More facts than you can throw a stick at..Part 1

In 2004/5, Lincoln, Southend, Northampton and Macclesfield only managed 4 goals between them in the 5 periods of 90 minutes. Lincoln scored twice, Macclesfield and Southend both once.

The quickest goal to be ever scored in a 4^th tier playoff final was scored by Chris Tate for Leyton Orient against Blackpool in 2000/1. Orient would eventually go on to lose the game 4-2.

The highest ever 2 legged score by a single team in the 2^nd tier was Crewe sticking 9 past Walsall in 1992/3. Torquay put 7 past Scarborough in 1997/8. Lincoln stuck 6 past Scunthorpe in 2002/3, also having a total of 4 goals disallowed over the 2 legs. None of these 3 sides won their final however.

Only one team has ever won the 4^th tier playoffs from the final qualifying positions, that being Blackpool in 2000/1

Cheltenham Town are the only side to win 2 fourth tier finals, in 2001/2 against Rushden and 2005/6 against Grimsby. Lincoln and Leyton Orient have both lost two finals.

This will be Lincoln’s 5^th appearance in the playoffs, joining both Bury and Hartlepool as League Two sides that have made 5 appearances.. In the entire football league, only Ipswich, Bolton, Preston, Scunthorpe and Tranmere Rovers have made more appearances than City.

This will be Lincoln’s 5^th straight season in the playoffs, this will be a new football League record. City already have the unwanted record of being the only side to have appeared in 4 straight playoffs not to go up once. The other two sides to make 4 in a row.

In the 4^th tier playoff history, there have been a total of 5 ties that you would class as a “local derby.” In this games it is generally better if you finished higher in the table than your opponents. In 3 of those 5 semi-final derbies, the side that finished higher went on to the final.

Since 1990, 7 playoff finals across the 3 Football League divisions have been settled by a penalty shoot out, 4 of which have been in the 4^th tier, all but one were won by the team that finished 4^th in the division, the only exception being Torquay’s 5-4 win on penalties over Blackpool in 1990/1.

That penalty shoot out was ironic in a way, Torquay and Blackpool are the only sides ever to be promoted when entering the playoffs from 7^th place. Torquay did it in a season where the playoff positions went from 5^th to 8^th, and Blackpool won it in 2000/1 when they finished 7^th, in the final playoff spot.

Both seasons that Lincoln City have finished 6^th they’ve made the final, they’ve lost in the semis in the two years they’ve finished 7^th.

Blackpool are the only side to appear in successive finals, losing in 1990/1 on penalties, only to beat Scunthorpe 12 months later via a penalty shoot out.

Rushden and Diamonds made the final in 2001/2, they made history as they became the first ever side to finish in the playoffs in just their first season of League football. They lost 3-1 in the final to another former non-league side, Cheltenham Town.

Preston North End have an horrendous record in the playoffs, 7 appearances and not one win. They are currently challenge for their 8^th in the Championship. In League 2, Hartlepool have the most appearances without a win with 5. Lincoln could join them on that number if they fail to win them this season.

In the hour and a half leading up to the playoff final in 2004/5, the song “You’re the real fan” was performed and played over the tannoy a combined total of 11 times. By the end of the afternoon that total had reached 21.

In the 4^th tier, Scunthorpe (on two separate occasions), Blackpool, Crewe, Hartlepool, Lincoln and Northampton have all appeared in successive playoff campaigns.

Barnet and Scarborough are the only sides in 4^th tier history to have been relegated just 12 months after failing to win the playoffs. They went out to Peterborough in 1999/2000 before being relegated to the Conference in 2000/1.

Scarborough were thrashed 7-2 on aggregate by Torquay in 1997/8 before then being relegated by Jimmy Glass’s infamous goal for Carlisle on the final day of the following season.

Out of all the 4^th tier playoff winners, Torquay, Scunthorpe and Cheltenham have returned back to the 4^th tier after just a year in the 3^rd tier.

Cheltenham Town and Lincoln City are the only two sides to have appeared at 2 Playoff Finals at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium. Cheltenham in 2002 and 2006, Lincoln in 2003 and 2005. Cheltenham are just one of a small handful of sides to have a 100% record at the Millennium Stadium (based on more than one game), one of the other 4^th tier playoff winners also has a 100% record at that Stadium, that being Blackpool. They have won their only playoff final there, as well as two Associate Members Trophies.

On the same note, Lincoln City are the only 4^th tier side with a 100% losing record (based on more than one game) at the Millennium Stadium.

Out of all 24 current 4^th tier sides, only Accrington, Boston and MK Dons (under any guise) have yet to make an appearance in this playoffs in any Football League division. MK Dons will end that run having been involved in this season’s playoffs.

Other than the afformentioned sides that have never an appearance in the playoffs, only Torquay United, Notts County, Stockport County and Wrexham have yet to make an appearance in the playoffs (at any level) since the turn of the Millennium out of the all the 24 4^th tier clubs.

Out of the 24 4^th tier teams, only Walsall, Shrewsbury and Hereford have won a playoff campaign at any level of football since the turn of the Millennium.

Only two 4^th tier semi finals have been decided by penalty shoot outs since the turn of the Millennium. Cheltenham beat Hartlepool in 2001/2 due to Ritchie Humphrey’s spot kick hitting the bar, post and keeper before somehow staying out. Mansfield also progressed via the spot against Northampton in 2003/4, only to lose in the final to a penalty shoot out against Huddersfield Town.

The smallest gap between two goals in a playoff game in the 4^th tier came in the Huddersfield Town vs Lincoln City match in the 2003/4 season. Richard Butcher drew the Imps level on aggregate before Mark Bailey put the Imps ahead just 66 seconds later.

In the 2002/3 final between Bournemouth and Lincoln, 5 of the 7 goals were scored by defenders. Ben Futcher and Mark Bailey on target for City, Stephen Purches and Carl Fletcher (twice) for Bournemouth.

In the 3 games involving Lincoln that season, a total of 16 goals were scored, with a further 4 goals being disallowed.

Since the beginning of the 1997/8 season, each of the finalists, with the exception of Lincoln and Darlington, have played in at least two different divisions.

As for the other finalists, Torquay United eventually won promotion in 2003/4, only to be relegated straight back and eventually relegated to the Conference this season.

Colchester have done fantastically well in that time, after winning promotion to the 3^rd tier in 1998, they went up to the Championship last season.

Leyton Orient tried for several years to win promotion, eventually doing it in 2005/6.

After winning promotion in 1999, Scunthorpe came straight back down, only win promotion in 2005 and then again in 2007. They will play next season in the Championship.

Peterborough United spent several years in the 3^rd tier after winning promotion in 2000. They were relegated back to the 4^th tier in 2005.

Blackpool have spent all their time in League One since winning promotion, however, they are in this season’s playoffs.

Cheltenham Town were relegated straight after winning promotion in 2001. They were promoted again in 2006.

They beat Rushden in 2001. The Diamonds won the 4^th tier in the following season, only to be relegated straight back and then relegated in 2006 to the Confence.

Bournemouth have stayed in the 3^rd tier since winning the playoffs in 2003, just 12 months after being relegated from the 3^rd tier.

Huddersfield Town have played in the 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th tier since the beginning of 1997/8. They have spent every year in the 3^rd tier since winning the playoffs in 2004. They beat Mansfield who won promotion to the 3^rd tier in 2001/2, only to be relegated the following year.

Southend United started this period of time in the 3^rd tier before getting relegated, they spent several years in the 4^th tier before winning the playoffs in 2005, they won the 3^rd tier the next year.

Grimsby Town started this time period in the 3^rd tier, winning promotion to the 2^nd tier. They spent several years struggling in the 2^nd tier before two straight relegations in 2003 and 2004

Since the commencement of the 1997/8 season, only Peterborough (5^th), Blackpool (7^th) and Cheltenham (5^th) have been the only sides to win the playoffs that didn’t finish in 4^th place.

Across all 3 playoff finals in 2002/3, Lincoln were the only losing side to score. QPR lost 1-0 to Cardiff, and Sheffield United lost 3-0.

In 2002/3, Lincoln, QPR and Sheffield United all had the south end of the ground, all lost. The same happened in 2004/5 as Lincoln, Hartlepool and Preston all lost whilst occupying the south end of the ground.

Across the 3 divisions in 2005/6, there were 12 semi finals and only one of those ended with the home side winning. That was Grimsby’s game at home to City.

The last final where the winners came from behind to take the victory was Blackpool’s win against Leyton Orient in 2000/1.

The smallest amount of fans supporting a team in the playoff final was Southend’s poultry sum of little over 6,000 fans that they took to Cardiff in 2004/5.

Since Blackpool’s victory in 2000/1, the team finishing 4^th have always appeared in the final, winning all but once.

Hartlepool have the most appearances in 4^th tier football without reaching the final, failing at the semi final stage in 3 successive seasons before winning promotion in 2002/3. They failed to make it past the 3^rd tier semis in 2003/4, but finally made the final in 2004/5, losing to Sheffield Wednesday after extra time.

2005/6 saw the most previous playoff winners taking part. Grimsby, Wycombe and Cheltenham had all won the playoffs, Lincoln were the only team never to have won it, despite making as many appearances as the other 3 sides combined.

The 2004/5 season saw 3 of the 4 sides taking part participate in a playoff campaign after a bad year the previous year. Despite finishing in the 2003/4 playoffs, Northampton Town had a bad season that year, nervously looking over their shoulder at the relegation zone until around January. Southend and Macclesfield both struggled against the drop that season.

Since the beginning of 1997/8, 3 of the playoff winners had been relegated to the 4^th tier just 12 months earlier.

In that same time period, Rushden became the only side in 4^th tier playoff history to make the playoff final in their first year in the football league.