Sunderland & Birmingham Promoted

Derby's 2-0 loss to Palace left both Steve Bruce and Roy Keane jumping for joy, as their Birmingham and Sunderland sides were promoted back to the Premiership, just a season after getting relegated.

The Rams started the day four points adrift of Sunderland and five behind leaders Birmingham and were unable to close the gap, with one match to play. Derby will now have to fight it out in the play-offs for a place in the Premiership, after what has been a dismal run-in for them.

Sunderland's Carlos Edwards had put them to the brink of promotion on Friday, after his late stunner secured a 3-2 victory against Burnley. And Birminham managed to beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 on Saturday, which really put the heat on Derby.

Now Birmingham go to Preston and Sunderland visit Luton on the final day of the season as both teams battle for the Championship title. However neither side will be too worried if they lose the title, as the lucrative opportunity of playing in the best league in the world is what all the staff, players and fans have been aiming for.

Both clubs had shaky starts to the season, with Sunderland losing the first five games on the bounce under Niall Quinn, before Roy Keane took over. He since has taken Sunderland from the foot of the table, to promotion, in what has been his first season in management. Such a feat is truly incredible, and TTIAO takes are hat off to you Roy. The thought of Keane going up against Mourinho, or his old master Sir Alex is simply mouthwatering.

There were calls for Birmingham's Bruce to be sacked in mid-October, after his side were left 11 points adrift of leaders Cardiff. However, the board have been rewarded for their faith, and we will arguably now see the Championship's best side back where they belong. Villa fans will no doubt welcome the local-derby fixture!

Now we look forward to the final promotion spot being decided in the play-offs at Wembley. Our tip is for Derby to make up for their automatic promotion cock-up.