Wikipedia

EFL League Two play-offs

TheEFL League Two play-offsare a series ofplay-offmatches contested by theassociation footballteams finishing from fourth to seventh inEFL League Two,the fourth tier of theEnglish football league system.They are part of the annualEnglish Football League play-offs.As of 2022,the play-offs comprise two semi-finals, where the team finishing fourth plays the team finishing seventh, and the team finishing fifth plays the team finishing sixth, each conducted as atwo-legged tie.The winners of the semi-finals progress to the final which is contested atWembley Stadium.

For the first three years, the play-off final took place over two legs, played at both side's grounds.Aldershotwon the first Fourth Division play-off finalin 1987,beatingWolverhampton Wanderers2–1on aggregate.From 1990, the play-off final was a one-off match, hosted at theoriginal Wembley Stadium,while from 2001 to 2006, the final was played at theMillennium StadiuminCardiffas Wembley was being rebuilt. Since 2007, the match has been hosted at Wembley Stadium except for the2011 finalwhich took place atOld Traffordto avoid a clash with the2011 UEFA Champions League Final.

When the fourth tier play-offs were first contested in 1987, they were known as the Football League Fourth Division play-offs. From 1993 to 2004, following the creation of theFA Premier Leagueas a breakaway from theFootball League,the competition became known as the Third Division play-offs, and since 2005 has taken its current name as the League Two play-offs following a rebranding of the remaining three divisions of the Football League.

Format

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An example of the play-off format, from the2000 Second Division play-offs

As of 2021,the League Two play-offs involve the four teams that finish directly below the automaticpromotionplaces inEFL League Two,the fourth tier of theEnglish football league system.These teams meet in a series of play-off matches to determine the final team that will be promoted to theEFL League One. Based on the rankings, the team finishing in fourth place plays the seventh-placed team while the team in fifth plays the sixth-placed team in the "play-off semi-finals". Two ties are played overtwo legs,with the higher-ranked side hosting the second leg. According to theEFL,"this is designed to give the highest finishing team anadvantage".[1]

The winner of each semi-final is determined by theaggregate scoreacross the two legs, with the number of goals scored in each match of the tie being added together. The team with the higher aggregate score qualifies for the final. If, at the end of regular 90 minutes of the second leg, the aggregate score is level then the match goes intoextra timewhere two 15-minute halves are played. If the score remains level at the end of extra time, the tie is decided by apenalty shootout.Theaway goals ruledoes not apply in the play-off semi-finals.[2]

The clubs that win the semi-finals then meet atWembley Stadium,aneutral venue,for a one-off match referred to as the "play-off final". If required, extra time and a penalty shootout can be employed in the same manner as for the semi-finals to determine the winner. The runner-up and losing semi-finalists remain in League Two while the winning side are promoted.[2]The match, along with the finals of theChampionshipandLeague One play-offs,usually takes place over thelong weekendof the secondbank holidayin May.[3]

Background

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Main article:English Football League play-offs

The mid-1980s saw a decline in attendances at football matches and public disenchantment with English football. A number of instances of violence and tragedy struck the game. In March 1985, at the semi-final of the1984–85 Football League CupbetweenChelseaandSunderland,more than 100 people were arrested after various invasions of theStamford Bridgepitch and more than 40 people, including 20 policemen, were injured.[4]Nine days later,violence flaredat theFA Cupmatch betweenMillwallandLuton Town;seats were used as missiles against the police and resulted in Luton Town banning away supporters.[5]On 11 May, 56 people were killed and 265 injured in theBradford City stadium fire.Less than three weeks later, 39 supporters died and more than 600 were injured in theHeysel Stadium disasterwhereLiverpoolwere playingJuventusinthe European Cup final.[6]

Initially the Play-Offs would operate for two years, but if they proved popular with spectators they could become a permanent part of the calendar.

Heathrow Agreement[7]

In an attempt to persuade fans to return to the stadia, the Football League had rejected a £19million television deal to broadcast matches live on theBBCandITVbefore the1985–86 Football Leagueseason, with League presidentJack Dunnettsuggesting that "football is prepared to have a year or two with no television".[8]In December 1985, the "Heathrow Agreement" was agreed which aimed to revitalise the financial affairs of the league. It was a ten-point plan which included a structural reorganisation of the league, reducing the top tier from 22 clubs to 20, and the introduction ofplay-offsto facilitate the change.[9]The play-offs were introduced to the end of the1986–87 Football League season.[10]They were initially introduced for two years with the proviso that if they were successful with the general public, they would be retained permanently.[7]

History

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In the first two seasons, the team one place above the relegation zone in theThird Division,along with the three clubs below the automatic promotion positions in theFourth Division,took part in the play-offs.[10]In the inaugural play-offs in 1987, Third DivisionBolton Wandererswere eliminated in the semi-finals by Fourth Division sideAldershotwho replaced them when they wonthe final.[10][11]The following season,Rotherham Unitedalso swapped places with Fourth Division opposition when they lost toSwansea Cityin the semi-finals who defeatedTorquayinthe final5–4 on aggregate.[12]

EFL League Two play-off nomenclature
Years Name
1987–1992 Football League Fourth Divisionplay-offs
1993–2004 Football League Third Divisionplay-offs
2005–2015 Football League Twoplay-offs
2016–present EFL League Twoplay-offs

The primary objective of the play-offs was achieved within the first two seasons, namely the reorganisation of the four leagues with 20 clubs in the first tier and 24 in the second to fourth tiers.[13]However, the popularity of the play-offs was such that the post-season games were retained and theplay-offswere the first to feature four teams from the Fourth Division:[13]Leyton OrientdefeatedWrexhamover two legs in the1989 Football League Fourth Division play-off final.[14]From 1990, the format of the final changed to a single match played at a neutral venue, initially theoriginal Wembley Stadium.The first winners of the inaugural one-offfinalwereCambridge Unitedwho beatChesterfield1–0 in front of 26,404 spectators.[15]

Wembley underwent renovations early in the 21st century andthe 2000 finalwas the last to be hosted at the original stadium. Subsequently the finals were hosted at theMillennium Stadiumin Cardiff, whereBlackpoolwon their second fourth-tier play-off final, beatingLeyton Orient4–2 inthe finalwatched by a crowd of 23,600.[16]The Millennium Stadium held the finals until 2007 when the match was moved to the renovated Wembley Stadium, the firstsuch finalseeingBristol RoversdefeatShrewsbury Town3–1 with an attendance of 61,589.[17]

The game was relocated toManchester United's ground,Old Trafford,for a single season as a result of a scheduling clash with the2011 UEFA Champions League Final.[18]The most recent final,in 2020,was heldbehind closed doorsas a result of theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom:Northampton TowndefeatedExeter City4–0 in front of an official attendance of 0.[19]

Since the first play-off final, the third tier of English football's league itself has undergone a number of re-brands. In 1993, the Premier League wasformed,[20]a move which caused the fourth-tier league to be renamed as the Third Division.[21]In 2004, the Third Division was re-branded as Football League Two,[22]before the League's adoption of English Football League (EFL) led to a 2016 renaming as the EFL League Two.[23]

Prize

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The financial value of winning the EFL League Two play-off is derived from the additional remuneration clubs receive in League One. As of 2020,clubs in League One receive around £675,000 from the Premier League as a "core club" payment compared to £450,000 in League Two.[24][25]The winners of the final receive a trophy.[26]

Winners and semi-finalists

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Key to list of winners and semi-finalists
Year Link to play-off article for specified year
Venue Location(s) of the final match(es)
Winner (X) Team that won play-off final, (X) indicates cumulative number of play-off final victories
Final Link to play-off final article for the specified match
^ Final played over two legs
R Final decided by areplay
† Final decided inextra time
‡ Final decided by apenalty shoot-out
Runner-up Team that lost play-off final
Semi-finalists Two teams that lost in play-off semi-finals
Theoriginal Wembley Stadiumhosted the fourth-tier play-off final between 1990 and 2000.
The final was held at theMillennium Stadiumin Cardiff between 2001 and 2006 while Wembley was being redeveloped.
The redevelopedWembley Stadiumhas been host to the League Two play-off final every year since 2007 except in 2011.
Bristol Rovers playing Shrewsbury Town in the2007 Football League Two play-off final.
In 2011,Old Traffordwas used for the final to avoid a clash with the Champions League final.
Wembley Stadium before the2018 EFL League Two play-off final
The trophy awarded to the play-off winners, pictured in Port Vale colours in 2022
Winners of the EFL League Two play-offs along with runners-up and semi-finalists
Year Venue Winner Final Runner-up Semi-finalists Ref.
1987 Recreation Ground/Molineux^ Aldershot(1) 3–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers
Colchester United 		[11]
1988 Vetch Field/Plainmoor^ Swansea City(1) 5–4 Torquay United Rotherham United
Scunthorpe United 		[12]
1989 Racecourse Ground/Brisbane Road^ Leyton Orient(1) 2–1 Wrexham Scarborough
Scunthorpe United 		[14]
1990 Wembley Stadium (original) Cambridge United(1) 1–0 Chesterfield Maidstone United
Stockport County 		[15]
1991 Torquay United(1) 2–2‡[a] Blackpool Burnley
Scunthorpe United 		[27]
1992 Blackpool(1) 1–1‡[b] Scunthorpe United Barnet
Crewe Alexandra 		[28]
1993 York City(1) 1–1‡[c] Crewe Alexandra Bury
Walsall 		[29]
1994 Wycombe Wanderers(1) 4–2 Preston North End Carlisle United
Torquay United 		[30]
1995 Chesterfield(1) 2–0 Bury Mansfield Town
Preston North End 		[31]
1996 Plymouth Argyle(1) 1–0 Darlington Colchester United
Hereford United 		[32]
1997 Northampton Town(1) 1–0 Swansea City Cardiff City
Chester City 		[33]
1998 Colchester United(1) 1–0 Torquay United Barnet
Scarborough 		[34]
1999 Scunthorpe United(1) 1–0 Leyton Orient Rotherham United
Swansea City 		[35]
2000 Peterborough United(1) 1–0 Darlington Barnet
Hartlepool United 		[36]
2001 Millennium Stadium Blackpool(2) 4–2 Leyton Orient Hartlepool United
Hull City 		[16]
2002 Cheltenham Town(1) 3–1 Rushden & Diamonds Hartlepool United
Rochdale 		[37]
2003 Bournemouth(1) 5–2 Lincoln City Bury
Scunthorpe United 		[38]
2004 Huddersfield Town(1) 0–0‡[d] Mansfield Town Lincoln City
Northampton Town 		[39]
2005 Southend United(1) 2–0† Lincoln City Macclesfield Town
Northampton Town 		[40]
2006 Cheltenham Town(2) 1–0 Grimsby Town Lincoln City
Wycombe Wanderers 		[41]
2007 Wembley Stadium Bristol Rovers(1) 3–1 Shrewsbury Town Lincoln City
Milton Keynes Dons 		[17]
2008 Stockport County(1) 3–2 Rochdale Darlington
Wycombe Wanderers 		[42]
2009 Gillingham(1) 1–0 Shrewsbury Town Bury
Rochdale 		[43]
2010 Dagenham & Redbridge(1) 3–2 Rotherham United Aldershot Town
Morecambe 		[44]
2011 Old Trafford Stevenage(1) 1–0 Torquay United Accrington Stanley
Shrewsbury Town 		[45]
2012 Wembley Stadium Crewe Alexandra(1) 2–0 Cheltenham Town Southend United
Torquay United 		[46]
2013 Bradford City(1) 3–0 Northampton Town Burton Albion
Cheltenham Town 		[47]
2014 Fleetwood Town(1) 1–0 Burton Albion Southend United
York City 		[48]
2015 Southend United(2) 1–1‡[e] Wycombe Wanderers Plymouth Argyle
Stevenage 		[49]
2016 AFC Wimbledon(1) 2–0 Plymouth Argyle Accrington Stanley
Portsmouth 		[50]
2017 Blackpool(3) 2–1 Exeter City Carlisle United
Luton Town 		[51]
2018 Coventry City(1) 3–1 Exeter City Lincoln City
Notts County 		[52]
2019 Tranmere Rovers(1) 1–0† Newport County Forest Green Rovers
Mansfield Town 		[53]
2020 Northampton Town(2) 4–0 Exeter City Cheltenham Town
Colchester United 		[54]
2021 Morecambe(1) 1–0† Newport County Tranmere Rovers
Forest Green Rovers 		[55]
2022 Port Vale(1) 3–0 Mansfield Town Northampton Town
Swindon Town 		[56]
2023 Carlisle United(1) 1–1‡[f] Stockport County Salford City
Bradford City 		[57]
2024 Crawley Town 2–0 Crewe Alexandra Doncaster Rovers
Milton Keynes Dons

Records

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Blackpoolhave been promoted from the fourth tier of English football by winning the play-off final on three occasions, more than any other team, whileCheltenham Town,Northampton TownandSouthend Unitedhave won two finals. BothExeter CityandTorquay Unitedhave lost in the final three times.[58]

Notes

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  1. ^Torquay United won the 1991 Football League Fourth Division play-off final with a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory over Blackpool.[27]
  2. ^Blackpool won the 1992 Football League Fourth Division play-off final with a 4–3 penalty shoot-out victory over Scunthorpe United.[28]
  3. ^York City won the 1993 Football League Third Division play-off final with a 5–3 penalty shoot-out victory over Crewe Alexandra.[29]
  4. ^Huddersfield Town won the 2004 Football League Third Division play-off final with a 4–1 penalty shoot-out victory over Mansfield Town.[39]
  5. ^Southend United won the 2015 Football League Two play-off final with a 7–6 penalty shoot-out victory over Wycombe Wanderers.[49]
  6. ^Carlisle United won the 2023 EFL League Two play-off final with a 5–4 penalty shoot-out victory over Stockport County.

References

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  1. ^EFL."About the Play-Offs".EFL.Retrieved18 April2024.
  2. ^ab"About the Play-Offs".English Football League.Archivedfrom the original on 17 January 2021.Retrieved21 March2021.
  3. ^Woodcock, Ian; Williams, Adam (22 May 2020)."EFL play-offs: Relive some of the most memorable games".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2021.Retrieved3 May2021.
  4. ^Foster 2015,p. 12.
  5. ^Foster 2015,p. 13.
  6. ^Foster 2015,pp. 14–15.
  7. ^abFoster 2015,p. 27.
  8. ^Foster 2015,p. 19.
  9. ^Foster 2015,p. 18.
  10. ^abcPye, Steven (22 May 2015)."How Charlton, Swindon and Aldershot triumphed in the first play-offs in 1987".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 3 June 2020.Retrieved21 March2021.
  11. ^abFoster 2015,p. 195.
  12. ^abFoster 2015,p. 197.
  13. ^abFoster 2015,p. 62.
  14. ^abFoster 2015,p. 199.
  15. ^abFoster 2015,p. 200.
  16. ^abFoster 2015,p. 211.
  17. ^abFoster 2015,p. 217.
  18. ^"Old Trafford to host League One and Two play-off finals".BBC News.21 January 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 25 January 2011.Retrieved6 May2020.
  19. ^Pilnick, Brent (29 June 2020)."Exeter City 0–4 Northampton Town".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 30 June 2020.Retrieved6 May2021.
  20. ^Foster, p. 23
  21. ^"Division One renamed The Championship".The Guardian.10 June 2004.Archivedfrom the original on 11 August 2017.Retrieved20 January2021.
  22. ^Rej, Arindam (1 August 2004)."Pop goes the Championship".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 25 March 2021.Retrieved21 March2021.
  23. ^Rumsby, Ben (12 November 2015)."Rebranded Football League changing its name to English Football League as EFL unveils new logo".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on 29 September 2017.Retrieved21 March2021.
  24. ^"Premier League reveals funding for EFL clubs in 2019/20".Premier League.18 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 27 February 2021.Retrieved7 May2021.
  25. ^"Premier League 2019/20 funding for EFL clubs".Premier League.18 December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 27 February 2021.Retrieved9 May2021.
  26. ^"Sky Bet League Two Play-Off Final: Cullen and Potts fire Blackpool to promotion".English Football League.28 May 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 26 October 2020.Retrieved9 May2021.
  27. ^abFoster 2015,p. 201.
  28. ^abFoster 2015,p. 202.
  29. ^abFoster 2015,p. 203.
  30. ^Foster 2015,p. 204.
  31. ^Foster 2015,p. 205.
  32. ^Foster 2015,p. 206.
  33. ^Foster 2015,p. 207.
  34. ^Foster 2015,p. 208.
  35. ^Foster 2015,p. 209.
  36. ^Foster 2015,p. 210.
  37. ^Foster 2015,p. 212.
  38. ^Foster 2015,p. 213.
  39. ^abFoster 2015,p. 214.
  40. ^Foster 2015,p. 215.
  41. ^Foster 2015,p. 216.
  42. ^Foster 2015,p. 218.
  43. ^Foster 2015,p. 219.
  44. ^Foster 2015,p. 220.
  45. ^Foster 2015,p. 221.
  46. ^Foster 2015,p. 222.
  47. ^Foster 2015,p. 223.
  48. ^Foster 2015,p. 224.
  49. ^abFoster 2015,p. 225.
  50. ^"League Two end of season table for 2015–16 season".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Retrieved8 May2021.
  51. ^"League Two end of season table for 2016–17 season".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Retrieved8 May2021.
  52. ^"League Two end of season table for 2017–18 season".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 11 April 2020.Retrieved8 May2021.
  53. ^"League Two end of season table for 2018–19 season".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 9 October 2020.Retrieved8 May2021.
  54. ^"League Two end of season table for 2019–20 season".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2020.Retrieved8 May2021.
  55. ^"League Two table 2020/21".11v11.Retrieved31 May2021.
  56. ^"League Two table 2021/22".11v11.Retrieved30 May2022.
  57. ^"2022/23 Playoff Final".www.11v11.com/matches/carlisle-united-v-stockport-county-28-may-2023-379553/.Retrieved31 May2023.
  58. ^Foster 2015,pp. 194–225.

Bibliography

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