Playoffs: When Did They Begin?
Tevin Boyle
2025-05-21 12:21:44
Count answers: 4
The 2023 play-offs were the 37th time the end-of-season fixtures have been played since the system was (re)introduced in 1987.
2023 had the highest average attendance since the play-offs began in 1987 – 29,557 – in contrast to the average of 12,994 registered in 1989 (before the introduction of Wembley finals).
Tony Cascarino was the first player to score a hat-trick in the play-offs (for Gillingham in the 1987 semi-final against Sunderland), while David Kelly scored a treble in the replayed final of 1988 for Walsall at home to Bristol City.