If the Tigers are to make history this season and win promtion to the top flight for the first time, they will have to do it through the Play-Offs following a 1-0 defeat at Ipswich Town on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
The fact that Stoke City gained a point against Leicester City meant City couldn't have gone up anyway, whatever their result as the promotion quest continues.
The City side showed just one change as Andy Dawson returned from injury at left back in place of Henrik Pedersen, who missed out through injury problems of his own.
Wayne Brown lined-up against one of former clubs while Dean Windass was passed fit to play as Phil Brown once again opted to play a 4-3-3 formation.
The game almost got off to the worst possible start for the Tigers.
With Sam Ricketts injured and effectively out of the game deep inside the Ipswich half, the home side broke and when a deflected shot came back off the post, Shefki Kuqi headed home the rebound.
The Ipswich celebrations began, unaware the assistant had raised his flag for offside.
TV replays clearly showed it was an incorrect decision.
There was a cracking pace to the early stages of the game and Dean Marney curled a shot wide at the other end before the midfielder was booked for a foul on Tommy Miller in the ninth minute.
Ipswich, with former Tigers Jon Walters and Stephen Bywater in their side, were looking the bigger threat although Boaz Myhill was commanding his area well.
City had another lucky escape on 20 minutes when Miller's shot hit the outside of the post and went wide.
In the build up, Wayne Brown had caught Pablo Counago and the centre back was booked once the ball had gone out of play.
Alan Quinn had the next shot for the home side, but his weak effort from just inside the box trickled past the far post.
Ricketts became the third City player to be booked inside the first 30 minutes when he held back Quinn as the home side looked to launch a counter attack.
Quinn was in the action again moments later, firing just over from 20 yards before Windass curled a free kick wide from long range at the other end.
Ipswich received their first caution of the afternoon shortly before the break when Counago was booked for a foul on Marney.
Half Time: Tigers 0-0 Ipswich
City looked a little brighter at the start of the second period, although they were struggling to make the ball stick up front.
A defensive mix up led to a City corner on 55 minutes. Marney and Windass worked a short routine, but when the cross eventually came in it was easily dealt with.
Ipswich missed a great chance on 58 minutes when Owen Garvan's low ball in was somehow fired wide by the unmarked Counago.
Soon after, Quinn headed wide from a deep right wing cross.
City's first change came on 61 minutes when Craig Fagan replaced Hughes and that was soon followed by the introduction of Nick Barmby for Folan.
By this time, Ipswich were once again dominating and Counago was inches away from giving his side the lead with a far post header.
The home side were piling the pressure on the City defence, forcing corner after corner but the Tigers were just about hanging in there.
City's resistance was finally broken in the 70th minute by substitute Alan Lee, who had only been on the field a matter of seconds.
City failed to deal with a ball into the box and when Lee rose, he managed to head home into the bottom far corner.
A year ago, Lee - who had been a summer Tigers transfer target - scored Town's winning goal at Leeds United that effectively confimed the Tigers' Championship survival.
The Tigers almost produced an immediate reply when Barmby met Marney's cross, but his header flew straight into the hands of Stephen Bywater.
City survived loud appeals for a penalty on 73 minutes when the referee failed to spot a handball by Ricketts before Dawson was booked for tugging back Walters.
The Tigers pushed Michael Turner up front for the final ten minutes as they went in search of an equaliser.
But City rarely looked like scoring and the final whistle signalled an extension to their season.
Tigers (4-3-3) Boaz Myhill; Sam Ricketts, Michael Turner, Wayne Brown, Andy Dawson; Dean Marney, Ian Ashbee [captain], Bryan Hughes (Fagan 61); Fraizer Campbell, Dean Windass, Caleb Folan (Barmby 64).
Subs: Matt Duke, Nathan Doyle, Simon Walton, Nick Barmby, Craig Fagan.
Bookings: Marney 9, Brown 20, Ricketts 30, Dawson 77.
Ipswich Town (4-4-2) Stephen Bywater; Danny Simpson, Jason De Vos [captain], Alex Bruce, David Wright; Jon Walters, Owen Garvan, Tommy Miller, Alan Quinn (Lee 69); Shefki Kuqi (Haynes 53), Pablo Counago (Sumulikoski 80).
Subs: Nick Colgan, Alan Lee, Sito Castro, Danny Haynes, Velice Sumulikoski.
Bookings: Counago 43, Haynes 90.
Although suffering the disappointment of missing out on automatic promotion, by finishing third in the second-tier of English football, the Tigers have equalled our highest-ever final league position which has stood since the 1909/10 season.
