Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ireland's Jason Knight [file photo].Ryan Byrne/INPHO Championship play-off celebrations for Irish contingent as Duffy scores for Norwich There was plenty of drama across the Championship today. 4.51pm, 3 May 2025 Share options ROSS MCCRORIE’S DOUBLE kicked off a party for both sets of fans at Ashton Gate as Bristol City recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Preston and clinch a Championship play-off place. The shared points also saw the visitors avoid relegation thanks to results elsewhere and full-time sparked scenes of celebration at both ends. It was a great day for the Irish contingent in the Bristol side, as Jason Knight, Mark Sykes, Max O’Leary, Sinclair Armstrong and Luke McNally all head to the play-offs. They progress along with Sunderland, who have Alan Browne on their books, as well as Tom Cannon’s Sheffield United. Preston struck first in the 28th minute when poor marking allowed Emil Riis the chance to head home a corner from Ireland’s Robbie Brady. It was 2-0 in the 60th minute, Milutin Osmajic breaking clean through City’s backline to coolly slot a low right-footed shot beneath the dive of Max O’Leary. The Robins hit back nine minutes later, McCrorie heading home at the far post from a Nahki Wells cross. The wing-back was on target again in the 74th minute, as Ireland’s Jason Knight delivered a low ball into the box for McCrorie to fire past David Cornell. Liam Manning’s men faced an anxious few minutes after the final whistle before news came through that Blackburn’s game at Sheffield United had ended in a draw, confirming their sixth-placed finish and inspiring a pitch invasion and wild scenes of jubilation. City can now look forward to being in the play-offs for the first time in 17 years and will face the Blades in a two-legged semi-final. Knight was named Bristol Player of the Year afterwards, having played every minute of the regular season. Sunderland will head into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs without a win in six matches after losing 1-0 to manager-less QPR at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats failed to recover from Nicolas Madsen’s calm finish in the fifth minute and that resulted in a fifth straight defeat for Regis Le Bris’ side. Advertisement Sunderland had already secured fourth spot before this match, and a dramatic final day’s action in the Championship means they will face Frank Lampard’s Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals. QPR, despite surprisingly placing head coach Marti Cifuentes on garden leave this week, displayed why they have climbed away from relegation trouble this season under interim bosses Kevin Betsy and Xavi Calm. Norwich players celebrate Shane Duffy's goal.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Ireland’s Shane Duffy was on target as Norwich finished a disappointing Championship campaign on a positive note with a 4-2 victory over already-relegated Cardiff at Carrow Road. The Canaries scored three goals in the opening 23 minutes to take control, with Calum Chambers’ 16th-minute sending off hampering the visitors’ cause. Marcelino Nunez scored twice before top scorer Borja Sainz made it 19 for the season as teams coached by former Arsenal team-mates Wilshere and Ramsey produced an entertaining encounter. Cardiff striker Yousef Salech scored twice in the second half to keep things respectable, but Duffy nodded home a fourth in between to ensure a first win in seven games for the hosts. Luton were relegated from the Championship after a 5-3 defeat to West Brom at The Hawthorns. The Hatters needed to match Hull’s result at Portsmouth to avoid a second successive relegation. Instead, first career braces from Tom Fellows and Callum Styles and one from Daryl Dike put paid to their hopes. Dubliner Millenic Alli, who scored the recent winner against Derby, was on target twice for Luton but it wasn’t enough. Luton’s sell-out 2,500 following sang ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ after the results were confirmed. Alli’s first goal arrived in the eighth minute and he made it 5-3 in the 88th minute when he curled home from just inside the box but Luton celebrations were understandably muted. Despite going into the game on the back of three straight wins, Luton never looked like extending that run once Albion regained the lead. The Hatters became the first club since Sunderland in 2018 to drop from the top flight to League One in consecutive seasons and only the fourth in the Premier League era after Swindon in 1994-95 and Wolves in 2012-13. Anel Ahmedhodzic struck Sheffield United’s equaliser as Blackburn fell short in their Sky Bet Championship play-off bid with a 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane. Tom Cannon started the game for Sheffield before being withdrawn in the 84th minute. Yuki Ohashi gave Blackburn a second-half lead and briefly lifted them into the top six before Ahmedhodzic levelled it up nine minutes later to deny the visitors victory, which would have sealed a play-off place. Blackburn needed a win and for other results to go their way, while the Blades were already assured of third spot and made seven changes after last week’s win at Stoke. Rovers, seven points adrift of the top six before a 13-point haul from their previous five matches catapulted them back into contention, were one of five clubs with play-off hopes going into the final day. Josh Brownhill scored twice as Burnley came from behind to beat Millwall 3-1 and hit 100 points only to miss out on the Championship title on goal difference. It was a disappointing result for Ireland’s Aidomo Emakhu, who was introduced in the 77th minute for Millwall, as well as Aaron Connolly. Having been the man to cancel out Mihailo Ivanovic’s 11th-minute opener, Brownhill had the final say with a stoppage-time free-kick after Jaidon Anthony had put Burnley in front in the 65th minute. At that point the Clarets had thought they might nick the title before Manor Solomon’s stoppage-time winner for Leeds at Plymouth added a final twist. Instead, Burnley became the first club in English football history to reach a century of points but not win their league title, finishing the season on a 33-game unbeaten run. There was also disappointment for Ireland and Middlesbrough’s Mark Travers, Finn Azaz, and Darragh Lenihan as Coventry sealed their place in the Championship play-offs thanks to a hard-earned 2-0 victory. Jack Rudoni scored both goals for the hosts as Frank Lampard’s side booked a play-off double-header against Sunderland. Boro have ultimately paid the price for a hugely inconsistent second half of the season as they blew their chance of sneaking back into the top six. 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