Promotions: EPL

The Promotions - 2014/15 season

Watford and Bournemouth have clinched two of the three promotion spots to the English Premier League next season.

Watford, this will be their first season in the Premier League since 2007 and for Bournemouth, this will be their first time in the top division in their entire 116 year history dating back to 1899.

Bournemouth technically hasn’t clinched promotion yet but Bournemouth needs to lose and Middlesbrough needs to win and make up a 20 goal differential in order to get that promotion spot instead of Bournemouth. So that as well confirms Bournemouth to the Premier League by automatic promotion.

Watford has gone through some chopping and sacking and they are on their fourth manager. They went through three managers in a span of five weeks and hired Slavisa Jokanovic to close out the season back in October.

Even after all of those changes, Watford managed to stay close to the top of the table all season. Watford were able to clinch promotion this past weekend after defeating Brighton and Hove Albion 2-0.

Bournemouth who have an stadium capacity of just above 12,000 seats will be an brilliant underdog story in the Premier League.

Six years ago, Bournemouth were almost relegated out of the entire English Football League. They started the 2008-09 season at -17 points due to being in administration and just barely escaped relegation out of the Football League finishing 21st out of 24 teams in the final League Two standings.

After that season, Bournemouth went on a meteoric rise and skyrocketed to their highest point within five years. They continued that rise today as Bournemouth beat Bolton 3-0 and did everything but make promotion official.

Their fans stormed to the field and the players celebrated in the locker room. Even the Club Chairman got in on act.

So that's the top to guaranteed promotions. Now to the playoff for the third promotion spot. Middlesbrough and Norwich City have already clinched two of the four spots. That leaves four teams fighting for two spots and are separated by three points. Those four spots is as follows:

5) Ipswich Town – 78 points – +19 GD – at 9th place Blackburn Rovers
6) Derby County – 77 points – +32 GD – vs. 19th place Reading
7) Brentford – 75 points – +16 GD – vs. 23rd place Wigan Athletic
8) Wolverhampton Wanderers – 75 points – +12 GD – vs. 22nd place Millwall

The third placed team takes on the sixth placed and the fourth placed takes on the fifth. The winners of the tie take on each at Wembley for the final place in the Premier League.