He scored the winning goal for Middlesbrough in their televised game against Southampton on Saturday. Had he not scored that goal, and had the game ended 1-1, there would have been nothing left to play for and both the BBC and Sky would have been scratching their heads at what to show on Saturday.
As it happens, that goal has kept things going. With a 1-1 draw the whole season would have been over with on Saturday night. Reading and Southampton would have been promoted, West Ham, Blackpool, Birmingham and Cardiff would have been in the play offs with Portsmouth and Coventry joining Doncaster through the trap door into League One.
But that goal, whilst ensuring Reading were champions, allowed West Ham the opportunity to fight Southampton for second place and left Middlesbrough still in with a chance of making the play offs.
The television companies have therefore gone for the Southampton and West Ham games, and if Southampton beat Coventry they go up, if they draw then they will go up unless West Ham beat defensive experts Hull by four goals or more.
It's looking like Southampton with West Ham in the play offs with Blackpool and Birmingham. They will be joined by Cardiff if the Welsh club avoid defeat at Crystal Palace but should they lose and Middlesbrough win at Watford then the Teesside club will take the last play off place.
Down at the bottom it's all over. Portsmouth and Coventry knew what they had to do to avoid the drop. They needed two wins with Bristol City failing to win either of their last two games. It all went wrong.
Bristol City beat Barnsley 2-0 with the second coming from the most outrageous penalty award of the season from controversial referee Darren Deadman, but nothing mattered with both Portsmouth and Coventry losing at home.
For Portsmouth, it will be football in the third tier of English football for the first time since the 1982/83 season and for Coventry even longer, they haven't played there since winning promotion to the second division in 1964.
And so it is farewell for sure to Reading, Portsmouth, Coventry and Derby. We already knew that Charlton were joining us along with at least one of the Sheffield clubs and on Sunday a Championship place was confirmed by Wolves whose season has ended in disaster and relegation from the Premier League.
That means the three clubs promoted in 2009 - Wolves, Birmingham and Burnley - have now all suffered relegation.
Nothing much to play for now, for most of us just the last games, the parade of players around the pitch and then a longer than usual sixteen week break before the season starts again.
Below are the most recent results, the stats, the leading goalscorers, each club's red and yellow card count, the highest and lowest attendances and the final Championship fixtures of the 2011/12 season.
The Results | |
Saturday 21st April | |
Blackpool 4 Burnley 0 | Ipswich Town 0 Millwall 3 |
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Birmingham City 1 | Middlesbrough 2 Southampton 1 |
Bristol City 2 Barnsley 0 | Peterborough United 2 Watford 2 |
Cardiff City 1 Leeds United 1 | Portsmouth 1 Derby County 2 |
Coventry City 0 Doncaster Rovers 2 | Reading 2 Crystal Palace 2 |
Hull City 2 Nottingham Forest 1 | |
Monday 23rd April | |
Leicester City 1 West Ham United 2 |
The Stats | |
Biggest Win | Blackpool 4-0 v Burnley (home) |
Total Goals Scored | 35 (18 home - 17 away) |
Player Scoring Most Goals | 2 - Andy Keogh (Millwall) |
Highest Attendance | 25,109 - Cardiff City v Leeds United |
Lowest Attendance | 8,725 - Peterborough United v Watford |
Total Yellow Cards | 29 |
Total Red Cards | 2 |
Most Cards in a Game | Brighton & Hove Albion v Birmingham City (5Y) Ref: Nigel Miller |
Leading Goalscorers (League Only) | |
27 | Rickie Lambert (Southampton) - includes 9 penalties |
20 | Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham United) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Barnsley) |
18 | Ross McCormack (Leeds United) Billy Sharp (Southampton) - includes 1 penalty - (10 with Doncaster Rovers) |
17 | Matty Fryatt (Hull City) - includes 2 penalties |
16 | Charlie Austin (Burnley) - includes 1 penalty Marlon King (Birmingham City) - includes 2 penalties |
15 | Darius Henderson (Millwall) - includes 2 penalties David Nugent (Leicester City) Kevin Phillips (Blackpool) Jay Rodriguez (Burnley) - includes 3 penalties |
14 | Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town) |
13 | Marvin Emnes (Middlesbrough) Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United) - includes 2 penalties |
12 | Chris Burke (Birmingham City) Carlton Cole (West Ham United) Adam Le Fondre (Reading) Jevin Nolan (West Ham United) Paul Taylor (Peterborough United) Chris Wood (Bristol City) - includes 1 penalty - (9 with Birmingham City) |
Hat Tricks | |
Date | Player & Game |
20/08/11 | 3: Lee Tomlin - PETERBOROUGH UNITED v Ipswich Town |
10/09/11 | 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Nottingham Forest |
11/09/11 | 3: Chris Wood - BIRMINGHAM CITY v Millwall |
12/10/11 | 3: Darius Henderson - Leicester City v MILLWALL |
02/11/11 | 3: Jonjo Shelvey - Leeds United v BLACKPOOL |
19/11/11 | 3: Rickie Lambert - SOUTHAMPTON v Brighton & Hove Albion |
26/12/11 | 3: Matthew Phillips - Barnsley v BLACKPOOL |
31/12/11 | 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - BARNSLEY v Leeds United |
21/01/12 | 3: Darius Henderson - Barnsley v MILLWALL |
31/01/12 | 4: Nikola Zigic - Leeds United v BIRMINGHAM CITY |
26/02/12 | 3: Rickie Lambert - Watford v SOUTHAMPTON |
17/03/12 | 3: Rickie Lambert - Millwall v SOUTHAMPTON |
20/03/12 | 4: Garath McCleary - Leeds United v NOTTINGHAM FOREST |
31/03/12 | 3: Radi Majewski - Crystal Palace v NOTTINGHAM FOREST |
31/03/12 | 3: Charlie Austin - Portsmouth v BURNLEY |
14/04/12 | 3: Ricardo Vaz Te - WEST HAM UNITED v Brighton & Hove Albion |
17/04/12 | 3: Matty Fryatt - HULL CITY v Barnsley |
Disciplinary Record (League and Cup) | |||||||||
Club | Y | R | Y | R | Club | Y | R | Y | R |
League | Total | League | Total | ||||||
Barnsley | 61 | 2 | 64 | 2 | Ipswich Town | 55 | 5 | 56 | 5 |
Birmingham City | 63 | 3 | 68 | 3 | Leeds United | 73 | 9 | 79 | 9 |
Blackpool | 53 | 2 | 56 | 3 | Leicester City | 60 | 9 | 68 | 9 |
Brighton and Hove Albion | 91 | 8 | 105 | 8 | Middlesbrough | 75 | 7 | 78 | 7 |
Bristol City | 80 | 7 | 82 | 7 | Millwall | 77 | 2 | 84 | 2 |
Burnley | 69 | 2 | 77 | 2 | Nottingham Forest | 60 | 5 | 65 | 5 |
Cardiff City | 57 | 0 | 73 | 0 | Peterborough United | 53 | 2 | 56 | 2 |
Coventry City | 55 | 3 | 57 | 3 | Portsmouth | 75 | 4 | 82 | 4 |
Crystal Palace | 55 | 2 | 59 | 3 | Reading | 57 | 1 | 60 | 1 |
Derby County | 58 | 1 | 58 | 1 | Southampton | 52 | 4 | 55 | 4 |
Doncaster Rovers | 70 | 3 | 72 | 3 | Watford | 68 | 3 | 70 | 3 |
Hull City | 70 | 1 | 75 | 1 | West Ham United | 66 | 6 | 68 | 7 |
Highest and Lowest Attendances | |||
Highest | Lowest | ||
Att | Fixture | Att | Fixture |
34,936 | West Ham United v Coventry City (02/01) | 6,351 | Peterborough United v Cardiff City (18/10) |
34,900 | West Ham United v Crystal Palace (25/02) | 6,392 | Peterborough United v Millwall (06/03) |
34,749 | West Ham United v Barnsley (17/12) | 6,717 | Peterborough United v Reading (20/03) |
34,650 | West Ham United v Doncaster Rovers (10/03) | 7,004 | Peterborough United v Bristol City (18/02) |
33,465 | West Ham United v Portsmouth (10/09) | 7,540 | Peterborough United v Blackpool (10/03) |
33,366 | Leeds United v West Ham United (17/03) | 7,555 | Peterborough United v Portsmouth (28/01) |
33,350 | West Ham United v Reading (31/03) | 7,572 | Doncaster Rovers v Millwall (20/03) |
33,010 | Derby County v Southampton (15/10) | 7,650 | Doncaster Rovers v Watford (26/11) |
33,010 | Derby County v Leeds United (26/12) | 7,778 | Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City (27/08) |
33,010 | Derby County v Nottingham Forest (17/03) | 7,901 | Peterborough United v Burnley (17/09) |
The Final Fixtures | |
Saturday 21st April | |
Barnsley v Brighton & Hove Albion | Leeds United v Leicester City |
Birmingham City v Reading | Millwall v Blackpool |
Burnley v Bristol City | Nottingham Forest v Portsmouth |
Crystal Palace v Cardiff City | Southampton v Coventry City |
Derby County v Middlesbrough | Watford v Peterborough United |
Doncaster Rovers v Ipswich Town | West Ham United v Hull City |