EFL Preview: Points win prizes in survival scrap

BBC News

25-04-2025

Nervous? Sweaty palms? Difficulty sleeping or concentrating? If you have any of these symptoms it's probably nothing serious to worry about, just the 'end-of-the-EFL-season-itis.'We say not to worry but only football fans will understand this is serious stuff and while promotion and success can be cheered for those brief summer months, the rest will be left to stew for those interminable days before we can do it all again in August.As Jurgen Klopp once said, "football is the most important of the least important things" and right now there is a lot at stake.There are relegation and promotion issues to be sorted on this penultimate weekend but while same fates may well be sealed, it won't all be totally done and dusted so let's pick out some of the highlights.
Tigers and Rams hunting survival
A fixture computer can do many things - send you on a 300-mile round-trip on a bank holiday or hand you a big derby on your partner's birthday but what it cannot do is predict the future.So, when the EFL's ZX Spectrum chugged out Hull City v Derby County on the penultimate weekend of the season little did we know the importance of it.While Leeds and Burnley pick over the bones of the exact order in which they will be promoted, the Tigers and the Rams are trying to avoid the gaze of the vultures circling the trapdoor to League One.Both teams have changed their managers - Ruben Selles has pulled Hull out of the relegation zone, John Eustace has Derby in the same position as when he started, namely out of the bottom three on goal difference. Both bosses waited three games for their first wins.Victory for Hull will assure them of Championship football next season while a win for Derby could move them within sight of another campaign of second-tier football."You play for the big games and this is a big game - it's what we're in the business for and the game is as big as it can be for a team fighting relegation," Selles told BBC Radio Humberside.
Hatters have hope as Pilgrims and Bluebirds enter last chance saloon
Without getting out slide-rules and taking-off shoes and socks to do the maths, the fact is Plymouth and Cardiff need to win this weekend or relegation could either be confirmed or be all-but mathematically certain.The decision by Plymouth to sack Wayne Rooney in December may have come too late. Such has been the improvement under Miron Muslic that had he been in charge five games earlier they would be virtually safe now based on points-per-game.They could still survive but need to win at a Preston North End side whose own six-game winless streak means they are not yet thinking about their summer break.When Cardiff pulled themselves six points clear of trouble at the end of February with a win over Hull City their trajectory seemed an upward one. But one win from their subsequent 10 games and a second managerial change means victory over managerless West Bromwich Albion is more a necessity than a notion.Of the bottom three that leaves Luton Town who, with five wins from their past 10 games and only two defeats have found something but must hope it's not too late."We've been written off many times, which is fine," boss Matt Bloomfield told the BBC's EFL podcast 72+."Football is all about opinions, but to lead a life in football, resilience is a crucial characteristic, and every time you get knocked down, you have to pick yourselves up and keep fighting."They will need to come out fighting against Coventry who could book their play-off spot with a win at Kenilworth Road.Oxford know if they better one of Luton or Derby's results in their game against a Sunderland team in the midst of play-off preparations then they can breathe easy.
Title tensions and play-off pretenders
Leeds and Burnley may have shared a glass or two of bubbles last weekend but the open-top bus parade is only pencilled-in as we await to see who gets to lift the silverware.The Clarets can sneak ahead with at least a point against QPR on Saturday with Leeds hosting Bristol City on Monday (20:00 BST).The Robins may have the chance to secure their play-off place at Elland Road depending on results over the weekend but they are being chased hard by Millwall and a resurgent Blackburn Rovers in particular.The Lions and Rovers have both won three of their past four games to storm into the picture while Middlesbrough, who are still seventh, have lost three in the same period and, after Saturday's home game with Norwich have to visit sixth-placed Coventry on the final day (which could be a winner-takes-all game).Blackburn have to beat Watford to stay in the frame while Millwall are up against the division's in-form side, Swansea, who have won their past five games under Alan Sheehan."I'm aware of the league table but the simple fact is nothing changes, we need to win our next game," Lions boss Alex Neil told BBC Radio London.Sheffield United's week to forget ends at Stoke City on Friday night.
Promotion door ajar for Jones' juggernaut
For many weeks Wrexham and Wycombe have been jostling for League One's second place behind champions Birmingham, but while they have stumbled Charlton Athletic have quietly been gathering points to secure what we all thought would be a play-off spot at best.Seven wins from 10 games later, coupled with Monday's 4-0 humbling of Wycombe and suddenly Nathan Jones' side are eyeing automatic promotion.Neatly for us, but maybe not for Wrexham, the Addicks are in North Wales on Saturday (17:30 BST) where a win would move them within a point of their opponents but could also hand second place back to Wycombe if they can win at Leyton Orient earlier - you're keeping up with this right?"All we do is take a game as it comes," said Jones. "We are not looking at the play-offs, we are not looking at Burton at home on the final game."It's a bumper game, we have to go to the circus and see what we can get."Meanwhile, if Orient beat Wycombe they could all but safeguard a top-six finish if Reading foul-up at relegation-threatened Bristol Rovers who have managed one point from their past eight games.Cambridge United will fall into League Two if they fail to win at Burton Albion as will Crawley Town if they lose to Northampton and the Brewers take three points.
Champions crowned and Carlisle doomed?
After Walsall surrendered a 12-point lead, League Two had looked like the promotion race no-one wanted to win with the leadership changing hands on a weekly basis.But on Saturday we could have all three automatic promotion places filled, the champions crowned or, well, none of the above.Doncaster Rovers will go up if they beat Bradford City in the battle of first against third and they would also win the title if Port Vale lose at fifth-placed AFC Wimbledon."We all know what's at stake for both teams, you know what it means but then you need to refocus your mind and do your job," Bradford manager Graham Alexander told BBC Radio Leeds. A Bradford win and at least a draw for Vale would leave Walsall needing a point as the bare minimum against Accrington to keep alive their fading hopes of a top-three finish.With Notts County at Harrogate and Grimsby visiting MK Dons the meeting between Salford and Colchester could knock one or both of the latter out of the play-off reckoning while Chesterfield need to beat relegated Morecambe to stay in the hunt.Carlisle could be joining Morecambe in exiting the EFL if they fail to win at Cheltenham and even then a Tranmere victory over Crewe would consign the Cumbrians to non-league football."We can't have any regrets, if we're not good enough to stay up we'll know in a short time but I believe there's a lot of quality here and we've still got a chance in the next two games," Carlisle boss Mark Hughes told BBC Radio Cumbria.Tears of joy and tears of sadness could be flowing around the country come five o'clock on Saturday.