This weekend’s EFL Championship play-off decider between Coventry City and Luton Town will be the 100th single-match league play-off final, underlining how established this post-season tradition has become. Play-offs, known as Test matches, were contested between 1892 and 1898 but the more recent version has been running since the 1986-87 season.
The modern play-offs were not universally welcomed at first, the main argument being the potential unfairness of a team finishing in the league well above rivals who end up being promoted instead. But the added excitement — attendances in the latter stages of the season rose significantly — meant there was soon little dissent.
Blackpool will certainly offer few complaints about the play-off system having gained promotion in that manner six times, two more
