Northampton Town have been relegated from League One after just one season following their home defeat by Blackpool.
The Cobblers needed to better Wigan’s result to stand any chance of taking their survival bid to the final day.
But although Wigan lost at Hull, goals from Luke Garbutt and two from Jerry Yates were enough to win the game for Blackpool and send Northampton down.
Victory means Blackpool need a point to secure a play-off spot.
Jon Brady’s side will be joined in League Two by Rochdale, whose relegation was also confirmed on Saturday after being beaten at home by Doncaster.
Goal-shy Cobblers fall short
Northampton only just crept into the League Two play-offs last season but showed an abundance of character and determination to overcome Cheltenham and Exeter and go up to the third tier.
It was a first promotion as a manager for former England defender Keith Curle, who promptly signed a new two-year deal in July.
Captain Charlie Goode left for Brentford and, after getting four points from their first two League One games, the Cobblers lost six in seven to give themselves an idea of the step up in standard.
Nevertheless Curle’s side sat a comfortable 14th at the start of December before a dismal run of only one victory in 11 matches, which led to his dismissal in February.
The club were only in the bottom four on goal difference but just one goal in his last seven games in charge was the final straw.
Under-18s coach Brady took caretaker charge, picking up just two points in his first five matches, and though back-to-back wins over Plymouth and Portsmouth gave hope, the Cobblers continued to lack goal scoring threat – failing to score in more than half their league matches – and could not string together the kind of run needed to drag them out of trouble.
With Brady’s short-term deal expiring this summer, it will be interesting to see which direction Northampton go in as they look to bounce back from relegation.
Cobblers ‘have fallen short’
Northampton Town manager Jon Brady told BBC Radio Northampton:
“Unfortunately, we haven’t been good enough in certain areas this season.
“It’s so raw right now for me. I’ve given everything I’ve got for this football club, I’ve given it all the hours under the sun, pushed my family aside for this.
“I’ve got one more game to manage and we’ve got to represent this football club in the right way. We’ve fallen short this season.”
BBC News