EFL Play-Offs Preview: The Weekend’s Key Clashes

Leyton Orient vs Stockport County

Leyton Orient host Stockport County this weekend in the first League One play-off semi final. This will be a massive game for both sides, as neither have played in the second division for over 20 years. Stockport finished the season in third, having been sitting in and around the play-offs for most of the season. Meanwhile Leyton Orient’s second half surge saw them finish the season strongly, managing to scrape into sixth late on in the campaign.

Leyton Orient History

The last time the London based club were in the second division was all the way back in 1982. They were relegated in that season, finishing rock bottom of the league. Since then they have had to deal with extended periods in both League One and League Two and even two seasons in the National League during the last decade.

In late November, @leytonorientfc were sitting in the relegation zone! 😳

⏩ Fast forward to May and they are now potentially three games away from promotion!

What a turnaround! 👏#EFLPlayOffs | #StepUp pic.twitter.com/dKx7FVldym

— Sky Bet League One (@SkyBetLeagueOne) May 8, 2025

Orient haven’t had too much playoff success in their history. Back in 1989 was the only time that they managed a successful playoff campaign, earning promotion over the course of four matches. They won the first leg of their semi-final against Scarborough 2-0, and despite performing badly in the second leg, were still able to progress to the final. The first leg of the final ended 0-0 against Wrexham, but Orient were able to win the home leg 2-1, giving them a well earned promotion.

Stockport History

Even though Stockport have been in the second tier more recently than Leyton Orient, their recent history has been even more turbulent. They were relegated from the second tier, then called the first division, in 2002 and fell down the football league quickly after that. In 2014 they recorded their worst ever league finish, 14th in the National League North.

Like Leyton Orient, Stockport County have had just one successful playoff campaign. After finishing fourth in League Two in 2008, Stockport beat Wycombe Wanderers 2-1 over their two legged semi-final before meeting Rochdale in the final. The match was a hotly contested affair, but Stockport were able to get over the line with a 3-2 win.

Head to Head

This season both teams have one win each, so it will be interesting to see which side comes out on top over the two legs. Leyton Orient won the earlier meeting between the two clubs, smashing four past Stockport away from home in a 4-1 win. Stockport were able to scrape revenge at the beginning of February with a 1-0 win at Brisbane Road.

This match is taking place at 12:30pm on Saturday at Brisbane Road. It is the first League One playoff game this season and promises to be an interesting affair. Benjamin Speedie is taking charge of this game, having officiated two matches from each team this season.

Wycombe Wanderers vs Charlton Athletic

On Sunday, Wycombe Wanderers, who slipped up later in the season to fall all the way down to fifth, host Charlton Athletic. Both of these teams have been involved in the second tier much more recently than either Leyton Orient or Stockport. Wycombe started the season as relative outsiders for promotion, but like Charlton, were given a slight chance based on their history in the competition.

Wycombe Wanderers History

Despite a long history in the lower reaches of the English footballing pyramid, Wycombe reached the second tier for the first time in their history back in 2020/21. For the majority of that season fans weren’t allowed to watch their team in the stadium due to COVID regulations, so a return to the Championship this season would be a dream for their fans.

Wycombe have been promoted to the Championship after beating Oxford United in the play-off final.

Now this is the kind of football we can get behind. pic.twitter.com/cAyixo6vBy

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) July 13, 2020

Wycombe have won the League One playoffs before, back in 2020. The season ended early due to COVID, but Wycombe were given a third placed finish because of their average points per game. They won 4-1 against Fleetwood away from home in their first semi final leg, and from then on, that tie was essentially decided. They played Oxford United in the final at Wembley, winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Anthony Stewart and Joe Jacobson.

Charlton Athletic History

Historically the biggest club in the League One playoffs, Charlton have spent the majority of their history in one of the top two divisions. Since 2010, they have bounced between the Championship and League One, with their most recent exploits in the second tier having taken place five years ago.

Charlton actually have a pretty good record in the playoffs, having been promoted to the first tier twice via the playoffs. Their most recent triumph in such a competition was in 2019, when they earned promotion to the Championship after beating Sunderland at Wembley. The semi final was a difficult two legged tie against Doncaster, which Charlton only managed to get through on penalties. After that they had another close game, but were able to beat Sunderland in added time at the end of the game.

Head to Head

This season, Charlton have done the double over Wycombe, so their fans will be hoping to extend that to a quadruple over the two semi final legs. On aggregate, the two matches have ended 6-1 to the Addicks, which includes a 4-0 win away from home just a few weeks ago. That result started Wycombe’s late collapse which saw them throw away third in the league to finish fifth.

The match kicks off at 18:30 on Sunday at Adams Park. Wycombe aren’t in great form coming into this match, but they start with the home advantage which they’ll need to make count.

Notts County vs AFC Wimbledon

In the first League Two playoff match this season, Notts County take on AFC Wimbledon. Both sides have had good seasons, although Notts County will be disappointed that they missed out on automatic promotion, so that disappointment could be taken as inspiration for their performance this weekend.

Notts County History

Notts County are one of the most historic clubs in the world, however their recent history has seen them all the way down in the National League. The last time they were in League One was back in 2015, meaning that this current period is the longest in history where they haven’t been in the top three tiers of English football.

Aden Baldwin scores a 97th minute equaliser to force extra time in the National League play-off between Notts County and Boreham Wood 🤯

Play-off football always delivers drama 🤩pic.twitter.com/IKzcrHUMnp

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) May 7, 2023

Notts County have had a pretty good relationship with the playoffs, having earned back to back promotions this way back in the 90s to reach the top flight. Their most recent playoff success came in 2023, when they won the National League playoffs after finishing second to Wrexham. Both the semi final and the final were close, but eventually they worked their way back into the Football League with a penalty shootout win over Chesterfield.

AFC Wimbledon History

AFC Wimbledon’s history has been a short one, consisting of a meteoric rise up the divisions. Although Wimbledon FC is a historically successful club, the side moved to Milton Keynes in 2002 so a new club was formed by Wimbledon fans to replace the old one that was cruelly taken from them. They quickly rose up the divisions, reaching the heights of League One in 2016, staying there for six years.

Despite their short history, Wimbledon have managed to win a number of playoff campaigns. Their most recent one came in 2016, when they were promoted to League One for the first time in their history. They beat Accrington Stanley narrowly in the semi finals before two late goals saw them defeat Plymouth Argyle in the final at Wembley.

Head to Head

These two clubs have only faced off six times in their histories, with AFC Wimbledon coming out on top on every occasion bar their away fixture against Notts County earlier this season. With one win each in this campaign, it will be interesting to see who can come out on top over the course of a two-legged fixture.

The game takes place on Saturday, with kickoff at 20:00. Meadow Lane, one of the oldest grounds in the country, will host this match, with the reverse fixture taking place at the Cherry Red Records Stadium next weekend. Thomas Kirk will be the referee in this match, having taken charge of one game for each club this season.

Chesterfield vs Walsall

Like Notts County, Walsall will feel as if they should have done better this season, having been more than 10 points clear of second place just a few months ago. They finished the season in fourth, just one point behind Bradford City who clutched the last automatic promotion place with a late winner on the final day of the season. Chesterfield also managed to leap into the playoffs on the final day, as they won and Salford only managed a draw.

Chesterfield History

Chesterfield have actually spent the majority of their history in the third tier of English football, last playing in League One back in 2017. After their relegation that year, they fell all the way down into the National League, and were nearly even relegated from that division in 2020. It took them a while, but eventually last year they made a return to the Football League and are now looking for back to back promotions.

Surprisingly, Chesterfield have only ever had one successful playoff campaign, winning the 1995 playoffs from the fourth tier to earn promotion into the third. They beat Mansfield Town in extra time in the second leg of their playoff semi final at home, with the visitors reduced to nine men. They then went on to beat Bury in the final thanks to two first half goals.

Walsall History

Like Chesterfield, Walsall have spent nearly all of their history in the third tier. They were relegated back in 2019, and are yet to make it back there, despite being favourites on a number of occasions. They have recently tended to underperform in the league, with this being their longest stay in any division outside of the third tier. This season is the first time in six years that they have made a push for promotion, however it could have been a lot better had they not collapsed in the second half of the campaign.

Has there ever been a bottle job as bad as this Walsall one? Incredible collapse.. https://t.co/pmHjL2x7wy pic.twitter.com/vCQ2MptQCf

— Stefan (@StefHa_11) April 12, 2025

Despite not playing in the second tier much in their history Walsall have managed to earn promotion to there twice in their history, with the most recent time coming in 2001. They drew 0-0 away at Stoke in the first leg of their semi final, but beat them 4-2 at home in the return fixture, setting them up with a final against Reading. The game was close, going all the way to extra time, but a 109th minute goal from Walsall stopped the game going to penalties.

Head to Head

Chesterfield don’t have the best record against Walsall, having not beaten them in nearly 10 years. Admittedly they haven’t met much since then, but Chesterfield still had the opportunity to put that right this season, however they could only manage a draw at home before losing 3-1 at Walsall in February, despite taking an early lead.

This match is set to take place at the SMH Group Stadium in Chesterfield on Sunday, with kick off at 15:30. Having home advantage, Chesterfield will likely want to start strongly, but Walsall will defend with the knowledge that they can overturn a small deficit when they face at home.