2012 Football League play-offs

Football League play-offs
Season	2011–12
Champions	West Ham United; (Championship); Huddersfield Town; (League One); Crewe Alexandra; (League Two)
Matches played	15
Goals scored	31 (2.07 per match)
Biggest home win	West Ham 3–0 Cardiff; (Championship)
Biggest away win	Cardiff 0–2 West Ham; (Championship); MK Dons 0–2 Huddersfield; (League One)
Highest scoring	Birmingham 2–2 Blackpool; Southend 2–2 Crewe; (4 goals)
Highest attendance	78,523 – Blackpool v West Ham; (Championship final)
Lowest attendance	3,606 – Torquay v Cheltenham; (League Two semi-final)
Average attendance	22,195
	← 2011 2013 →

The Football League play-offs for the 2011–12 season (referred to as the npower Football League Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2012. All finals took place at Wembley Stadium in London.

The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th-placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals went through to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.

The semi-final matches were played from 3 to 17 May 2012. The finals were held between 19 and 27 May 2012.^[1]

Background

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.

Championship

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	West Ham United	46	24	14	8	81	48	+33	86
4	Birmingham City	46	20	16	10	78	51	+27	76
5	Blackpool	46	20	15	11	79	59	+20	75
6	Cardiff City	46	19	18	9	66	53	+13	75

Semi-finals

First leg

3 May 2012

19:45

Cardiff City	0–2	West Ham United
	Report	Collison 9', 41'

Cardiff City Stadium, Cardiff

Attendance: 23,029

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

4 May 2012

19:45

Blackpool	1–0	Birmingham City
Davies 45' (o.g.)	Report

Bloomfield Road, Blackpool

Attendance: 13,832

Referee: Mark Halsey

Second leg

7 May 2012

16:30

West Ham United	3–0	Cardiff City
Nolan 15' Vaz Tê 41' Maynard 90'	Report

Boleyn Ground, London

Attendance: 34,682

Referee: Mike Dean

West Ham United won 5–0 on aggregate.

9 May 2012

19:45

Birmingham City	2–2	Blackpool
Žigić 64' Davies 73'	Report	Dobbie 45' M. Phillips 48'

St Andrew's, Birmingham

Attendance: 28,483

Referee: Chris Foy

Blackpool won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

19 May 2012

15:00

Blackpool	1–2	West Ham United
Ince 48'	Report	Cole 35' Vaz Tê 87'

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 78,523

Referee: Howard Webb

League One

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Sheffield United	46	27	9	10	92	51	+41	90
4	Huddersfield Town	46	21	18	7	79	47	+32	81
5	Milton Keynes Dons	46	22	14	10	84	47	+37	80
6	Stevenage	46	21	10	15	69	44	+25	73

Semi-finals

First leg

11 May 2012

19:45

Stevenage	0–0	Sheffield United
	Report

Lamex Stadium, Stevenage

Attendance: 5,802

Referee: Anthony Bates

12 May 2012

12:30

Milton Keynes Dons	0–2	Huddersfield Town
	Report	Rhodes 32' Hunt 73'

Stadium mk, Milton Keynes

Attendance: 11,893

Referee: Darren Deadman

Second leg

14 May 2012

19:45

Sheffield United	1–0	Stevenage
Porter 85'	Report

Bramall Lane, Sheffield

Attendance: 21,182

Referee: Nigel Miller

Sheffield United won 1–0 on aggregate.

15 May 2012

19:45

Huddersfield Town	1–2	Milton Keynes Dons
Rhodes 18'	Report	Powell 39' Smith 90+2'

Galpharm Stadium, Huddersfield

Attendance: 15,085

Referee: Scott Mathieson

Huddersfield Town won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

26 May 2012

15:00

Huddersfield Town	0–0 (a.e.t.)	Sheffield United
	Report
Penalties
Miller Johnson Lee Clarke Arfield Rhodes Roberts Woods Hunt Morrison Smithies	8–7	Williamson Collins Lowton Taylor Porter Quinn Maguire Doyle O'Halloran Hill Simonsen