Stoke back in top flight after 23 years

Stoke City's Carl Dickinson joins home fans in celebration after the club's promotion to the English Premier League.

ENGLISH CHAMPIONSHIP: STOKE CITY were promoted to the English Premier League when a drab, scoreless draw at home to Leicester City clinched runners-up spot in the Championship yesterday. Third-placed Hull City - the only team who could have denied Stoke - were beaten 1-0 at Ipswich Town. 

West Bromwich Albion, with Dean Kiely in goals, return to the top flight as champions after a 2-0 victory at Queen's Park Rangers put them on 81 points, two more than Stoke.

While Albion are no strangers to Premier League campaigns in recent seasons, Stoke - who had Irish trio Liam Lawrence, Rory Delap and Glenn Whelan all playing yesterday - are now looking forward to their first season among the elite since 1985 and the €77 million windfall that promotion now guarantees.

The contrast in emotions could hardly have been greater as the draw sent Leicester City down to League One, the third tier in English football, for the first time.

They joined already-relegated Scunthorpe United and Colchester United after Southampton, until 2005 a long-standing fixture in the Premier League, came from behind to beat Sheffield United 3-2 and crawl out of the bottom three.

A premature pitch invasion by jubilant Stoke fans delayed the dying moments at their Britannia Stadium, before the final whistle sparked wild scenes of jubilation.

"I'm very proud of everybody connected to the football club," said Stoke manager Tony Pulis. "I have to say a special thank you to the chairman (Peter Coates), he showed a lot of character to buy this club and spent a lot of money on it."

Leicester boss Ian Holloway, who left Plymouth earlier this season to take over at Leicester, said it was the "worst moment of my life".

Hull can still clinch a place in the top flight for the first time through the playoffs, which will also feature Bristol City, Crystal Palace and Watford, who finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively. Hull take on Watford in the semi-finals while Bristol City face Crystal Palace.

Ups And Downs

Champions: Manchester United or Chelsea.

Champions League places: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal Liverpool

Relegated: Derby, plus two from Bolton, Fulham, Reading Birmingham

Uefa Cup: Everton or Aston Villa (plus the FA Cup champions - Portsmouth or Cardiff City)

Championship

Champions: West Brom

Promoted: Stoke

Play-offs: Hull, Bristol City, Crystal Palace, Watford

Relegated: Colchester, Scunthorpe, Leicester

League One

Champions: Swansea

Promoted: Nottingham Forest

Play-offs: Doncaster, Carlisle, Leeds, Southend

Relegated: Luton, Port Vale, Gillingham, Bournemouth

League Two

Champions: MK Dons

Promoted: Peterborough, Hereford

Play-offs: Stockport, Rochdale, Darlington, Wycombe

Relegated: Wrexham, Mansfield

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times