It's the most wonderful time of the year.
No, we're not referencing Christmas. We're indeed talking about the English Football League play-offs.
From Gary Alexander's screamer to an eight-goal classic, dreams are made and hearts are broken; the play-offs never fail to deliver, and as we approach the end of the season, we’re looking at the top 10 play-off finals.
10) Hartlepool 2-4 Sheffield Wednesday
A promotion in 2003 led to back-to-back play-off pushes, as Hartlepool chased England’s second tier for the first time in their history.
They were minutes away from the final in 2004, conceding two late goals to Bristol City, but had a second bite of the cherry the following season, going to the Millennium Stadium, albeit without the recently-sacked Neale Cooper, following a poor run of form at the end of the season.
Sheffield Wednesday, meanwhile, had spent 15 of the last 16 seasons in the top-flight before their relegation in 2000, which was followed with another three years later. Something of a fallen giant, all the onus was on the Hillsborough side to get back up to the Championship.
It took until the stroke of half-time, but Jon-Paul McGovern gave the Owls the lead, leaving the underdogs with a mountain to climb after the break.
But a long throw from Ritchie Humphreys a minute into the second half wasn’t dealt with, with Sub Eifion Williams converting at the back post.
And against all odds, fellow sub Jon Daly, with his very first touch of the game powered a header home to give Hartlepool the lead after 70 minutes.
But with 10 minutes to go, the game would turn on its head. A soft penalty was awarded, resulting in the dismissal of Chris Westwood, and Steve MacLean, the club’s top scorer who’d been missing through injury for three months, levelled the game from 12 yards.
To extra time they went, with a 21-year-old Glenn Whelan rifling a drive home after 93 minutes, with 18-year-old sub Drew Talbot, who won the penalty to force extra time, rounding Dimitrios Konstantopoulos to score and send Wednesday back to the Championship.
9) Millwall 2-3 Scunthorpe
On their return to the Championship, Scunthorpe had to settle for the play-offs, which they only made by the skin of their teeth. Needing to avoid defeat to Tranmere on the final day, the Iron scored an 88th-minute equaliser to deny Rovers a play-off berth and sneak in themselves.
Reaching Wembley was no easier, requiring 18 penalties in a shootout with MK Dons to progress to the final.
But once they'd got there, Scunthorpe took an early lead through Matt Sparrow, with Gary Alexander scoring with one of the most ambitious and audacious volleys ever seen at Wembley to level.
Just two minutes later, Alexander turned the tie on its head, scoring a header to put the Lions in front.
A composed finish from Sparrow after 70 minutes levelled the tie, with Martyn Woolford scoring a late winner as Scunthorpe returned to the second tier at the first time of asking.
8) Barnsley 2-4 Ipswich
Having narrowly missed out on automatic promotion in 2000, condemning them to a fourth successive play-off campaign, the Tractor Boys perhaps had the edge in terms of experience over fellow finalists Barnsley, who’d never appeared in the play-offs, nor at Wembley.
Ipswich, however, were making their first Wembley appearance in 22 years, having fallen at the first hurdle in each of their previous three play-off campaigns.
But this time was different. After coming from 2-0 down in the first leg to draw 2-2 with Bolton, Ipswich had to come from behind three times in the second leg, eventually winning 5-3 in extra time.
Their momentum from the semi-finals would be quickly halted, when a long-range Craig Hignett strike hit the bar and went in off keeper Richard Wright after six minutes.
But as they had against Bolton, Ipswich hit back with veteran Tony Mowbray getting on the end of a Jim Magilton cross, scoring in his final game as a professional.
Sub Richard Naylor gave Town the lead after the break, with provider turning scoring as Marcus Stewart, who nodded on to Naylor for his goal, headed home to bag one of his own.
Hignett would gave Barnsley hope from the spot late on, but with the Tykes committing men forward in hope of an equaliser, Martijn Reuser was able to run clear to seal the win in the 90th minute.
7) Derby 0-1 QPR
Despite only seeing one goal, QPR’s dramatic win over Derby in 2014 perfectly encapsulated the drama of the play-offs.
Derby were much the better team throughout the game, and when Gary O’Neil was sent off on the hour mark, there looked to only be one winner. A string of impressive saves kept Derby in the contest, when Bobby Zamora was chucked on by Harry Redknapp.
Zamora was told by manager Harry Redknapp to ‘go and do something special’, and the forward admitted he didn’t know whether that meant score a goal or simply hold the ball up. Redknapp was wondering if his side could hold on for the rest of the game, plus extra-time, to get to penalties.
But Zamora was in no mood to hang about, pouncing on a mistake by skipper Richard Keogh, to score with the Hoops’ only shot on target of the game, and secure a return to the Premier League.
6) Wigan 2-3 Gillingham
If the demons of the 1999 play-off final couldn’t be fully exorcised, the 2000 play-off final certainly went a long way.
After the agony of throwing a two-goal lead away late on to lose to Manchester City the previous season, Gillingham were back at Wembley for a play-off final that had it all; a penalty, a red card, an own goal, refereeing controversy and plenty of goals.
Gillingham contentiously took the lead after 35 minutes when Carl Asaba’s cross was turned in to his own goal by Pat McGibbon, with Wigan furiously protesting that the ball never actually crossed the line.
Shortly before the hour mark, Simon Haworth scored the goal of the final, with one touch to get the ball out of his feet, and another to lob the keeper with an outside-of-the-foot volley.
Kevin Sharp was then given a second yellow card in the dying stages of the 90 minutes, leaving the Latics having to play extra time with 10 men.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Wigan won a penalty on 99 minutes which Stuart Barlow converted.
But after surely wondering if their play-off curse would ever end, Gillingham would score a late equaliser in extra time through Steve Butler, before fellow sub Andy Thomson sparked jubilation with his 118th-minute winner.
5) Bolton 4-3 Reading
The decision to reduce the English top-flight to 20 teams meant that runners-up Reading would be denied an automatic promotion place and would have to go about things the long way around.
That was only the start of the Royals’ misfortune.
Reading would take an early lead through Lee Nogan after some fantastic footwork, jinking through the Trotters’ defence, before Ady Williams doubled their lead after 12 minutes. Things would go from bad to worse for Bolton, who conceded a penalty after 35 minutes, but a superb Keith Branagan save kept the final alive.
Reading would spend the next hour with their two-goal cushion intact, before Owen Coyle reduced the deficit on 75 minutes. With a renewed sense of impetus and urgency, substitute Fabian de Freitas equalised in the dying minutes, leaving the travelling Bolton fans in a state of delirium.
Mixu Paatelainen gave Bolton an almost-inevitable lead in extra time, with De Freitas securing their passage into the top-flight before Jimmy Quinn scored a late consolation for the Royals.
4) Blackpool 3-2 Cardiff
Ian Holloway’s belief that Blackpool could be promoted to the top-flight for the first time since 1970 must have raised several eyebrows amongst the playing and coaching staff when he said: “Why can’t we be in the Premier League next year?”
But after a 6-4 aggregate win over Nottingham Forest, they were 90 minutes away from promotion.
Michael Chopra went close, hitting the bar in the opening stages, going one better a few seconds later.
Undeterred, Charlie Adam, the Tangerines’ top scorer that season, scored a brilliant long-range free-kick to level.
Sure enough, after half an hour, Cardiff retook the lead, but within five minutes, Gary Taylor-Fletcher would hit the post, then equalise, before Brett Ormerod scored what would prove to be the winner in first-half stoppage time, as Ian Holloway’s hopeful dream became reality.
3) Gillingham 2-2 Manchester City
In terms of pure drama, this one ranks top. Having suffered the ignominy of relegation to England’s third tier, Manchester City’s mission was to win promotion at the first time of asking. They’d have to do it the hard way, having missed out on automatic promotion.
With the game precariously poised with 10 minutes left, Carl Asaba, who’d come up good so many times for Gillingham throughout the season, latched onto Paul Smith’s pass and poked into the roof of the goal.
Scorer turned provider in the 87th minute as Robert Taylor drove home from range to surely – surely! – put the game beyond doubt.
But in the 90th minute, Kevin Horlock would nudge the door ajar. The semi-muted celebrations from the City fans who hadn’t left Wembley early told you all you needed to know about how realistic a win from that position felt.
But in the 95th minute, Paul Dickov would find the top corner to force extra-time, and eventually penalties.
Gillingham would score just one of their four in the shoot-out, as City indeed returned to the second tier.
2) Leicester 3-4 Swindon
Financial irregularities meant that Swindon’s 1990 play-off final victory over Sunderland would count for little, as the club were initially demoted to the third tier before eventually having their status in the second tier restored.
They narrowly avoided relegated in 1991 when Glenn Hoddle arrived at the club. Two seasons later, they’d be back in a play-off final, this time against Leicester City.
Player-manager Hoddle gave Swindon the lead shortly before half-time, before it was doubled by Craig Maskell and extended further by Shaun Taylor early into the second half, seemingly putting the game to bed and finally sending the Robins to the top-flight.
Leicester had other ideas.
An 18-year-old Julian Joachim hit back quickly to give the Foxes a glimmer of hope, with Steve Walsh and Steve Thompson scoring within a minute of each other to level the game with 20 minutes remaining.
But all credit to Swindon, who, having lost a three-goal lead inside 15 minutes, hauled themselves off the canvas to win a late penalty, converted by Paul Bodin.
The game would be Hoddle’s last before joining Chelsea just four days later, but what a way to bow out.
1) Charlton 4-4 Sunderland
There could only be one. Having fallen short of automatic promotion by one point and three points respectively, Sunderland and Charlton met in the 1997/98 Championship play-off final.
Between them, forwards Kevin Phillips and Clive Mendonca had scored 52 goals that season, and while Super Kev would find the back of the net at Wembley, it was Mendonca who made the headlines.
The boyhood Sunderland fan gave the Addicks the lead at half-time, when manager Alan Curbishley told his side that if they didn’t do anything silly for the first 10 or 15 minutes of the second half, Sunderland could get reckless and be caught on the break.
Sure enough, the Black Cats went 2-1 up after 58 minutes. Charlton would hit back twice and once more in extra-time, as Mendonca secured his hat-trick, forcing the game to penalties.
After 13 penalties had been scored, local lad Micky Gray saw his effort saved by Sasa Ilic, with Charlton promoted to the top-flight, bringing an end to arguably the greatest-ever play-off final.
