Wrexham miss out on Championship playoffs
Wrexham were unable to deliver the big victory that would have effectively guaranteed their spot in the playoffs. Cody Froggatt/PA Images via Getty ImagesWrexham suffered playoff qualification heartbreak Saturday as they were leapfrogged by promotion rivals Hull City on a dramatic final day of the Championship season.The Welsh club, owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac, started the day inside the top six on goal difference, but their 2-2 home draw with Middlesbrough meant Hull City's 2-1 win over Norwich City saw Wrexham miss out on qualification for the playoffs by two points.Wrexham, who were aiming for a fourth consecutive promotion that would see them play in the Premier League next season, finished seventh in the Championship table.- Hamilton: Wrexham's rapid rise hits first hitch as PL promotion dreams endedAt the STōK Cae Ras, a topsy-turvy four-goal first half saw Wrexham come from behind to lead Middlesbrough before David Strelec's 43rd-minute goal for the visitors ensure the teams were level heading into the break. Despite a tightly contested second half, both teams missed chances, with Wrexham's Ollie Rathbone seeing his strike saved at the start of the half and Josh Windass also blasting over in the latter stages of the contest.Wrexham's frustrations were compounded by the fact that Hull's winning goal, scored by Oli McBurnie in the 67th minute, appeared as if it should have been ruled out for a narrow offside.Despite the last-day disappointment, it was still a memorable campaign by Wrexham in their first season in the second tier since the 1980s.Seventh place marks the club's highest finish in their 162-year history, bettering 15th position in the second tier in the 1978-79 season.Still, the short-term pain will be acute, and Wrexham's players sat on the ground and looked disconsolate after the final whistle.Ipswich promoted, Championship playoff places sealedIpswich will be back in the Premier League next season. Nigel French/PA Images via Getty ImagesIt wouldn't be the final day of the Championship without a dramatic finish, but for Ipswich it was a fairly comfortable afternoon as they secured a Premier League return at the first time of asking.Goals from George Hirst, Jaden Philogene and Kasey McAteer put a QPR side that had nothing left to play for to the sword. Cue the pitch invasion at Portman Road as full time was greeted by scenes of euphoria.Coming into the game, Ipswich knew that their fate was in their own hands -- win and they were up. And it turned out in just that fashion with Middlesbrough's draw at Wrexham and Millwall's win over Oxford United ultimately irrelevant as Kieran McKenna's side joined Coventry in the Premier League.Boro's draw in Wales saw them drop down to fifth and lose the advantage of a return home tie in the playoffs.For a side that for such large parts of this season looked a lock to go up alongside Coventry, fifth after the final day will be a disappointment for Boro. But as is the lottery of the playoffs, all could be forgotten very soon should they find themselves winning at Wembley later this month.Millwall finished just a point behind the automatics in third and will have two cracks at Hull as they attempt to reach the Premier League for the first time. Boro will take on Southampton in the other semifinal with the Championship's most famous five games now locked in.EFL promotions and relegations Championship Champions: CoventryPromoted: IpswichPlayoffs: Millwall, Middlesbrough, Southampton, HullRelegated: Sheffield Wednesday, Leicester, OxfordLeague OneChampions: LincolnPromoted: CardiffRelegated: Northampton, Rotherham, Port ValeLeague TwoPromoted: Bromley, MK DonsNational LeaguePromoted: YorkRelegated: Truro, Braintree, Morecambe, BrackleyInformation from the Associated Press contributed to this story.
