The Football League play-offs for the 2005-06 season will be held in May 2006, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff for the last time. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
Watford and Leeds United contested the Championship play-off final, having defeated Crystal Palace and Preston North End respectively in the semi-finals. Watford secured promotion to the Premier League for first time since 1999 with a 3–0 victory, courtesy of an own goal from Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan, a penalty from Darius Henderson and one from Jay Demerit. In the League One final, Barnsley won 4–3 on penalties against Swansea City; Huddersfield Town and Brentford were the other teams to reach the play-offs. In League Two, Cheltenham Town won their semi-final against Wycombe Wanderers and then secured promotion with a 1-0 victory against Grimsby Town, who had beaten Lincoln City in their semi-final.
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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, Watford, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 2000, finished 9 points behind second placed Sheffield United, who in turn finished 16 points behind champions Reading, who were promoted to the top flight for the first time in the club's history. Preston North End who missed out on promotion from playoffs the season before and have not been in the top flight since 1961, finished in fourth place in the table. Leeds United who are aiming to bounce back to the Premier League at the second attempt, finished in fifth place. Crystal Palace finished 3 points behind Leeds United and were looking for a place back in the Premiership after relegation on final day of last season.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 77 | 53 | +24 | 81 |
| 4 | Preston North End | 46 | 20 | 20 | 6 | 59 | 30 | +29 | 80 |
| 5 | Leeds United | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 57 | 38 | +19 | 78 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 75 |
| 5 May 2006 19:45 |
Leeds United | 1 – 1 | Preston North End | Elland Road, Leeds Attendance: 35,239 Referee: Phil Crossley |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis 74' | Report | Nugent 48' |
| 6 May 2006 12:15 |
Crystal Palace | 0 – 3 | Watford | Selhurst Park, London Attendance: 22,880 Referee: Mike Jones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | King 46' Young 67' Spring 85' |
| 8 May 2006 19:45 |
Preston North End | 0 – 2 | Leeds United | Deepdale, Preston Attendance: 20,383 Referee: Mike Thorpe |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Hulse 56' Richardson 61' |
Leeds United win 3–1 on aggregate.
| 9 May 2006 19:45 |
Watford | 0 – 0 | Crystal Palace | Vicarage Road, Watford Attendance: 19,041 Referee: Steve Tanner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
Watford won 3–0 on aggregate.
| 21 May 2006 15:00 |
Leeds United | 0 – 3 | Watford | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 64,736 Referee: Mike Dean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | DeMerit 25' Sullivan 57' (o.g.) Henderson 84' (pen.) |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 76 |
| 4 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 72 | 59 | +13 | 73 |
| 5 | Barnsley | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 62 | 44 | +18 | 72 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 78 | 55 | +23 | 71 |
| 11 May 2006 19:45 |
Barnsley | 0 – 1 | Huddersfield Town | Oakwell, Barnsley Attendance: 16,127 Referee: Keith Stroud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Taylor-Fletcher 85' |
| 11 May 2006 19:45 |
Swansea City | 1 – 1 | Brentford | Liberty Stadium, Swansea Attendance: 19,060 Referee: Paul Taylor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricketts 87' | Report | Tabb 29' |
| 14 May 2006 12:15 |
Brentford | 0 – 2 | Swansea City | Griffin Park, Brentford Attendance: 10,652 Referee: Graham Laws |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Knight 8', 15' |
Swansea City won 3–1 on aggregate.
| 15 May 2006 19:45 |
Huddersfield Town | 1 – 3 | Barnsley | Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield Attendance: 19,223 Referee: Chris Foy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worthington 65' | Report | Hayes 58' (pen.) Reid 71' Nardiello 78' |
Barnsley won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 27 May 2006 15:00 |
Barnsley | 2 – 2 (a.e.t.) |
Swansea City | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 55,419 Referee: Lee Mason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayes 19' Nardiello 62' |
Report | Fallon 28' Robinson 40' |
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| Penalties | ||||
| Hayes McPhail Heckingbottom Kay |
4 – 3 | Trundle Britton Akinfenwa Tudur Jones Tate |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 64 | 44 | +20 | 78 |
| 5 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 72 |
| 6 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 72 | 56 | +16 | 71 |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 46 | 15 | 21 | 10 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 66 |
| 13 May 2006 12:05 |
Lincoln City | 0 – 1 | Grimsby Town | Sincil Bank, Lincoln Attendance: 8,037 Referee: Lee Mason |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Jones 22' |
| 13 May 2006 18:05 |
Wycombe Wanderers | 1 – 2 | Cheltenham Town | Adams Park, High Wycombe Attendance: 5,936 Referee: Andy Hall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mooney 90' | Report | Finnigan 43' Guinan 75' |
| 16 May 2006 19:45 |
Grimsby Town | 2 – 1 | Lincoln City | Blundell Park, Grimsby Attendance: 8,062 Referee: Mike Dean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Futcher 60' Jones 82' |
Report | Robinson 27' |
Grimsby Town won 3–1 on aggregate.
| 18 May 2006 19:45 |
Cheltenham Town | 0 – 0 | Wycombe Wanderers | Whaddon Road, Cheltenham Attendance: 6,813 Referee: Nigel Miller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report |
Cheltenham Town won 2–1 on aggregate.
| 28 May 2006 15:00 |
Grimsby Town | 0 – 1 | Cheltenham Town | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Attendance: 29,196 Referee: Paul Taylor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Guinan 63' |
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