Accrington boss John Coleman admitted his side “haven’t been good enough” this season after relegation was confirmed despite a 2-1 win at Oxford.
Stanley needed to win and overturn an improbable 16-goal difference to have a chance of staying up but Cambridge’s victory over Forest Green sealed their fate in any case.
Billy Bodin put the U’s ahead after eight minutes but Stanley hit back in the second half through substitute Korede Adedoyin and Aaron Pressley.
Coleman said: “We were all over the place in the first half. But we’ve given our all and we thoroughly deserved to win.
“Yes they had far better chances than us but that’s when your goalkeeper and your defenders need to make a good save or make blocks and we haven’t had enough of that this season.
“But we scored two good goals. The sickening thing is if we’d have won last week, we’d have stayed up. Over the course of the season we haven’t been good enough and we have to accept that.
“We have to do it the right way and get ourselves back on an even keel, steady the ship and go again for next season. It’s going to be a tough league and we’re going to have to be prepared for a battle.
“We have given away too many chances all season.
“We’ve got to focus our efforts on restructuring the squad, get players in who can compete and produce on a regular basis in League Two, and make sure we don’t go down a slippery pole.
“We won’t get kidded by the result today – we’ve just got to sign the right players.
“I won’t rush into making decisions about who goes out. I need to get the right decisions so that we find ourselves in a healthier shape than we have this season.”
Oxford head coach Liam Manning reflected on a poor finish and poor finishing.
He said: “It was very disappointing to lose the game, especially after the number of chances we had. It’s the story of the season for us really.
“But in the bigger picture there’s huge credit to the players for getting it done when they did, getting over the line to stay up.
“We’re missing composure. We create so many chances and we just have to convert them.
“We have to learn from this season. It’s such a difficult division, so competitive, if you don’t have the right culture and the players aren’t all in you can find yourself really up against it.
“We have to make sure we evaluate all of that and put it right for next season.
“I’ve had meetings about the building here already. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get the right culture.
“Some players will need to move on – but that’s the same at any club. I will have to make some tough decisions.
“Yes, we need a striker or a number nine who scores goals but it’s not just a number nine, we need players all over the park who can score goals from multiple positions.
“When I came in I had to prioritise key areas because they were playing the game slightly differently to the way I see the game or how I like so it was about altering the shape and the organisation and not giving away goals.
“I always felt that we needed to be harder to beat and not keep giving away three or four goals a game.
“We’ll have a look at the squad and then come back in the summer to make sure we do the things we need to get ourselves in the right half of the table next season.”
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace hands hosts Hollywood derby bragging rights
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
Birmingham 3-1 Wrexham: Stansfield brace earns hosts Hollywood derby win
Jay Stansfield struck either side of half-time to give 10-man Birimingham a huge 3-1 victory over fellow promotion hopefuls Wrexham on Monday.
A game dubbed the 'Hollywood derby' was given a blockbuster start when Jack Marriot smashed home the opening goal for the visitors with just two minutes on the clock.
But Birmingham's £10million recruit Stansfield soon levelled the scores, being the first to react to Alfie May's effort that was parried into his path by Arthur Okonkwo.
The hosts then took hold of the encounter as May and Taylor Gardner-Hickman went close, but the game entered the break finely poised at St. Andrew's.
However, Blues' dominance prevailed seven minutes after the restart with Stansfield's header picking out the far corner following Alex Cochrane's pinpoint cross.
And the points were sealed just before the hour-mark in stunning fashion as Tomoki Iwata's strike from distance smashed in off the post, much to the delight of minority owner Tom Brady in the stands.
A fiesty conclusion to proceedings saw Chris Davies' side end the game with a man less after Krystian Bielik was shown a second yellow card for a late tackle on Andrew Cannon, but Birmingham were able to hold on for the win.
Data Debrief: The American dream
Much was made of Birmingham's approach to the transfer window after spending £25m in their attempts to return the Championship at the first time of asking, but their biggest investment proved his worth on Monday.
Stansfield notched his first two goals for the club since his permanent switch from Fulham, but the Blues striker also played a starring role in the encounter.
He registered an expected goals (xG) tally of 1.12 to Birmingham's 1.3 total, while he also produced more shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (six) than any other player.
Reggae Boyz winger Kaheim Dixon completes move to Charlton Athletic
Jamaica’s Kaheim Dixon officially joined Charlton Athletic on a four-year contract, as he was unveiled by the League One club on Friday.
Dixon is now Nathan Jones' eighth summer signing and will wear the number 13 jersey at the London-based club, much like he did at Clarendon College.
The talented winger, who was instrumental in Clarendon College’s two titles in last season’s ISSA schoolboys’ football competition, scoring 32 goals complemented by 17 assists, continued to make a name for himself with Jamaica Premier League (JPL) club Arnett Gardens before eventually breaking into the senior Reggae Boyz setup.
Dixon, 19, was first identified by Charlton Athletic through their partner, Mount Pleasant Football Academy, after which his move from Arnett Gardens, for an undisclosed fee, was then assisted by Charlton Athletic’s strong ties to the Reggae Boyz, according to a release on the club’s website.
This, as Dixon’s Reggae Boy teammate Karoy Anderson is a current member of the club, while another Reggae Boy, Michael Hector, recently left after his contract expired.
Dixon, who has two goals in eight appearances for the Reggae Boyz, expressed delight at his move.
“I’m very happy to be here. My first opportunity to go professional is to be at the Addicks. It’s been very good to see Karoy [Anderson], another teammate from my country. I can’t wait to start playing with him,” he said.
Charlton Athletic have won both League One games played so far this season against Wigan Athletic and Leyton Orient and sit fourth in the table.
They host Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, where Dixon could possibly make a debut appearance.
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