How it feels to win the Championship play-off final
Luton won the 2023 Championship play-off final
- Published
The Championship play-off final carries a unique pressure.
The stakes couldn't be higher as the fate of an entire season comes down to a single match in front of a sell-out crowd at Wembley.
The rewards for success are enormous, and continue to rise, while failure can be devastating.
On Sunday, Leeds United take on Southampton for a spot in the Premier League. A special occasion awaits.
Before this year's final, three former players shared their experiences with BBC Sport of winning football's richest game. Here, they tell their stories in their own words to journalist Sean Cole.
Steven Caldwell - Burnley in 2009
Steven Caldwell lifted the trophy when he captained Burnley to a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in 2009
"Owen Coyle was the most superstitious manager in British football. We'd played in London seven or eight times that y ear and kept staying in the same hotel.
"For the play-off final, teams usually stay somewhere posh and fancy, but we were back at the place we had always used.
"Coyle insisted on us going to Wembley the night before the game. We walked around, saw the changing room and took pictures.
"We had that tourist day because most of the squad had never been there. It was genius because we turned up the next day and were right into game mode.
"You’re trying to concentrate until that last second and not project too far ahead -imagining yourself walking up the steps and lifting the cup. Keeping yourself in the present is the hard part. But to dig in, grind through and get the clean sheet to win the game was great.
"Nothing compares to that feeling when the final whistle goes and you realise you've taken a club to the Premier League. The outpouring of emotion is crazy. I just remember dropping to the ground and feeling this incredible relief and enjoyment.
"The celebrations were wild. We definitely enjoyed ourselves. We got up a little drunk the next day and headed back to Burnley to parade the trophy on the bus.
"You could see what it meant to the community. There were more people lining the streets than actually lived there.
"Burnley fans still come up to me and say it was the best day of their life. They have such vivid, special memories. It just fills you with pride that you were part of it. You gave them that kind of joy.
"Looking at the bigger picture, you realise what we did for the club, setting them up for the success they’ve had since then."
Nathan Dyer - Swansea in 2011
Nathan Dyer (left) set up two goals as Swansea City beat Reading 4-2 in 2011
"Arriving on the bus, I couldn't even see the stadium because there were so many fans. Seeing everyone there, wanting us to do so well, was amazing.
"I had butterflies in my stomach and felt a little bit sick, but as soon as I got into the changing room, things went back to normal.
"The message from Brendan Rodgers was: 'This is the moment to change your life.' Playing in the Premier League is all you dream of as a boy. Watching your idols on Match of the Day - every footballer wants to get there and experience what it's like.
"The first half was just incredible. It was comfortable for us - 3-0 up with the goals coming thick and fast. We were all in shock because Reading were a good team.
"In the second half, they were fired up and had nothing to lose. We took a little step back and they hit us with two goals in quick succession.
"I remember looking up to the sky and thinking, 'Oh no, we’re going to lose. Please, not today.' They had chances to equalise and it's a different story if they go in. Luckily, they hit the post, and we made a last-ditch tackle to keep them at bay, then scored down the other end.
"The emotions were just all over the place. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking 'Is this actually happening?' It didn’t sink in until I saw the fixtures and the league table refreshed, with Swansea next to all these big clubs. It was unreal.
"Going up through the play-offs is probably the hardest thing to do, but it's one of the best feelings. Blood, sweat and tears throughout the whole season, then to cap it all off by playing at Wembley and celebrating with all those travelling fans.
"We put Swansea on the map at that point. It was massive for the football club and the city. We made history."
Kevin Phillips - Crystal Palace in 2013
Kevin Phillips (second from left) scored an extra-time winner for Crystal Palace against Watford in 2013
"There's nothing in football quite like the play-off final. There's so much riding on it in terms of money and prestige, what it means to the club and the fans.
"I wasn't looking forward to it, if I'm honest. Wembley isn't a place for losers. I’d lost three play-off finals and an FA Cup semi-final there, so my record wasn't great.
"I didn't start an awful lot of games for Palace, but I knew that if it was tight going into the latter stages, Ian Holloway would throw me on.
"I thought we had the better of the chances, but the longer the game goes on, you start to fear the worst, that you'll get done with a sucker punch.
"In extra time, I fed Wilf Zaha on the left-hand side. As soon as you let him enter your box, it's dangerous. Marco Cassetti mistimed his tackle - it was a stonewall penalty.
"I could feel the tense atmosphere in the ground, but it's probably one of the sweetest penalties I hit in my whole career. To see it hit the back of the net was an immense feeling, and then the noise from the fans.
"I pointed towards my family in the crowd. They'd seen me go through the highs and the lows. They'd been to every play-off final and seen me in tears afterwards.
"It’s a hell of a feeling to have all those heartaches but now be able to celebrate. I thought about my dad, who'd passed away many years before. I thought about retiring, strangely enough. I was 39 then, so why not announce it now and go out with a bang?
"On the bus back to the hotel, we'd drunk all the alcohol we could get our hands on, so we stopped off to get some more. Suddenly, there was someone banging on the window. Ian Holloway was running up and down the high street with the play-off trophy in his hands, screaming ‘Campeones!’
"Palace fans always remind me that my goal got them to the Premier League, and they're still there. I'm immensely proud to have played a part in that."
