Championship
Aston Villa regained their Premier League status with a two one Championship play-off victory over Derby County this Bank Holiday Monday afternoon in Wembley Stadium. Villa included Conor Hourihane in their starting eleven with Glenn Whelan an unused substitute while Richard Keogh captained the vanquished ‘Rams’ with eighteen year old midfielder Jason Knight unused on the substitute bench. Hourihane, in the holding midfield role, was excellent throughout while Keogh led his side in exemplary fashion.
League One
There was a dramatic ending to the League One play-off final between Charlton Athletic and Sunderland at Wembley Stadium this Sunday afternoon with the ‘Addicks’ scoring the winner with just seconds remaining at the end of added time. Having fallen behind after just four minutes to a calamitous own goal Charlton recovered and equalised prior to the half-time break and overall deserved their victory. West Ham United loanee Josh Cullen started for the victors and his quality shone through. Cullen is a an excellent passer of the ball and while slight of frame, this season in the robust atmosphere of League One will have enhanced his development. Aiden McGeady was introduced from the ‘Makems’ bench with some fifteen minutes of normal time remaining but made little impact while Burnley loanee Jimmy Dunne remained unused on the substitute bench.