2004–05 Football League Championship

The 2004–05 Football League Championship (known as the Coca-Cola Championship for sponsorship reasons) was the thirteenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2004 and concluded in May 2005, with the promotion play-off finals. This was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League Two respectively. Coca-Cola replaced the Nationwide Building Society as title sponsor.

Football League Championship
Season2004–05
ChampionsSunderland
PromotedSunderland
Wigan Athletic
West Ham United
RelegatedGillingham
Nottingham Forest
Rotherham United

The winners of the Championship in 2005 are Sunderland. Wigan Athletic reached the Premiership as Championship runners-up and became the first club to make a debut in the top tier of English football since Barnsley's promotion after the 1996–97 season. They had been elected to the Football League only 27 years earlier, had been the league's fourth lowest club eleven years earlier and had never played in the upper half of The Football League until two years before reaching the Premier League. Nottingham Forest were relegated from the Championship to League One, becoming the first former European Cup winners to slide into the third tier of their domestic league – having won two straight European Cups a quarter of a century earlier. Just ten years ago they had finished third in the Premiership and reached the following season's UEFA Cup quarter finals.

Changes from last season

From Championship

Promoted to Premier League

Relegated to League One

To Championship

Relegated from Premier League

Promoted from League One

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Sunderland (C, P) 46 29 7 10 76 41 +35 94 Promotion to the FA Premier League
2 Wigan Athletic (P) 46 25 12 9 79 35 +44 87
3 Ipswich Town 46 24 13 9 85 56 +29 85 Qualification for Championship play-offs
4 Derby County 46 22 10 14 71 60 +11 76
5 Preston North End 46 21 12 13 67 58 +9 75
6 West Ham United (O, P) 46 21 10 15 66 56 +10 73
7 Reading 46 19 13 14 51 44 +7 70
8 Sheffield United 46 18 13 15 57 56 +1 67
9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 15 21 10 72 59 +13 66
10 Millwall 46 18 12 16 51 45 +6 66
11 Queens Park Rangers 46 17 11 18 54 58 4 62
12 Stoke City 46 17 10 19 36 38 2 61
13 Burnley 46 15 15 16 38 39 1 60
14 Leeds United 46 14 18 14 49 52 3 60
15 Leicester City 46 12 21 13 49 46 +3 57
16 Cardiff City 46 13 15 18 48 51 3 54
17 Plymouth Argyle 46 14 11 21 52 64 12 53
18 Watford 46 12 16 18 52 59 7 52
19 Coventry City 46 13 13 20 61 73 12 52
20 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 13 12 21 40 65 25 51
21 Crewe Alexandra 46 12 14 20 66 86 20 50
22 Gillingham (R) 46 12 14 20 45 66 21 50 Relegation to Football League One
23 Nottingham Forest (R) 46 9 17 20 42 66 24 44
24 Rotherham United (R) 46 5 14 27 35 69 34 29
Updated to match(es) played on 9 December 2011. Source: Football League Tables
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated.

Play-offs

  Semi-finals Final
                     
6 West Ham United 2 2 4  
3 Ipswich Town 2 0 2  
    5 Preston North End 0
  6 West Ham United 1
5 Preston North End 2 0 2
4 Derby County 0 0 0  

Stadia

Team Stadium Capacity
SunderlandStadium of Light49,000
Leeds UnitedElland Road37,697
West Ham UnitedBoleyn Ground35,146
Derby CountyPride Park Stadium33,597
Sheffield UnitedBramall Lane32,609
Leicester CityWalkers Stadium32,500
Nottingham ForestCity Ground30,602
Ipswich TownPortman Road30,311
Wolverhampton WanderersMolineux Stadium28,525
Stoke CityBritannia Stadium28,000
Wigan AthleticJJB Stadium25,138
Preston North EndDeepdale24,500
ReadingMadejski Stadium24,161
Coventry CityHighfield Road23,489
BurnleyTurf Moor22,546
Cardiff CityNinian Park22,008
MillwallThe New Den20,146
WatfordVicarage Road19,920
Plymouth ArgyleHome Park19,500
Queens Park RangersLoftus Road19,128
GillinghamPriestfield Stadium11,582
Crewe AlexandraAlexandra Stadium10,046
Brighton & Hove AlbionWithdean Stadium8,850
Rotherham UnitedMillmoor8,300
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