Carlos Corberan expressed his pride at turning around West Brom’s season despite a 3-2 final-day loss at Swansea as they fell short of the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.

West Brom had started the final day of the regular season as play-off outsiders, needing to beat Swansea and hope for favourable results elsewhere.

The Baggies ultimately finished ninth, as Sunderland and Coventry claimed the final two play-off places, after Corberan took over in October with the club second bottom of the Championship.

“The target we had was difficult, to change the momentum of the season,” said Corberan, whose side won only three of their final 10 games.

“It was very uncomfortable. We moved fast, we focused on the possibilities and I feel very proud.

“It’s a pity we didn’t achieve the play-off positions, but the team has put in a lot of effort.

“We arrived to the last moment of the competition and the players did not stop to believe, to try and make their best.”

On summer squad strengthening, Corberan added: “I do not know the limitations or the situation (of the club), but from tomorrow I will guarantee to work as in football there is no time to waste.

“As fast as we know our possibilities and resources the better for us to play the team that West Bromwich needs to have.”

Corberan was unhappy with Swansea’s stoppage-time winner, Joel Piroe curling home a free-kick for his 20th goal of the season.

He said: “I am very disappointed that we didn’t get something from the game, at least a point.

“I don’t think we deserved a defeat with all the things we have done well, especially in the second half.

“We should avoid a foul where we concede the free-kick but there was a foul on (Jayson) Molumby. That increases the frustration.”

Swansea, for whom Luke Cundle and Olivier Ntcham cancelled out goals from Okay Yokuslu and Semi Ajayi, finished below West Brom on goal difference in 10th.

Fresh investment is arriving at the Welsh club this summer and new chairman Andy Coleman’s in-tray will include tying manager Russell Martin down to a new contract.

Martin, appointed Swansea manager in August 2021, has one year left on his current deal and has been linked with a potential summer vacancy at Leicester.

“He (Coleman) said he likes what we’re doing,” said Martin. “There’s maybe other priorities at the moment but we’ll see.

“He’s said the ownership group have expressed an interest in trying to extend the contract.

“We’ve got guys out of contract, so that’s got to be a real priority.

“Whatever comes first, I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Neil Warnock hailed Huddersfield’s “unbelievable” final points tally of 53 after overseeing a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship win over relegated Reading in his last match before returning to retirement.

The Terriers’ great escape from the drop was confirmed courtesy of last week’s victory over Sheffield United, with Monday’s triumph – the seventh under Warnock’s temporary charge – the cherry on the top for the 74-year-old.

Prospective American owner Kevin M Nagle was in attendance at the John Smith’s Stadium for the match, with the points secured by stunning second-half goals from Josh Koroma and substitute Joseph Hungbo.

Koroma broke the deadlock after 49 minutes before Watford loanee Hungbo came off the bench to seal matters six minutes from time.

“I was pleased I could leave him (Nagle) a Championship club,” said Warnock, whose side ended the campaign in 18th spot, nine points clear of the relegation zone.

“I wanted to finish on a win and to get 53 points is unbelievable.

“These times you have to treasure. I told the players that because they don’t come along very often.

“You would have thought we had got promotion to the Premier League, with the crowd. You can’t tell me it would have been any more vociferous.

“But the fans know what a job it has been to turn it round. To see everyone stay behind at the end, I can’t put it into words.”

Asked what he might be doing when the Championship kicks off again next season, the south-west-based veteran suggested he might be watching League One champions Plymouth.

“It is great because me and my daughter go to all the home matches,” he said. “If Plymouth play Huddersfield first match, I might be watching Huddersfield again.

“I can sit down, have a nice meal, a nice glass of wine, no pressure, no worry about substitutions, get driven home… it’s perfect… until February.”

Huddersfield fans pleaded for one more year from Warnock, but he said: “You can’t do this for 10 months.

“I hate the motorways, I hate the hotels, I don’t need that at my age. But I don’t mind for 10-12 weeks!”

Noel Hunt, who could not mastermind a win during his tenure as interim Reading boss, admitted his own future remains unsure but reckons the future is bright for the Royals despite relegation.

“I have not even thought about it,” the Irishman responded when asked if he would like the role permanently.

“As far as I was told, this was until the end of the season and then who knows?

“I was pretty sure I was probably going back to the under-23s. But I have not had that conversation. So your guess is as good as mine.”

On Reading’s fall into the game’s third tier, Hunt said: “I have seen teams go down to League One and two years later be in the Premier League. Norwich and Southampton did it.

“Maybe a reset is going to be good and what the club needs. But we have a lot of good players signed here and a lot of good young boys coming through.

“So the future is bright, no matter what.”

Tony Mowbray praised his Sunderland side’s second-half display after they dramatically sealed a play-off place with a 3-0 win over Preston.

After a rocky opening 45 minutes, second-half goals from Amad Diallo, Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke at Deepdale meant the Black Cats had done all they could in their quest to try and sneak into the play-off places.

That victory proved enough to finish in sixth and claim the final play-off spot after Millwall spectacularly blew a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Blackburn at The Den.

Blackburn finished just behind Sunderland in the table, also on 69 points but with an inferior goal difference, while Millwall fell down to eighth after having had matters in their own hands before kick-off.

Sunderland will now face Luton over two legs for a place in the final at Wembley, and Mowbray was pleased that his side were able to take charge after a frantic first half.

He said: “I felt as though we could come here and control the game.

“I knew we could win at Preston, we’ve won away at West Brom and Norwich – we’ve been good away from home.

“We started sloppy, but then grew into the game. We were naive and let them have too many chances. It was like a basketball game in the first half.

“We didn’t have harsh words at half-time, but we discussed that we needed to control the game better. We became more confident and, off the back of the first goal, we controlled things. It was a solid performance.

“I always believe we’ve got attacking players at the top of the pitch who are really talented and, if we can get the ball to them around the edge of the box, then we can score.”

Travelling Black Cats fans brought incredible energy to Deepdale, but Mowbray admitted there were some injury concerns ahead of their semi-final.

“It’s an incredible scenario to see the people of Sunderland enjoying their football so much,” he added. “It’s going to be awesome being in the semi-finals, we’ve got to be ready for Luton.

“As I sit here now, the conundrum in front of us is really difficult because we’ve got injuries to central defenders, but we have to find another performance.”

Preston finished the season in 12th but only six points behind Sunderland and Blackburn, and boss Ryan Lowe admitted key moments across the season as a whole had cost them.

Lowe commented: “We’ve given it a good go but it’s not been today or Sheffield United that’s cost us the play-offs, it’s from games earlier on in the season.

“I said about mentality, I don’t mean they’re not giving everything, I mean being savvy and taking the opportunities. We went out all guns blazing and we wanted to have a right good go.

“We fell short by six points but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not bad. For us and clubs like us, we need to keep building and I think we’re going in the right direction, we just need that little bit extra.

“We’re pleased with what we’ve tried to do and where we are. The effort of the players and the staff, they’ve been excellent.

“I want to bring the good times back to this club. We are slowly but surely trying to get there, but our aim is to do what Sunderland have done today and get into those play-offs.”

Rob Edwards was happy to extend Luton’s unbeaten run to 14 games after a much-changed side were held to a goalless Sky Bet Championship draw by Hull.

The Hatters boss swapped eight of his players with an eye on Saturday’s play-off semi-final first-leg clash against Sunderland, but those selected kept a 20th clean sheet of the season.

Edwards said: “Today was about resting key players, let’s be honest.

“It was about making sure we didn’t risk anyone unnecessarily and it was about giving some players some game time as over the next couple of games, if they’re needed, we want people up to speed, so I think it was twofold and overall it was a successful day.

“I want to say well done to (Hull manager) Liam Rosenior and what they’ve done this season as well because he’s building a good style there and they’re difficult to go and press at times.

“For some of the lads who haven’t played that much, to do a lot of double runs and a lot of pressing was good and also when we had the ball, especially in the first half, we showed some good control, and were brave with it.

“We did create one or two decent chances and moments but the game fizzled out a little bit towards the end.”

A quiet first half saw Allahyar Sayyadmanesh’s shot deflect onto the post for Hull, before Joe Taylor’s header drew a great save from visiting keeper Matt Ingram.

Adama Traore was denied by Luton stopper James Shea and Hatters substitute Luke Berry saw his chip from just inside the visitors’ half drop narrowly over the bar.

Tigers boss Rosenior said: “The final game sums up where we are.

“We played some breathtaking football at times, I was pleased with the first two-thirds of our game in terms of our build-up, we caused problems, they had to change everything, which is what teams are having to do against us.

“But when we got into the final third into some unbelievable positions, it just fizzled out, and that’s no disrespect to our players, I’ve got no strikers.

“In those critical moments against very good teams you need that cutting edge and that’s something I’m going to work really, really hard in the summer to address.

“They had one chance where Matty’s made a really good save from the header from a cross, I can’t remember another real threatening moment in the game for us.

“There’s a lot of positives to build on, anyone who understands the game can see I’ve got a group of players who completely understand the way we want to play.

“We’re building, so there’s a lot to be excited about.”

Chris Wilder admitted that Watford’s 2-0 win over Stoke was only a small crumb of comfort after his immensely disappointing season.

The Hornets boss, who was sacked by Middlesbrough last October, refused to discuss his future at Vicarage Road, with the rumour mill rife that he is about to be replaced.

Imran Louza and Keinan Davis scored second-half goals to ensure Wilder’s side at least ended the campaign with a top-half finish.

Louza’s brilliant 20-yard curler broke Stoke’s resistance after 70 minutes and Villa loanee Davis’ deflected shot beat Matija Sarkic four minutes later.

Wilder said: “The message to the players was that there is always something to play for. There’s always somebody watching, there’s always that pride in pulling that shirt on, whether as an individual or as a team.

“From my point of view it could have been a really disappointing afternoon. The atmosphere might have turned one way but it didn’t because we’ve got a result.

“The supporters want to see a winning team and they’ve seen a winning team today, even all three results could have happened.

“We had some good moments first half and they had some good moments first half. But in the second half we get the goals in quick succession and then it’s a comfortable afternoon.

“To get a small consolation out of a deeply disappointing season is a small positive. But it was disappointing when we’re walking around (on the lap of appreciation) because this shouldn’t have been the end of the season. But it is and there’s a reason behind that.

“It’s been a strange old season, personally. It’s been quite tough. I’ve had a relatively successful career as a manager in terms of being involved in winning sides and building teams and personal accolades as well.

“You’ve got to take the rough with the smooth. I’m a better manager for all these experiences, I haven’t gone off the boil.

“I’m just concentrating on this win today, anything else going forwards will be a conversation, I’ve not sat down with anybody, I don’t want to go into gut feelings.”

Stoke boss Alex Neil looked relieved to wrap up a poor campaign from the Potters, especially as his former club Sunderland, who he left last August, clinched a play-off spot.

Neil said: “My verdict is that game pretty much sums up our season.

“I don’t think it was a poor performance. I thought in the first half we were really good at times, we created some really good chances. But, ultimately, if you don’t stick the ball in the net and then you can’t defend in moments, because that was all Watford had in the second half, moments.

“Their first goal was quite a good goal. Their boy cuts in and puts it in the far corner. Their second goal was just a one-v-one situation where we just don’t deal with it and the ball ends up in the back of our net.

“But we had three or four similar opportunities and we don’t manage to convert any of them. That’s basically the tale of our season for me. This season, at both ends of the pitch, we haven’t been good enough.

“Today wasn’t ever going to change anything. What’s been needed has been needed for a number of weeks.

“I feel as if I’m doing the same press conference week after week. It’s going to be a big summer for the club.

“I’ve got meetings (with the players) over the next week. Loan players we’re not in control of because ultimately they’re not our player.

“We’ll need to see what happens over the summer, but the difficulty is that we’ve got urgency, but that urgency needs to be shared by the opposite club. So it’s going to be difficult to get anything done.”

Blackpool caretaker head coach Stephen Dobbie refused to rule himself out of the running to be the club’s permanent boss after guiding them to a excellent 1-0 victory over Norwich on the final day of the Sky Bet Championship campaign.

The Seasiders went into the game at Carrow Road with nothing but pride to play for after being relegated in their previous match, but turned in a spirited display against their mid-table opponents, with Morgan Rogers’ effort after 15 minutes enough to settle the issue.

It completed a record of three wins and three defeats since Dobbie was put in temporary charge following Mick McCarthy’s departure and the Scot is now waiting on developments behind the scenes as the Tangerines mull over the identity of their next head coach.

When asked if he was interested in the job, Dobbie replied: “It would be wrong of me to say ‘no’, but I have got to wait to see what happens above me – there are things that need to be sorted out before anything happens on that.

“All I can say at the moment is that I loved playing for this club and I have enjoyed the honour of being in charge and being in the dugout – even though it was obviously a big disappointment when we were relegated.

“We’ll just have to see on that one but it was pleasing to finish the season with a win.

“Obviously everyone felt down after relegation but we had fans travelling down today and we worked very hard to make sure we were ready for the game.

“It was a strong team, one I thought could win the game and the players were excellent out there. They deserve a lot of credit for how they played. No way were they going to slack off just because we were down.”

An entertaining encounter was settled by a well-taken effort from on-loan Manchester City youngster Rogers, his first for the club.

With just 15 minutes on the clock, Rogers latched on to a well-judged through ball from Josh Bowler and produced a deft chip to beat the advancing Angus Gunn.

Norwich had their chances to grab at least a draw, with Teemu Pukki at the centre of most of their best moments in what was his final appearance for the Canaries after scoring 88 goals in 209 appearances.

He went close on a number of occasions but was denied by a mixture of poor finishing and good saves from Daniel Grimshaw as the visitors came away with the points.

Norwich head coach David Wagner was pleased to see Pukki get a rousing farewell, even though the goal he craved would not come as they finished the season 13th in the table.

“I thought he got the reception he deserved before, during and after the game,” he said. “It was a very emotional day for him but he dealt with it well and had many opportunities to score – it’s just a shame he didn’t take one.

“Of course he will be a big miss for Norwich City.

“I know all the numbers, but the club will also lose a reliable, honest and down-to-earth individual and I wish Teemu and his family all the best for the future. He will go down in Norwich’s history as one of the club’s stand-out strikers.”

As for the game, Wagner added: “We started well enough but we weren’t clinical or ruthless enough and the second half wasn’t nearly as good as the first.

“We need to make sure we don’t have another season like this and I am excited at the challenge that lies ahead.”

QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth plans “big changes” at the club following the end of a miserable season.

Rangers’ 2-0 loss to Bristol City was their 12th home defeat of the campaign and highlighted their shortcomings at both ends of the pitch.

“It just hits home and gives me more evidence of what I need to do in the summer,” said Ainsworth, who took over in February.

“There are big changes that need to happen here. We’ve got to have real, big changes here in the summer. I’m realising that more and more.

“You’ve got to be passionate. You’ve got to be crawling off that pitch at the end of the game. I was really expecting a bit more today.

“But I don’t want to let it get to me too much. I’ve got to sort my squad out and sort the changes out.

“I want a proper team that reflects the way I am, the way I manage, the way I want things done – and I aim to do that.

“I’m sure there will be a lot of comings and goings throughout the summer. I want to be in here sorting it out and I’ll do my best to do that.

“It’s going to be tough. But, given the chance and given the backing, I think I can bring the right characters in.”

Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson believes his club can challenge for the play-offs next season if they are able to bring players in.

Pearson said: “I think our fan base is quite excited about how this young team can move forward.

“Now we’ve got to get the additions right and see if we can shape the squad in a way that we can be competitive in the top half, looking to push on for the play-off places.

“There’s no point setting standards low or trying to be too safe with predictions. We’ve got to start delivering.

“The players are capable, but we need to win games like today that potentially could go either way.

“We’ve been involved in games this season where we really should pick points up and we’ve not. So I’m pleased today.

“I think it’s important that the players and staff come back refreshed and ready to really push on. It’s not about being happy with small progressions – it’s about trying to be successful.

“The future for the club will be bright for many years to come, which is good.”

Goals from Mark Sykes and Sam Bell gave the Robins victory at Loftus Road, where the home side struggled to create clear-cut chances and always looked vulnerable at the back.

City, who finished 14th, were fairly comfortable against Rangers, who were top in October but finished 20th, and would have finished below relegated Reading had the Berkshire club not been given a six-point deduction.

Pearson said: “That performance was just what we were trying to achieve today.

“They can be quite dangerous games when people might talk about there being not a lot on them.

“I’m sure they wanted to end on a positive note at home, and we wanted to maintain our standards in terms of our application.

“We did some really good things. The performance was good, with good energy, and it’s a good outcome.”

Mark Robins saluted his Coventry players for clinching a “phenomenal” play-off place in the Sky Bet Championship before then challenging them to finish off the promotion charge.

The Sky Blues, who were relegated from the Premier League in 2001, secured fifth spot by earning a point at fourth-placed Middlesbrough.

The two will now meet again over two legs. The first will be on Sunday, May 14 at the Coventry Building Society Arena before they return to the Riverside for the second leg on Wednesday, May 17 for the right to face either Luton or Sunderland at Wembley.

Robins said: “I’m proud of everyone when you consider the start of the season we had, Middlesbrough were similar, near the bottom of the league, albeit different circumstances.

“It took us a while to get going, but the achievement just to get into the play-offs is phenomenal. The only way to enjoy them is to win them.

“Big teams have missed out. I only heard the scoreline from The Den, I knew what Sunderland were doing and then what Millwall were doing, so we had to stay in the game and it has worked out. The supporters have been right behind us all season. It’s fantastic.

“We have them now Sunday and Wednesday, it’s a really interesting situation.

“We have a few days to think about plans, the way we want to go about it. They are not daft here, Michael Carrick is very talented and they have a lot more to come, they are smart. We have to enjoy it, and enjoy the build up.

“We started really brightly. The only thing that blotted the copybook was near half-time when we switched off.”

Coventry, who needed to avoid defeat to stay in the play-off zone, secured the lead in the 22nd minute through Gustavo Hamer’s clinical strike into the bottom corner.

But in stoppage-time at the end of the first half Cameron Archer hit his 11th of the season from close range to level things up.

Despite Sunderland’s win at Preston, Millwall ended up losing a dramatic tussle with Blackburn 4-3, leaving Coventry’s fans celebrating at a sell-out Riverside.

After he was asked where securing a play-off spot ranked, Middlesbrough manager Michael Carrick said: “It is not an achievement, it’s about what is next – all eyes are on what happens after that.”

He added: “We have really worked hard in terms of preparing the right way, keeping our edge because performances matter, but we knew our fate a couple of weeks ago and where we would be.

“It is different now in the play-offs, naturally there is a different feeling about it. There will be a different kind of atmosphere in the two stadiums, you have to relish it because you are fighting for something that is worth achieving.

“Coventry are a really good team, well-organised and they play good football. They are a threat going forward.

“The longer this game went on we dealt with it but they are a threat, and you would expect that given the run they have been on – just as you’d expect from all the teams in the play-offs.

“Generally I was quite pleased with what we got from the day. We wanted to win the game, but all in all it was a good performance, and everyone came through it pretty well.”

Sunderland snatched a place in the Sky Bet Championship play-offs at Millwall’s expense on a dramatic final round of regular games, while Coventry also secured a top-six finish.

Tony Mowbray’s Black Cats took sixth spot following a 3-0 win at Preston, where Amad Diallo, Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke netted after the break.

Millwall had started the day in that position and looked set to seal a play-off berth at half-time against Blackburn, leading 3-1 with Duncan Watmore having scored a brace either side of Adam Wharton’s reply before Oliver Burke added a third for Gary Rowett’s men.

But things turned around in remarkable fashion in the second half as a goal from Joe Rankin-Costello and two from Ben Brereton Diaz secured a 4-3 victory for Rovers.

It left Millwall in eighth place, with Blackburn coming seventh as their own top-six hopes came to an end as they just missed out to Sunderland.

Coventry, meanwhile, claimed the point they needed with a 1-1 draw at fourth-placed Middlesbrough, who had already secured their spot in the play-offs.

Gustavo Hamer put Mark Robins’ Sky Blues ahead before Cameron Archer equalised in first-half stoppage time.

West Brom were the other team starting the day with a chance of making the top six but they suffered a 3-2 defeat at Swansea, for whom Joel Piroe scored a stoppage-time winner.

Albion had led twice, with efforts from Okay Yokuslu and Semi Ajayi being cancelled out by Luke Cundle and Olivier Ntcham.

Luton, already confirmed as finishing third, drew 0-0 at home against Hull and will now face Sunderland in the play-off semi-finals, while Middlesbrough take on Coventry.

Champions Burnley beat Cardiff 3-0 at Turf Moor, Josh Brownhill, Ashley Barnes and Scott Twine getting on the scoresheet as Vincent Kompany’s men finished with 101 points, while second-placed Sheffield United – also with automatic promotion already achieved – won 2-1 at Birmingham.

Oliver McBurnie and James McAtee scored in quick succession for the Blades early in the second half, with Dion Sanderson pulling a goal back for the hosts.

Among the three relegated teams, Blackpool finished on the most positive note as Morgan Rogers’ early goal earned them a 1-0 win at Norwich.

Bottom side Wigan drew 0-0 at home with Rotherham, while 22nd-placed Reading lost 2-0 at Huddersfield, where Josh Koroma and Joseph Hungbo got the goals.

Elsewhere, Watford beat Stoke 2-0 at Vicarage Road, Imran Louza and Keinan Davis netting, and it was the same scoreline as Bristol City triumphed at QPR, with Mark Sykes and Sam Bell on target.

Neil Warnock celebrated his final game as Huddersfield boss with a 2-0 Sky Bet Championship victory over already relegated Reading.

Prospective new American owner Kevin M Nagle was in attendance at the John Smith’s Stadium as the Terriers claimed a seventh win of 74-year-old Warnock’s 15-match ‘great escape’ reign.

Superb second-half strikes from Josh Koroma and substitute Joseph Hungbo ensured Warnock’s latest management swansong ended on a high, boosting the 18th-placed Yorkshire side’s final points tally to 53.

But after the emotion of last Thursday’s second-tier status-saving 1-0 win over Sheffield United, Town’s final success of a rollercoaster campaign was less memorable.

‘One more year’, pleaded Huddersfield fans. But Warnock insisted he would not be changing his decision, writing in his programme notes: “After today’s game, I’ll go back to looking on at Huddersfield from afar with some special, special memories.”

Without that victory against the Premier League-bound Blades, this fixture threatened to be a tense affair, with Reading in with a chance of staying up.

Instead, the Berkshire side already knew their fate, a six-point deduction and a 13-match winless run contributing to their drop into League One.

Their team may have been relegated but Royals fans had not lost their sense of humour, with a rendition of ‘Que sera sera, we’re going to Shrewsbury’ – a nod to one of next season’s fixtures – drawing applause from their home counterparts.

That joviality nearly turned into genuine celebration, but Cesare Casadei’s header – following Sean Long’s deflected shot – hit the post, while Junior Hoilett also tried his luck with a curling right-footed effort.

Reading’s 20-year-old debutant goalkeeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke registered his first useful save from Josh Ruffels’ header.

Boyce-Clarke then reacted well to block a Jordan Rhodes shot at the expense of a corner after slack play by former Huddersfield defender Naby Sarr.

The Jamaica Under-20 international safely gathered Koroma’s first attempt of the second half before conceding the opener to the same player in the 49th minute.

Boyce-Clarke’s clearance hit Brahima Diarra, who laid the ball back for Koroma to convert his ninth goal of the season.

Koroma’s next effort struck Tom Holmes in the face, with the Royals defender able to continue after treatment.

A goal-line Sarr clearance prevented Jack Rudoni doubling Town’s advantage, but the visitors hardly carried a threat in retaliation and the hosts made the game safe six minutes from time.

On-loan Watford winger Hungbo, having received the ball on the right edge of the Reading box, curled in a superb left-footed shot for his fourth Terriers goal.

Luton and Hull played out a goalless draw in their final game of the Sky Bet Championship season at Kenilworth Road.

With the Hatters having already qualified for the play-offs in third place, and the Tigers safe in mid-table, Luton boss Rob Edwards made eight changes.

It was the visitors who had the first openings, as after completely dominating possession in the early stages, Adama Traore’s two efforts were deflected behind for corners.

Hull then had a glorious opportunity when Sonny Bradley’s weak back header was picked up by Allahyar Sayyadmanesh, whose effort was deflected onto the post by the recovering Luton captain after he got back in the nick of time.

Town had their first opportunity of note on 20 minutes, Luke Freeman’s attempt taking a deflection off a defender and bouncing up for ex-Hatters loanee Matt Ingram to gather comfortably.

With half-time looming, Luton had their best chance of the half when Jordan Clark and Alfie Doughty combined for the latter to send in a terrific cross that was met by Joe Taylor, his header repelled by a terrific save from Ingram.

Play quickly transferred up the other end, as Traore had a crack from a 25-yard free-kick which was excellently palmed away by the recalled James Shea.

After the break, Tigers captain Lewis Coyle tried his luck for City, his ambitious half-volley flying well wide from the edge of the box.

Luton substitute Henri Lansbury fired over the top from range, before City had a chance to break the deadlock, Sayyadmanesh slicing off target after the ball dropped to him invitingly in the box.

With Town changing five of their players during the second period, one of the substitutes, Luke Berry, then almost scored the goal of the season.

The midfielder burst away to latch on to a clearance, trying to beat Ingram from just inside the City half, his effort only narrowly failing to come down in time.

Freeman tried to earn his side a winner with five minutes to go, shanking over the top from 25 yards.

Most of the excitement came from elsewhere though, with Millwall throwing away a 3-1 lead to lose 4-3 to Blackburn and Sunderland triumphing 3-0 at Preston to ensure it was the Black Cats who Luton will take on in the play-offs starting at the weekend.

Premier League-bound Sheffield United rounded off their Championship campaign by beating Birmingham 2-1.

Oli McBurnie opened the scoring early in the second half before James McActee doubled the lead soon after.

Dion Sanderson pulled a late goal back for Blues.

For much of the opening half the home side proved extremely hard to break down and they went close to taking the lead in the 14th minute when Lukas Jutkiewicz headed the ball against the bar.

Having lost three of their previous seven games in all competitions including a 1-0 defeat by Huddersfield last time out, it seemed United could be there for the taking.

But as the first half wore on they played their way in and Paul Heckingbottom’s men were twice denied by the post in the 33rd minute.

The first chance arrived after some patient passing on the edge of area led to Iliman Ndiaye cutting the ball back for Tommy Doyle, who curled his effort against the frame of the goal.

Birmingham failed to clear their lines following Doyle’s effort and fellow Manchester City loanee McAtee fired his attempt off the woodwork.

The Blades started the second half strongly and were ahead eight minutes in. Chris Basham found a pocket of space on the right wing and dinked a cross into an unmarked McBurnie to glanced his header into the bottom corner.

McActee doubled the lead only four minutes later. Jack Robinson curled a magnificent long ball in behind Birmingham’s defence to Ndiaye and he unselfishly squared it across to McActee who tapped it home.

Birmingham halved the deficit with 11 minutes left when Manchester United loanee Hannibal Mejbri sent a long free-kick into the box where fellow substitute Marc Roberts headed the ball down for Sanderson to volley home.

Relegated Blackpool ended a disappointing Sky Bet Championship season on a high note as they recorded a hard-fought 1-0 win over Norwich at Carrow Road.

A well-taken first-half goal from Morgan Rogers proved enough to settle an entertaining encounter between two clubs with nothing but pride to play for.

It was a reward for a spirited showing from the visitors, who signed off on a positive note under caretaker head coach Stephen Dobbie, while for Norwich it was a sad exit for striker Teemu Pukki, who failed to mark his final game for the club with a goal.

It also completed a miserable end to the campaign for the Canaries, who won just one of their final 11 matches and slumped to an 11th home loss of the campaign.

Blackpool went ahead from their first clear chance after 15 minutes.

Josh Bowler did well to spot Rogers’ run behind the home back line and the on-loan Manchester City youngster produced a neat chipped finish to beat Angus Gunn and stun a disgruntled home crowd.

The fact that it was Pukki’s final game for the Canaries had helped lift the atmosphere somewhat and it took an excellent fingertip save from Daniel Grimshaw to deny him a goal three minutes later, after the Finn had latched onto a loose ball in the area.

Norwich continued to press, with Pukki thwarted by a timely block from Curtis Nelson and Grimshaw then diving at full stretch to tip a low drive from City’s player of the season Gabriel Sara around the post.

Blackpool were still a threat however and it needed a fine last-ditch tackle from Andrew Omobamidele to deny Rogers a second before Pukki again took centre stage with a shot on the turn that was deflected just over.

In a lively start to the second period, Gunn made a good stop to deny Bowler after the Tangerines’ midfielder had linked up well with Rogers on the right.

At the other end, first Pukki and then Onel Hernandez sent good efforts agonisingly wide of the target.

Blackpool – playing with commendable spirit for a relegated side – nearly doubled their advantage just past the hour mark when CJ Hamilton burst into the area and let fly with a powerful shot that Gunn did well to parry.

But it was Norwich who were seeing most of the ball and Pukki wasted another chance to sign off with a goal after 77 minutes as he failed to get enough on his touch after meeting Sam McCallum’s inviting low cross at the back post.

It was the 88-goal striker’s final contribution as he was substituted to a huge ovation a couple of minutes later.

Substitute Rob Apter should have settled the contest for Blackpool six minutes from time after catching the hosts on the break, but with other options available he choose to go it alone and was denied by another excellent Gunn stop.

Sunderland’s Premier League dream remained alive after they clinched a play-off place on the final day of the season, scoring three times inside 11 minutes to beat Preston 3-0 at Deepdale.

Goals from Amad Diallo, Alex Pritchard and Jack Clarke did the trick on a day to remember.

The Black Cats needed results elsewhere to go their way and Millwall’s failure to win saw them sneak into the top six; Tony Mowbray’s side will now face Luton over two legs for a place at Wembley.

If they manage to go up, they will become just the fourth side to achieve back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Sunderland travelled to Lancashire unbeaten in eight games and, despite the odds being stacked against them, they sold out the away end with their fans being by far the loudest of both sets of supporters.

However, the electric atmosphere did not seem to transfer onto the pitch, with the Black Cats looking nervy from the off, and Preston took advantage with multiple crosses into the box but without being able to score.

The visitors responded, with a curling shot from the edge of the box from Patrick Roberts heading for the top corner until it was denied by a superb save from Freddie Woodman.

Just before the break, Preston had the best chance of the first period, with striker Liam Delap, on loan from Manchester City, latching onto a through ball and finding himself one-on-one but he was only able to drag his shot wide.

Both sides will have felt they should have been ahead at half-time and could have come to rue their missed chances.

Sunderland came out in the second half with a lot more intensity, knowing they needed to score to have any chance of securing the final play-off berth.

They looked dangerous and eventually took the lead through Manchester United loanee Diallo, who perfectly placed the ball into the top left-hand corner.

It was very much end-to-end from then on and if it had not been for a goal-line clearance, Preston would have equalised from a corner.

The Black Cats eventually doubled their lead with the ball falling for midfielder Pritchard on the edge of the box and he made no mistake in finding the back of the net.

The visiting supporters drowned out every other noise in the ground and it spurred the players on to grab a third, Clarke creating space on the right-hand side and slotting the ball past Woodman.

Sunderland’s players remained calm and did all they could to run down the clock, while their fans only became louder as they heard the news of Blackburn’s impending victory over Millwall before the full-time whistle sent them into a frenzy.

West Brom missed out on the Sky Bet Championship play-offs after losing 3-2 at Swansea.

Albion started the final day in eighth, needing to win to keep their promotion bid alive, and hopes of extending their season were raised after Okay Yokuslu and Semi Ajayi twice gave them the lead in South Wales.

But Luke Cundle and Olivier Ntcham equalised and, with results elsewhere going against them, Joel Piroe sealed their misery in stoppage time with a brilliant free-kick.

In the event, West Brom spent just four minutes of the final day in the play-off places – the time between a Blackburn equaliser at Millwall and Cundle’s leveller – and Coventry and Sunderland joined Luton and Middlesbrough in the play-off positions.

Albion – second bottom of the Championship when Carlos Corberan succeeded Steve Bruce in October – finished the season ninth, with Swansea just below them on goal difference after taking 21 points from their final nine games.

There is plenty for Russell Martin to build on and the Swansea boss will hope fresh investment at the club will allow him to strengthen this summer.

West Brom were almost ahead inside four minutes when Ryan Manning, possibly fouled, lost possession on the edge of the Swansea box.

Jed Wallace sent an inviting cross to the far post where Brandon Thomas-Asante skewed wide.

Jamie Paterson was off-target at the other end before Albion took a 13th-minute lead after Ajayi put Ntcham under pressure.

Swansea calls for a free-kick again went unheeded and John Swift intelligently picked out the unmarked Yokuslu to drive home his fourth goal of the season.

Albion fans were celebrating once more when a Blackburn equaliser at Millwall put them into the top six.

But delight was cut short as the advancing Piroe played the ball into Paterson and his cute lay-off allowed Cundle to finish in style.

The fact that midfielder Cundle, on loan from their local rivals Wolves, was the player to equalise simply added to their misery.

West Brom replied immediately with Karlan Grant testing Andy Fisher low down and the Swansea goalkeeper was also equal to Thomas-Asante’s angled attempt.

Swansea started the second half on the front foot and Paterson curled wide before Piroe fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

Albion had renewed hope after 54 minutes when Conor Townsend caused confusion from a Swift corner and Ajayi ended some ping-pong in the Swansea penalty area with a superbly controlled half-volley.

But Swansea came roaring back and were level again after 66 minutes.

Ntcham found a yard by letting the ball run across his path and smashed an unerring low shot past the helpless Alex Palmer.

Swift wasted a clear opening to restore Albion’s lead and, with their task increasingly beyond them, Piroe curled home his 20th goal of the season with virtually the last kick.