Friday 22 May 2015 12:14, UK
We’ve got the key stats ahead of Saturday’s game between Southend and Wycombe at Wembley.
Can Southend get back to the third tier for the first time since the 2009/10 season? Will it be Wycombe tasting promotion after battling to stay in the Football League only last year?
We look at all the best statistics ahead of the League Two play-off final…
Lucky omen for Wycombe?
This will be Wycombe’s second appearance in the fourth tier play-off final, beating Preston North End 4-2 in 1994. In fact, they have won on each of their last three visits to Wembley (1991 FA Trophy, 1993 FA Trophy and 1994 fourth tier play-off).
Current manager Gareth Ainsworth played for Preston in that 1994 triumph but was in the Wycombe side on the last occasion they were promoted to League One in May 2011 – doing so by beating Southend at Adams Park.
Wycombe beat the Shrimpers 3-1 to clinch the last automatic promotion spot with goals by Scott Donnelly, Ben Stevens and Scott Rendell cancelling out Anthony Grant’s opener.
Any encouragement for Southend?
Southend’s most recent trip to Wembley in 2013 ended in a 2-0 defeat to Crewe in the 2013 Football League Trophy. However, their previous play-off final experience was more positive.
Southend beat Lincoln City at the Millennium Stadium in 2005 with two goals in extra time. The only player still at the club from that game is Adam Barrett.
Southend boss Phil Brown has also won a play-off final before, taking Hull City to the Premier League in 2008 by defeating Bristol City.
Paul Hayes, who scored in both legs of Southend’s semi-final, has mixed memories of the play-offs. He was part of the Brentford side that lost to Yeovil in the League One play-off final in 2013, but was part of Scunthorpe’s League One play-off winning side in 2009.
Meanwhile, Barry Corr will be looking to build on his impressive run against Wycombe having scored twice in the most recent meeting between the two sides in March (a 2-2 draw at Roots Hall) and netted three in his last three against the Chairboys.
Will league table justice be done?
This is the third time in the current play-off format that the top two qualifying teams from each division have made the final and the first time that’s happened in 15 years.
As a result, there is still the prospect of the top qualifying teams from each division being promoted – that last happened in 2007/08 when Hull, Doncaster and Stockport went up.
This is also the first time since that season in which the teams who finished fourth and fifth will play each other in the fourth tier play-off final. The last team to win the League Two play-off from fifth were Gillingham in 2009. Fleetwood were promoted from fourth last season.
Watch the League Two play-off final live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 5pm on Saturday
