Leeds United’s Record in Play-Off Finals

Having thrashed Norwich City 4-0 in their Championship play-off semi-final clash, Leeds booked their place in the big Wembley final and went into the game with high hopes. Alas, things didn’t go the way of the West Yorkshire side and they went down 1-0 to Southampton.

Often called the richest game in football, it is estimated that the victor of the Championship play-off final ends up pocketing £265m by clinching the final Premier League promotion spot. Defeat in the final has not only left Leeds without this huge payday but it will keep them in the second tier of English football for at least another season. This is not where Leeds fans want their side to be but it’s not the first time they’ve missed out at the final hurdle, as we’ll see.

Leeds in the Play-Offs

Before looking at how Leeds have performed specifically in play-off finals, we wanted to take a quick look at their general play-off record. Including this year (2023/24), Leeds have finished in the play-off places six times since 1987, the season the playoffs were first introduced. On two of these occasions, the Whites failed to make it to the final following a semi-final defeat.

Leeds’ Playoff Semi-Final Defeats

Just two semi-final eliminations from six attempts is a solid play-off record. Unfortunately for Leeds though, although they have done better than most in getting to the final, their record at the last stage is not great.

Leeds in the Play-Off Final

On 26th May, 2024, Leeds were aiming to record their first play-off final victory, but they couldn’t quite get over the line. Across their three previous attempts, the West Yorkshire club have also fallen short, leaving their fans heartbroken. Prior to the loss to Southampton, the most recent of these defeats was over 15 years ago though, so it wouldn’t have scarred any of the current players. Additionally, the first loss, covered below, was not a play-off game as we know it today.

Charlton Athletic (1986/87) – Division Two

The only playoffs that exist in the EFL see clubs within the same league battle it out for the final promotion spot. This has been the case for a long time but in 1987 and 1988, before the Premier League had come into existence, the playoffs operated with a relegation spot. So, what you had in the Second Division, for example, was the clubs finishing third, fourth and fifth in the play-offs along with the fourth worst performing First Division side.

In 1987, Charlton finished in 19th place in the First Division, meaning they had to win the play-offs to avoid the drop. After beating Ipswich in the semis, they met Leeds who had prevailed against Oldham Athletic in their respective semi-final encounter. Unlike the situation today though, with all finals being one-off matches decided on the day, play-off finals at the time were decided over two legs. In the event of a tied aggregate score after both clashes, replays were used to determine a winner.

This is exactly what happened here as in both final legs, the home team won their match 1-0. With a 1-1 aggregate scoreline, the clubs played a final replay at St Andrews four days later. Another 90 minutes was not enough to produce a winner, or a goal for that matter, so the match headed to extra time. In the 99th minute, Leeds broke the deadlock through a John Sheridan goal but were then foiled by an unlikely Charlton hero in the form of Peter Shirtliff. The centre-back only scored 15 goals in over 500 appearances but he bagged a four-minute brace in Birmingham.

This last-gasp turnaround meant Leeds remained in the Second Division while Charlton became the first and only English club to avoid relegation through the play-offs. That year and the following season, all other higher-division sides involved in the play-offs faced the drop.

Watford (2005/06) – Championship

Back to a much more familiar play-off final here, a winner-take-all clash played at a neutral venue, in this case, the Millenium Stadium. Only three points separated third-place Watford and fifth-place Leeds in the final table although the Whites had the superior head-to-head record that year with one win and one draw. Most were expecting a close-fought encounter but the Hornets ended up with a comfortable 3-0 victory. They took the lead after 25 minutes through a Jay DeMerit header and doubled their lead before the hour when goalkeeper Neil Sullivan put the ball in his own net.

You could perhaps blame Sullivan on the first goal for not coming out and collecting the corner but the second was just pure misfortune. A deflected shot spun and looped onto the post before hitting the back of the outstretched Scot. Things were to get more frustrating for the keeper too when Watford were awarded a penalty late on. Sullivan dived the right way and was a whisker from getting his hand on the ball but Darius Henderson struck the spot-kick just well enough.

Doncaster Rovers (2007/08) – League One

Ordinarily, Leeds would have secured automatic promotion this year but their 15-point deduction for breaching rules on insolvency saw them finish with 76 points, only good enough for fifth in the table. So, despite finishing two places behind third-placed Doncaster, Leeds had the better league record. Not that this mattered at Wembley though as underdogs Doncaster edged out this Yorkshire derby with James Hayter’s diving header.

With over 40 minutes remaining, Leeds pushed for an equaliser but found it tough to make much in the way of clear-cut chances. Rovers’ keeper and ex-Leeds man, Sullivan, had little to do as he successfully avenged his play-off final defeat two years earlier. Leeds were not so fortunate though as they had to settle for another season in the third tier of English football.

Leeds in Other Finals

Although Leeds are yet to win a play-off final, they have won other finals before. We cannot say they have a particularly strong record though as they have lost more finals than they have won. Leeds fans will tell you they were robbed in the 1974/75 European Cup final but changing this to a win would still leave Leeds with a win rate of less than 50%. Still, it seems unlikely that these defeats from decades ago would have been on the mind of the Leeds players when preparing for the 2023/24 Championship play-off final.

It’s back to the drawing board for Leeds United for the 2024/25 campaign… and their fans will be sincerely hoping the team can clinch an automatic promotion spot and avoid the risky route of the play-offs altogether.