The Final Countdown - npower Championship Final Day

It's been an engrossing season in the best second - and third and fourth, etc. - tier football competition in the world. In fact, the Football League has probably provided more excitement and drama than many of the top leagues in Europe this season.

Yes, Cardiff City may have won the Championship at a canter but the race for the other promotion spots has been very tight and exciting as has the battle at the bottom. And Leagues One and Two which concluded last week witnessed thrilling finales - those last minutes at the Brentford v Doncaster game will live long in the memory of both supporters, with Doncaster stealing victory - and the League One title - at the death after Brentford had a penalty - and their automatic promotion chances - stopped by the keeper.

The Championship concludes on Saturday with all games kicking off at lunch time. Most games have plenty writing on them but Nottingham Forest v Leicester is the one to watch with the winner quite probably going into the playoffs for a place in the Premier League. There is plenty of rivalry between both Midland clubs who have experienced the Premier League in their history and were expected to challenge for the automatic spots at the start of the season - Leicester at one stage seemed to be cruising to promotion like Cardiff on the back of Kiwi Chris Wood's goals.

Forest v Leicester will be  feisty - and possibly decisive

The Foxes and Forest will be heavily dependent on events at the Reebok Stadium and Selhurst Park - victory to the home sides, Bolton and Crystal Palace respectively will render events at the City Ground meaningless. But a slip up for one of them will open the door for the winner of the game at the City Ground.

Can Hull make a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2010?

And then there's the issue of 2nd place and automatic promotion to the Premier League with champions, Cardiff City. Hull are the current incumbents of that spot but after defeat to Barnsley last week and with a game against the champions at home, they are quite vulnerable to the advances of Gianfranco Zola's free-scoring Watford who host a Leeds side with nothing to play for. Yes, Cardiff may have nothing to play for like Leeds but the fact that they will be quite keen to finish the season on a high means that the pressure is off them in a game that will mean everything to Steve Bruce's Hull City.

Hull win and they're back in the Premier League - anything less and they must hope that events at Vicarage Road are in their favour or face the lottery that is the npower Championship playoffs - the huge gap between Hull and Watford and the likes of Brighton, Crystal Palace, Bolton, Leicester and Nottingham Forest will mean nothing - form is the key in successfully navigating the do-or-die nature of the playoffs which take on the nature of a season of its own.

Will Barnsley join Wolves in League One?

Finally, there's the battle at the bottom. Bristol City are already down but who will join them will only be decided on Saturday - it looks like Wolves will be relegated just 12 months after they were playing the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League, as they not only must win at high-flying Brighton but hope clubs above them must lose. A rejuvenated Barnsley who occupy the 3rd relegation spot at the moment, must go to fellow strugglers, Huddersfield Town to get a result. However, a draw at the McAlpine Stadium could be enough if Peterborough fail to beat a Crystal Palace who are looking to secure a playoff spot or Millwall fail to beat Crystal Palace and Derby in their last two games (Millwall play their final home game against Crystal Palace in midweek).

Sheffield Wednesday, the other side at risk of going down, host Middlesbrough but given the form of both sides, you'd think Dave Jones' side has probably done enough to stay up as have Blackburn (goal difference) and Huddersfield (at home against Barnsley) who sit on 57 points, 3 points ahead of the drop zone.

So come 12:45pm, all eyes will be on the most fascinating finish to England's second tier. For once, the Championship might be a bit more exciting than the world's most exciting league.