Eighth-place target for Yorkshire's Championship clubs next season as play-off format changes
The target for Yorkshire's Championship clubs will be different next season as the teams who finish seventh and eighth will qualify for the new-look play-offs.
The new-look format will mirror that used in the three National League divisions, where the four lowest-ranked sides meet in a one-off eliminator for the right to play the two highest-ranked sides in a one-off semi-final. In each case, the team finishing highest in the regular season is at home.
The final will still to be at Wembley, and giving more clubs the opportunity to play there was one reason given for the change, approved at Thursday’s general meeting. It will also make promotion to the Premier League more achievable.
The changes start next season.
Play-offs were introduced to English football in 1986-87, initially between the team directly above the relegation zone and the three outside the automatic places. Second Division Leeds United met First Division Charlton Athletic in the first final, played over two legs but taken to a replay Charlton won 2-1 after extra-time.
Middlesbrough won promotion by beating Chelsea the following year before the format reverted to its current state of four second-tier teams meeting in two-legged semi-finals and a one-off final.
As things stand, the League One and Two play-offs will continue to be played over that format.
The last six sides promoted to the Premier League have been immediately relegated, something lowering the bar for entry is unlikely to help, but Sunderland and quite possibly Leeds United look like breaking that trend this year.
The National League introduced six-team play-offs in 2017-18.