LONDON - Bournemouth were promoted as Championship winners on Saturday after routing Charlton 3-0 to take the title from previous leaders Watford on the final day of the second tier season.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe (C) applauds the fans after the final whistle in the FA Cup fourth round match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England on January 25, 2015
Eddie Howe's team had effectively sealed their place in the Premier League on Monday when they defeated Bolton to move three points clear of Middlesbrough with a vastly superior goal difference.
The Cherries needed a point from their trip to the Valley to be certain of clinching a spot in the English elite for the first time in the club's history and they achieved that aim with the added bonus of finishing in first place.
Matt Ritchie gave them the perfect start with a 10th minute goal and Harry Arter added the second two minutes later.
Ritchie netted again in the 85th minute and the 4,000 Bournemouth supporters who made the trip from the south coast to south London were able to celebrate the title when news filtered through that Watford had been forced to settle for a 1-1 draw after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser against Sheffield Wednesday.
Watford had already secured their place in the Premier League last weekend, but their hopes of taking the winners' trophy as well were dashed after Atdhe Nuhiu struck to cancel out Matej Vydra's first half goal at Vicarage Road.
- Rams raided -
There was more drama in the race for the play-offs as Derby slipped out of the top six, allowing Brentford to claim a place in the end-of-season competition for the last spot in the Premier League.
Derby needed only one point from their home game against Reading to be certain of qualifying for the play-offs.
But Steve McClaren's side have been on a poor run of late and they crumbled to a 3-0 defeat as a Reading team with nothing to play for ran riot thanks to goals from Kwesi Appiah, Michael Hector and Gareth McCleary.
The Rams, beaten in last season's play-off final, had a chance to equalise after Appiah's opener but Darren Bent's penalty was saved by Adam Federici, condemning former England coach McClaren to defeat in what could prove to be his final match in charge as reports continue to link him with the Newcastle job.
Derby's stumble allowed Brentford to rise to a fifth place finish as the second tier's surprise package cruised to a 3-0 win over relegated Wigan at Griffin Park.
In their first season in the second tier since 1993, Brentford have thrived under boss Mark Warburton, who in a bizarre twist has already been told he will be dismissed at the end of the season regardless of whether the tiny west London club win a place in the top-flight.
Brentford will face fourth placed Middlesbrough for a place in the play-off final, with the second semi-final a potentially explosive East Anglian derby between bitter rivals Norwich and Ipswich.
Norwich secured third place with a 4-2 win over Fulham, while Ipswich scraped into sixth spot despite losing 3-2 at Blackburn.
Wolves, 4-2 winners against Millwall, missed out on a play-off berth on goal difference.
With Blackpool, Wigan and Millwall already relegated to League One, frustrations boiled over at Bloomfield Road, where hundreds of angry Blackpool supporters forced the abandonment of their match against Huddersfield with a pitch invasion to protest against club owners the Oyston family.