2009 Football League play-offs
| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Burnley (Championship) Scunthorpe United (League One) Gillingham (League Two) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 23 (1.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Gillingham 2–1 Rochdale (League Two) |
| Biggest away win | Reading 0–2 Burnley (Championship) |
| Highest scoring | Millwall 2-3 Scunthorpe (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 80,518 – Burnley v Sheffield United (Championship final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,450 – Rochdale v Gillingham (League Two semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 25,298 |
← 2008 → | |
The
Background
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.
In the Championship, Sheffield United, who had been relegated from the Premier League under controversial circumstances in 2007, finished 3 points behind second placed Birmingham City, who in turn had finished 7 points off the champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. Reading - who were aiming to return to the Premier League at the first attempt - were in fourth place in the table. Burnley and Preston North End were only a couple of points further back on 76 and 74 respectively. Neither of the latter had played in the Premier League before, with Preston's last spell in the top division ending in 1961. Burnley were relegated from in the top flight in 1976.
Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 |
| 5 | Burnley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 74 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Preston North End | 1–1 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
St Ledger  21' |
Report | Howard 46' |
- Second leg
Sheffield United won 2–1 on aggregate.
Burnley won 3–0 on aggregate.
Final
| Burnley | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Elliott 13' |
Report |
League One
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 83 | 47 | +36 | 87 |
| 4 | Leeds United
|
46 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 77 | 49 | +28 | 84 |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 82 |
| 6 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 63 | +19 | 76 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Millwall won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Milton Keynes Dons | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | ||
| Penalties | ||
 |
6–7 |  McCann Hayes Crosby Byrne Trotter Sparrow Forte Togwell Morris |
Milton Keynes Dons 1–1 Scunthorpe United on aggregate. Scunthorpe United won 7–6 on penalties.
Final
League Two
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 78 |
| 5 | Gillingham | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 75 |
| 6 | Rochdale | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 70 | 59 | +11 | 70 |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 69 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Shrewsbury Town | 0–1 | Bury |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ashton 81' (o.g.) |
- Second leg
| Bury | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Shrewsbury Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | McIntyre 88' |
|
| Penalties | ||
| Barry-Murphy Jones Racchi Bennett Bishop |
3–4 | Davies Ashikodi McIntyre Worrall |
Bury 1–1 Shrewsbury Town on aggregate. Shrewsbury Town won 4–3 on penalties.
Gillingham won 2–1 on aggregate.