The Championship play-off final is now known as the richest game in Football, with the third and final promotion spot to the Premier League on offer to the winners.

Win at Wembley in front of up to 90,000 fans, and you’ll bring in hundreds of millions through TV deals, sponsorships and additional revenue. Lose, and you’ll have to prepare for another season in the second tier.

Facing those prospects this year are Leeds United and Southampton, who finished 3rd and 4th in the Championship respectively. Both are seeking an immediate return to the top flight, but only one of them can join Leicester City and Ipswich Town in the Premier League next term.

Ahead of this year’s showdown at Wembley Stadium, Football FanCast has taken a look back at 10 of the best Championship play-off finals of all time, ranking them based on the drama they provided.

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10

1996 – Crystal Palace 1-2 Leicester (aet)

Claridge scores with last kick of the game

At the old Wembley Stadium, Leicester City, who finished 5th in the league, defeated Crystal Palace, who finished 3rd, with a dramatic late winner.

The Foxes were behind for most of the game but levelled things up from the penalty spot. Extra time looked like it would result in a penalty shootout, however, Steve Claridge struck in the 120th minute in what was all but the last kick of the game to seal promotion for Martin O’Neill’s side.

9

2014 – Derby 0-1 QPR

Zamora wins it for 10-man R’s

Harry Redknapp led Queens Park Rangers to the Premier League in 2014 with a dramatic victory over Derby County. QPR midfielder and current Wolves boss Gary O’Neil received a red card on the hour mark, and it looked as if it would be the Rams who would earn promotion to the top flight.

However, Rob Green refused to be beaten in the Hoops net, and in the 90th minute, a mistake from Derby captain Richard Keogh resulted in the ball falling to Bobby Zamora, who produced a brilliant finish to send the R’s up.

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8

2002 – Norwich 1-1 Birmingham (2-4 on penalties)

Penalty perfect for the Blues

Everyone loves a penalty shootout, and that is what we got between Norwich and Birmingham in 2002. The game actually didn’t burst into life until extra time, when Iwan Roberts put the Canaries in front. However, before the end of the first period of extra time, Geoff Horsfield levelled the scores and ensured promotion would be settled from 12 yards.

The Blues would be the ones celebrating at the end of the shootout, scoring all four of their spot kicks, with Philip Mulryne and Daryl Sutch missing for the Canaries.

7

2012 – Blackpool 1-2 West Ham

Vaz Te the Hammers hero

West Ham secured promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt under Sam Allardyce, doing it the hard way via the play-offs.

The Hammers came up against Blackpool and went ahead through Carlton Cole before Tom Ince drew the Tangerines level after the break. Both teams had glorious chances to win it in normal time, and eventually, Hammers forward Ricardo Vaz Te wrote his name into West Ham history by scoring with just three minutes remaining.

6

1989 – Blackburn 3-4 Crystal Palace

Two-legged final produces Eagles comeback

The 1989 final was actually the last time the play-off final would be played across two legs, but it was certainly one to remember involving Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace.

It was Palace who finished higher in the league but suffered a 3-1 first-leg defeat at Ewood Park. In the return fixture at Selhurst Park, goals from Ian Wright and David Madden ensured the final was level at 3-3 after 180 minutes, resulting in extra time.

Penalties appeared to be on the cards, but Wright scored his 33rd goal of the season with three minutes remaining to send Palace up.

5

2011 – Reading 2-4 Swansea

Super Scott Sinclair for Swansea

Swansea City booked their place in the Premier League for the first time back in 2011, mainly thanks to Scott Sinclair’s brilliance at Wembley.

It looked as if Brendan Rodgers’ side had the tie wrapped up after a brace from Sinclair and a goal from Stephen Dobbie put them 3-0 up at half-time. However, the Royals threatened a comeback with two second-half goals before the hour, only for Sinclair to seal his hat-trick and Swansea’s place in the top flight from the spot late on.

4

2010 – Blackpool 3-2 Cardiff

First-half madness at Wembley

If play-off finals finished at halftime, then the clash between Blackpool and Cardiff City in 2010 would comfortably top the list. It was Cardiff who went in front early on through striker Michael Chopra before Charlie Adam’s free-kick levelled things up for Ian Holloway’s side.

The Welsh side went in front again through Joe Ledley, but in the final five minutes of the opening 45, Blackpool scored twice through Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Brett Ormerod.

The second half was full of chances with Chopra hitting the post for Cardiff, but it was Ormerod’s effort that proved to be the winner.

3

1995 – Bolton 4-3 Reading (aet)

Super-sub De Freitas the hero

It looked as if Reading would be the ones celebrating a routine 2-0 win at Wembley against Bolton in 1995, however, late goals from Owen Coyle and substitute Fabian de Freitas took the final to extra time.

The drama didn’t stop after 90 minutes, with Bolton then going in front through Mixu Paatelainen before De Freitas scored his second of the day in the 118th minute. There was still time for more goals, though, with Reading player-manager Jimmy Quinn getting on the scoresheet to set up a dramatic final few minutes.

2

1993 – Swindon 4-3 Leicester

Bodin’s penalty derails Leicester comeback

It’s hard to believe that the 1993 play-off final between Swindon Town and Leicester City was still goalless after 40 minutes, knowing that it would result in a seven-goal thriller.

It was the Robins who scored three times in the space of 11 minutes either side of half-time, and they appeared to be cruising towards the Premier League. However, Leicester then scored three times in the space of 12 minutes to draw things level in a chaotic second half.

Extra time looked to be on the cards before Swindon substitute Steve White was fouled in the box, with left-back Paul Bodin scoring the winner late on.

1

1998 – Charlton 4-4 Sunderland (7-6 on penalties)

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The 90s produced some classic play-off finals, but the best of the bunch and of all time is arguably Charlton’s penalty-shootout win over Sunderland.

The Addicks were in front at half-time before the final turned into chaos in the second half. Sunderland turned things around through Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips before Charlton drew level, and the Black Cats thought they were up again when Quinn netted his second of the game.

Richard Rufus took the game to extra-time with another equaliser for Charlton, but Sunderland once again went in front in extra time. Clive Mendonca was the hero of the day for the eventual winners after making it 4-4 with his third of the afternoon in extra-time before putting Charlton on their way in the shootout.

At 7-6 to Charlton in sudden death, Sunderland’s Michael Gray was the unfortunate player to have his spot kick saved from 12 yards by Sasa Ilic to spark wild scenes.