Why the EFL Play-Offs are a good thing
32This year marks 35 years since the Football League play-offs were introduced as a measure for EFL teams to gain promotion outside of the top two or three places in their divisions.
Since 1989, the play-offs have remained untouched: the fortnight or so of high-stakes, high-drama football has remained a constant in the English footballing calendar.
We have seen an unfancied pair in Huddersfield Town and Luton Town battle one another for a return to the top flight, with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United too hoping for a return to distant glory days.
Sunderland once again reached the third tier’s play-off final in an attempt to finally return to the upper echelons of the footballing pyramid and Northampton Town fell dramatically from third to fourth on goals scored on the final day and had to contend with the maze that is the play-off system.
In another universe, the Cobblers would already be up, alongside MK Dons and Huddersfield Town. Let’s delve into that universe: where third place in the Championship and League One would gain promotion without any questions asked and League Two’s fourth place earned a spot in the third tier.
#EFL
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Voice: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Words: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Edit: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
What If Football is a form of footballing storytelling that takes the audience down a different path to our current reality.
What If Football covers football in all forms, from the Premier League to the Champions League, European football and the EFL as well as international tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships.
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