Fulham boss Scott Parker expresses sympathy for Wigan after 1-1 draw confirms relegation for the Latics

The :Latics - barring an appeal - will start next season in League One after finding a 12-point penalty, incurred after the club was placed into administration earlier this month, a bridge too far.

Paul Cook's men came mightily close to pulling off the great escape, another goal against the Cottagers at the DW Stadium would have seen them stay up.

As it was the 1-1 draw between the two sides was no good for either club with Fulham needing a victory to have any of chance of moving ahead of West Bromwich Albion or Brentford and into the second automatic promotion place.

In any case, even if the visitors had defeated the Latics, the Baggies 2-2 draw with QPR would have been enough to keep Slaven Bilic's men ahead on goal difference.

Fulham now head into the play-offs where they will take on Cardiff City.

"I do feel for Paul and Wigan," said Parker. "The job Paul's done here.

"It's a fantastic job he's done, to think that they had a 12 point deduction and they needed the win against us to stay in the division.

"I have nothing but sympathy.

"I think we knew the task ahead of us. There was a team here who were fighting for their lives - they had to win the game.

"We knew they were going to come out of the blocks really firing and the same could be said about us.

"I think that is how the game panned out, certainly towards the end.

"It was end to end, both teams knew that they really had to win the game to have any chance.

"For our sake to have a chance of going up automatically if West Brom or Brentford were to slip up and for Wigan to have a chance of staying up.

"At the end it becomes a bit of a basketball game, very entertaining, but obviously I have a lot of sympathy for Paul and his players."