The Football League Playoff Finals are here and for some it is the culmination of a long 10 month journey of supporting the lower reaches of English Football, and for a lot of others it is a cheeky Johnny-come-lately one weekend a year to take an interest. Either way, we
As Ipswich Town fans, we resigned ourselves in October sometime that their next possible involvement in the Football League Playoff Finals will be in the 2019-20 League One Playoff final, and our other team AFC Wimbledon looked doomed for most of the season too. So we have been looking forward to this regardless, knowing it was going to be as a neutral.
Ultimately, there will be talk about the 100M game to get in the Premier League, and while that is important for all the EPL only snobs, it overlooks that all three playoff finals happen this weekend, back to back to back. All three leagues offering up final day drama.
So for the person who cares just a little, or is just passing trough, we offer our Who Cares 2018-19 Football League Playoff Finals Preview.
Football League Playoff Finals Barely Interesting Stuff
Just seven of the teams who finished 3rd (4th League Two) from all three divisions over the past 10 seasons have been promoted on the Football League Playoff Finals weekend. Another 13 have suffered defeat.
The best strike rate is the team that finishes 6th (7th L2) who have been promoted nine times from 12 attempts. Mainly from League Two where the lowest side have won their playoff final five times in the last 10 seasons.
There hasn’t been more than two goals in a games for the Championship Playoff for the past 6 seasons.
League One playoffs lead the way with an average goals per game of 3.1. The other two leagues have an average on 2.4.
Both Derby and Aston Villa have lost Championship Playoff Finals in the last 5 years.
CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF FINAL
ASTON VILLA v DERBY COUNTY
2018-19 Season
ASTON VILLA – 5th – W20 D16 L10 – 76pts – Goals Scored 82 Conceded 61
DERBY COUNTY – 6th – W20 D14 L12 – 74pts – Goals Scored 69 Conceded 54
2018-19 Head to Head
Nov – Derby 0 Aston Villa 3
Mar – Aston Villa 4 Derby 0
2018-19 Record v Top Six Teams
ASTON VILLA – Avg Pts 0.9 – W2 D3 L5
DERBY – Avg Pts 1.3 – W4 D1 L5
Road to Football League Playoff Finals
Aston Villa 2 WBA 1 — WBA 1 Aston Villa 0 – Villa won pens
Derby 0 Leeds Utd 1 — Leeds Utd 2 Derby 4
POINTS OF INTEREST
Did you know yet that Frank Lampard’s Derby County is managed by Frank Lampard?
On that theme, did you know that it is Lampard up against former Chelsea team mate John Terry, who is now the Villa assistant manager.
This is Aston Villa’s third year in the Championship, hard to think such a big club would struggle. Although it could be worse – refer Sunderland.
Both of these sides have lost a playoff final in the last five seasons. Aston Villa last season 2-0 to Fulham, and Derby 1-0 to QPR.
ODDS
WIN-DRAW-WIN
Aston Villa $2.10
Draw $3.10
Derby $3.40
TO BE PROMOTED
Aston Villa $1.57
Derby $2.25
CORRECT SCORE
Aston Villa 1 – 0 – $7.00
Derby 1 – 0 – $10.00
Draw 0 – 0 – $9.00
Draw 1-1 – $6.00
Aston Villa 4 – 0 – $56.00
CHARLTON ATHLETIC v SUNDERLAND
2018-19 Season
CHARLTON – 3rd – W26 D10 L10 – 88pts – Goals Scored 73 Conceded 40
SUNDERLAND – 5th – W22 D19 L5 -85pts – Goals Scored 80 Conceded 47
2018-19 Head to Head
Aug – Sunderland 2 Charlton 1
Jan – Charlton 1 Sunderland 1
2018-19 Record v Top Six Teams
CHARLTON – Avg Pts 1.9 – W6 D3 L1
SUNDERLAND – Avg Pts 1.7 – W4 D5 L1
Road to Football League Playoff Finals
Sunderland 1 Portsmouth 0 – Portsmouth 0 Sunderland 0
Doncaster 1 Charlton 2 – Charlton 2 Doncaster 3 – Charlton on Pens
POINTS OF INTEREST
Playoff semi finals couldn’t be more different. Sunderland’s two games saw just the one goal, while Charlton’s adventures took on eight goals.
Both sides lost just once against fellow top six contenders this season.
Charlton are possibly set to have new Australian owners soon. Their current ones are among the very worst in England. And there is a bad crop of them. The fans would get a double celebration if the owners bugger off and they win this final.
Sunderland’s troubles are well documented after the Netflix show.
Sunderland lost the fewest amount of games in League One this season with just 5.
Sundeland have already been to Wembley this season, losing the Football League Trophy to Portsmouth.
ODDS
WIN-DRAW-WIN
Charlton $2.70
Draw $3.00
Sunderland $2.50
TO BE PROMOTED
Charlton $1.96
Sunderland $1.78
CORRECT SCORE
Charlton 1 – 0 – $8.50
Sunderland 1 – 0 – $7.50
Draw 0 – 0 – $8.00
Draw 1 – 1 – $5.50
Charlton 3 – 1 – $23.00
LEAGUE TWO PLAYOFF FINAL
TRANMERE ROVERS v NEWPORT COUNTY
2018-19 Season
TRANMERE – 6th – W20 D13 L13 – 73pts – Goals Scored 63 Conceded 50
NEWPORT COUNTY – 7th – W20 D11 L15 – 71pts – Goals Scored 59 Conceded 59
2018-19 Head to Head
Sep – Tranmere 0 Newport 1
Apr – Newport 0 Tranmere 0
2018-19 Record v Top Seven Teams
TRANMERE – Avg Pts 0.9 – W2 D5 L5
NEWPORT – Avg Pts 1.3 – W4 D3 L5
Road to Football League Playoff Finals
Tranmere 1 Forest Green 0 — Forest Green 1 Tranmere 1
Newport 1 Mansfield 1 — Mansfield 0 Newport 0 – Newport on Pens
POINTS OF INTEREST
Tranmere are looking for back to back promotions after coming up from Non League last season. Teams do have a good record of double promotion, although it is usually done automatically, not through the playoffs.
Newport beat Leicester and Middlesbrough in the FA Cup this season. And have held their own in previous seasons against big clubs, like Spurs the year before where they took them to a replay.
Tranmere won seven games in a row towards the end of the season, but won just one of their last seven.
Newport finished the season unbeaten in their last 10 games – 6 wins and 4 losses.
Seventh has met sixth four times in the past 10 League Two playoff finals – 7th has the better record 3-1.
Being seventh also helps winning the League Two Playoff final agaisnt anyone, with five victories for 7th in the final in the past 10 seasons.
ODDS
WIN-DRAW-WIN
Newport $2.75
Draw $2.80
Tranmere $2.40
TO BE PROMOTED
Newport $1.95
Tranmere $1.79
CORRECT SCORE
Newport County 1 – 0 – $6.99
Tranmere 1 – 0 – $6.00
Draw 0 – 0 – $6.00
Draw 1-1 – $5.00
Newport County 2 – 1 – $9.00
Late season momentum, the FA Cup run under their belt for big game experience, plus the fact that seventh has a very good record in this games leans us towards Wales rather than north west England for the League Two Playoff Final.
All those big performances in the FA Cup will lead into a big day out at Wembley for Newport County.
