Archive May 3, 2025

Challenge Cup

Edinburgh (10) 24

Thompson 2 Penalty Cons: Thompson 2 Penalty Thompson

Bath (12) 39

Bath defeated Edinburgh to place in the Challenge Cup final, keeping their hopes of a domestic and European success on track.

With a Mosese Tuipulotu score and five points from Ross Thompson’s boot keeping Edinburgh in the game, Sam Underhill and Tom Dunn crossed for first-half tries.

After the break, Edinburgh came out on top before a second try from Dunn and one from Alfie Barbeary restored the lead for Bath. In contrast, late on, Niall Annett and Guy Pepper touched down to send Bath home.

When Price hacked ahead of a loose ball in a frantic manner, he had a chance to score early for the hosts, but he momentarily gave up the chase after thinking he had put too much pressure on it. The ball was kept in the in-goal area by the bounce, but Finn Russell was able to nip in ahead of Price and touch down for a goalline dropout due to the hesitation.

Thompson then knocked off the post with a fairly straightforward penalty attempt, and Bath received its first blow when Underhill crashed over from close range.

When a quick line-out caused the visitors to appear to be settling into their stride, Tuipulotu crossed over and Thompson converted to level things up.

The Bath team started to show up after the home side had to defend the majority of the ground. After a strong rolling line-out maul, hooker Dunn reclaimed control of the scrum and started to take the offense.

Edinburgh were two men at the break when Thompson kicked a penalty to keep them at two.

After a cynical knock-on by Tom de Glanville, they engineered an overlap out wide, and Wes Goosen appeared to have put Darcy Graham over in the corner. De Glanville received a yellow card, and Edinburgh took the lead 17-12.

Bath hammered at the Edinburgh line from the other end. Beno Obano was passed over, but a television match official (TMO) intervention revealed he had been blocked and had been held up.

It was only a matter of time before the home side’s defense was breached because they were under a lot of pressure. Dunn eventually completed his second attempt, which was a direct copy of his first, following a successful line-out maul.

The Premiership leaders were now clearly in control when substitute Barbeary scored a fourth try to put them one score ahead of them.

Bath scored three points to make it 10 points from the top, but Russell scored with a brave try just as the match started to look like it was about to end.

Thompson ghosted through a midfield gap before finding Price running a fantastic support line to defeat the cover defense and score to bring his team back within three.

After defeating Cliftonville in the final at Windsor Park, the 10-man Dungannon Swifts won their first Irish Cup championship 4-3 on penalties.

Steven Scott was sent off for two yellow card offenses before Rodney McAree’s side took the lead in the first half with John McGovern leading the Swifts.

After the game was 1-1, Kearney and Luke Conlan both missed their spot kicks to give Dungannon a historic victory. Shea Kearney scored an injury-time equalizer for the Reds to force extra time.

The Swifts’ success in the Irish Cup marks the start of a remarkable season, which included finishing fourth in the Irish Premiership this year. They will now have a European campaign in store for the following year.

For manager McAree, who was a player and played for the Dungannon team that lost to Linfield in the Irish Cup final in 2007, the experience will be especially sweet.

Shea Gordon fired over the crossbar from outside the box to give Cliftonville the lead in the seventh minute.

After a diligent free-kick routine, Ryan Curran wasted a veritable chance on 20 minutes.

Luke Conlan, who later found Curran, played it short to Gordon, but his swing on the swivel rolled wide.

The Swifts scored the opener four minutes later when McGovern beat Reds goalkeeper David Odumosu with a header from James Knowles’ corner.

Moments later, as Magilton’s side searched for a quick response, Joe Gormley shot over the crossbar.

Andrew Mitchell and Leo Alves both had good work down the left, and the chances continued to be there at both ends.

After the restart, the Swifts continued to threaten from set pieces, with Dean Curry launching a header wide from another Knowles’ delivery.

Before Scott was dismissed, substitute Alex Parsons glanced wide from Conlan’s cross before there was much controversy.

After being booked in the first half, Scott was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Rory Hale, despite the Reds skipper’s lack of contact.

Cliftonville threw caution to the wind in their search for an equalizer when they had the advantage of having a man advantage.

Conlan came closest when Hale’s corner fell to him in the box, but Conlan’s header soared off the crossbar before Declan Dunne was forced into a fine reflex save in injury time by Axel Piesold.

The ball eventually fell to Kearney outside the box after the resulting corner, and the Swifts youth player savagely fired a stunning strike into the bottom corner to add extra time.

As the Reds pressed in vain for a winner in extra time, Dunne denied Odhran Casey and Hale before Gael Bigirimana cleared Eric McWoods’ goal-bound effort off the line.

Kearney, who came in first for the Reds, missed while Conlan saved his fourth penalty from Dunne in the shootout.

3 May – Leeds clinch Championship title

3 May – Luton and Plymouth relegated to League One

3 May – Doncaster clinch League Two title

3 May – Bradford promoted to League One

2 May – Falkirk promoted to Scottish Premiership

Liverpool clinched the Premier League title on 27 April with a 5-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield.

The top five teams are guaranteed qualification for the league phase of the Champions League – with Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid on 8 April making certain that England will be one of the two associations with the highest Uefa coefficients for 2024-25, and clinching a fifth place in addition to the usual four.

There are also places in the league phase reserved for the winners of this season’s Champions League and Europa League, regardless of their domestic league positions.

The sixth-placed Premier League team will qualify for the league phase of the Europa League, along with the FA Cup winners. If the FA Cup winners have already qualified for the Champions League, that Europa place reverts to the league.

Newcastle United‘s victory in the Carabao Cup final means that at worst they will qualify for the Conference League play-off round. But if they qualify for Europe by their league position, that Conference League spot will revert to the league.

If Chelsea win the Conference League but fail to reach the Champions League, they will qualify for the league phase of the Europa League.

Chelsea clinched their sixth successive WSL title by beating Manchester United 1-0 on 30 April. They will enter the league phase of the Champions League, with the runners-up entering at the second round and the third-placed side in the first round.

Arsenal and Manchester United are close to making sure of their Champions League places.

Leeds United and Burnley both clinched automatic promotion to the Premier League on 21 April when the Clarets beat Sheffield United 2-1. Leeds secured the title on the final day of the season with a 2-1 win at Plymouth.

Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City will contest the play-offs for the third promotion place.

Birmingham City became the first team in England’s top five divisions to be promoted when they won 2-1 at Peterborough on 8 April, and clinched the title without kicking a ball four days later as Wrexham drew 0-0 at Wigan. Wrexham made sure of the second automatic promotion place on 26 April when they beat Charlton 3-0.

Stockport, Charlton, Wycombe and Leyton Orient will contest the play-offs for the third promotion place.

Doncaster Rovers and Port Vale were automatically promoted to League One on 26 April, as Rovers beat Bradford 2-1 and Vale won 2-0 at AFC Wimbledon. Doncaster secured the title with a 2-0 win at Notts County on the final day of the season, when Bradford City claimed the final automatic promotion place by beating Fleetwood 1-0.

Walsall, AFC Wimbledon, Notts County and Chesterfield will contest the play-offs for the final promotion place.

Barnet clinched the title and the sole automatic promotion place with a game to spare on 26 April as they beat Aldershot 4-0.

York City, Forest Green Rovers, Rochdale, Oldham, Halifax and one other team (Southend or Gateshead, who meet on the final day of the season) will contest the play-offs for the second promotion spot.

The bottom four teams will be relegated to National League North or South, and will be replaced with the champions and play-off winners of those two divisions.

Ebbsfleet United became the first team in England’s top five tiers to be relegated after drawing 3-3 with Aldershot on 22 March, and AFC Fylde joined them on 18 April after losing 1-0 to Halifax. The final two relegation places are between Maidenhead, Wealdstone, Dagenham & Redbridge and Braintree.

Celtic clinched the Premiership title on 26 April with a 5-0 win against Dundee United. They will enter the Champions League play-off round, with runners-up Rangers entering in the second qualifying round.

The Premiership has now split in half after 33 games – with each club playing the others in their ‘half’ for a fourth and final time.

The third-placed Premiership team will enter the Europa League at the second qualifying round, with the fourth-placed team entering the Conference League at the second qualifying round.

If Aberdeen win the Scottish Cup, regardless of their league position, they will enter the Europa League at the play-off round. If Celtic win the Cup, “their” Europa place reverts to the league and will go to the third-placed Premiership team, with the fourth-placed team entering at the second qualifying round and the fifth-placed team entering the Conference League at the second qualifying round.

Champions Falkirk are promoted to the Scottish Premiership, having secured the title on 2 May with a final-day 3-1 win over Hamilton.

Livingston, Ayr United and Partick Thistle will enter a play-off with the 11th-placed Premiership team.

Bottom club Hamilton Academical were deducted 15 points on 17 April for a breach of SPFL rules, and their relegation to Scottish League One was confirmed two days later after a 0-0 draw with Queen’s Park. The Accies lost a subsequent appeal against the deduction.

Arbroath were promoted to the Scottish Championship after beating Stranraer 4-0 on 12 April to clinch the title.

Cove Rangers, Queen of the South and Stenhousemuir will enter a play-off with ninth-placed Championship side Airdrieonians.

Bottom club Dumbarton are relegated to Scottish League Two. They became the first SPFL team to be relegated after drawing 0-0 with Queen of the South on 22 March.

Peterhead clinched the title and automatic promotion to Scottish League One by beating East Fife 1-0 on 26 April.

East Fife, Edinburgh City and Elgin City will enter a play-off with ninth-placed League One side Annan.