League One Playoffs 2026

[gonzo]

Got to be honest I hate the whole experience bar a brief spell on Wembley taking pics for the kids and the conourses are bang on albeit paying £15 a pint.

Plymouth was special. Most others times just a wank expensive day out.

It's one big fucking faff and hard work.

 

[Winchester White]

30 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Got to be honest I hate the whole experience bar a brief spell on Wembley taking pics for the kids and the conourses are bang on albeit paying £15 a pint.

Plymouth was special. Most others times just a wank expensive day out.

It's one big fucking faff and hard work.

 

I haven't been to the new wembley yet so would love to go but it is an absolute fucking expensive faff you are 100% correct.

But if we win it's fucking unbelievably ace to be there and experience it.

[Johnnyrotten]

5 hours ago, L/H White said:

tbf to them, getting a load of coaches within a week and getting them filled is a task, not to mention if we play a local team, they'll be a scramble for the same coaches 

no big deal

Exactly.  Its not tempting fate, its planning ahead.  If we don't get there, we don't get there, nothing lost.

There's hardly any time to plan a trip to Wembley after the 2nd leg (hence tickets sales never as good as for a cup final).

I live a couple of miles from the Duke Of Welly and now I know in advance its an option, so I might use them.  I might not have considered them otherwise, they need an idea of numbers in good time, otherwise as you say there's a scramble for coaches.

[Zico]

9 hours ago, gonzo said:

Absolutely mental. 

Remember the old story of Chris Kamara putting the Blackpool Adverts for Wembley coaches and ticket arrangements on the dressing room wall before Bradfords 2nd leg at Bloomfield in which they were 2-0 down.

Bradford won 3-2 and Big Sam got sacked.

Wolves fans in the general Havelock before the 95 semi 

Going on about how every coach company in the region is fully booked out for Wembley 

[desperado]

My final prediction on this is; We beat Luton, Bradford and Stockport will get at least a point, Stevenage won’t beat Wigan and Plymouth will win. 

Bolton

Bradford 

Stockport

Plymouth 

We can then start being fearful of the mighty Plymouth. 

 

[Eddie]

We draw

Bradford win

Stockport lose

Stevenage win

Plymouth win

Which I think would mean

Bradford

Bolton

Stevenage

Stockport

[Zico]

Stevenage are horrible to play against and need something whilst Wigan are safe, so can't see them being as up for it as Stevenage

[Johnnyrotten]

3 hours ago, desperado said:

My final prediction on this is; We beat Luton, Bradford and Stockport will get at least a point, Stevenage won’t beat Wigan and Plymouth will win. 

Bolton

Bradford 

Stockport

Plymouth 

We can then start being fearful of the mighty Plymouth. 

 

Since November, Stevenage have scored at home in every league game except 2: Cardiff (0-1) and Bolton (0-0).

After we went there in Jan nobody's kept a clean sheet, Wigan will need to score to draw, I expect a 1-0 home win.

Fair play to them for consistency. 

[Wanderlust]

15 hours ago, Winchester White said:

I haven't been to the new wembley yet so would love to go but it is an absolute fucking expensive faff you are 100% correct.

But if we win it's fucking unbelievably ace to be there and experience it.

I’ve had a few “expensive faffs” watching us at Wembley -  old and new - and difficult to swallow experiences like Stoke 5 nil are traumatic.

But days like our Pizza cup win are absolutely priceless .

You pay your money and you take your chance

[gonzo]

Being in the play offs isn't special occasion or something to celebrate.

Its the absolute bare minimum of where we should be and if anything probably a failure.

Be a special day if we win. The rest of it can fuck right off.

[Eddie]

3 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Being in the play offs isn't special occasion or something to celebrate.

Its the absolute bare minimum of where we should be and if anything probably a failure.

Be a special day if we win. The rest of it can fuck right off.

Exciting though, innit.

I get that it’s bare minimum expectation, but once you’re there the magnitude of the games due to the way it literally makes 46 games worthless or priceless means you can’t get away from the importance. Especially seeing as we go through our seasons with only a handful of genuinely exciting fixtures, it’s nice to just turn up to matches with them meaning so much (appreciate it’s no good for the nerves).

[Wanderlust]

3 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Being in the play offs isn't special occasion or something to celebrate.

Its the absolute bare minimum of where we should be and if anything probably a failure.

Be a special day if we win. The rest of it can fuck right off.

To me and many others it is a special occasion and most clubs don’t get the opportunity to experience it.

And we are exactly where we should be - unless they start handing out points for wishful thinking.

[boltonboris]

22 hours ago, L/H White said:

tbf to them, getting a load of coaches within a week and getting them filled is a task, not to mention if we play a local team, they'll be a scramble for the same coaches 

no big deal

Aye, if we get there, there's 28 of us going from Walkden, so we've paid the deposits to be on the safe side, to make sure we can all travel together on the same coach.

It is certainly tempting fate, but there's a pretty quick turnaround to get 30,000 fans organised 

[Tonge moor green jacket]

https://the1888letter.com/play-off-facts-figures-1987-2023-appendix/

Feast for the statos. 

[Whitesince63]

6 hours ago, Wanderlust said:

I’ve had a few “expensive faffs” watching us at Wembley -  old and new - and difficult to swallow experiences like Stoke 5 nil are traumatic.

But days like our Pizza cup win are absolutely priceless .

You pay your money and you take your chance

Exactly Lusty, that and the Reading win are priceless memories. Mind you the Tranmere one will stick in my mind for exactly the opposite! 🤷‍♂️

[Johnnyrotten]

If I'm not mistaken, we've been in the promotion play offs 8 times.

7 of them have been won by the team at home in the 2nd leg:

Notts County late 80s.  Beat Bury, Wolves and WBA (2 down away in the last 2).

Then the two battles at Portman Road, won 1 lost 1.

And recently two v Barnsley, both won by home team.

[gonzo]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

If I'm not mistaken, we've been in the promotion play offs 8 times.

7 of them have been won by the team at home in the 2nd leg:

Notts County late 80s.  Beat Bury, Wolves and WBA (2 down away in the last 2).

Then the two battles at Portman Road, won 1 lost 1.

And recently two v Barnsley, both won by home team.

Warnock mentioned that play off on the radio today.

He had them in the top flight not long after. Madness.

[Burndens Bogs]

Heres how i see it

We draw

Bradford draw at Exeter

Stockport draw at Barnsley

Stevenage beat Wigan

Plymouth beat Northampton.

3rd Bolton 76pts

4th Stockport 75pts

5th Bradford 75 pts

6th Stevenage 75pts

------------

7th Plymouth  73pts

8th Luton 72 pts

Lump on.

 

 

 

 

[Rizlar]

25 minutes ago, Burndens Bogs said:

Heres how i see it

We draw

Bradford draw at Exeter

Stockport draw at Barnsley

Stevenage beat Wigan

Plymouth beat Northampton.

3rd Bolton 76pts

4th Stockport 75pts

5th Bradford 75 pts

6th Stevenage 75pts

------------

7th Plymouth  73pts

8th Luton 72 pts

Lump on.

 

 

 

 

Same view as me .

[Krimzon]

3 hours ago, Johnnyrotten said:

If I'm not mistaken, we've been in the promotion play offs 8 times.

7 of them have been won by the team at home in the 2nd leg:

Notts County late 80s.  Beat Bury, Wolves and WBA (2 down away in the last 2).

Then the two battles at Portman Road, won 1 lost 1.

And recently two v Barnsley, both won by home team.

This will be our 10th time in the play-offs we have got promotion twice

[Matt Lofthouse]

5 hours ago, Krimzon said:

This will be our 10th time in the play-offs we have got promotion twice

🤢 

[barrycowdrill]

If we did get to Wembley I’ve a right mind to fuck it off for the greater good of the club my record there is absolutely abysmal. Aside from my very first experience ( and my first ever away game) whenever I’ve gone we’ve lost. The 2 that I’ve missed, we’ve won 🤦🏻‍♂️

Torquay - went won

Tranmere - went lost 

Liverpool - went lost 

Reading - missed won

watford - went lost 

Villa - went lost 

Stoke - went lost 

Plymouth - missed won 

Oxford - went lost 

So I’ve not actually seen us win there in 37 yrs! how’s your luck 🤣

Edited 18 hours ago by barrycowdrill

[Eddie]

19 minutes ago, barrycowdrill said:

If we did get to Wembley I’ve a right mind to fuck it off for the greater good of the club my record there is absolutely abysmal. Aside from my very first experience ( and my first ever away game) whenever I’ve gone we’ve lost. The 2 that I’ve missed, we’ve won 🤦🏻‍♂️

Torquay - went won

Tranmere - went lost 

Liverpool - went lost 

Reading - missed won

watford - went lost 

Villa - went lost 

Stoke - went lost 

Plymouth - missed won 

Oxford - went lost 

So I’ve not actually seen us win there in 37 yrs! how’s your luck 🤣

I’m in a similar boat (although to be fair our record in these games makes it easy to have a shit record).

Watford - went lost

Villa - went lost 

PNE - missed won

Boro (Cardiff I know) - went lost

Stoke - went lost

Plymouth - went won

Oxford - went lost

We’re winning it this year though - I’m convinced of it!

[barrycowdrill]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

I’m in a similar boat (although to be fair our record in these games makes it easy to have a shit record).

Watford - went lost

Villa - went lost 

PNE - missed won

Boro (Cardiff I know) - went lost

Stoke - went lost

Plymouth - went won

Oxford - went lost

We’re winning it this year though - I’m convinced of it!

Yeh same applies to PNE and boro but left them out as they were at Cardiff 

[gonzo]

Rumours flying about that Blackett-Taylor could be fit for at least the 2nd semi and final if we make it.