Ipswich Town's battle to reach the Premier League looks set to continue until the end of the season, but numerous other clubs have already had their title wins, promotions or relegations confirmed. Alex Jones takes a look through the football pyramid.
Premier League
Starting off with a look at the league Ipswich want to feature in next season. It’s the only one of the top five divisions where nothing has been decided yet.
Arsenal sit top of the table ahead of Liverpool on goal difference, but title favourites Manchester City have a game in hand. Aston Villa are in pole position for the last Champions League spot, but Tottenham Hotspur are just six points behind them with six games left to play.
Looking at the bottom end of the table, Sheffield United could be relegated by the end of the week, sitting on just 16 points from 33 games. They’ll likely be joined by Burnley, with Luton Town hoping to drag Nottingham Forest or Everton into the bottom three.
As it stands, the three promoted Championship sides from last season will all be back in the second tier next season.
Championship
We don’t really need to go over the state of play in terms of the Championship automatic promotion race. Southampton’s defeat at Cardiff City really means that it’s Leicester, Leeds and Town vying for two spaces.
The top-six battle is fascinating, however. We know that two of the top four will end up in the play-offs. West Brom looked nailed on to finish in fifth, but they could easily be overtaken by in-form Norwich City and one of the sides in the chasing pack such as Hull City or Coventry City.
In terms of the relegation picture, Rotherham United are the only side who are guaranteed a bottom-three finish. The other two slots are currently occupied by Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City, who’ll face each other at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday. If either side loses that game, the drop to League One will be all but confirmed. If it ends in a draw, both teams will still be in a lot of trouble.
Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers are all hovering dangerously above the dotted line with two games to go.
League One
Portsmouth have been promoted as champions, which was confirmed by a 3-2 win at home to Barnsley last week. They’ll be playing Championship football for the first time since 2012, and they certainly made the most of the celebrations. It also sees ex-Town midfielder Lee Evans win his second promotion in two seasons, with former goalkeeper Will Norris also in the squad.
They’ll soon be joined by Derby County, barring a total collapse on the final day of the season. The Rams sit three points clear of third-place Bolton Wanderers, boasting a better goal difference and a home match against rock-bottom Carlisle United on Saturday afternoon. Paul Warne has four former Town players at his disposal in the form of Scott Loach, Callum Elder, Martyn Waghorn and Tyreece John-Jules.
Bolton head to Peterborough United, with both teams guaranteed a play-off place. Barnsley and Lincoln City make up the rest of the top six, but Oxford United and Blackpool are ready to pounce if either of them slip up on Saturday. There’s a lot to play for.
Carlisle, Port Vale and Fleetwood Town have all been relegated. Cheltenham Town will join them if they fail to beat Peterborough tomorrow, but even then, survival would hinge on Burton Albion or Cambridge United losing all of their remaining games.
League Two
All three automatic promotion spots are now confirmed in League Two, with numerous ex-Blues involved. Louie Barry helped Stockport County secure the title while Jack Marriott and Elliott Hewitt have been involved for Wrexham and Mansfield Town respectively.
Former Town striker Ellis Harrison has helped MK Dons guarantee their place in the play-offs, with Crewe Alexandra set to join them. Barrow and Crawley Town currently occupy sixth and seventh place, but in-form Doncaster Rovers have a game in hand that could move them into contention.
Elsewhere, Forest Green Rovers have been relegated, with former Ipswich duo Richard Keogh and Dominic Thompson dropping down to non-league. Sutton United could join them as early as tomorrow night if Colchester United avoid defeat at home to Doncaster.
National League
The regular season in the fifth tier is over. Ex-Town boss Paul Cook created a squad from his former clubs, guiding them back to the Football League for the first time since 2017/18. Bailey Clements and Armando Dobra were both involved in a stunning campaign for the Spireites.
Of course, that means the relegation places have been confirmed too, with Oxford City, Dorking Wanderers and Boreham Wood joining Jay Emmanuel-Thomas’ Kidderminster Harriers in Step 2.
The play-offs are always chaotic in non-league, but even more so this year given that sixth-place Gateshead have been denied a place due to their stadium not meeting EFL criteria. As a result, Altrincham will receive a bye to face Bromley, while the winner of Solihull Moors v Halifax Town will travel to Barnet.
The winners of the two semi-final ties will meet at Wembley for a spot in the EFL, with Barnet being the only side to have ever played at that level before.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here