1994 Football League play-offs
| Season | 1993–94 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Leicester City (First Division) Burnley (Second Division) Wycombe Wanderers (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win |
Preston 4–1 Torquay (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win |
Millwall 1–3 Derby (First Division) Plymouth 1–3 Burnley (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring |
Preston 2–4 Wycombe (6 goals) |
| Highest attendance |
73,671 – Derby v Leicester (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance |
4,440 – Torquay v Preston (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 20,348 |
|
← 1993 1995 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 1993–94 season were held in May 1994, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.
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.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 58 | 49 | +9 | 74 |
| 4 | Leicester City | 46 | 19 | 16 | 11 | 72 | 59 | +13 | 73 |
| 5 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 72 |
| 6 | Derby County | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 73 | 68 | +5 | 71 |
After just missing out on the playoffs a year earlier, Millwall made a stronger challenge for promotion to the Premier League this time around, finishing third and qualifying for the playoffs. Leicester City, beaten finalists in the previous two seasons, qualified for the playoffs by finishing fourth. Tranmere Rovers, who had just missed out on a place in the League Cup final, made another strong challenge in the league and qualified for the playoffs for the second season running. The final playoff place went to Derby County.
The final ended up being an East Midlands clash as Leicester and Derby won in the semi-finals, and Leicester secured promotion after seven years outside the flight by winning the final 2-1 with both of their goals coming from long-serving Steve Walsh. The final was Leicester's seventh appearance at Wembley but the first game they had won there.
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Leicester City won 2–1 on aggregate.
18 May 1994 19:45 |
| Millwall | 1–3 | Derby County |
|---|---|---|
Berry  63' |
Gabbiadini 16' Johnson 22'Van Den Hauwe 42' (o.g.) |
Derby County won 5–1 on aggregate.
Final
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 88 | 56 | +32 | 85 |
| 4 | Stockport County | 46 | 24 | 13 | 9 | 74 | 44 | +30 | 85 |
| 5 | York City | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 75 |
| 6 | Burnley | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 79 | 58 | +21 | 73 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Stockport County won 1–0 on aggregate.
Burnley won 3–1 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 42 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 67 | 53 | +14 | 70 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 42 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 67 |
| 6 | Torquay United | 42 | 17 | 16 | 9 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 67 |
| 7 | Carlisle United | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 57 | 42 | +15 | 64 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
18 May 1994 19:45 |
| Preston North End | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
| Ellis 8' Moyes 43'Hicks 52'Raynor 116' |
Goodridge 15' |
Preston North End won 4–3 on aggregate.
Wycombe Wanderers won 4–1 on aggregate.
Final
28 May 1994 15:00 |
| Preston North End | 2–4 | Wycombe Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Bryson 32' Raynor 37' |
Squires 33' (o.g.) Garner 47'Carroll 57', 72' |