In one of the most remarkable campaigns of the season and in spite of losing influential manager Nathan Jones to Stoke City in January, Luton Town defied their critics and stormed their way to promotion for the second season running, returning to the Championship for the first time since 2007 and going up as champions – whilst remaining unbeaten at their home ground in the league for the entire season. The fight for the second spot went all the way to the penultimate game with Barnsley, Football League Trophy winners Portsmouth and Sunderland fighting it out; the spot ultimately went to Barnsley, who secured an immediate return to the second-tier in German head coach Daniel Stendel's first season in charge, also impressing with an unbeaten league home record as well. Taking the final promotion place were Charlton Athletic, who dramatically scored in the last minute of normal time against Sunderland in the playoff final to end a 3-year exile from the Championship and consign the Black Cats to another season in League One.
