OPINION
Between now and the end of May, if you had a pound for every time you hear the words “play-off” and “lottery” in the same sentence, you could probably afford to book yourself a corporate box at Wembley for the final.
Year after year we are told that these last few games, played under a unique kind of pressure, rip up the form book completely.
It’s almost as if the play-offs are their own mini-season, a fresh start for teams, whether that be for better or for worse.
For a side approaching them in the kind of form that Aston Villa are showing, for instance, they are a great opportunity. Unbeaten in 12, including a club record 10 wins in the middle of that run, this is a team raring to go.
At the other end of the spectrum, Leeds have stumbled and staggered their way through the final few weeks of their campaign.
A disastrous Easter weekend led to a botched attempt at going up automatically, and now means that they must go through purgatory of the play-offs, with a third-placed finish likely.
A draw against relegated Ipswich Town would be enough to secure that spot, and if they can, there might yet still be cause for serious hope.
Speaking on talkSPORT (May 3rd, 9.25am), Ally McCoist revealed a stat that might ease a few nerves in Yorkshire.
According to the Scot, over the course of the last 27 play-offs, the third-placed side have gone up most often.
Over the course of that period, the team in third have gone up 10 times, compared to four times for the team in fourth, eight times for the team in fifth, and five times for the team in sixth.
It’s no guarantee of anything, but it shows that there is still plenty left to be fighting for.