Golden goals: Peter Shirtliff (1987)

It is hard to think of the Football League without the play-off system in place. The drama provided by the end of season fixtures is a perfect conclusion to the league season - for neutrals at least - with the race to reach the play-offs just as exciting. Gaining promotion via this method is the sweetest thing; losing, the bitterest pill.

The first season of the play-offs was a mere appetiser for the feast that has followed since. There would be no Wembley showpiece final - this was introduced in 1990 - yet this did not take anything away from the entertainment, suspense and intrigue surrounding the new end of season events. Change can sometimes be good; the 1986/87 play-offs proved this point emphatically.