GET TEN HAG TREBLE

JAD ON: Jadon Sancho can be the difference this afternoon, (left) Raphael Varane (above) will have his work cut out against the likes of Erling Haaland and Phil Foden (below)

I LOVE the play-offs and went over last weekend to watch three fascinating battles that mean so much to so many.

There is an injustice that after a 46-game regular season and then a two-legged semi-final, two of the three battles were decided on penalties: Coventry versus Luton and Stockport versus Carlisle.

Then you had Darren Moore’s incredible resurrection at Sheffield Wednesday, who he guided back to the Championship.

Their game might not have gone to spot-kicks but Josh Windass’s glory header — to follow in the footsteps of his father, Dean — was almost like an early goal in these play-offs, as it was the very last action of a 120-minute-long game.

Thrilled

There is a great Irish community in Luton and I am thrilled they’re in the Premier League next season. This is an incredible story, especially after that worrying moment when Tom Lockyer collapsed.

I was particularly thrilled for their manager Rob Edwards, who was dismissed by Watford.

He showed real class in not just guiding Luton to the Premier League but showing such empathy to Lockyer, a player he is evidently close to. Thank goodness we have been told that Lockyer will be back for pre-season.

I really enjoyed Sunday’s League Two battle between Carlisle and Stockport County.

Paul Simpson is a man I admire so much — a World Cup-winning manager at Under-20 level.

Battle

He has had to overcome a recent cancer battle and this year he has guided Carlisle towards League One — 20 years since his first stint as their boss.

His son, Jake, was actually a coach for the opposition last Sunday.

When you look at how there was nearly 200,000 people at Wembley over the course of the weekend, 72,500 witnessing the League One play-off and over 85,000 watching the heartbreak that Luton inflicted on Coventry, you realise that this is what makes English football so different to the rest of the world.

It has extraordinary strength in depth.

Nothing shows that more than the play-offs.

What a great weekend.