EFL League Two play-offs
The EFL League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from fourth to seventh in the EFL League Two table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. As of 2021[update], 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 a two-legged tie. The winners of the semi-finals progress to the final which is contested at Wembley Stadium.
For the first three years, the play-off final took place over two legs, played at both side's grounds. Aldershot won the first League One play-off final in 1987, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 on aggregate. From 1990, the play-off final was a one-off match, hosted at the original Wembley Stadium, while from 2001 to 2006, the final was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as Wembley was being rebuilt. Since 2007, the match has been hosted at Wembley Stadium except for the 2011 final which took place at Old Trafford to avoid a clash with the 2011 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 the FA Premier League as a breakaway from the Football 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
As of 2021[update], the League Two play-offs involve the four teams that finish directly below the automatic promotion places in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. These teams meet in a series of play-off matches to determine the final team that will be promoted to the EFL Championship. The team finishing in fourth place plays the seventh-placed team in a two-legged tie, while the team in fifth plays the sixth-placed team over two legs, referred to as the "play-off semi-finals". The first match of the semi-finals is played at the side with the lower league position's home ground while the second match takes place at the higher-ranking side's ground. According to the EFL, "this is designed to give the highest finishing team an advantage".[1]
The winner of each semi-final is determined by the aggregate score across 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 into extra time where two 15-minute halves are played. If the score remains level at the end of extra time, the tie is decided by a penalty shootout. The away goals rule does not apply in the play-off semi-finals.[1]
The clubs that win the semi-finals then meet at Wembley Stadium, a neutral 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.[1] The match, along with the finals of the Championship and League One play-offs, usually takes place over the long weekend of the second bank holiday in May.[2]
Background
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 the 1984–85 Football League Cup between Chelsea and Sunderland where more than 100 people were arrested after various invasions of the Stamford Bridge pitch and more than 40 people, including 20 policemen, were injured.[3] Nine days later, violence flared at the FA Cup match between Millwall and Luton Town: seats were used as missiles against the police and resulted in Luton Town banning away supporters.[4] On 11 May, 56 people were killed and 265 injured in the Bradford City stadium fire and less than three weeks later, 39 supporters died and more than 600 were injured in the Heysel Stadium disaster where Liverpool were playing Juventus in the European Cup final.[5]
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[6]
In an attempt to persuade fans to return to the stadia, the Football League had rejected a £19 million television deal to broadcast matches live on the BBC and ITV before the 1985–86 Football League season with League president Jack Dunnett suggesting that "football is prepared to have a year or two with no television".[7] 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 of play-offs to facilitate the change.[8] The play-offs were introduced to the end of the 1986–87 Football League season.[9] They were initially introduced for two years but with the proviso that if they were successful with the general public, they would be retained permanently.[6]
History
| Years | Name |
|---|---|
| 1987–1992 | Football League Fourth Division play-offs |
| 1993–2004 | Football League Third Division play-offs |
| 2005–2015 | Football League Two play-offs |
| 2016–present | EFL League Two play-offs |
Aside from the branding changes which affected English football in 1992 and 2004, the League Two Play–offs have also changed in format.
When they were introduced for the 1986–87 season, the play-offs originally featured a third-tier club as well as the three fourth-tier clubs. The first winners were Aldershot, who won promotion in impressive style by beating their illustrious opponents Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals (condemning the four-times FA Cup winners to relegation) and then defeated a Wolverhampton Wanderers side with nine major trophies to their name in the two-legged final. A year later, Swansea City won promotion at the expense of Rotherham United.
The format was then but discontinued afterwards to include only the four teams who finished behind the team or teams winning automatic promotion. As before, the semi-final and final were both two-legged, and this time were won by a Leyton Orient side who memorably climbed into the top seven of the Fourth Division after being in the bottom half of the table with two months of the league season remaining.
Since the 1989–90 season, the final has been a single game, contested between the winners of the semi-finals (which remain two-legged), held at either Wembley Stadium or the Millennium Stadium. The first winners of the final in this format were Cambridge United, whose victory marked the beginning of an excellent three-season run for the East Anglian club, being followed by the Third Division title a year later and then a playoff appearance in the Second Division in 1992, where a semi-final defeat ended their hopes of playing in the new FA Premier League and becoming the first Football League team to win three consecutive promotions.
Past winners
Records
Note: These are only for play-offs at League Two level, for overall records in the Football League play-offs see here.
- Most play-off promotions: 3 – Blackpool
- Most play-off participations: 6 – Scunthorpe United, Torquay United, Lincoln City
- Most unsuccessful play-off participations: 6 – Lincoln City (from 6 in total)
- Teams without any unsuccessful play-off participations: Aldershot (1987), Cambridge United (1990), Peterborough United (2000), Bournemouth (2003), Huddersfield Town (2004), Bristol Rovers (2007), Gillingham (2009), Dagenham & Redbridge (2010), Bradford City (2013), Fleetwood Town (2014), AFC Wimbledon (2016) and Coventry City (2018)
- Biggest aggregate win: Crewe Alexandra 9–3 Walsall (1993)
- Biggest home win: Dagenham & Redbridge 6–0 Morecambe (Semi-final, 2010)
- Biggest away win: Notts County 1–4 Coventry City (Semi-final, 2018)
- Biggest win in a final: Northampton Town 4–0 Exeter City (2020)
- Highest scoring final: 7 goals – Bournemouth 5–2 Lincoln City (2003)
- Highest scoring play-off match: 8 goals – Lincoln City 5–3 Scunthorpe United (Semi-final, 2003); Lincoln City 3–5 Bristol Rovers (Semi-final, 2007)
- Highest scoring tie (aggregate): 12 goals – Crewe Alexandra 9–3 Walsall (1993)
- Highest attendance: 61,589 – Bristol Rovers vs Shrewsbury Town (Final, 2007)
- Lowest attendance: 3,606 – Torquay United vs Cheltenham Town (Semi-final, 2012)
References
- ^ a b c "About the Play-Offs". English Football League. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ^ Woodcock, Ian; Williams, Adam (22 May 2020). "EFL play-offs: Relive some of the most memorable games". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ Foster 2015, p. 12.
- ^ Foster 2015, p. 13.
- ^ Foster 2015, pp. 14–15.
- ^ a b Foster 2015, p. 27.
- ^ Foster 2015, p. 19.
- ^ Foster 2015, p. 18.
- ^ Pye, Steven (22 May 2015). "How Charlton, Swindon and Aldershot triumphed in the first play-offs in 1987". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.