Derby seals Championship return with Carlisle win
Derby County sealed an EFL Championship return by beating already-relegated Carlisle United 2-0 at Pride Park on the final day of the EFL League One season.
Derby knew a single point would end its two-year stay in the third tier of English football, with Bolton Wanderers waiting to pounce if the Rams did suffer a shock defeat.
However, such a slip-up never looked likely as Max Bird's powerful strike from outside the area put them ahead within five minutes, and James Collins added a close-range second on the hour mark to make certain of promotion.
Paul Warne's team finished five points behind Portsmouth, which clinched the title earlier this month, and five clear of Bolton, which needed a late equaliser from Cameron Jerome to draw 3-3 with Peterborough.
Bolton will face Barnsley in the play-offs as the Tykes were not punished for their 1-1 draw with Northampton Town, defeats for Blackpool and Lincoln City denying them the chance to gatecrash the top six.
Fourth-placed Peterborough will face Oxford United in the other play-off semi-final, as the U's clinched a 2-1 win over Exeter City to claim fifth place in the final reckoning.
Three of the four relegation places had already been decided before the day's matches, with Carlisle, Port Vale, and Fleetwood Town on their way to EFL League Two.
Cheltenham will join them after Nick Freeman struck a 90th-minute winner in their 2-1 loss at Stevenage. Darrell Clarke's side needed a win to save itself and send Burton Albion down in its place, but it was hit with a late sucker punch as its three-year stay in EFL League One came to an end.
