Shrewsbury Town 0-3 Wigan Athletic: Latics promoted as League One champions

Max Power's first-half strike was his first goal since scoring against Doncaster on 15 January

Will Keane scored twice as Wigan Athletic secured promotion to the Championship and the League One title with a clinical victory over Shrewsbury.

The Latics only had to draw to be sure of returning to the second tier, but needed three points to be certain of going up as champions.

An anxious final day was in prospect having wasted two previous chances to seal promotion.

However, Max Power's tap-in just before the break settled the nerves and Keane's penalty and calm finish wrapped up victory for a side who were just a point away from relegation last season.

Wigan's return to the second tier of English football comes two years after they dropped out of the Championship following a points penalty for going into administration.

Rotherham's win over Gillingham took the Millers up as runners up, while MK Dons had to settle for third spot and a play-off place despite a 5-0 thrashing of Plymouth Argyle, who missed out on the top six.

Ultimately, other results did not matter for Latics boss Leam Richardson, whose side showed urgency and attacking intent from the off, with Kell Watts heading over after a well-worked short corner and Power's 30-yard free-kick forcing Shrews keeper Marko Marosi into a fine save.

The pressure told when the ball fell kindly for Power to score the opener from close range two minutes before the interval and the same player was involved in the second goal when his shot from outside box was handled by a diving Tom Flanagan.

Keane knocked in the spot-kick and grabbed his second of the afternoon when he got on the end of James McClean's free-kick.

Wigan back after two years of turmoil

Will Keane's penalty made it 2-0 five minutes after the restart

To understand what it means to win promotion back to the Championship, it is important to know what Wigan have been through in less than two years.

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, few considered them at risk of imminent financial instability.

In July 2020, however, they entered administration when their Hong Kong owners conceded they could not support them financially, throwing an already chaotic season into further disarray.

With a 12-point deduction looming, the Latics had six games left to build a cushion on the relegation places to avoid the drop to League One.

Under former boss Paul Cook they put up quite the fight, including beating Hull City 8-0 to equal the biggest victory in Championship history, losing just once in their final 15 games, but their spirited efforts were not enough.

A failed appeal against the points deduction followed, as did a fan-led crowdfunding campaign to save the club - leading to more than £600,000 being raised.

Cook - and many of the club's squad - left the Latics just before they tentatively began the 2020-21 League One season.

In March 2021, Bahraini businessman Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi bought the club after an ill-fated deal with a Spanish consortium collapsed, ending nearly a year of financial uncertainty, and the club later avoided relegation to League Two by just a point.

This season, under Richardson's stewardship, the club has reached the FA Cup fourth round - as well as the semi-final of the Papa John's Trophy - as the turnaround began.

Just one defeat in their final 13 games saw Richardson claw them over the line to restore their place in English football's second tier.

'A phenomenal achievement' - analysis

Bill Rice - Sports Editor, BBC Radio Manchester

It's only just over a year since Wigan Athletic's future was secured with a takeover bringing the club out of administration, so to earn promotion back to the Championship as champions is a phenomenal achievement.

The consortium led by Abdulrahman Al-Jasmi has delivered on their promises, providing boss Leam Richardson with the tools to build a promotion-winning squad, and he has done just that, even overcoming the loss of striker Charlie Wyke, who suffered a cardiac arrest in November that ended his season.

Becoming a stable Championship club was the aim from day one and they are halfway there. This Wigan might not be as swashbuckling or pretty on the eye as sides of years gone by, but they are efficient, dangerous and manage games as well as anyone - and have performers right across the pitch to call upon when required.

The goalkeeper and defence have been solid and stable, the midfield pairing of Tom Naylor and Max Power have won battles all season long, and - in forwards like Will Keane and Callum Lang - the Latics have match-winners when required.