2015_Football_League_play-offs
2015 Football League play-offs
Football league season
The Football League play-offs for the 2014–15 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) began in May 2015 with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London.
| Season | 2014–15 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Norwich City (Championship) Preston North End (League One) Southend United (League Two) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 51 (3.4 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Middlesbrough 3–0 Brentford (Championship) Preston 3–0 Chesterfield (League One) |
| Biggest away win | Plymouth 2–3 Wycombe (League Two) |
| Highest scoring | Swindon 5–5 Sheffield United (10 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 85,656 – Middlesbrough v Norwich (Championship Final) |
| Lowest attendance | 5,183 – Stevenage v Southend United (League Two semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 24,491 |
← 2014 2016 → | |
The play-offs began at the semi-final stage with all semi-finals being 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 then advanced to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.
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.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Norwich City | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 88 | 48 | +40 | 86 |
| 4 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 68 | 37 | +31 | 85 |
| 5 | Brentford | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 78 | 59 | +19 | 78 |
| 6 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 78 |
Semi-finals
First leg
| Brentford | 1–2 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
Gray  54' |
BBC Report | Vossen 26' Amorebieta 90+3' |
| Ipswich Town | 1-1 | Norwich City |
|---|---|---|
| Anderson 45' |
BBC Report | Howson 41' |
Second leg
| Middlesbrough | 3–0 | Brentford |
|---|---|---|
| Tomlin 23' Kike 55'Adomah 78' |
BBC Report |
Middlesbrough won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Norwich City | 3-1 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Hoolahan 50' Redmond 64'Jerome 76' |
BBC Report | Smith 60' |
Norwich City won 4-2 on aggregate.
Final
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Preston North End | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 79 | 40 | +39 | 89 |
| 4 | Swindon Town | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 76 | 57 | +19 | 79 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 66 | 53 | +13 | 71 |
| 6 | Chesterfield | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 69 |
Semi-finals
First leg
| Sheffield United | 1–2 | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| Freeman 19' |
BBC Report | Ricketts 51' Byrne 90+4' |
Second leg
| Preston North End | 3–0 | Chesterfield |
|---|---|---|
| Beckford 38', 87' Garner 62' (pen.) |
BBC Report |
Preston North End won 4–0 on aggregate.
| Swindon Town | 5–5 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Gladwin 4', 10' Smith 18', 59' (pen.)Obika 84' |
BBC Report | Thompson 19' (o.g.) Basham 38'Davies 65'Done 88' Adams 90' |
Swindon Town won 7–6 on aggregate.
Final
| Preston North End | 4–0 | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| Beckford 3', 44', 57' Huntington 13' |
Report |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 84 |
| 5 | Southend United | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 54 | 38 | +16 | 84 |
| 6 | Stevenage | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 72 |
| 7 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 71 |
Semi-finals
First leg
| Plymouth Argyle | 2–3 | Wycombe Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Ansah 86' Banton 89' |
BBC Report | Hayes 10' Amadi-Holloway 22'Craig 52' |
| Stevenage | 1–1 | Southend United |
|---|---|---|
| Parrett 51' |
BBC Report | Corr 60' |
Second leg
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2–1 | Plymouth Argyle |
|---|---|---|
| Hayes 7' Mawson 35' |
BBC Sport | Brunt 70' |
Wycombe Wanderers won 5–3 on aggregate.
| Southend United | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Stevenage |
|---|---|---|
| Leonard 67' McLaughlin 108'Timlin 120' |
BBC Sport | Pett 55' |
Southend United won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Southend United | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Wycombe Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Pigott 120+2' |
Report | Bentley 95' (o.g.) |
| Penalties | ||
Pigott  Coker  Leonard Payne Timlin Barrett Weston Bolger |
7–6 | Murphy Mawson Hayes Bloomfield Bean Jacobson Amadi-Holloway Wood |
- "Dates for Sky Bet Football League Play-Offs confirmed". The Football League. 9 March 2015.