JOB DONE!

STOKE City secured their place in the Championship with a goalless draw at Derby County.

- Peter Smith

Stoke came into the last match of the season knowing a point would guarantee their status in the division while four other teams, including Derby, could all be in a panic.

There were few real chances at Pride Park. Ali Al-Hamadi drove into a decent position at the start of the second half for Stoke while Derby hit the bar twice in the space of a manic few seconds right at the end.

But the biggest cheers through most of the afternoon came when news filtered through of goals across the Championship, particularly as West Brom kept scoring against Luton Town and Bristol City came back against Preston.

So Stoke’s own situation was never in too much danger on the day, despite the many sleepless nights leading into it, and Mark Robins has completed his first big task as manager. Now for the next one.

Robins had made three changes to his starting XI, handing a full debut to Bosun Lawal and bringing back Ben Gibson and Al-Hamadi. It meant a switch to a back three, with Lawal used at right wing-back in his first competitive start since April last year for Fleetwood.