Bolton Wanderers 1 - 0 Birmingham

Overlooked for the England job, he saw his side miss out on a place in Europe for a second successive season.

Newcastle's victory against champions Chelsea means they will go forward into the Intertoto Cup.

Bolton were in the frame at one stage for a Champions League spot. A UEFA Cup place looked more than possible.

But a run of five straight defeats threw them off track. Yet considering their limited fan base they have much to be proud of.

Ricardo Vaz Te grabbed the winner after stepping off the bench to out the finishing touches to a miserable season for relegated Birmingham.

The home side began brightly and Stelios Giannakopoulos tried to release Hidetoshi Nakata in the ninth minute.

However, the Japan midfielder's first touch was poor and the ball drifted out of play.

Kevin Davies almost put Bolton a minute later when he got on the end a cross from Giannakopoulos only to head wide.

Birmingham were being backed by a vociferous band of fans but you could sense a lack of confidence throughout the team.

They looked content to sit back and try and hit Bolton on the break with DJ Campbell being joined by Emile Heskey up front.

Bolton were enjoying the majority of possession and Gary Speed tried to pick out Davies with a long throw in the 22nd minute.

But Northern Ireland goalkeeper Maik Taylor showed good anticipation to make the save.

Birmingham broke quickly in the 28th minute and Campbell delivered a good cross into the area.

Nicky Butt was well positioned but he seemed to take his eye off the ball and the chance was lost.

Bolton again found themselves on the back foot three minutes later when the pacy Jermain Pennant strode forward.

• Lee praises 'tremendous character'

He released Campbell, who had made a good run. However, the former Brentford striker's lack of experience showed as he scuffed a shot from 20 yards wide of the post.

This was a good spell for the visitors, who are exiting the top flight after four seasons.

Giannakopoulos was working hard, though, switching flanks from time to time to try and make the breakthrough.

The Greece winger swung in a corner in the 42nd minute and Ivan Campo got in a header that was cleared to safety at the last minute.

Heskey then got into a good position after 51 minutes only to find himself crowded out.

A minute later Campbell saw his effort blocked by the alert Jaaskelainen.

Allardyce decided to switch things around in a bid to make the breakthrough. He brought on Jay-Jay Okocha and Ricardo Vaz Te for Nakata and Campo.

Birmingham were beginning to look quite lively and Pennant tried to release Mario Melchiot only to put too much weight on the ball.

Bolton responded and Nolan tried to test Taylor from distance but Butt made a crucial block.

There was an edge to the game that had not been there previously.

Davies then hooked the ball into the path of Henrik Pedersen but his volley from close range was comfortably taken by Taylor.

Bolton made the breakthrough in the 65th minute through Vaz Te.

The Portuguese striker got on the end of a cross from Kevin Nolan to execute a clever finish at the back post.

Vaz Te, 19, has found a bit of form at the end of the season as that was his third league goal of the campaign - he also found the target against Middlesbrough last week.

Davies should have extended Bolton's lead in the 82nd minute but with only Taylor to beat directed his shot wide of the target.

The Birmingham shot-stopper then did well to block shots from Vaz Te and Jared Borgetti late on.

Sammy Lee believes Bolton can take heart from the fact they are disappointed at failing to qualify for Europe for a second successive year.

He said: 'It is an indication of how far this club has come - we are disappointed at not qualifying for Europe.

'I think you have to give credit to the players. They have given a superb account of themselves. They showed tremendous character to bounce back after five defeats in a row.'

Portuguese striker Vaz Te, 19, stepped off the bench to score the winner in the second half. He got on the end of a cross from Kevin Nolan to execute a clever finish at the far post.

He said: 'Ricardo's potential is there for all to see. He has a number of assets and we are trying to make sure he utilises these assets. These are early days for him and he is still learning the game. If he keeps progressing he will have possibilities here.'

It was a disappointing end to an awful season for Birmingham, who are dropping out of the Barclays Premiership after a four-season stay.

Manager Steve Bruce knows exactly what went wrong.

'We have not scored enough goals,' he said. 'You are only as good as your strikers. That is why they cost the most money and are so sought after.'

'Scoring goals has been our Achilles heel and cost us dearly.'