Curtis Woodhouse's double strike for Birmingham condemned Huddersfield to Second Division football next season.

Woodhouse struck twice in the first half and Town, for a long time adrift at the bottom of the First Division, slipped back into the bottom three on the final day of the season.

A slightly delayed kick-off at the McAlpine Stadium meant that Huddersfield already knew that they had been overtaken by Portsmouth and Crystal Palace who had won their own last day games.

Even a consolation goal by striker Andy Booth was not enough to keep Huddersfield in the First Division.

The home side had started the brighter and forced the first chance in the 10th minute of the game when Craig Armstrong forced keeper Ian Bennett into the first save of the match.

But it was Birmingham who took the lead after 21 minutes as Woodhouse scored following a move which he both started and finished.

Woodhouse passed to Jerry Gill and he fed Stan Lazaridis. The Australian winger cut between two defenders before his clever chip put the ball into the run of Woodhouse and the midfield player lobbed the ball into the far corner.

Huddersfield went close to forcing an equaliser when a shot from Ben Thornley was deflected on to the post by defender Darren Purse.

Booth should have given the home side an equaliser when he rose unmarked to meet Armstrong's cross with a header which came back off the post with Bennett beaten.

Thornley provided the cross on the stroke of half-time which brought Huddersfield level as the visitors' defence made a hash of the clearance and Booth stabbed the ball home.

But the visitors were in front once more when Purse played the ball behind the home defence and Andrew Johnson hooked the ball over for Woodhouse to score with a diving header.

With the news relayed from the crowd that Portsmouth and Palace were both winning, there was a little more urgency about Huddersfield in the second half but it was the 80th minute before they really produced a chance in front of goal despite forcing a total of 10 corners to the one of the visitors during the game.

Booth was the man who again had the chance when he followed up a chip through as Birmingham failed to clear properly from a set piece, but Bennett was down quickly to save at his feet.

Birmingham hardly presented any threat as the clock ticked on Huddersfield's First Division status and the home side were denied by a brilliant late save from Bennett.

Substitute Kenny Irons floated the ball in from the right side of the area and Booth stole in unmarked at the far post but his header was saved at point blank range by the Birmingham keeper.

Despite the best efforts of the Huddersfield team in injury time, willed on by the home fans, the clock ticked down on Lou Macari's battle-weary team.

With Birmingham already secured a place in the end-of-season play-offs, this was a morale-boosting victory and a second successive win following a depressing run of 10 games without taking maximum points.

But as Birmingham looked forward to the play-offs, Town were left for the post mortem on a depressing season.

Following the departure of former manager Steve Bruce and the introduction of Macari, the West Yorkshire club had climbed off the foot of the table.

But they suffered final-day agony as Portsmouth and Palace secured the wins they needed to climb out of the relegation zone.

As Birmingham looked forward to a possible place in the Premiership, the Terriers were left to contemplate life in the Second Division.

Teams:

Huddersfield Vaesen, Jenkins, Lucketti, Gray, Armstrong, Heary (Irons 86), Holland, Thornley (Gorre 65), Baldry (Gallen 73), Booth, Facey.

Subs Not Used: Margetson, Moses.

Booked: Heary.

Goals: Booth 45.

Birmingham Bennett, Eaden, Gill, Holdsworth, Atherton, Woodhouse, Lazaridis (McCarthy 59), Hughes, Marcelo (Horsfield 73), Andrew Johnson (Furlong 59), Purse.

Subs Not Used: Poole, Bass.

Goals: Woodhouse 21, 45.

Att: 19,290

Ref: P Richards (Preston).