He scored the winning goal for Middlesbrough in their televised game against Southampton on Saturday. Had he not scored that goal, and had the game ended 1-1, there would have been nothing left to play for and both the BBC and Sky would have been scratching their heads at what to show on Saturday.
As it happens, that goal has kept things going. With a 1-1 draw the whole season would have been over with on Saturday night. Reading and Southampton would have been promoted, West Ham, Blackpool, Birmingham and Cardiff would have been in the play offs with Portsmouth and Coventry joining Doncaster through the trap door into League One.
But that goal, whilst ensuring Reading were champions, allowed West Ham the opportunity to fight Southampton for second place and left Middlesbrough still in with a chance of making the play offs.
The television companies have therefore gone for the Southampton and West Ham games, and if Southampton beat Coventry they go up, if they draw then they will go up unless West Ham beat defensive experts Hull by four goals or more.
It's looking like Southampton with West Ham in the play offs with Blackpool and Birmingham. They will be joined by Cardiff if the Welsh club avoid defeat at Crystal Palace but should they lose and Middlesbrough win at Watford then the Teesside club will take the last play off place.
Down at the bottom it's all over. Portsmouth and Coventry knew what they had to do to avoid the drop. They needed two wins with Bristol City failing to win either of their last two games. It all went wrong.
Bristol City beat Barnsley 2-0 with the second coming from the most outrageous penalty award of the season from controversial referee Darren Deadman, but nothing mattered with both Portsmouth and Coventry losing at home.
For Portsmouth, it will be football in the third tier of English football for the first time since the 1982/83 season and for Coventry even longer, they haven't played there since winning promotion to the second division in 1964.
And so it is farewell for sure to Reading, Portsmouth, Coventry and Derby. We already knew that Charlton were joining us along with at least one of the Sheffield clubs and on Sunday a Championship place was confirmed by Wolves whose season has ended in disaster and relegation from the Premier League.
That means the three clubs promoted in 2009 - Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley - have now all suffered relegation.
Nothing much to play for now, for most of us just the last games, the parade of players around the pitch and then a longer than usual sixteen week break before the season starts again.
Below are the most recent results, the stats, the leading goalscorers, each club's red and yellow card count, the highest and lowest attendances and the final Championship fixtures of the 2011/12 season.
The Results Saturday 21st April Blackpool 4 Burnley 0 Ipswich Town 0 Millwall 3 Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Birmingham City 1 Middlesbrough 2 Southampton 1 Bristol City 2 Barnsley 0 Peterborough United 2 Watford 2 Cardiff City 1 Leeds United 1 Portsmouth 1 Derby County 2 Coventry City 0 Doncaster Rovers 2 Reading 2 Crystal Palace 2 Hull City 2 Nottingham Forest 1 Monday 23rd April Leicester City 1 West Ham United 2The Stats Biggest Win Blackpool 4-0 v Burnley (home) Total Goals Scored 35 (18 home - 17 away) Player Scoring Most Goals 2 - Andy Keogh (Millwall) Highest Attendance 25,109 - Cardiff City v Leeds United Lowest Attendance 8,725 - Peterborough United v Watford Total Yellow Cards 29 Total Red Cards 2 Most Cards in a Game Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City (5Y) Ref: Nigel Miller
Leading Goalscorers (League Only) 27 Rickie Lambert (Southampton) - includes 9 penalties 20 Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham United) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Barnsley) 18 Ross McCormack (Leeds United)Billy Sharp (Southampton) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Doncaster Rovers) 17 Matty Fryatt (Hull City) - includes 2 penalties 16 Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 1 penaltyMarlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 2 penalties 15 Darius Henderson (Millwall) - includes 2 penaltiesDavid Nugent (Leicester City)Kevin Phillips (Blackpool)Jay Rodriguez (Burnley) - includes 3 penalties 14 Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town) 13 Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough)Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United) - includes 2 penalties 12 Chris Burke (Birmingham City)Carlton Cole (West Ham United)Adam Le Fondre (Reading)Jevin Nolan (West Ham United)Paul Taylor (Peterborough United)Chris Wood (Bristol City) - includes 1 penalty - (9 with Birmingham City)
Hat Tricks Date Player & Game 20/08/11 3: Lee Tomlin - PETERBOROUGH UNITED v Ipswich Town 10/09/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Nottingham Forest 11/09/11 3: Chris Wood - BIRMINGHAM CITY v Millwall 12/10/11 3: Darius Henderson - Leicester City v MILLWALL 02/11/11 3: Jonjo Shelvey - Leeds United v BLACKPOOL 19/11/11 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Brighton & Hove Albion 26/12/11 3: Matthew Phillips - Barnsley v BLACKPOOL 31/12/11 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - BARNSLEY v Leeds United 21/01/12 3: Darius Henderson - Barnsley v MILLWALL 31/01/12 4: Nikola Zigic - Leeds United v BIRMINGHAM CITY 26/02/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Watford v SOUTHAMPTON 17/03/12 3: Rickie Lambert - Millwall v SOUTHAMPTON 20/03/12 4: Garath McCleary - Leeds United v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 31/03/12 3: Radi Majewski - Crystal Palace v NOTTINGHAM FOREST 31/03/12 3: Charlie Austin - Portsmouth v BURNLEY 14/04/12 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - WEST HAM UNITED v Brighton & Hove Albion 17/04/12 3: Matty Fryatt - HULL CITY v Barnsley
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) Club Y R Y R Club Y R Y R League Total League Total Barnsley 61 2 64 2 Ipswich Town 55 5 56 5 Birmingham City 63 3 68 3 Leeds United 73 9 79 9 Blackpool 53 2 56 3 Leicester City 60 9 68 9 Brighton and Hove Albion 91 8 105 8 Middlesbrough 75 7 78 7 Bristol City 80 7 82 7 Millwall 77 2 84 2 Burnley 69 2 77 2 Nottingham Forest 60 5 65 5 Cardiff City 57 0 73 0 Peterborough United 53 2 56 2 Coventry City 55 3 57 3 Portsmouth 75 4 82 4 Crystal Palace 55 2 59 3 Reading 57 1 60 1 Derby County 58 1 58 1 Southampton 52 4 55 4 Doncaster Rovers 70 3 72 3 Watford 68 3 70 3 Hull City 70 1 75 1 West Ham United 66 6 68 7
Highest and Lowest Attendances Highest Lowest Att Fixture Att Fixture 34,936 West Ham United v Coventry City (02/01) 6,351 Peterborough United v Cardiff City (18/10) 34,900 West Ham United v Crystal Palace (25/02) 6,392 Peterborough United v Millwall (06/03) 34,749 West Ham United v Barnsley (17/12) 6,717 Peterborough United v Reading (20/03) 34,650 West Ham United v Doncaster Rovers (10/03) 7,004 Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/02) 33,465 West Ham United v Portsmouth (10/09) 7,540 Peterborough United v Blackpool (10/03) 33,366 Leeds United v West Ham United (17/03) 7,555 Peterborough United v Portsmouth (28/01) 33,350 West Ham United v Reading (31/03) 7,572 Doncaster Rovers v Millwall (20/03) 33,010 Derby County v Southampton (15/10) 7,650 Doncaster Rovers v Watford (26/11) 33,010 Derby County v Leeds United (26/12) 7,778 Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City (27/08) 33,010 Derby County v Nottingham Forest (17/03) 7,901 Peterborough United v Burnley (17/09)
The Final Fixtures Saturday 21st April Barnsley v Brighton & Hove Albion Leeds United v Leicester City Birmingham City v Reading Millwall v Blackpool Burnley v Bristol City Nottingham Forest v Portsmouth Crystal Palace v Cardiff City Southampton v Coventry City Derby County v Middlesbrough Watford v Peterborough United Doncaster Rovers v Ipswich Town West Ham United v Hull City
Source: FOOTYMAD
