The League 1 season concluded with the final round of games played over the weekend.
The victory Sheffield United needed to secure 100 points was achieved. They were joined automatically by Bolton, second.
Millwall, sixth, claimed the final play-off spot – with Scunthorpe, Fleetwood and Bradford – but it was Port Vale who filled the final relegation position, joining the already relegated trio of Swindon, Coventry and Chesterfield.
Here’s a round-up of the League 1 action from the other games played.
Results
Sunday 30th April 2017 – LEAGUE ONE
AFC Wimbledon 0-0 Oldham Athletic 12:00
Bolton Wanderers 3-0 Peterborough United 12:00
Bristol Rovers 3-4 Millwall 12:00
Charlton Athletic 3-0 Swindon Town 12:00
Fleetwood Town 0-0 Port Vale 12:00
Northampton Town 0-0 Gillingham 12:00
Oxford United 2-0 Shrewsbury Town 12:00
Rochdale 1-1 Bradford City 12:00
Scunthorpe United 3-1 Coventry City 12:00
Sheffield United 3-2 Chesterfield 12:00
Southend United 1-0 Bury 12:00
Walsall 1-4 Milton Keynes Dons 12:00
Wimbledon, who failed to score in a six game winless run to end the season, and Oldham, already safe from the threat of relegation, played out a 0-0 draw at Kingsmeadow.
A Bolton victory would have confirmed an instant return to the Championship, which was exactly what happened as the Trotters saw off Peterborough 3-0 at the Macron Stadium to be confirmed runners-up to Sheffield United, some 14 points behind.
Bristol Rovers couldn’t finish outside the top-10 but wanted a home win to end – Millwall knew a victory would assure a play-off place, which came as the Lions edged a seven goal thriller 4-3. A first win in three means Millwall finished in sixth, ahead of Southend, who had also won.
A third win in a row – a fourth in a five game unbeaten run to conclude – saw Charlton end an otherwise disappointing season with a 3-0 victory over already relegated Swindon. The Addicks finished 13th, the Robins, following a third straight defeat, six points from safety in 22nd.
Fleetwood and Port Vale rounded the season off, the regulation one anyway, with a 0-0 draw at the Highbury Stadium. This saw the Cod Army drop to fourth, but Vale’s point wasn’t enough to keep them in League 1 – they finished a point behind Gillingham, 20th, taking the fourth and final relegation spot.
A seventh game without a win saw Northampton and Gillingham play out a 0-0 draw at Sixfields – both teams will meet again in League 1 next season though. The Gills had to win to be assured of safety, but Port Vale’s failure to win means Vale were the side who suffered the disappointment of relegation.
Oxford’s third straight win came when they beat Shrewsbury, meaning the U’s finished in eighth. The Shrews’, 18th, first defeat in five was suffered when losing 2-0 at the Kassam Stadium, but their League 1 status had virtually been assured anyway.
Rochdale fell short of a play-off spot following a 1-1 draw with Bradford, fifth, who had already booked a place in the top-six – Millwall’s win would have denied Dale regardless. City, in a team including nine changes by Stuart McCall with the play-offs in mind, will face Fleetwood in the semi-finals.
Scunthorpe came from behind to record a 3-1 win over second-bottom – already relegated – Coventry at Glanford Park to finish the season in third. The Iron go into the play-offs on a five game winning run.
Sheffield United condemned bottom-side Chesterfield to a fourth straight defeat, edging a five goal thriller 3-2 to reach 100 points for the season.
There was disappointment for both Southend and Bury at Roots Hall despite the home sides 1-0 win. A first victory in three for the Shrimpers wasn’t enough to secure them a top-six finish, they ended a point behind Millwall, sixth. However, the disappointment of defeat for the Shakers was offset by the fact they avoided relegation when Port Vale failed to secure the win they needed.
Walsall finished a couple of placed behind MK Dons, 12th, after the visitors left the Banks’s Stadium with a 4-1 win to round off the season.
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