Sporting Thoughts
It has been described as the most important game in football, but in spite of the huge stakes the First Division Play-Off Final is usually a memorable game, full of incident.
This year's was one of the most disappointing of recent times with Bolton, rightly installed as huge favourites, completely dominating a very one-sided game. Although the 3-0 score line may have been a touch harsh on Preston there was no doubt among neutral spectators who was the better team.
Where the second division final lost out to the first in quality it more than made up for in drama. Trailing to Reading by two goals to one in the second half of extra time, Walsall reversed the lead in just over a minute to win the tie by three goals to two; Darren Byfield coming off the bench to score the winner.
The third division final was the best game and although Blackpool triumphed over Leyton Orient 4-2 in the end, the result was far from certain for the majority of the game. Twice Orient took the lead only for Blackpool to equalise but the Tangerines deserved their two late goals.
In spite of a weekend of thrilling football you have to ask questions about the fairness of the play-off system when only one of the three teams to go up finished in the top of the four play-off places in their division. Forcing teams who have already earnt their position in the table to go through the lottery of the play-offs is unnecessarily cruel.
The play-offs are a transparent attempt to add life to a league system in which a huge number of clubs find themselves stuck in a sort of mid-table limbo. This is especially apparent in the third division where only one relegation spot, and a tendency for at least one club to collapse in a comedy Doncaster-esque loosing streak means that roughly ten clubs have nothing to play for from December.
Without the Play-offs this problem would be even worse, so what is the answer? Decreasing the size of the leagues seems to be a good idea, although the bottom half of the third division probably wouldn't appreciate being expelled into the non-league wilderness.
Perhaps the inevitable introduction of a fifth professional division in England would help alleviate this problem. A look over the channel, where most top divisions have at least four teams relegated, gives us another option for increasing the excitement in the average Nationwide team's season - increase the number of teams going up and down.
In spite of its obvious unfairness, anyone to have witnessed the drama of a play-off final first hand will tell you they are here to stay, and the FA will find no pressing need to change the system while it still provides us with classic matches like those we saw over last weekend.
1st Jun 2001