Football League Two play-offs

The Football League Two play-offs are a series of play-off matches, contested by the teams finishing from 4th to 7th in the Coca Cola Football League Two table to determine the fourth spot for promotion to the third tier of English football, League One.

The first ever play off final was contested between Aldershot and Wolves, with Aldershot ending up as winners over two legs whilst the last final was played in May 2008, Stockport County defeating their local rivals Rochdale 3-2 in front of 35,715. The highest crowd for a league 2 play off final was when Bristol Rovers beat Shrewsbury Town 3-1 at a newly-renovated Wembley in front of a massive crowd of 61,589 of which there were approximately 38,000 Bristol Rovers and 24,000 Shrewsbury Town fans.

=Format=The current system of the League Two play-offs has uses two semi-finals are played over two legs, with 7th playing 4th and 6th playing 5th, with the return fixtures following. For the two-legged semi-finals, there is no away goals advantage such as those in the knock-out rounds of European competition. The Final is played at Wembley, although from 2001 to 2006, it was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff while Wembley was being rebuilt.

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 started in 1987, the play-offs originally featured a third-tier team and three fourth-tier clubs. This format was continued for 1988, but discontinued afterwards. The final changed from two-legged to a one-bout affair beginning in 1990.

=Results=

1987

;Semi-finals;Final

1988

;Semi-finals;Final

1989

;Semi-finals;Final

1990

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 26 May1990
team1 = Cambridge United
score = 1 - 0
report =
team2 = Chesterfield
goals1 = Dion Dublin
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 26,404
referee =

1991

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 31 May1991
team1 = Torquay United
score = 2 - 2 aet
5 - 4 pens
report =
team2 = Blackpool
goals1 = Wes Saunders
Dean Edwards
goals2 = Paul Groves
Curran
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 21,615
referee =

1992

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 23 May1992
team1 = Blackpool
score = 1 - 1 aet
4 - 3 pens
report =
team2 = Scunthorpe United
goals1 = Dave Bamber
goals2 = Tony Daws
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 22,741
referee =

1993

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 29 May1993
team1 = York City
score = 1 - 1 aet
5 - 3 pens
report =
team2 = Crewe Alexandra
goals1 = Gary Swann
goals2 = Dave McKearney
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 22,416
referee =

1994

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 28 May1994
team1 = Wycombe Wanderers
score = 4 - 2
report =
team2 = Preston North End
goals1 = Steven Thompson
Simon Garner
Dave Caroll
goals2 = Ian Bryson
Paul Raynor
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 40,109
referee =

1995

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 27 May1995
team1 = Chesterfield
score = 2 - 0
report =
team2 = Bury
goals1 = Tony Lormor
Phil Robinson
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 22,814
referee =

1996

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 25 May1996
team1 = Plymouth Argyle
score = 1 - 0
report =
team2 = Darlington
goals1 = Ronnie Mauge
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 43,431
referee =

1997

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 24 May1997
team1 = Northampton Town
score = 1 - 0
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=389878 Report]
team2 =Swansea City
goals1 = John Frain 90'
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 46,804
referee =

1998

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 24 May1998
team1 = Colchester United
score = 1 - 0
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=389899 Report]
team2 = Torquay United
goals1 = David Gregory 22' pen
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 19,486
referee = M. Fletcher (Worcestershire)

1999

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 29 May1999
team1 = Scunthorpe United
score = 1 - 0
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=306797 Report]
team2 = Leyton Orient
goals1 = Alex Calvo-Garcia 6'
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 36,985
referee = Clive Wilkes (Gloucestershire)

2000

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 26 May2000
team1 = Peterborough United
score = 1 - 0
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=306786 Report]
team2 = Darlington
goals1 = Andy Clarke 74'
goals2 =
stadium = Wembley
attendance = 33,383
referee = Mike Dean (Wirral)

2001

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 26 May2001
team1 = Blackpool
score = 4 - 2
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=308104 Report]
team2 = Leyton Orient
goals1 = Ian Hughes 35'
Brian Reid 45'
Paul Simpson 77'
Brett Ormerod 88'
goals2 = Chris Tate 1'
Scott Houghton 37'
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 23,600
referee = D. Pugh (Wirral)

2002

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 6 May2002
team1 = Cheltenham Town
score = 3 - 1
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=361372 Report]
team2 = Rushden & Diamonds
goals1 = Martin Devaney 27'
Julian Alsop 49'
John Finnigan 80'
goals2 = Paul Hall 28'
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 24,368
referee = Anthony Leake (Lancashire)

2003

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 24 May2003
team1 = A.F.C. Bournemouth
score = 5 - 2
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=390451 Report]
team2 = Lincoln City
goals1 = Steve Fletcher 29'
Carl Fletcher 45', 77'
Stephen Purches 56'
Garreth O'Connor 60'
goals2 = Ben Futcher 35'
Mark Bailey 75'
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 32, 148
referee = Alan Kaye (West Yorkshire)

2004

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 31 May2004
team1 = Huddersfield Town
score = 0 - 0 aet
4 - 1 pens
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=427739 Report]
team2 = Mansfield Town
goals1 =
goals2 =
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 37,298
referee = Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear)

2005

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 28 May2005
team1 = Southend United
score = 2 - 0 aet
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=452685 Report]
team2 = Lincoln City
goals1 = Freddy Eastwood 105'
Duncan Jupp 110'
goals2 =
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 19,653
referee = M. Atkinson (West Yorkshire)

2006

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 28 May2006
team1 = Cheltenham Town
score = 1 - 0
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=485948 Report]
team2 = Grimsby Town
goals1 = Steve Guinan 63'
goals2 =
stadium = Millennium Stadium
attendance = 29,196
referee = P. Taylor (Hertfordshire)

2007

;Semi-finals;Finalfootballbox
date = 26 May2007
team1 = Bristol Rovers
score = 3 - 1
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=516147 Report]
team2 = Shrewsbury Town
goals1 = Richard Walker 21', 35'
Sammy Igoe 90'
goals2 = Stewart Drummond 3'
stadium = Wembley Stadium
attendance = 61,589
referee = M. J. Jones (Chester)

2008

;Semi-finals

;Finalfootballbox
date = 26 May2008
team1 = Rochdale
score = 2 - 3
report = [http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=552650 Report]
team2 = Stockport County
goals1 = Rory McArdle goal|24
Adam Rundle goal|77
goals2 = Nathan Stanton goal|34 (o.g.)
Anthony Pilkington goal|49
Liam Dickinson goal|67
stadium = Wembley Stadium
attendance = 35,715
referee = Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

=References=