burnley (5Y 1R) Ref: Darren SheldrakeLeading Goalscorers (League Only) 29 Glenn Murray (Crystal Palace) - includes 7 penalties 28 Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers) - includes 4 penalties, 2 with Huddersfield Town 25 Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 4 penalties 20 Matej Vydra (Watford) - includes 2 penaltiesChris Wood (Leicester City) - includes 1 penalty, 11 with Millwall 19 Troy Deeney (Watford) - includes 2 penalties 18 Tom Ince (Blackpool) - includes 3 penalties 15 Luciano Becchio (Leeds United) - includes 4 penalties 14 Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - includes 3 penaltiesDavid Nugent (Leicester City) - includes 1 penalty 13 Steven Davies (Bristol City) - includes 2 penaltiesDwight Gayle (Peterborough United)Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 3 penaltiesJames Vaughan (Huddersfield Town) 12 Scott McDonald (Middlesbrough)Jamie Ward (Derby County) - includes 4 penalties 11 Almen Abdi (Watford) - includes 2 penaltiesCraig Davies (Bolton Wanderers) - includes 2 penalties, 8 with BarnsleyChris Eagles (Bolton Wanderers)Johnnie Jackson (Charlton Athletic)Craig Mackail-Smith (Brighton & Hove Albion) - includes 2 penalties
Hat Tricks Date Player & Game 01/09/12 3: Pete Whittingham - CARDIFF CITY v Wolverhampton Wanderers 15/09/12 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Peterborough United 22/09/12 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Cardiff City 22/09/12 4: Craig Davies - Birmingham City v BARNSLEY 23/09/12 3: David Nugent - LEICESTER CITY v Hull City 29/09/12 3: Emile Sinclair - Hull City v PETERBOROUGH UNITED 02/10/12 3: Charlie Austin - BURNLEY v Sheffield Wednesday 23/10/12 3: Marlon King - Millwall v BIRMINGHAM CITY 06/11/12 3: Glenn Murray - CRYSTAL PALACE v Ipswich Town 17/11/12 3: Jordan Rhodes - Peterborough United v BLACKBURN ROVERS 12/01/13 3: Chris Wood - Bristol City v LEICESTER CITY 19/02/13 3: Radoslaw Majewski - NOTTINGHAM FOREST v Huddersfield Town 02/03/13 3: Dwight Gayle - Blackburn Rovers v PETERBOROUGH UNITED 02/03/13 3: Leonardo Ulloa - BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION v Huddersfield Town 05/03/13 3: Kevin Phillips - CRYSTAL PALACE v Hull City 28/04/13 3: James Vaughan - Bristol City v HUDDERSFIELD TOWN
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) Club Y R Y R Club Y R Y R League Total League Total Barnsley 65 3 74 4 Huddersfield Town 89 5 98 5 Birmingham City 63 3 67 3 Hull City 57 1 60 2 Blackburn Rovers 76 1 90 1 Ipswich Town 54 2 57 2 Blackpool 59 3 61 3 Leeds United 69 5 79 5 Bolton Wanderers 82 4 85 4 Leicester City 50 2 54 2 Brighton & Hove Albion 66 4 71 4 Middlesbrough 57 2 67 2 Bristol City 50 0 53 0 Millwall 86 3 101 3 Burnley 88 4 96 5 Nottingham Forest 80 5 80 6 Cardiff City 73 2 76 2 Peterborough United 54 1 57 1 Charlton Athletic 59 2 60 3 Sheffield Wednesday 95 2 101 2 Crystal Palace 61 2 72 2 Watford 74 5 77 5 Derby County 61 3 62 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 63 3 67 3
Highest and Lowest Attendances Highest Lowest Att Fixture Att Fixture 33,010 Derby County v Nottingham Forest (19/01) 5,435 Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/09) 29,697 Sheffield Wednesday v Barnsley (30/03) 5,633 Peterborough United v Blackpool (01/12) 28,707 Nottingham Forest v Derby County (30/09) 5,997 Peterborough Utd v Blackburn Rovers (17/11) 28,595 Wolverhampton W v Ipswich Town (29/12) 6,050 Peterborough Utd v Charlton Athletic (05/03) 28,582 Sheffield Wednesday v Leeds United (19/10) 6,188 Peterborough United v Millwall (21/08) 28,499 Brighton & HA v Crystal Palace (17/03) 6,214 Peterborough United v Hull City (19/01) 28,499 Brighton & HA v Blackpool (20/04) 6,348 Peterborough Utd v Huddersfield Town(23/10) 28,493 Brighton & HA v Leicester City (06/04) 6,600 Peterborough Utd v Bolton Wand (23/12) 28,229 Middlesbrough v Sheffield Wednesday (09/11) 6,612 Peterborough Utd v Middlesbrough (08/12) 28,124 Nottingham Forest v Brighton & Hove A (30/03) 6,648 Peterborough Utd v Burnley (02/02)
The Next Fixtures Tuesday 30th April Millwall v Crystal Palace Saturday 4th May Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers Derby County v Millwall Bolton Wanderers v Blackpool Huddersfield Town v Barnsley Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers Hull City v Cardiff City Burnley v Ipswich Town Nottingham Forest v Leicester City Charlton Athletic v Bristol City Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough Crystal Palace v Peterborough United Watford v Leeds United
Source: Clarets Mad
Source: FOOTYMAD
