The Fairytale Play-Off Final for the biggest prize in football
The Athletic FC Podcast
The Athletic
4.0 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 25 May 2023
⏱️ 33 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As recently as 2018 both Coventry City and Luton Town were playing one another in League Two, yet on Saturday meet at Wembley for a place in the Premier League next season.
Luton having climbed back from dropping out in the EFL in 2009 and Coventry City, who have been 'homeless' due to stadium disputes and evictions during the last decade both have the chance of returning to the top flight.
Mark Champman is alongside Matt Slater, Richard Sutcliffe and Nancy Froston to discuss football's 'Richest Game' and the impact this season's Championship Play-Off Final could have for its winner.
Produced by Guy Clarke
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Athletic |
| 0:02.7 | They were both in League 2, only five years ago, |
| 0:08.6 | yet Saturday offers Coventry City and Luton Town a place in the Premier League. |
| 0:14.2 | Is this season's championship playoff final the ultimate Cinderella story? |
| 0:19.7 | I'm Mark Chapman. |
| 0:22.8 | This is the Athletic Football Podcast. |
| 0:43.3 | It was homeless. It was at war, but they refused to go under. They're heading to Wembley. |
| 0:49.3 | Joining us for this one, the Athletics Max Later and Richard Sutcliffe, as well as our |
| 0:57.3 | EFL writer Nancy Froston, will be with us very shortly too. |
| 1:01.7 | And it is, isn't it, Richard? |
| 1:03.4 | It is a fairy tale final. |
| 1:04.8 | In fact, it was a fairy tale playoffs, given the background of the four clubs. |
| 1:10.3 | Absolutely. |
| 1:27.8 | You know, Sunderland, we know, three, four years down in league one. But particularly, you know, I look in town, I saw them play York City, and they got beating the conference playoff final at Wendb, I think 2012, 2013. I think coming to the league for another couple of years, I think 2014. And to get where they've got, through good management as well, it's not thrown money at it. I would imagine, I don't know if Coventry's |
| 1:33.1 | wage bill will be slightly lower than Luton, but I bet they're one of the few clubs that are lower |
| 1:37.2 | than Luton's wage bill. So to have these two there, I just think it's fantastic. |
| 1:41.4 | It sort of gives everybody hope, doesn't it, Matt? I mean, |
| 1:44.6 | the number of podcasts we've done on sport business or how to run a football club or investments |
| 1:50.4 | and so on and so forth, well, you know, you go back to 2018, both sides were in league two, |
| 1:58.1 | you go back to 2014, as Richard says. Luton were in the National League. |
| 2:02.2 | So for those listening further afield, |
| 2:04.3 | that's the fifth tier of English football. |
... |
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