Anything can happen
Once you’ve made it in to the play-offs you’ve as good a chance as any of making it to the Wembley podium. In 2009 Burnley (5th) faced Sheffield United (3rd) in the Championship play-off final with the Clarets winning 1-0 despite United being favourites. In the 2006/2007 League Two play-offs it was Bristol Rovers (6th) and Shrewsbury (7th) that made it to Wembley ahead of MK Dons and Lincoln who placed above them in the league, with Rovers emerging victorious. In League One the 2010/2011 season saw Huddersfield Town make the play-offs 8 points clear of 4th place Peterborough only to be beaten 3-0 by the Posh in the final. This belief that anybody can beat anybody means the unpredictability and excitement of the Football League is as clear in the play-offs as any point in the season making them the spectacle they are. Teams have shown, as well, that winning the play-offs with an outside chance doesn’t mean the following season will see you struggle and head straight back down. This season Crystal Palace have shown that even in the Premier League it is possible to defy the odds. Similarly last season’s League Two play-off winners, Bradford City have gone on to a successful campaign in League One currently sitting comfortably in mid-table. The play-offs may be make or break, joy or heart break, but if one thing is for certain, it’s that nothing is for certain.
