2013 Football League play-offs

Football League play-offs
Season	2012–13
Champions	Crystal Palace; (Championship); Yeovil Town; (League One); Bradford City; (League Two)
Matches played	15
Goals scored	36 (2.4 per match)
Biggest home win	Watford 3–1 Leicester; (Championship)
Biggest away win	Burton 1–3 Bradford; (League Two)
Highest scoring	Brentford 3–3 Swindon; (6 goals)
Highest attendance	82,025 – Crystal Palace v Watford; (Championship Final)
Lowest attendance	5,955 – Cheltenham v Northampton; (League Two semi-final)
Average attendance	23,077
	← 2012 2014 →

The Football League play-offs for the 2012–13 season (referred to as the npower Football League Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2013 with all finals being staged 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 advanced to the finals, with the winner of the final 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.

Championship

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Watford	46	23	8	15	85	58	+27	77
4	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	19	18	9	69	43	+26	75
5	Crystal Palace	46	19	15	12	73	62	+11	72
6	Leicester City	46	19	11	16	71	48	+23	68

Semi-finals					Final

5	Crystal Palace	0	2	2

4	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	0	0
					5	Crystal Palace	1

					3	Watford	0
6	Leicester City	1	1	2

3	Watford	0	3	3

Semi-finals

First leg

9 May 2013

19:45 BST

Leicester City	1–0	Watford
Nugent 82'	Report

King Power Stadium, Leicester

Attendance: 29,650

Referee: Neil Swarbrick

10 May 2013

19:45 BST

Crystal Palace	0–0	Brighton & Hove Albion
	Report

Selhurst Park, London

Attendance: 23,294

Referee: Michael Oliver

Second leg

12 May 2013

12:30 BST

Watford	3–1	Leicester City
Vydra 15', 65' Deeney 90+7'	Report	Nugent 19'

Vicarage Road, Watford

Attendance: 16,142

Referee: Michael Oliver

Watford won 3–2 on aggregate.

13 May 2013

19:45 BST

Brighton & Hove Albion	0–2	Crystal Palace
	Report	Zaha 69', 88'

Falmer Stadium, Falmer

Attendance: 29,518

Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Crystal Palace won 2–0 on aggregate.

Final

27 May 2013

15:00 BST

Crystal Palace	1–0 (a.e.t.)	Watford
Phillips 105+1' (pen.)	Report

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 82,025

Referee: Martin Atkinson

League One

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
3	Brentford	46	21	16	9	62	47	+15	79
4	Yeovil Town	46	23	8	15	71	56	+15	77
5	Sheffield United	46	19	18	9	56	42	+14	75
6	Swindon Town	46	20	14	12	72	39	+33	74

Semi-finals

First leg

3 May 2013

19:45 BST

Sheffield United	1–0	Yeovil Town
McFadzean 46'	Report

Bramall Lane, Sheffield

Attendance: 15,262

Referee: Stuart Attwell

4 May 2013

17:20 BST

Swindon Town	1–1	Brentford
Luongo 70'	Report	O'Connor 90+4' (pen.)

County Ground, Swindon

Attendance: 10,595

Referee: Geoff Eltringham

Second leg

6 May 2013

13:30 BST

Yeovil Town	2–0	Sheffield United
Dawson 6' Upson 85'	Report

Huish Park, Yeovil

Attendance: 8,152

Referee: Phil Gibbs

Yeovil Town won 2–1 on aggregate.

6 May 2013

16:30 BST

Brentford	3–3 (a.e.t.)	Swindon Town
A. Rooney 24' (o.g.) Donaldson 40', 47'	Report	A. Rooney 44' Devera 57' Flint 90+5'
Penalties
Saunders Hayes Dean Craig Forshaw	5–4	Devera Flint Collins Storey Roberts