Sheffield Wednesday sealed their Sky Bet Championship survival with a 2-0 win at Sunderland.
The Owls looked destined for League One when they picked up just three points from their opening 13 matches of the season, with no Championship side having previously survived from such a miserable position.
However, October’s appointment of Danny Rohl proved inspired, with the German overseeing a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the campaign.
The final-day win at the Stadium of Light, which came courtesy of first-half goals from Liam Palmer and Josh Windass, means Wednesday lost just three of their final 14 matches, a run that enabled them to haul themselves to safety despite having spent virtually all of the season in the bottom three.
In the end, the Owls finished just three points behind Sunderland, whose season imploded the moment they decided to dismiss Tony Mowbray in the autumn. Mike Dodds’ lengthy spell as interim head coach resulted in just two wins from 13 games.
With their Championship status at stake, Wednesday were the brighter of the two sides throughout on Wearside and went close after just nine minutes. Callum Styles gave the ball away cheaply in his own half and Windass whipped a dangerous ball across the face of goal, with a sliding Anthony Musaba unable to make contact at the back post.
Windass went close himself shortly after, dragging a shot across the face of goal after Barry Bannan released him behind the Sunderland defence.
However, there was a scare for the visitors midway through the first half when Luke O’Nien headed home Styles’ free-kick. The effort did not count, though, as the flag had gone up for offside.
That was a rare threatening moment from the Black Cats, and Wednesday claimed the opening goal their bright play deserved just before the half-hour mark.
Bannan was the architect, unlocking the Sunderland defence with a brilliant through-ball. Palmer advanced into the penalty box and fired home a clinical low finish.
Sunderland almost equalised within five minutes. Bannan’s misplaced pass enabled the Black Cats to sweep downfield, and Jack Clarke curled a fine effort against the outside of the post from the corner of the 18-yard box.
It proved a crucial moment, as within four minutes, Wednesday claimed the second goal. Pol Valentin pulled the ball back from close to the byline after breaking down the right and Windass drilled a first-time finish past Sunderland goalkeeper Nathan Bishop.
Patrick Roberts fired wide from eight yards out as the Black Cats wasted an excellent opportunity to get back into things just before the interval, but while Clarke came close in the second half, Wednesday’s survival-clinching lead was never seriously threatened.
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