2010 Football League play-offs
Encyclopedia
The Football League play-offs
for the 2009–10 season were held in May 2010, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium
in London
. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals went through to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.
In the Championship, Nottingham Forest
, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1999, finished 12 points behind second placed West Bromwich Albion
, who in turn finished 11 points behind champions Newcastle United
, who returned to the top flight at the first attempt after relegation from the Premier League on the last day the season before. Cardiff City
who haven't been in the top flight since 1962, finished in fourth place in the table. Leicester City
who finished as champions of League One the season before, finished in fifth place looking for a return to the top flight for the first time in 6 years. Blackpool
finished 6 points behind Leicester and Cardiff on 70 points, looking for a first spell back in the top flight since 1971.
----
Second leg
Blackpool won 6–4 on aggregate.
----
Cardiff City 3–3 Leicester City on aggregate. Cardiff City won 4–3 on penalties.
----
----
Second leg
Rotherham United won 3–0 on aggregate.
----
Dagenham & Redbridge won 7–2 on aggregate.
Football League Play-Offs
The Football League play-offs are an annual series of football matches to determine some of the promotion places within the Football League. Essentially, each division of the league offers a certain number of automatic promotion places to the top two or three clubs. A further promotion place is...
for the 2009–10 season were held in May 2010, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals went through to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.
Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.In the Championship, Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1999, finished 12 points behind second placed West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
, who in turn finished 11 points behind champions Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
, who returned to the top flight at the first attempt after relegation from the Premier League on the last day the season before. Cardiff City
Cardiff City F.C.
Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for...
who haven't been in the top flight since 1962, finished in fourth place in the table. Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
who finished as champions of League One the season before, finished in fifth place looking for a return to the top flight for the first time in 6 years. Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
finished 6 points behind Leicester and Cardiff on 70 points, looking for a first spell back in the top flight since 1971.
Championship
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 65 | 40 | 79 | |
| 4 | Cardiff City Cardiff City F.C. Cardiff City Football Club are a Welsh professional football club based in Cardiff, Wales. The club competes in the English football pyramid and is currently playing in the Football League Championship. Cardiff City is the best supported football club in Wales, averaging approximately 22,500 for... |
46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 73 | 54 | 76 | |
| 5 | Leicester City Leicester City F.C. Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester... |
46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 61 | 45 | 76 | |
| 6 | Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 74 | 58 | +16 | 70 |
Semi-finals
First leg----
Second leg
Blackpool won 6–4 on aggregate.
----
Cardiff City 3–3 Leicester City on aggregate. Cardiff City won 4–3 on penalties.
Final
League One
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Millwall Millwall F.C. Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the... |
46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 76 | 44 | 32 | 85 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic Charlton Athletic F.C. Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,... |
46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 71 | 48 | 23 | 84 |
| 5 | Swindon Town Swindon Town F.C. Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011... |
46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 73 | 57 | 16 | 82 |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town F.C. Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One... |
46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 82 | 56 | 26 | 80 |
First leg
----Second leg
- Aggregate score 3–3. Swindon win 5–4 on penalties.
----
- Millwall win 2–0 on aggregate.
Final
League Two
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Morecambe Morecambe F.C. Morecambe Football Club is an English football club based in Morecambe, Lancashire. It plays its football in League Two, the fourth division of English football, having been promoted in 2007 for the first time in their history to the Football League. They played their home matches at Christie Park... |
46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 73 | 64 | +9 | 73 |
| 5 | Rotherham United Rotherham United F.C. Rotherham United Football Club are an English professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, who compete in League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The club's colours have traditionally been red and white, although these have evolved through history... |
46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 55 | 52 | +3 | 73 |
| 6 | Aldershot Town Aldershot Town F.C. Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club... |
46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 69 | 56 | 72 | |
| 7 | Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge F.C. Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club , informally known as Daggers, is an English association football club based in Dagenham, in the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, East London. It was formed in 1992 after a merger between Redbridge Forest and Dagenham... |
46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 69 | 58 | +11 | 72 |
Semi-finals
First leg----
Second leg
Rotherham United won 3–0 on aggregate.
----
Dagenham & Redbridge won 7–2 on aggregate.