Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Crawleyvs.Crewe

sportsmole.co.uk, 17 May 2024, 19:10
The 2023-24 League Two campaign will come to a close when Crawley Town do battle with Crewe Alexandra in the playoff final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After sneaking into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, Crawley are now gearing up for their first-ever Wembley appearance, courtesy of a surprise yet deserved 8-1 demolition of MK Dons in the playoff semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Crewe sensationally overturned a two-goal first-leg deficit against an in-form Doncaster Rovers outfit before winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout to reach their first playoff final since 2011-12.

Some of the most dramatic games filled with captivating drama, last-minute winners, penalty shootouts and stunning strikes have been delivered in the EFL playoffs over the years.

With that in mind, Sports Mole takes a look at the top three greatest ever League Two playoff finals.

3. Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 Rotherham United - 2010 League Two playoff final

Fourteen years ago, a pulsating five-goal thriller saw Dagenham & Redbridge pierce a dagger into the hearts of Rotherham supporters en route to securing promotion to the third tier for the first time in their fledgling history.

Founded in 1992, Dag & Red were competing in just their third season as a Football League club, and despite losing several key players at the start of the campaign, manager John Still worked his magic in the transfer market, recruiting shrewd free transfers and loan signings to build a squad that sneaked into the playoffs before celebrating glory at Wembley.

Following a blistering end-to-end start to the contest, Paul Benson swivelled and fired Dag & Red in front on the 38-minute mark, but their celebrations were short-lived as Rotherham went up the other end and equalised less than a minute later courtesy a near-post header from Ryan Taylor.

The Daggers' advantage was restored just before the hour mark when Danny Green's low-driven strike from the edge of the area flew into the bottom corner, but Rotherham would not go down without a fight and Taylor fired home another leveller just five minutes later, not long after Millers midfielder Danny Harrison had clipped the crossbar.

However, it was Still's side who would have the last laugh 20 minutes from time. Barbados international Jon Nurse watched his poked effort on goal take a deflection off Kevin Ellison before bobbling into the net, and despite Rotherham's best efforts to equalise for a third time, Dag & Red held on for a memorable playoff triumph.

2. Blackpool 2-2 Torquay United (Torquay win 5-4 on penalties) - 1991 Fourth Division playoff final

Both Blackpool and Torquay experienced rollercoaster campaigns before securing their spots in the 1991 playoff final. The Tangerines were languishing sixth from bottom when Billy Ayre took the reins in December, and he eventually steered the club to a fifth-placed finish in the playoffs, helped by a club-record 13-game winning streak at home, although a defeat on the final day meant that they missed out on automatic promotion by just one point.

The Gulls, meanwhile, replaced manager Dave Smith with John Impey in April - one month before the final - after slipping from the summit to mid-table, and the change ultimately paid off as they admiralty climbed back into the top seven with five wins from their final eight matches.

Blackpool could not have asked for a better start to their maiden Wembley appearance. Paul Groves poked the Tangerines into a seventh-minute lead after receiving a brilliant outside-of-the-boot pass from Mark Taylor. However, Torquay turned the enthralling contest on its head before half time, with a towering header from captain Wes Saunders followed less than 10 minutes later by Dean Edwards's composed penalty, after Dave Bamber was penalised for handling inside the area.

With less than a quarter of an hour remaining, Torquay's Chris Curran scored a comical own goal in an attempt to clear the ball from danger after David Eyres hit the underside of the crossbar with an audacious overhead kick. There were a plethora of chances at both ends, but neither side could be separated in normal time or extra time, forcing the tense final to penalties.

After Torquay's Mark Loram and Blackpool's Tony Rodwell had the first two spot kicks saved, each of the next nine were converted, including one from Gulls goalkeeper Gareth Howells, before Bamber - who has a night to forget at Wembley - sliced his effort from 12 yards wide of the goal to hand Torquay a 5-4 shootout victory and secure promotion to the third tier.

1. Stockport County 3-2 Rochdale - 2008 League Two playoff final

If at first you do not succeed, try, try again. Jim Gannon played for Stockport Country in each of their previous four defeats at the home of football, but as a manager, he savoured a deserved victory for his team at the fifth time of asking following a thrilling finale under the famous Wembley arch in 2008.

County were made to work for their playoff victory, though, as their Manchester-based rivals Rochdale drew first blood when Rory McArdle nodded home at the near post. However, Stockport equalised 10 minutes later after Nathan Stanton diverted Tommy Rowe's teasing cross into his own net.

Anthony Pilkington, an influential figure for Stockport all afternoon, showed superb technique to stoop his header on target and put Gannon's side ahead for the first time just four minutes after the interval, before County's main man Liam Dickinson increased their lead with a low-drilled shot at the near post - his 21st goal of the campaign.

Keith Hill's Rochdale gave it their all in the closing stages and pulled a goal back 13 minutes from time, thanks to Adam Rundle's sweetly-struck volley, to set up a nail-biting finish until the final whistle. However, the Dale ultimately came up short in their centenary season and their hopes of securing their first promotion for nearly 40 years were crushed.

Honourable mentions:

• Lincoln City 0-2 Southend United (AET) - 2005

• Bournemouth 5-2 Lincoln City - 2003

• Blackpool 4-2 Leyton Orient - 2001

• Wycombe Wanderers 4-2 Preston North End - 1994

Top News

16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The transfer window is open! Clubs around the UK and Europe are getting business done as they look to give themselves the best possible chance at success in the new season. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mere weeks after a gruelling domestic season concluded for the continent's most celebrated talents, 24 teams and over 600 players are now going again with Euro 2024 supremacy at stake. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Vitoria vs. Internacional (Sunday, 8.00pm) Looking to secure their maiden win of the 2024 Brasileiro campaign at the ninth attempt, bottom side Vitoria will welcome Internacional to Estadio Manoel Barradas on Sunday afternoon. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ecuador vs. Honduras (Sunday, 8.30pm) Playing their final warm-up fixture ahead of the Copa America, Ecuador meet Honduras in Connecticut on Sunday evening. 16 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Poland vs. Netherlands (Sunday, 2.00pm) Getting Group D under way at Euro 2024, Poland and the Netherlands meet at Hamburg's Volksparkstadion on Sunday. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool manager Arne Slot has reportedly given the thumbs-up to the Reds making a move for a highly-rated Eredivisie attacker in the summer transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal have reportedly laid out their financial demands to let struggling attacker Emile Smith Rowe leave the club this summer. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of Arsenal's home-grown talents has reportedly informed the Gunners that he wants to assess his options for a transfer elsewhere in the summer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk European Championship holders Italy bounced back from an early setback to record a 2-1 victory over Albania in their Euro 2024 opener on Saturday night. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nedim Bajrami has broken a European Championship record after scoring in Albania's 2-1 defeat to Italy in their opening Euro 2024 Group B clash at Westfalenstadion on Saturday night. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Croatia captain Luka Modric has said that his side must move on quickly from their disappointing 3-0 defeat to Spain in their opening match at Euro 2024. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain captain Alvaro Morata is confident that he will be available for his country's second match at Euro 2024 after suffering an injury scare against Croatia on Saturday evening. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal said that he was "thrilled" to play a key role in Spain's 3-0 success over Croatia, with La Roja making an impressive start to their Euro 2024 campaign. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has said that his side must remain focused after opening their European Championship campaign with an impressive win over Croatia. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly interested in signing two players from Serie A during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have reportedly identified a replacement for Erling Haaland should the prolific attacker leave the club in the near future. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz and Dani Carvajal scored the goals as Spain opened their Euro 2024 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Croatia in Berlin on Saturday evening. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City's Mateo Kovacic has reportedly attracted interest from Turkish side Galatasaray ahead of this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brighton & Hove Albion have confirmed the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler as their new head coach. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The Premier League is widely regarded as the best division in world football that has been blessed with a plethora of talent players and successful managers. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Poland will be looking to end a 45-year streak when they square off against Netherlands on Sunday afternoon. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa have reportedly been in discussions with Chelsea over a potential deal for Ian Maatsen during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lamine Yamal has become the youngest-ever player to feature in the finals of a European Championship at the age of 16 years and 338 days old. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich are reportedly willing to allow Alphonso Davies to enter the final 12 months of his contract in what is a huge blow to Real Madrid's chances of signing the Canadian. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are allegedly willing to let one of their most important players leave the club during this summer's transfer window if a suitable offer arrives. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United's new minority shareholder has allegedly made six members of the first-team squad at Old Trafford 'unsellable' during this summer's transfer window. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Switzerland survived a late Hungary scare to triumph 3-1 in their opening Euro 2024 Group A contest in Cologne. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Argentina has confirmed that Brighton & Hove Albion defender Valentin Barco is one of three players omitted from Lionel Scaloni's final Copa America squad. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have contacted Premier League rivals Chelsea regarding the potential signing of 21-year-old Levi Colwill this summer, according to a report. 15 June 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City will reject any offers for striker Julian Alvarez this summer amid ongoing interest from several big clubs across Europe including Chelsea, according to a report.