Ipswich Town secured their return to the Premier League with a convincing 3-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road, clinching second place in the Championship. Goals from George Hirst and Jaden Philogene within the first ten minutes set the tone, while Kasey McAteer added a late third to seal the result.
The win ensured Ipswich held off Millwall, who also won their match but had to settle for third place and a spot in the play-offs. Manager Kieran McKenna praised his side's achievement after guiding the club to a third promotion in four seasons.
"This has probably been the hardest one, if I’m honest, so it means an awful lot," he said. "We’ve had to try and rebuild this team under difficult circumstances, and everyone’s stuck at it. I think we deserve to be where we are today."
Ipswich will now return to the top flight alongside champions Coventry City, hoping to improve on their previous Premier League campaign.
Elsewhere, Wrexham narrowly missed out on the play-offs after a 2-2 draw with Middlesbrough, allowing Hull City to take the final play-off spot with a win over Norwich City. Millwall will face Hull in the play-off semi-finals, while Southampton, who finished fourth after a strong run of form, will take on Middlesbrough.
Meanwhile, champions Coventry ended the season in style with a 4-0 win over Watford, finishing on 95 points. At the bottom of the table, Sheffield Wednesday’s relegation had already been confirmed, though they ended their campaign with a 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.
