English Football League play-offs
Wembley Stadium was the venue for each play-off final
Season2017–18
Matches played13
Goals scored24 (1.85 per match)
Biggest home winExeter City 3–1 Lincoln City
Fulham 2–0 Derby County
Rotherham United 2–0 Scunthorpe United
Biggest away winNotts County 1–4 Coventry City
Highest scoringNotts County 1–4 Coventry City
Highest attendance40,505
Lowest attendance5,645
Average attendance17,637
← 2017
2019 →

The English Football League play-offs for the 2017–18 season (referred to as the Sky Bet Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2018 with all finals being staged at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-offs began in each league with two semi-finals played over two legs. The teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th-placed teams in League Two competed. The winners of the semi-finals advanced to the finals, with the winners gaining promotion for the following season.

Background

The English 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. The fixtures are determined by final league position – in the Championship and League One this is 3rd v 6th and 4th v 5th, while in League Two it is 4th v 7th and 5th v 6th.

Championship

Main article: 2017–18 EFL Championship

Championship Semi-finals

Final league position – Championship
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Fulham 46 25 13 8 79 46 +33 88
4 Aston Villa 46 24 11 11 72 42 +30 83
5 Middlesbrough 46 22 10 14 67 45 +22 76
6 Derby County 46 20 15 11 69 48 +21 75
First leg
Derby County1–0Fulham
Jerome 34' Report
Pride Park Stadium, Derby
Attendance: 27,163
Referee: Roger East[2]
Middlesbrough0–1Aston Villa
Report Jedinak 15'
Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
Attendance: 29,233
Referee: Bobby Madley[2]
Second leg
Fulham2–0Derby County
Sessegnon 48'
Odoi 66'		 Report
Craven Cottage, Fulham
Attendance: 23,529
Referee: Chris Kavanagh[2]

Fulham won 2–1 on aggregate.

Aston Villa0–0Middlesbrough
Report
Villa Park, Birmingham
Attendance: 40,505
Referee: Mike Dean[2]

Aston Villa won 1–0 on aggregate.

Championship final

Main article: 2018 EFL Championship play-off final
Aston Villa0–1Fulham
Report Cairney 23'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 85,243
Referee: Anthony Taylor

League One

Main article: 2017–18 EFL League One

League One Semi-finals

Final league position – League One
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Shrewsbury Town 46 25 12 9 60 39 +21 87
4 Rotherham United 46 24 7 15 73 53 +20 79
5 Scunthorpe United 46 19 17 10 65 50 +15 74
6 Charlton Athletic 46 20 11 15 58 51 +7 71
First leg
Charlton Athletic0–1Shrewsbury Town
Report Nolan 80'
The Valley, Charlton
Attendance: 14,367
Referee: Simon Hooper[2]
Scunthorpe United2–2Rotherham United
Ihiekwe 18' (o.g.)
McGeehan 88'		 Report Taylor 17'
Newell 64'
Glanford Park, Scunthorpe
Attendance: 6,591
Referee: Tim Robinson[2]
Second leg
Shrewsbury Town1–0Charlton Athletic
C. Morris 58' Report
New Meadow, Shrewsbury
Attendance: 9,016
Referee: Jeremy Simpson[2]

Shrewsbury Town won 2–0 on aggregate.

Rotherham United2–0Scunthorpe United
Wood 45+2'
Vaulks 63'		 Report
New York Stadium, Rotherham
Attendance: 11,061
Referee: Scott Duncan[2]

Rotherham United won 4–2 on aggregate.

League One Final

Main article: 2018 EFL League One play-off final
Rotherham United2–1 (a.e.t.)Shrewsbury Town
Wood 32', 103' Report Rodman 58'
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 26,218
Referee: Robert Jones

League Two

Main article: 2017–18 EFL League Two

League Two Semi-finals

Final league position – League Two
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
4 Exeter City 46 24 8 14 64 54 +10 80
5 Notts County 46 21 14 11 71 48 +23 77
6 Coventry City 46 22 9 15 64 47 +17 75
7 Lincoln City 46 20 15 11 64 48 +16 75
First leg
Lincoln City0–0Exeter City
Report
Sincil Bank, Lincoln
Attendance: 9,509
Referee: Ben Toner[2]
Coventry City1–1Notts County
McNulty 87' (pen.) Report Forte 49'
Ricoh Arena, Coventry
Attendance: 17,404
Referee: Gavin Ward[2]
Second leg
Exeter City3–1Lincoln City
Stockley 27'
Boateng 47'
Harley 69'		 Report Green 78'
St James Park, Exeter
Attendance: 5,645
Referee: Darren England[2]

Exeter City won 3–1 on aggregate.

Notts County1–4Coventry City
Grant 44' Report Biamou 6', 71'
McNulty 37'
Bayliss 85'
Meadow Lane, Nottingham
Attendance: 17,615
Referee: Darren Drysdale[2]

Coventry City won 5–2 on aggregate.

League Two Final

Main article: 2018 EFL League Two play-off final
Coventry City3–1Exeter City
 [3][4]
Wembley Stadium, London
Attendance: 50,196
Referee: David Webb

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two play-off dates – and the teams battling it out for promotion". Sky Sports. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Appointments: Sky Bet EFL Play-Off Semi-Finals". EFL. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  3. ^ Law, James (28 May 2018). "Coventry City 3–1 Exeter City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Coventry City v Exeter City, 28 May 2018". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 8 August 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
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