The Championship play-offs? I really haven’t a Dickens
IT IS the best of times and the worst of times to welcome fans back to domestic football.
After a season estranged, EFL supporters will be allowed to return for the emotional rollercoaster that is the play-offs, which offer a 25 per cent chance of dreams being realised and a 75 percent likelihood of hearts being broken. But hey, we need never be ashamed of our tears.
It will only be a limited amount of home fans for the semi-final legs, but that’s enough to bring a much-needed authenticity to stands that have been empty for too long.
My focus this week is on both Championship showdowns.
Brentford lost in last season’s final to Fulham, with Ollie Watkins top scorer, but without Oliver to provide the twist, I give you Ivan Toney, this season’s Championship revelation.
He has stepped up from Peterborough and torn this division apart, not just with an astonishing 31 goals but ten assists to boot. And it’s his boots that make them slight favourites for the Premier League.
Unlike last time, they come into the play-offs on a crest of a wave. After 21 games without defeat, they lost four in six, then a quick change of formation and they charged again, unbeaten since Norwich in March.
Historically, they are zero from nine attempts in the play-offs, but let’s deal in the present, and this current Brentford team are hard to beat. They have lost the joint least amount of games all season, along with champions Norwich.
They face Bournemouth on Monday and Saturday of next week, a side who have been like the clever kid at school who has done just enough to pass the exam.
A squad that on paper came with great expectations, but this campaign has been turbulent, having to negotiate relegation and move on from long-serving boss Eddie Howe in one fell swoop.
Jonathan Woodgate has won 12 of his 21 games in charge, but losing their last three on the bounce dropped them to sixth on the very last day, which means they start as underdogs against a Brentford side who have done the double over them during the regular season.
Still, they have plenty of matchwinners, and in Arnaut Danjuma they have a player who is more in control of the left wing than any Labour leader this century.
On the other side of the draw we will find Swansea and Barnsley, the latter being one of the very best stories the EFL has had to offer during this bizarre season.
Shorter odds for relegation than promotion on day one, the hard times predicted did not materialise.
They chase the shadows of shadows, swarm forward like an army squadron built on an impressive back three, and seemingly finish games with enough energy to immediately take part in a half-marathon.
Boss Valerie Ismael has everyone believing, players and fans alike, and they enter the play-offs with arguably the best mindset, as they have little to fear and even less to lose. Crucially, they should have captain Alex Mowatt fit in time.
These two actually met in the League One play-off final in 2006, with Barnsley winning on penalties, but this season reads less favourably for the Tykes.
Swansea have the tightest defence of the four, Ben Woodman has won the Golden Glove and they have not conceded against Barnsley in their two most recent meetings. Problem is, the second half of their campaign has been a tale of two cities, with six defeats in their last 11 outings. Going forward, Andre Ayew is the most likely hero come final knockings.
If you pushed me, I would plump for Bournemouth to go up, but if you tried to get me to actually bet, you’d have to prize the tenner out of my cold, dead hands.
Above all else, I’ll just love hearing the home fans back in the stadiums. Given what’s at stake, I’m glad I don’t have my heart involved in the writing of this final chapter.
Bournemouth are like the clever kid at school who has just done enough