Promotion and relegation

SPORTS INN outline the promotion and relegation issues across England and Scotland and the race for Europe.

PREMIER LEAGUE
Chelsea secured their fourth Premier League title -
becoming English champions for the fifth time
overall - by beating Crystal Palace 1-0 on 3 May.
They will be joined in the Champions League by
Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United.
The top three teams qualify for the Champions
League group stage, with the fourth-placed team
entering the preceding play-off round. City are
guaranteed as runners-up, while Arsenal will finish
third unless they lose their final game against
West Brom and Manchester United win at Hull
while achieving a seven-goal swing in goal
difference.
English clubs have three places in the Europa
League - for the FA Cup winners, Capital One Cup
winners and fifth-placed Premier League side.
Chelsea won the League Cup on 1 March, and so
their Europa League slot will be transferred to the
team in sixth.
Should Arsenal win the FA Cup, their Europa
League place will be allocated to the next highest
club in the Premier League that has not yet
qualified for the tournament, rather than to the
beaten finalists.
The fight for fifth, sixth and seventh place will go
to the final day of the season, and it is between
Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton.
England has been granted an extra Europa League
place as one of the top three countries in Uefa's
Respect Fair Play league. That place is set to go to
West Ham, Everton or Burnley.
The bottom three Premier League teams will be
relegated to the Championship. Burnley's
demotion was confirmed on 9 May despite a 1-0
win at Hull. QPR joined them the next day when
they were thrashed by Manchester City.
The final relegation place will be filled by either
Hull or Newcastle. The Tigers will go down unless
they beat Manchester United on the final day and
Newcastle fail to beat West Ham, which would
send the Magpies down instead.
CHAMPIONSHIP
Bournemouth were promoted as champions after
winning 3-0 at Charlton on the final day of the
season while Watford, who had confirmed their
Premier League place on 25 April, were denied the
title when they conceded a last-minute equaliser
against Sheffield Wednesday on the last day.
Norwich and Middlesbrough will contest the play-
off final on Monday, 25 April.
At the bottom, Blackpool were the first Football
League team to go down this season, after fellow
strugglers Rotherham beat Brighton 1-0 on 6 April.
The Millers' 2-1 win over Reading on 28 April
meant Wigan and Millwall filled the remaining
relegation places.
LEAGUE ONE
Bristol City secured the first of two automatic
promotion places with a 6-0 win at Bradford on 14
April, and then secured the title with the point they
needed in a 0-0 draw against Coventry.
Milton Keynes Dons joined them in the
Championship with a 5-1 final-day victory over
Yeovil, overtaking Preston, who lost 1-0 at
Colchester.
Preston and Swindon will contest the play-off final
on 24 May.
At the bottom, Yeovil were condemned to a
second straight relegation after a draw against
Notts County on 11 April.
Leyton Orient, Crawley and Notts County were
also relegated on the final day of the season.
LEAGUE TWO
Burton were the first team to secure promotion on
18 April and they secured the title on the final day.
Shrewsbury went up by beating Cheltenham on 25
April and Bury's 1-0 win over Tranmere on 2 May
gave them the final automatic place.
Southend claimed the final promotion place after
defeating Wycombe in a dramatic play-off final at
Wembley on 23 May.
The bottom two teams - Cheltenham and Tranmere
- have been relegated to the Conference Premier
(or the National League as it will be called next
season).
CONFERENCE PREMIER
Champions Barnet are promoted to League Two
along with Bristol Rovers, who secured an
immediate return to the Football League after
beating Grimsby on penalties in the play-off final.
The bottom four teams are relegated, with AFC
Telford the first team in England's top five
divisions to suffer the drop on 4 April after they
could only draw 1-1 with Kidderminster.
Subsequently, Welling's win against Wrexham on
14 April condemned both Dartford and Nuneaton
to relegation. The last place was filled by Alfreton.
The relegated clubs will be replaced by Conference
North champions Barrow and play-off winners
Guiseley, and Conference South champions
Bromley and play-off winners Boreham Wood.
SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
Celtic are champions for the fourth year in a row,
clinching the title on 2 May with three games to
spare, and will enter the Champions League in the
second qualifying round.
The Scottish Premiership split in half after 33
rounds of fixtures, with the top six and the bottom
six playing the other sides in their 'half' for a
fourth and final time.
Aberdeen are guaranteed second place and
Inverness Caledonian Thistle third, meaning they
will play in the Europa League next season.
Falkirk will join them if they beat Inverness in the
Scottish Cup final on 30 May - otherwise,
Scotland's final European place will pass to the
team finishing fourth in the Premiership, who will
be Dundee United or St Johnstone.
The cup winners enter the competition in the
second qualifying round - which Inverness will do
if they beat Falkirk - and the clubs who qualify via
their league position start in the first qualifying
round.
St Mirren's nine-year stay in the top tier came to
an end when Motherwell beat Kilmarnock on 8
May, ensuring St Mirren's relegation.
Motherwell, the 11th-placed side, will face
Championship side Rangers in the play-off final
over two legs on 28 and 31 May, with the losers
condemned to a place in the second tier next
season.
SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP
Hearts clinched the title and an immediate return
to the Premiership on 22 March after rivals
Hibernian lost 2-0 to Rangers.
Rangers will face the second bottom side in the
Premiership, Motherwell, over two legs on 28 and
31 May with a spot in the top flight the prize -
after Rangers knocked Queen of the South and
Hibernian out in the first two rounds of the play-
offs.
Bottom club Cowdenbeath were relegated to
League One, while ninth-placed team Alloa avoided
the drop by winning a play-off with three League
One sides, beating Brechin and Forfar.
SCOTTISH LEAGUE ONE
Morton were promoted as champions after they
beat Peterhead on 2 May. They will be the only
team promoted after ninth-placed Championship
side Alloa won the play-offs.
Ninth-placed Stenhousemuir avoided relegation by
winning a play-off with three League Two teams,
beating Queen's Park 2-1 on aggregate in the
final.
Bottom team Stirling Albion were relegated to
League Two after losing 2-1 at Brechin on 11
April.
SCOTTISH LEAGUE TWO
Albion Rovers wrapped up the title and promotion
with a 3-2 win at Clyde on 18 April. They will be
the only team promoted after ninth-placed League
One side Stenhousemuir won the play-offs.
Montrose, who finished bottom, beat Highland
League champions Brora Rangers 3-2 over two
legs to secure the final place in next season's
League Two.