first nine and last nine matches, although a staggering 17 draws prevented a top-half finish. Watford finished bottom, managing only 5 wins all season as they made a swift return to the Championship. The loss of Alan Curbishley and 3 managerial changes in Iain Dowie, Les Reed and then Alan Pardew ended Charlton's 7-year stay in the top flight. Ironically, Curbishley took charge at West Ham, another London club who looked certain for the drop after a poor season. However, a run of seven wins from their final nine matches was enough to secure their Premiership status, with a goal from Carlos Tevez giving the Hammers victory over champions Manchester United at Old Trafford, while sending Sheffield United down and beginning speculation from the Yorkshire club over whether Tevez was eligible to play. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with West Ham fined £5.5 million by the Premier League and ordered to pay the Blades compensation over five years. Wigan Athletic, in their second year in the top flight, narrowly avoided relegation on goal difference. Leading goalscorer: Didier Drogba (Chelsea) – 20 Football League Championship After losing their first four games, Sunderland looked ominous for a second relegation. The surprise appointment of Roy Keane by rookie chairman Niall Quinn paid off and they surged up the table, losing just one of their final 20 games to clinch promotion as champions. Keane's former Manchester United colleague, Steve Bruce also took Birmingham City back into the Premier League, ensuring that they only remained in the Championship for one season. Derby County spent half the season in the top 2, but fell away in the final weeks to slip into the play-off places. Nonetheless, they won promotion by beating West Bromwich Albion 1–0 in the final at the recently opened new Wembley Stadium. This denied the Baggies an immediate return to the Premier League, which would have meant all 3 relegated clubs from the previous season were promoted. Preston were perhaps the biggest chokers as they lost 5 of their final 7 games to slump out of the play-off places they had occupied through the bulk of the season, missing out on a third successive play-off finish. Cardiff City had been the early pace-setters, leading the table up until the midway point before their form tailed off badly in the second half. After a play-off final appearance the previous year, Leeds