Sunderland AFC

Sunderland stormed to the Championship title in 2006/07 to reclaim their place in the top-flight at the first time of asking.

After their relegation in 2006, the club was taken over by Drumaville - a consortium of mainly Irish-based businessmen, headed up by former player Niall Quinn - which appointed Republic of Ireland legend and former Manchester United hero Roy Keane as manager, his first managerial post since hanging up his boots.

The club have never looked back since as Keane guided them from the bottom of the Championship to title winners in May.

The club's passionate fans hope that the Irish legend's Wearside revolution can bring back the days of the two successive seventh-place finishes in 2000 and 2001. Keane led them to a 15th place finish last season.

Glaswegian schoolteacher James Allan founded Sunderland and District Teachers' Association Football Club in 1879, changing the name to Sunderland AFC a year later. They were elected to the newly-formed Football League in 1890/91 and were to remain in the top flight for 68 consecutive years - a record only recently passed by Arsenal.

Sunderland won the title three times in five years, only losing one home match in their first six seasons. The Mackems won another title in 1902, but a better prize in their fans eyes' was a 9-1 thrashing of fierce rivals Newcastle United - still a record away win in the top flight. The team came close to doing the double in 1913 but they lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Aston Villa.

A post-war slump saw them beaten by Yeovil Town in the FA Cup - the first time a non-league club had beaten a top-flight team - and worse, relegated in 1958. Sunderland have spent most of their time since then bouncing between the top two divisions, with their only real glory being a 1973 FA Cup win over Leeds United - the first time in 40 years a club outside the top flight had won the trophy.

The Black Cats reached their lowest point in 1987 as they were relegated to the Third Division. But successive promotions saw them back in the top flight two years later.

• 1992/93 - Avoid relegation to Division Two by one point
• 1993/94 - Mick Buxton replaces Terry Butcher as manager
• 1994/95 - Peter Reid becomes manager with seven matches remaining
• 1995/96 - Win Division One
• 1996/97 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
• 1997/98 - First season at Stadium of Light. Lose play-off final on penalties
• 1998/99 - Win Division One with a record 105 points
• 2002/03 - Break record signing with Tore André Flo for £6.75million. Reid replaced by Howard Wilkinson. Mick McCarthy takes over with nine matches left. Relegated with lowest points tally ever (19)
• 2004/05 - Win Division One
• 2005/06 - McCarthy leaves in March after just two wins. Kevin Ball appointed as caretaker. Relegated with new record low number of points (15).
• 2006/07 - Consortium headed by former hero Niall Quinn takes over. Quinn appointed as manager but sacks himself after four straight defeats. Roy Keane becomes manager. Win promotion to the Barclays Premier League
• 2007/08 - Break British transfer record for a goalkeeper - paying Hearts £9million for Craig Gordon
• 2008/09 - After a disappointing run, Roy Keane resigns from his post as manager in December. Ricky Sbragia takes temporary charge.

Middlesbrough Football Club

Middlesbrough have spent the last 10 seasons in the Premier League and 12 seasons in total. The 2004/05 season represented their best in the Premier League, as they secured a 7th place finish. Otherwise, Boro have generally been comfortable in the top flight and often excelled in the cup competitions.

After finishing runners-up in the League Cup in 1997 and 1998, Boro won the trophy for the first time when, under Steve McClaren, they defeated Bolton Wanderers 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium . Two years later, they were beaten by Sevilla in the Uefa Cup final after a dramatic run which saw them mount stunning late comebacks in the previous two rounds against Basel and Steaua Bucharest respectively.

Current manager Gareth Southgate helped the North East club to a 13th place finish last season. Middlesbrough paid the first-ever four-figure transfer fee for a player in 1905 when they spent £1,000 on centre forward Alf Common.

Middlesbrough Football Club was originally formed in 1876 by Middlesbrough Cricket team players to stay fit during the winter. In 1877, they recorded their first-ever result, a 1-1 draw with Teesside Wanderers. The club was elected to the Football League in 1899, with their inaugural league win coming at home against Grimsby Town.

In 1903, the club moved to Ayresome Park from Linthorpe Road, where they had been playing since 1877. The club was relegated to the Second Division in the 1923/24 campaign after 22 straight seasons in the top flight. They were promoted again three seasons later, with striker George Camsell scoring 59 league goals.

After a number of promotions and relegations, one of the club's highest-ever goalscorers emerged in the 1950s during a 20-year spell outside the top flight. Brian Clough scored 204 goals in 222 matches before leaving for Sunderland. Once established back in the First Division, the club won its first-ever silverware in the 1975/76 season. They lifted the Anglo-Scottish Cup after beating Fulham over two legs.

There were major fears that the club would fold permanently after experiencing severe financial difficulties in the mid 1980s. However, with just 10 minutes to go before the deadline to pay the £350,000 required for Football League registration, a consortium led by Steve Gibson, a board member at the time, produced the money necessary to compete in the 1986/87 season. Two successive promotions secured the club's place in Division One and they were in the top flight for the inaugural Premier League season.

• 1992/93 - Relegated from Premier League
• 1993/94 - Manager Lennie Lawrence resigns
• 1994/95 - Bryan Robson appointed as player-manager
• 1994/95 - Promoted from Division One
• 1996/97 - Relegated from FA Carling Premiership
• 2001/02 - Robson resigns in summer 2001
• 2001/02 - Steve McClaren appointed manager
• 2002/03 - Massimo Maccarone signs from Empoli for a club record £8.15million
• 2003/04 - Win League Cup
• 2005/06 - Reach UEFA Cup Final but lose 4-0 to Sevilla
• 2005/06 - McClaren resigns to take job as England Head Coach
• 2006/07 - Gareth Southgate appointed manager
• 2007/08 - Afonso Alves becomes the club's new record signing

West Bromwich Albion FC

West Bromwich Albion returned to the Barclays Premier League after a glorious 2007/08 campaign which saw them clinch the Championship title.

The Baggies won it on the last day with a 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers to claim their first trophy for 40 years as they finished two points clear of Stoke City. It capped a memorable season in which they also reached the FA Cup semi-final.

Founded in 1878 the Midlands club became one of the original members of the Football League 10 years later.

They spent most of their early history in England's top tier, winning the league title in 1920, the FA Cup on five occasions and League Cup once. Their Premier League debut came in 2002.

The club was formed in 1878 by workers from George Salter's Spring Works in West Bromwich and took the name West Bromwich Strollers a year later.

They were renamed West Bromwich Albion in 1880 - Albion was a district of West Bromwich where some of the players lived or worked.

Albion entered the FA Cup in 1883 and were finalists in 1886 and 1887 before making it third time lucky with victory in the 1888 final where they beat Preston North End.

That same year, Albion became one of 12 founder members of the Football League and clinched the FA Cup again in 1892 with a 3-0 triumph over Aston Villa.

Three years later, Villa beat them in the FA Cup final and relegation to Division Two followed in 1901 in the first season at their Hawthorns ground.

Although they won promotion at the first attempt as champions, they went down in their first season back in the top flight. Albion won the Division Two title in 1911 and were again FA Cup finalists a year later.

The club claimed the league title in 1920 - the only time in their history - and finished as runners-up five years later.

Another relegation to Division Two came in 1927, but in 1931 they were celebrating promotion and added the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet with victory over Birmingham City.

They were FA Cup finalists again in 1935 - were relegated three years later - but won promotion back to the big league in 1949 where they stayed for 24 seasons.

More FA Cup success arrived in 1954, when they also finished second in the top flight, establishing themselves as one of the best sides in the land.

The League Cup was won in 1966 to go with the FA Cup two years after for a fifth time. Albion were League Cup finalists in 1967 and 1970.

The Baggies have since spent the rest of their history between the top three divisions. Promotion to the Premier League was achieved in 2002.

• 2002/03 - Albion's first season in the Premier League with Gary Megson at the helm, but are relegated.
• 2004 - The club break their transfer record to sign Robert Earnshaw from Cardiff City for £3.5million.
• 2004/05 - Megson leads them back to the top flight after one season away. Bryan Robson replaces Megson at the helm in November 2004 and the Baggies stay up.
• 2005/06 - Robson leaves his post and is replaced by Tony Mowbray in October 2006. Albion are relegated from the Premier League.
• 2007/08 - Mowbray leads Albion to the Championship title.

Portsmouth Football Club

Portsmouth have not looked back since Harry Redknapp steered them to promotion into the Barclaycard Premiership in 2003. The top flight's most southern team comfortably remained in the division the following season and were successful in their fight against relegation in the 2005/06 campaign.

Once survival was secured, Alexandre Gaydamak took over the club and has injected several million pounds into bolstering the squad. The 2006/07 season saw Portsmouth come within a whisker of qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Redknapp's ability to attract the likes of Sol Campbell and David James as well as a number of overseas players such as Kanu helped the club to a ninth-place finish, beating the likes of Manchester United and avoiding defeat against Arsenal.

They achieved the goal of UEFA Cup football last season as they won the FA Cup for the first time since 1939 after beating Cardiff City 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium. They also went one better in the league, finishing eighth.

Redknapp had resigned from his post in November 2004 but was reappointed in December 2005 after a stint at local rivals Southampton. He left in October 2008 to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.

Portsmouth were the first club to stage a Football League match under floodlights when Newcastle United visited Fratton Park in 1956.

The club was founded in 1898 and played its first league match against Chatham Town on 2nd September 1899. A record of 20 wins from 28 matches earned Pompey a runners-up spot that season in the Southern League. They won the division for the first time in the 1901/02 season.

In 1927, the club made their debut in the First Division and they went on to reach the FA Cup final the following campaign. It was third time lucky in the FA Cup final in 1939. After the previous two finals ended in defeat, Pompey swept to a 4-1 win over favourites Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The first of back-to-back titles were claimed in the 1948/49 campaign in the club's Golden Jubilee season. A 5-1 thrashing of Aston Villa on the last day of the following season sealed the title again. Pompey are one of only five clubs to have won two consecutive titles since the Second World War.

In 1976, the club found itself in the Third Division and needing to raise £25,000 in order to pay off debts and avoid bankruptcy. Local newspaper The News led a campaign to save the club and the money was raised by supporter contributions.

• 1999/00 - Milan Mandaric takes over club
• 2004/05 - Harry Redknapp resigns as manager and Velimir Zajec becomes caretaker manager
• 2004/05 - Alain Perrin appointed manager, with Zajec reverting to director's role
• 2005/06 - Perrin sacked and Redknapp appointed manager
• 2005/06 - Mandaric sells 50 per cent stake to Alexandre Gaydamak in January 2006, then his remaining half to the Russian after the club avoided relegation
• 2006/07 - Mandaric resigns as chairman on 21st September 2006
• 2007/08 - Striker John Utaka signs in club record transfer of a reported £8.1million
• 2007/08 - Set new record for goals scored in a Premier League match (11) beating Reading 7-4 in September
  
• 2007/08 - Win FA Cup
• 2008/09 - Manager Harry Redknapp leaves to take over at Tottenham Hotspur.

Portsmouth 0 - 2 Swansea City

Swans sail through

Holders Portsmouth suffered humiliation as Swansea's on-loan Southampton winger Nathan Dyer helped send them crashing out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 defeat.

• Martinez beaming

Dyer kept his promise to thrive on the animosity at Fratton Park by playing a crucial role in Pompey's downfall, topped by a glorious 27th-minute opener.

A threat throughout, his strike silenced the jeers that erupted every time the elusive 21-year-old from Pompey's bitter south coast rivals touched the ball.

The tireless Jason Scotland, who set up Dyer, inflicted further misery on Tony Adams' side when he slotted home a penalty in first-half injury time.

It was with some justification that Nadir Belhadj protested furiously when referee Andre Marriner pointed to the spot as his challenge on Jordi Gomez looked outside the box.

Egos dented, Pompey subjected the Coca-Cola Championship side to a fearful battering after the interval.

As in the first half, the reflexes of Swansea's heroic keeper Dimitrios Konstantopoulos and stout defending denied them on a host of occasions.

Peter Crouch cut a frustrated figure as Konstantopoulos repelled everything the England marksman could throw at him, while during nerve-jangling final spell, Pompey were kept out time and again.

The warning signs for the Barclays Premier League club were there with just a few minutes on the clock, Angel Rangel shooting narrowly wide of the left post.

Dyer set off on a marauding run down the left flank that saw him find acres of space and tee-up Jordi Gomez, who directed his effort straight at David James.

Pompey debutant Jermaine Pennant was forced to try his luck from long range, evidence of a bright opening spell from Swansea who looked marginally the more threatening side.

Keeping the ball on the deck at all times, Swansea were having little problem picking Pompey apart and they fully deserved to take the lead.

And the worst fears of home supporters were realised when it was Dyer who smashed the visitors ahead.

Collecting Scotland's cute floated pass on the edge of the area, Dyer chested the ball down and drilled it past James into the bottom right corner.

The busy Scotland - an imposing figure at the tip of Swansea's attack - deserved his assist, but it was not all one-way traffic as Pompey probed for an equaliser.

Crouch was denied by the lightening reactions of Konstantopoulos and then centre back Alan Tate produced a timely block on an attempt by Pennant.

The pendulum continued to swing as half-time approached, Swansea's defence coming under growing pressure.

But in their eagerness to pour forward, Pompey were caught on the counter in first-half injury time and paid the price as the Championship side extended their lead.

Gomez dashed into the box and tumbled beneath the tackle Belhadj, who protested his innocence as Marriner pointed to the spot before Scotland converted.

Pompey boss Tony Adams brought on Kanu and Hermann Hreidarsson for the second half in an effort to change his side's fortunes.

Crouch tumbled beneath a challenge but Marriner was not interested in the shouts for a penalty and moments later Konstantopoulos had to dive to keep out a header from the towering forward.

Swansea were weathering a fearsome early assault from Pompey and were grateful when Dyer's break and shot at James helped relieve the pressure.

A fingertip save from James kept out Gomez and there were dramatics at the other end as Konstantopoulos produced a sublime save before causing panic by dithering in goal.

Crouch struck the woodwork as Swansea continued to ride their luck amid a series of frantic goalmouth scrambles.

With six minutes to go Pompey, sensing their time was up, took their foot of the gas to leave their cup defence in ruins.

Martinez beamingSwansea boss Roberto Martinez revealed his pride after the Welsh side dumped holders Portsmouth out of the FA Cup with a breathless 2-0 victory at Fratton Park.

Swansea, who sit ninth in the Coca-Cola Championship, played passing football throughout and Martinez was thrilled the upset was completed in style.

"I'm delighted that we were able to come to a Premier League environment and be ourselves,'' he said. "If you look at our form in the Championship over the last six games, we've been at that level and I'm glad we've stayed there.

"We had no Championship experience at the start of the season and it was bit of an eye-opener when we came into the league. For me, I'm extremely proud of the way the players dictated things from the beginning against Portsmouth.

"There's room for improvement but the average age of the players is 25-26 and there's huge hunger in the team. They want to win games for Swansea and that's why our dominance today didn't surprise me.

"It would be very foolish to say we can go on to reach the final but I know we can improve on this. This is a fantastic result.''

Martinez hailed an outstanding display by Dyer - jeered throughout by the home fans because of his Southampton connection - that was capped by a clinical finish of Scotland's astute lob into the area.

"Nathan was a threat all of the time. Mentally he'd run out of gas at the end, as you'd expect, but he will fulfil his potential,'' said Martinez. "I've always said he has to play in the Premier League and slowly he's getting there.

"He's had a few problems in the past. He's desperate to enjoy his football. He's a lively character in the dressing room and is fresh.

"The crowd reaction maybe added an extra spice to his game, but the real difference today was his hunger. He's learned from his mistakes in the past and is ready to fulfil his potential.''

Swansea dominated the first half but were forced to weather Pompey's attempted fightback after the interval.

Pompey boss Tony Adams had no complaints with the result. "In the first half we were outplayed and outfought,'' said the former England skipper.

"I did warn the players we were up against a very good Swansea team who like to pass the ball and that we would be in trouble if we weren't prepared. Sadly, I was proved right. Without that fight you go out of this competition.

"We didn't deserve to be 2-0 down at half-time but we didn't play well in the first half either. We were very poor. It's disappointing to go out of the FA Cup, no matter what round it is. You have to put defeats like this to bed as quickly as possible.''