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During the last few weeks of the domestic football season, there were only two teams battling it out for the Premiership title and that is the way it has been for the last couple of seasons. However in the Championship (English second division), there is a lot more competition not only for the top two places, but also the play offs. I guess what makes the fight for the finish line even more interesting in the Championship, is the award at the end of it. Promotion from the Championship to the Premier League can now result in a financial reward of between 40 and 60 million! The Play Off final for the final promotion place takes place on the 28th May and there as more at stake on this one game than both English Cup Finals put together.

The contenders for the Play Offs was still to be decided on the last day of the domestic season, with up to eight teams still within reach of the Play Off semi-finals, that in itself shows how competitive the English Championship can be. The final four teams consisted of Derby County (who missed out on Automatic promotion behind Birmingham City and champions Sunderland by just one point), West Bromwich Albion, Wolverhampton Wanderers and finally Southampton. The Semi's were close run affairs with Derby beating Southampton and a Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton, seeing West Bromwich coming out as victors. So the 60 million match on Monday 28th will be between Derby and West Bromwich. I'd be intrigued to hear of any other match in the world, where the prize is so vast?

Learn more about this author, Paul Dickson.
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