Ordinary Gweilo

Since the Football League introduced the play-off system, the end-of-season schedule of matches has been fairly consistent.

The Football League season ends in early May (with League One and Two on the Saturday, and the Championship on Sunday).  A week later the Premier League season ends.  Then it’s the FA Cup Final, and finally the Play-Off finals at Wembley over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend (at the end of May).

Not this year.  The Football League season ended 2 weeks ago (as normal), but the Premier League season carries on until the Bank Holiday weekend.  Then we have the Champions League final, and (unless I’m very much mistaken) the FA Cup Final will mark the end of the season.  Which is nice.

It’s often said that the winners of the Championship play-offs suffer because they can only start their preparations 3 weeks after the other two promoted teams.  This year might be different, though, because either Burnley or Sheffield United will be promoted just one day after the end of the Premier League season.  So if United win they will have the opportunity to bid for a sulky Argentinean with a history of scoring vital goals at the end of the season…