With just one game remaining it’s crunch time for the football league teams. Clubs at the top of The Championship, League One and League Two are all sweating on promotion and play-off places.
Thankfully my former club, Leicester City, have avoided the uncertainty of the play-offs after sealing the League One title and automatic promotion. In what’s been an extremely competitive division, with the likes of Peterborough, MK Dons and Millwall impressing, The Foxes have been the most consistent team in the league and are worthy champions.
People talk a lot about momentum at this stage of the season, as many teams have historically come from nowhere after spending most of the season languishing in mid-table. Clubs often seem to string a good run of results together and storm up the league, claiming a Play-Off place and promotion.
Whilst momentum is certainly important, the key for success at this stage of the campaign is mental strength and bottle. I used to relish the big matches at the end of the season. I thrived off the pressure of knowing that every game was vital and that those three or four matches in April and May can shape an entire season.
When we were chasing promotion at Leicester, we made the play-off final on four occasions and the main reasons for that were team spirit and the mental strength of the players. It’s not about playing pretty football at this stage of the season and that’s probably a good thing with all three play-off finals being played on that shocking Wembley pitch!
What you’re also looking for is to play the first leg of the semi-finals away so that when you come to the second leg you know exactly what you need to do in front of your own fans. If you’re up against it, your own supporters can inspire a comeback or can help get you over the line if the scoreline is tight.
Fans and pundits like to label the play-offs as a lottery but they are much more than that. It certainly helps to be on form as you play with real confidence and feel as though you’ve got nothing to lose. The teams that narrowly miss out on automatic promotion can be low on confidence, start to doubt their chances and begin to feel tired. It’s at this stage that the managers truly earn their money.
In The Championship, the automatic promotion slot could go to Birmingham, Reading or Sheffield United, with The Blues having it all to lose. I think Reading might just sneak in as they seem to have hit a little bit of form again. If Reading do miss out on automatic promotion, I’d still fancy them to win at Wembley and return to the top flight via the Play-offs. They’ve got a top manager with great experience in Steve Coppell, as well as quality players like Stephen Hunt, Dave Kitson and Kevin Doyle and there are plenty of goals in the team. Burnley are also a good footballing side and they have a good outside chance.
In League One, I think it’ll be Leeds versus MK Dons in the Play-Off final and I’ve got a feeling that Roberto Di Matteo’s men might just snatch it. Leeds have a promising manager in my former Leicester team-mate Simon Grayson, and with his knowledge of the play-offs, I expect them to at least make the final. But, there will be massive pressure on the Leeds players as their huge fan base will no doubt turn out in force.
Even though they have struggled for form of late, I think the MK Dons players will be able to relax more and play their natural game. Also, their manager always seems to do ok at Wembley, having grabbed two FA Cup final winning goals from his time at Chelsea!
I think the League Two play-offs are almost too close to call. I’ve got a feeling that Gillingham might just sneak it. Boss Mark Stimson has done a very good job so far and from a distance it seems there is a very good team spirit at the club, which could prove crucial. The other team worth keeping an eye on is Shrewsbury Town, who could yet grab a play-off place and have some good players on their books.
For the winners in each division it will seem like they’ve hit the jackpot but the Play-Offs really are not a lottery. The team with the most hunger, desire, determination and mental strength to play football under pressure will triumph and will deserve their success and the opportunity to play at a higher level.