The Championship’s regular season came to an exciting end on Saturday, with the headlines belonging to Ipswich Town and their Irish contingent, who sealed promotion to the Premier League in style.
Going into the final week of the season, Kieran McKenna’s side knew the equation. Promotion was in their own hands – realistically, three points from their final two games would be enough. A midweek 2-2 draw with Southampton, sparked in part by a Ryan Manning free-kick for the Saints, meant the pressure was firmly on heading into Saturday’s clash with QPR.
They responded exactly as promotion-winning sides should.
A 3-0 win sealed the deal. Jack Taylor played a key role in the opener, sliding a perfectly weighted ball in behind and setting the tone for a dominant display. Ipswich controlled proceedings throughout, and late on Kasey McAteer came off the bench to put the result and promotion beyond doubt.
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At the heart of it all has been Dara O’Shea. Captaining the side, his consistency and leadership have underpinned the campaign.
McAteer’s late-season surge and Taylor’s emergence as a regular have also been key. What an achievement for the Irish contingent and McKenna, securing promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
The Championship playoffs will have Irish involvement across all four sides. There had been one place left to fill heading into the final day, with Hull City, Derby County and Wrexham in the mix. Wrexham, the only side without Irish involvement, fell away after a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough.
Derby’s hopes were ended in a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United, where Sammie Szmodics – on loan from Ipswich – struck, before Tom Cannon equalised with his sixth of the season, a timely boost before the upcoming Ireland squad announcement.
That meant Hull would advance if they won, and they did so. Their victory over Norwich City, inspired by a brace from Oliver McBurnie, sealed their place in the top six, with John Egan and Cathal McCarthy now set for playoff football.
They will face Millwall, where Danny McNamara and Will Smallbone are involved, the latter returning from injury with a late cameo against Oxford United.
In the other semi-final, Southampton will meet Middlesbrough, pitting Manning and Finn Azaz against Alan Browne and Alex Gilbert.
In other Championship action, Adam Idah came off the bench to score twice in Swansea City’s 3-1 win over Charlton Athletic, showing sharpness with two well-taken finishes. It’s a timely boost for the Corkman, who looks to be building momentum in advance of the upcoming international break in Murcia.
In the Premier League, Irish involvement was limited, with Brentford the main focus as Everton don’t play until Monday night and Matt Doherty remained an unused substitute for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It proved a hugely positive weekend for Keith Andrews’s side as they secured an impressive 3-0 win over West Ham on Saturday. Caoimhín Kelleher recorded his 10th clean sheet of the season – a career-best return in the Premier League – while Nathan Collins was again central to a solid defensive display.
The result moves Brentford into seventh, just one point off sixth, keeping European qualification firmly within reach. Should Aston Villa win the Europa League and Brentford finish sixth, it would secure Champions League football for the first time in the club’s history – leaving plenty still to play for in the run-in.
On Saturday, Armstrong Oko-Flex became the first Irish player to win a top-flight league in Europe this season, helping Levski Sofia secure the Bulgarian title with a 1-0 win over CSKA 1948 Sofia.
It marks Levski’s first league triumph in 17 years and sees them into Champions League qualifying next season. For Oko-Flex, it caps an outstanding campaign – impressing in the first half of the season with Botev Plovdiv before earning a January move, and continuing that form with eight goals and seven assists in 23 starts.
He has been an outstanding winger in the league this year, and if that trajectory continues, he may not be in Bulgaria for long.
Player of the Week: Josh Keeley (Luton Town)
Josh Keeley produced an outstanding performance for Luton Town in their 3-2 win over Bolton Wanderers, making 10 saves – including six key stops from shots inside the box – to secure the result. It’s been an excellent season from the goalkeeper, and although Luton narrowly missed out on the playoffs, Keeley can finish the campaign with his head held high. Interest in him is building from Championship clubs and an Ireland debut in Murica is looking likely.
Stat of the Week: Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town) – Played every minute of every game while picking up zero bookings
There’s little left to say about O’Shea after a truly remarkable season. He played every single minute in all 46 of his team’s games, and did so without picking up a single yellow card – an incredible achievement for a defender.
Outstanding for both club and country in recent months, he has been the foundation of Ipswich Town’s promotion campaign. A Premier League footballer who is rightfully headed back to where he belongs.
Goal of the Week: CJ Hamilton (Blackpool)
Former Ireland international CJ Hamilton produced a moment of real quality on the final day, firing home a stunning left-footed strike for Blackpool in their 1-0 win over Reading. A proper rocket from the Waterford native into the top corner and, fittingly, the match-winner.
