| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Burnley (Championship) Scunthorpe United (League One) Gillingham (League Two) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 23 (1.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Gillingham 2–1 Rochdale (League Two) |
| Biggest away win | Reading 0–2 Burnley (Championship) |
| Highest scoring | Millwall 2-3 Scunthorpe (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 80,518 – BurnleyvSheffield United (Championship final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,450 – Rochdale v Gillingham (League Two semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 25,298 |
← 2008 2010 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 2008–09 season were held in May 2009, with the finals taking place at Wembley StadiuminLondon. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One tables, and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in League Two. The semi-final winners progressed to the finals, with the winner of each match earning promotion for the following season.
Burnley and Sheffield United contested the Championship play-off final, having defeated Reading and Preston North End respectively in the semi-finals. Burnley secured promotion to the Premier League with a 1–0 victory, courtesy of a goal from Wade Elliott. In the League One final, Scunthorpe United won 3–2 against Millwall; Leeds United and MK Dons were the other teams to reach the play-offs. In League Two, Gillingham won their semi-final against Rochdale and then secured promotion with a 1–0 victory against Shrewsbury, who had beaten Bury in their semi-final.
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.
In the Championship, Sheffield United, who had been relegated from the Premier League under controversial circumstances in 2007, finished 3 points behind second placed Birmingham City, who in turn had finished 7 points off the champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. Reading - who were aiming to return to the Premier League at the first attempt - were in fourth place in the table. Burnley and Preston North End were only a couple of points further back on 76 and 74 respectively. Neither of the latter had played in the Premier League before, with Preston's last spell in the top division ending in 1961. Burnley were relegated from in the top flight in 1976.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 |
| 5 | Burnley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 74 |
| Preston North End | 1–1 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
St Ledger  21' |
Report | Howard 46' |
Attendance: 19,840
Referee: Andre Marriner
| Burnley | 1–0 | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander 84' (pen.) |
Report |
Attendance: 18,005
Referee: Martin Atkinson
| Sheffield United | 1–0 | Preston North End |
|---|---|---|
| Halford 59' |
Report |
Attendance: 26,354
Referee: Alan Wiley
Sheffield United won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Reading | 0–2 | Burnley |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Paterson 51' Thompson 58' |
Attendance: 19,909
Referee: Mike Riley
Burnley won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Burnley | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Elliott 13' |
Report |
Attendance: 80,518
Referee: Mike Dean
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 83 | 47 | +36 | 87 |
| 4 | Leeds United | 46 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 77 | 49 | +28 | 84 |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 82 |
| 6 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 63 | +19 | 76 |
| Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Milton Keynes Dons |
|---|---|---|
| Woolford 13' |
Report | Wilbraham 27' |
Attendance: 6,599
Referee: Scott Mathieson
| Millwall | 1–0 | Leeds United |
|---|---|---|
| Harris 71' |
Report |
Attendance: 13,228
Referee: Clive Oliver
| Leeds United | 1–1 | Millwall |
|---|---|---|
| Becchio 53' |
Report | Abdou 74' |
Attendance: 37,036
Referee: Mark Halsey
Millwall won 2–1 on aggregate.
Attendance: 14,479
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Milton Keynes Dons 1–1 Scunthorpe United on aggregate. Scunthorpe United won 7–6 on penalties.
| Millwall | 2–3 | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander 37', 39' |
Report | Sparrow 6', 70' Woolford 85' |
Attendance: 59,661
Referee: Michael Oliver
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 78 |
| 5 | Gillingham | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 55 | 0+3 | 75 |
| 6 | Rochdale | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 70 | 59 | +11 | 70 |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 69 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 0–1 | Bury |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Ashton 81' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 8,429
Referee: Graham Laws
| Rochdale | 0–0 | Gillingham |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
Attendance: 4,450
Referee: Kevin Friend
| Bury | 0–1 (a.e.t.) | Shrewsbury Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | McIntyre 88' |
|
| Penalties | ||
Barry-Murphy  Jones Racchi  Bennett Bishop |
3–4 | Davies Ashikodi McIntyre Worrall |
Attendance: 7,673
Referee: Colin Webster
Bury 1–1 Shrewsbury Town on aggregate. Shrewsbury Town won 4–3 on penalties.
| Gillingham | 2–1 | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson 13', 58' (pen.) |
Report | Dagnall 36' |
Attendance: 9,585
Referee: Michael Oliver
Gillingham won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Gillingham | 1–0 | Shrewsbury Town |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson 90' |
Report |
Attendance: 53,706
Referee: Clive Oliver
