Orient are back in the big time

PREMIER LEAGUE

Cardiff’s fairytale season in the Premier League is almost over. Neil Warnock’s men will be relegated on Saturday if they lose at home to Crystal Palace. And even if they draw they are as good as down because of a vastly inferior goal difference compared to Brighton, the one team they could possibly catch.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Rotherham put up a better fight than the last time they were in the Championship they went down with 23 points two years ago - but relegation was confirmed with yesterday’s 2-1 loss at West Brom. Bolton and Ipswich were already down. Derby are in the box seat to clinch the final playoff place — one win from their last two matches should be good enough. Norwich’s win in last night’s game at home to Blackburn sealed their promotion with Sheffield United also poised for a topflight return after a 12-year absence.

LEAGUE ONE

The title fight goes down to the wire with Luton and Barnsley locked together on 91 points with one game left. If either side slips up, Portsmouth can pounce by winning their two remaining games. Sunderland and Charlton are in the playoffs with Doncaster odds-on favourites to join them. At the other end it’s any three from Wimbledon, Southend, Plymouth, Walsall or Scunthorpe to accompany Bradford into League Two.

LEAGUE TWO

Bury need one win from two games to clinch promotion after nearest rivals Mansfield and MK Dons lost yesterday. And those two meet in Milton Keynes on Saturday in a winner-takes-all showdown for the third and final automatic promotion spot. A draw would suit Mansfield. Yeovil, who were playing in the Championship in 2014, are down. Notts County have to win at Swindon to have a chance of staying up though would also need Macclesfield to lose at home to Cambridge.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Leyton Orient clinched promotion back to the Football League after a 0-0 draw against Braintree Town confirmed them as champions. ‘This is amazing and we fully deserved that,’ said jubilant Os chief Justin Edinburgh. In this week’s playoffs, second-placed Solihull Moors play the winner of the tie between Fylde and Harrogate while Salford, who finished third, are at home to either Wrexham or Eastleigh.