Neil Warnock was a proud man after Huddersfield retained their place in the Sky Bet Championship with a 1-0 victory over promoted Sheffield United, but ruled out staying on as manager into next season.
The 74-year-old came out of retirement in mid-February to take on the role, with the Terriers battling to get out of the relegation zone.
However, a run of just one defeat in their last nine league matches ensured they achieved safety as Danny Ward’s stunning 25-yard strike got the job done against United with a game to spare, instead sending Reading tumbling into League One.
Warnock had previously said keeping the Terriers up would be the “greatest achievement” of his career, which has spanned over 1600 games and included eight promotions.
And he believes it was no less than the players deserved after a nail-biting 90 minutes at the John Smith’s Stadium.
“I’ll remember tonight for the rest of my life,” said Warnock. “It’s a massive achievement and I couldn’t be any prouder.
“When (Warnock’s assistant) Ronnie Jepson phoned me, he said ‘are you sure? This is the worst team I have seen’. Everyone has worked their socks off for me but I can’t do another 10 months of this. The job is done for me.
“I have great memories and didn’t want to leave having gone down.
“You can imagine relegation, jobs at stake. We looked nervous, not wanting to have a second touch. At half-time we told them what we’d been doing the last nine games and we deserved it in the end.
“Danny scored one like that for Cardiff at Forest, I said we could do with another one of those. He’s an unsung hero.
“It’s been an amazing ride. I think tonight could have converted youngsters for years to come.
“I remember watching Joe Shaw for (Sheffield) United one night and it did me. I had to be an United-ite and there will be Town fans like that tonight.”
The Blades enjoyed a promotion party of their own last month after they secured their return to the Premier League.
But they had to endure watching Huddersfield celebrate this time around and boss Paul Heckingbottom admitted it was a difficult result for his team.
“Of course we have to put it into perspective but not one of us enjoyed that,” he said. “But we’ve earned the right to be in that position.
“I can’t help how I feel after a defeat. It was evident in the second half that there was one team scrapping for survival.
“I am not going to be tough on the lads. They have been fantastic and that’s the difference when you haven’t got that edge.
“We were good first half and missed chances, but second half they played it like a Championship match.”
When asked about Warnock’s achievement of keeping the hosts up, Heckingbottom said: “Results have picked up. I have seen a lot of games and they have turned some really good teams over.
“He’s worked his magic and got what he, and the club, wanted.”
Liam Rosenior departs Hull City after 18 months in charge
Hull City have parted company with head coach Liam Rosenior with immediate effect.
Rosenior departs the MKM Stadium after 18 months in charge of the Tigers, who narrowly missed out on the Championship playoffs this season.
Hull were one point above the relegation zone when the former Derby County assistant succeeded Shota Arveladze in November 2022, but he guided them to safety in 15th place.
Rosenior signed a new three-year deal in December and oversaw just one defeat in Hull’s last seven games of this season, in which they finished seventh and just three points behind sixth-place Norwich City.
"This has been the most difficult decision I have had to make as chairman of this wonderful football club," said chairman and owner Acun Ilicali.
"Since Liam’s arrival, we have enjoyed an open working relationship and progress has undoubtedly been made over the course of his tenure. He will always be a part of this family and I thank him for all his work.
"However, it has become evident that our visions for the future are not aligned, and I feel that now is the time to make a change. I know what this football club can achieve, and we will not stop in the pursuit of that.
"We have worked hard over the last two years to develop our squad. We now have many highly talented players at our disposal, and we will continue to invest and improve our playing personnel to give this club and its fans the success they deserve."
Ipswich Town promoted to Premier League after 22-year absence
Ipswich Town secured their return to the Premier League after a 22-year absence by seeing off Huddersfield Town 2-0 at Portman Road on Saturday.
Kieran McKenna's side, who only earned promotion from League One last year, required a point on the final day of regular-season fixtures.
Wes Burns put Ipswich on their way with a 27th-minute strike, before Omar Hutchinson sealed the deal early in the second period.
As it turned out, even a loss would have seen Town go up as Leeds failed to pick up the three points they needed in a 2-1 loss to Southampton.
Joel Piroe cancelled out Adam Armstrong's goal, but Will Smallbone restored the visitors' lead before half-time at Elland Road and at it remained that way.
Leeds will now face Norwich City in the play-offs after the Canaries dropped from fifth to sixth with a 1-0 loss to Birmingham City.
West Brom's 3-0 win over Preston North End ensured they finished the season in fifth, meaning a play-off semi-final date with Southampton.
Despite their home win over Norwich, Birmingham joined Rotherham United and Huddersfield Town in being relegated to the third tier.
That is due to Plymouth Argyle defeating top-six chasers Hull City 1-0, while Sheffield Wednesday eased to a 2-0 victory at Sunderland.
Rotherham's relegation was confirmed last month, while Huddersfield were effectively already down barring a miraculous set of results on the final day.
Will Still leaves Reims job with immediate effect
Will Still has left his role as Reims head coach with immediate effect, the Ligue 1 club announced on Thursday.
Still took over as Reims boss – initially on an interim basis – after Oscar Garcia was sacked in October 2022 and went unbeaten through his first 19 league games at the helm.
The 31-year-old was eventually handed the role on a permanent basis and led Reims to an 11th-placed finish in Ligue 1 in 2022-23, with his lack of a UEFA Pro Licence causing the club to be fined €25,000 per match until he began the course.
Reims are currently 11th in Ligue 1 again, though they are winless in their last five games and have lost each of their last three.
In a statement, the club said: "Following a meeting this morning between president Jean-Pierre Caillot, general manager Mathieu Lacour and head coach Will Still, it was mutually agreed that the two parties would not continue the sporting adventure together next season.
"In order to allow Reims to confidently look forward to the next year, it was also decided that Will Still and his deputy Nicolas Still would step down from their respective functions as of today."
Still was linked with the Sunderland job earlier this season and said in February that he would be open to joining an "ambitious" Championship club.
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