This weekend Sheffield United and Huddersfield Town face off at Wembley Stadium for the right to grab the third promotion spot into England’s Championship, or second tier league.
Both Yorkshire teams are are former giants and – long, long ago – League champions, looking to recapture the glory of pre World War II days.
Having attended some League 1 matches earlier in the year, I was amazed at the lack of quality of the football on show. But recent indications are that the standard of the lower leagues is evening out.
Encouragingly for teams outside the top tier, for the first time in many years, all three of the sides promoted to the Premier League last season survived to fight another year at least. Swansea City and Norwich City did it comfortably, Queens Park Rangers somewhat more dramatically.
Southampton will be playing Premier League football next season after being in the same league as Huddersfield and Sheffield United just two seasons ago. Norwich achieved back-to-back promotions from League 1 to Premier League last year. Maybe, just maybe, the gap is closing a little.
Both Charlton Athletic and Sheffield Wednesday, who gained automatic promotion to the Championship as the top two, are already talking up their chances in next season’s Championship.
Both clubs were Premier League mainstays in the 1990s. Wednesday have won as many top tier titles as Chelsea but their last success was back before northern and southern Sydney were linked by a harbour bridge.
Until last week Huddersfield Town had won more titles than Manchester City, yet comparisons of playing standard between the two are nowadays unthinkable. However, we may only be one game and one season from seeing the two compete in the same league, and given recent history, who’s to say it can’t occur?
Any club from the lower leagues who dream of one day competing in the Premier League would be best served studying the history of three famous promotion runs. Watford, Swansea City and Wimbledon could be coined the kings of the “rapid rise”. All three also experienced the pain of a sharp decline after the initial glory but that’s another story.
In 1977, Watford were bottom of the English fourth Division, or what we now know as League 2. In 1983, they were top of the first Division, and ended the season as runners-up to the then-mighty Liverpool. It was a stunning rise, initiated by new chairman and lifelong fan Elton John and guided by future England manager Graham Taylor.
The following season they made the FA Cup Final, only to be beaten by Everton. Elton was not living his life like a candle in the wind in the 1980s. He even found time to come and get married in Sydney.
While Watford and their famous chairman were grabbing headlines, Swansea City were embarking on an even more audacious rise. While Watford took seven seasons to go from bottom to top, Swansea, managed by former Liverpool great John Toshack, did it in just four.
In 1978, they were promoted from the fourth Division and their meteoric rise was only stalled in 1980 when they stayed an extra season in the second Division. Three promotions in four seasons and they were in the top league, and as fate would have it their first ever game in Division One was against Leeds United, a mighty club about to experience a decline.
That first game was memorable for Swansea, as they thrashed Leeds 5-1 in front of the Match Of The Day cameras, with new signing Bob Latchford scoring a hat trick. Swansea beat Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham that season and ended up finishing in the top five
Their decline was like a stock market crash, the seeds of which were germinating just as another team began an amazing rise. Wimbledon, better known for tennis and Wombles, were promoted to the third Division in 1983.
They had only been a Football League club since 1978, yet by 1986, they were in the first Division, matching Swansea’s feat of three promotions in four seasons. They were bankrolled by the eccentric Sam Hammam, with first Dave Bassett and then Bobby Gould in charge of the team known as the “Crazy Gang.”
Wimbledon won the FA Cup in 1988, beating Liverpool 1-0 at Wembley, highlighted by captain Dave Beasant saving a penalty from John Aldridge. Beasant was a Wimbledon hero, who played right through the club’s rise from the fourth tier to a Wembley cup final.
For Sheffield United and Huddersfield, Saturday might just be a one-off game. But for either of them, for Charlton, Sheffield Wednesday, or any team with dreams and ambition, history points to the attainment of more lofty heights.
Kasey
Guest
That was a terrible way for the Blades to go out:( Bu tat the same time, did you catch the Penalty Shoot-out? No wonder the Poms always seem to lose in the big tournaments on Penalties. That shoot-out was a prime example of not only how not to do it but of the over riding English mentality that ïts a lottery and we might as well just flip a coin" Garbage. Penalty taking is a skill and it should be practiced so the players are confident as they step up. It is possiblle to place a pen such that the opposition keeper has absolutely no chance of saving it - until the English as a football culture learn this, they are doomed to eternal failure in shoot-outs. Of the first 6 pens taken by both teams, only 2 were even on target, 3 were weak shots easily saved by the keeper, 1 went in. The very last effort rd7 for each team from United keeper Simonson was just terrible. He placed the ball on the spot, walked away from the ball towards the half way line, head down(supposedly thinking of just what he was going to do), then in a split second, turned and sprinted towards the ball, skying his shot into row-z and absolute terrible example of how to take a pen. No composure at all. you could tell he was petrified and just wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
John Davidson
Roar Guru
Gutting final loss for Sheffield United. That's six playoff final losses in a row now.
Titus
Guest
I would say Hunt and Folau in the worlds premier AFL comp is a sure sign of that.
UK Steve
Guest
Maroon - that is incredible isn't it. It's a sure sign that it is a very basic, uncomplicated game. One of the main reasons why it is such a popular sport around the world.
apaway
Roar Guru
Now there's something to research, Maroon!
Kasey
Guest
I tweeted a few people and the best I can get is that it should be on FS2 viewers choice(red button) at midnight and 30 Saturday night. That kind of works well with my calculations. the game is on at 3pm BST(GMT) and we(SA) are about 9.5 hours ahead of GMT. Anybody have a more definitive answer for TV coverage?
Maroon Blood
Guest
On the subject of meteoric rises, newly promoted Southampton's manager Nigel Adkins was still just the physio at Scunthorpe Unitied less than six years ago before getting the managers job (inspiring The Iron faithful to chant "Who need Mourinho, we've got our physio") and has since guided Southampton to back-to back promotions from League One to the Premier League. Has there been a more swift managerial rise in football??
Rob Gremio
Guest
Apaway, Nah, let them suffer! :) It's mean spirited, but hey, when they are your bitter rivals, why not let them rot in the division below for a while longer?
apaway
Roar Guru
Excellent, Rob, a fellow Owls fan! However, I sort of hope the Blades triumph on Saturday so we get more Sheffield derbies next season.
Midfielder
Guest
Excellent article .... me thinks the issue with staying up is keeping players who are tradesmen like in the lower league ... hold it together for a while in the EPL and then class does them in... Very hard to manage a club to a higher level... money helps heaps too ....
Rob Gremio
Guest
Very true. However, I am very happy that my Blue and White half of Sheffield (cmon you Owls!) didn't have to get promoted via the playoff system. Coming second gave them a free pass. Made me very happy. Now the only thing that can make my football season complete (well, English/Australian seasons) would be for United to lose the final of the playoff and remain in League 1. Not that I don't like the Sheffield Derby, mind, I would just prefer that United had to wait a bit before having to take us on again. let them stew in League 1 while the Owls make a push for the Premier League again!
apaway
Roar Guru
That was the year, Fuss.
Fivehole
Guest
http://www.triplem.com.au/sydney/sport/photos/10-worst-sporting-names?selectedImage=1
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
apaway Was that the year Leeds qualified for the Knock-out Stage of the UCL by finishing 2nd in their Group, behind Milan, and Barcelona finished 3rd and had to go to the UEFA Cup? Leeds went on to the Semi-Final of the UCL that year & were beaten by Valencia. I wonder if Fozzie remembers that year?
ItsCalled AussieRules
Roar Rookie
Yes, and who said English football doesn't have playoffs like Australia. They certainly generate the interest, the crowds and some addiitonal revenue for clubs and the FA.
apaway
Roar Guru
Actually, Johnno, Leeds United are one of the biggest clubs in England, and a former Euro powerhouse to boot. They were Champions League semi-finalists in 2001. Little-known trivia fact: Jacob Burns played for Leeds in the Euro campaign at the Nou Camp against Barcelona.
Kasey
Guest
Didn't there used to be a NASCAR racer called Dick Trickle? WTF? there's a perfect example of where Richard would have been a better option;) Ahh this side track brings me back to the glory days of the 12th man:) Sandy Cracks at the Beach volleyball and gun striker Bruce F*ckoffyabiḉ for the Socceroos! Never forgetting of course Smith the substitute:) I hope I pronounced that correctly;)
Fivehole
Guest
Pujols is not nearly as funny when spelt correctly. However, Hyman is another matter. Good call. Why the hell her parents would call her Misty, maybe to take the attention off her surname!
apaway
Roar Guru
Dean Windass is a great sports name, Fivehole, but is it as good as Albert Puholes (pronounced poo-holes) or Misty Hymen?
Fivehole
Guest
Dean Windass - Best name in sports. Purple Shag left him out of his recent articles, unfortunately.