Whitbread the thoroughbred falls at the last

A ton of tension but not an iota of incident -the dullest final day of the EPL I can remember only goes to prove the league does not lie.

Middlesbrough and Newcastle both ran out of steam long ago and Man U's B-team's victory at Hull leaves them with no-one to blame but themselves, apart from Mike Ashley, whom Toon fans also hold responsible for Darfur, the global recession and the weather.

The most exciting English game today was undoubtedly at Wembley as the Lions fought like tigers with Scunthorpe for the right to play in the Championship. Five goals and a lead swinging to and fro was cup final stuff. Such a shame the big boys in the EPL could not keep to the script.

So Zak Whitbread could be on the move from Millwall after their play-off defeat. The 25 year-old was commanding in the semi-final a week ago, prompting tabloid speculation that Sunderland and Rangers were eyeing him up to the tune of around $2.4 million. The former US U-23 defender had also been linked with Bolton, Everton and West Brom last October, and Blackburn in January, although his club, predictably, scotched the rumors.

Whitbread has been loyal to Millwall since going on loan there from Liverpool in 2005, but the projected transfer fee for him has risen 50% in a few months and his impressive recent displays, coupled with his team's failure to rise divisions, has meant the Scouser from Houston may now have a problem.

Those poor 45,000 Lions fans who made the trip from south-east to north-west London. At least they have an unusual souvenir - the club had printed tickets with 'Millwall v Leeds' on them before the play-off semi-finals had finished.

- Sean O'Conor