Championship Play-off FocusAlthough the Premiership title race is over and promotion for Wolves and Birmingham City confirmed, the 2008-9 season still has a lot to offer fans of the beautiful game. The struggle to avoid relegation will not be played out fully until the final weekend of the season, with Newcastle, Boro, Sunderland and Hull all possibilities to go down. The FA Cup final between Everton and Chelsea will be an interesting clash and the Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona promises to be an exciting showcase between arguably the best teams in the world. Plus the transfer gossip will keep fans intrigued for weeks. Last, but not least, is the play off final on 25th May, in which Burnley will take on Sheffield United at Wembley for a place in England's top flight.
The two championship teams will not only be playing for prestige, but for the millions of pounds in TV revenue that will come their way if they are successful. The last few years have seen a number of teams struggle or go under financially, and blecause this often result in points being docked making financial recovery even harder, the lucrative rewards of top flight football are increasingly important.
So, who exactly are the two clubs with everything to play for on 25th May?
Burnley FC
Burnley FC play their football at Turf Moor, where on average 13,000 fans turn up to see them play. After finishing the season lying 5th in the table with 76 points, Burnley FC, also known as the Clarets, won 2-0 at Reading to triumph 3-0 on aggregate and seal a place at Wembley. This season has been an exciting one for the Clarets, who as well as reaching the play off final, also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, impressivelt claiming Chelsea and Arsenal as scalps en route only to be knocked out only after extra time to Spurs. The play off final will be the team's 61st game of the season.
Burnley have a long and varied football pedigree; they are only the second team to win all four divisional titles in domestic soccer (Wolves being the first). They also held the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches for over 80 years, which stood at 30 after the 1920-21 season and was only beaten by Arsenal in the 2003/04 season. A true sleeping giant.
Burnley's most successful era in the top flight English league was the 1950's and early 1960's. Burnley won the First Division title in the 1959-1960 season and continued to challenge for the next few seasons. 1961-2 saw a particularly bittersweet finish to the season as the Turf Moor achieved the runners-up double (to Ipswich in the League and Tottenham Hotspur in the cup) .
In recent years the club has invested heavily in its ground and has further ambitious plans to redevelop Turf Moor further, the future under the manager Owen Coyle looks prosperous as he leads his side into the 2008/09 campaign with Premiership ambitions. Sheffield United will however be doing everything possible on the 25th to thwart these ambitions ....
Sheffield United
On average 26,000 faithful turn up to Bramall Lane to watch Sheffield United, aka the Blades, play every week. Even the younger members of this fanbase are not strangers to the Premiership, as Sheffield United flirted with the top league for a single season in 2006-07. However it is unlikely that any of these fans will remember Sheffield United's most successful era, which was at the turn of the 20th century. The Blades finished as champions in the 1897-98 season, runners up in the 1896-97 and 1899-1900 seasons and were also winners of the FA Cup in 1899, 1901, 1915 and 1925.
In recent years, apart from the honours associated with promotion from lower leagues, Sheffiled United has not won a trophy since 1925. The 2002-03 season was particularly frustrating for Blades fans, who saw their team reach the semi-finals of both domestic cups and the first division play off final but unfortunately lost all three matches. The season of 2005/6 was brighter as Sheffield United earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing 2nd with 90 points; however this foray in the top flight was short-lived as the following season Sheffield United finished 18th with 38 points and were promptly relegated back to the Championship.
Sheffield United have reached the play-off final this year through finishing 3rd in the Championship with 80 points (winning 22, drawing 14 and losing 10 matches win a positive goal difference of 25) and then by beating Preston 2:1 on aggregate in the play-off semi final.
The bookies' favourite to win this match is currently Sheffield United but only by a whisker. With so much at stake, anything could happen. Given their sterling Carling Cup performance I'm going to go out on a limb and go for Burnley to win this match 2:0.
The two championship teams will not only be playing for prestige, but for the millions of pounds in TV revenue that will come their way if they are successful. The last few years have seen a number of teams struggle or go under financially, and blecause this often result in points being docked making financial recovery even harder, the lucrative rewards of top flight football are increasingly important.
So, who exactly are the two clubs with everything to play for on 25th May?
Burnley FC
Burnley FC play their football at Turf Moor, where on average 13,000 fans turn up to see them play. After finishing the season lying 5th in the table with 76 points, Burnley FC, also known as the Clarets, won 2-0 at Reading to triumph 3-0 on aggregate and seal a place at Wembley. This season has been an exciting one for the Clarets, who as well as reaching the play off final, also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, impressivelt claiming Chelsea and Arsenal as scalps en route only to be knocked out only after extra time to Spurs. The play off final will be the team's 61st game of the season.
Burnley have a long and varied football pedigree; they are only the second team to win all four divisional titles in domestic soccer (Wolves being the first). They also held the record for the longest unbeaten run of league matches for over 80 years, which stood at 30 after the 1920-21 season and was only beaten by Arsenal in the 2003/04 season. A true sleeping giant.
Burnley's most successful era in the top flight English league was the 1950's and early 1960's. Burnley won the First Division title in the 1959-1960 season and continued to challenge for the next few seasons. 1961-2 saw a particularly bittersweet finish to the season as the Turf Moor achieved the runners-up double (to Ipswich in the League and Tottenham Hotspur in the cup) .
In recent years the club has invested heavily in its ground and has further ambitious plans to redevelop Turf Moor further, the future under the manager Owen Coyle looks prosperous as he leads his side into the 2008/09 campaign with Premiership ambitions. Sheffield United will however be doing everything possible on the 25th to thwart these ambitions ....
Sheffield United
On average 26,000 faithful turn up to Bramall Lane to watch Sheffield United, aka the Blades, play every week. Even the younger members of this fanbase are not strangers to the Premiership, as Sheffield United flirted with the top league for a single season in 2006-07. However it is unlikely that any of these fans will remember Sheffield United's most successful era, which was at the turn of the 20th century. The Blades finished as champions in the 1897-98 season, runners up in the 1896-97 and 1899-1900 seasons and were also winners of the FA Cup in 1899, 1901, 1915 and 1925.
In recent years, apart from the honours associated with promotion from lower leagues, Sheffiled United has not won a trophy since 1925. The 2002-03 season was particularly frustrating for Blades fans, who saw their team reach the semi-finals of both domestic cups and the first division play off final but unfortunately lost all three matches. The season of 2005/6 was brighter as Sheffield United earned promotion to the Premiership by finishing 2nd with 90 points; however this foray in the top flight was short-lived as the following season Sheffield United finished 18th with 38 points and were promptly relegated back to the Championship.
Sheffield United have reached the play-off final this year through finishing 3rd in the Championship with 80 points (winning 22, drawing 14 and losing 10 matches win a positive goal difference of 25) and then by beating Preston 2:1 on aggregate in the play-off semi final.
The bookies' favourite to win this match is currently Sheffield United but only by a whisker. With so much at stake, anything could happen. Given their sterling Carling Cup performance I'm going to go out on a limb and go for Burnley to win this match 2:0.
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