How beaten the play-off finalists fared the following year as Leeds United bid for a comeback

The emotion and rawness of Leeds United’s play-off final defeat will linger over the coming weeks, but preparations for a second successive Championship spell will be well underway.

The Whites came within 90 minutes of returning to the Premier League, losing automatic promotion to Ipswich Town on the final day, with the play-off lottery deciding their fate. A convincing second leg victory over Norwich City set up a return to Wembley 16 years on from their last visit with their opponents Southampton having beaten them twice in the league season.

But Daniel Farke was unable to add to his two previous promotions with the Canaries as Adam Armstrong’s first-half strike proved to be the decisive strike in the capital. It capped off a long and grueling season – one that was fraught with many risks but ended without any reward.

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The financial impact of defeat in football’s most lucrative fixture will be long-lasting, with Leeds supporters already preparing for life without some of their best performers this campaign. Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto and Archie Gray have been linked with a move away from Elland Road amid reports suggesting the Yorkshire club owe £190m in transfer fees, of which £73m sterling must be paid by the end of the year. next month.

While uncertainty will remain surrounding the players and the manager, one thing is certain and that is the focus of the upcoming campaign. Promotion. But achieving this feat may prove more difficult than anticipated, with Leeds Live taking a look at how previous play-off finalists lost the following season.

Coventry City – 9th

The Sky Blues continued their upward trajectory under Mark Robins, earning promotions to League Two and League One in previous seasons. The 2022/23 campaign saw them fifth in the table, ending the regular league season with one defeat in their last 16 league games.

After beating Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-final, the Premier League clubs dream will come to an end at Wembley at the hands of Luton Town. With the game tied after extra time, Fankaty Dabo’s missed penalty proved to be the difference as Rob Edwards fired the Hatters into the top flight.

Coventry would lose both Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer in the summer, but would replace them with the likes of Haji Wright and Ellis Simms, who would help them enjoy another successful season. They would miss out on the play-offs again, finishing ninth, but would enjoy a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, again losing on penalties at Wembley, this time to Manchester. United.

Huddersfield Town – 18th place

In rather contrasting circumstances, Huddersfield Town struggled at the bottom end of the Championship table after losing in the play-off final to Nottingham Forest in the 2021/22 campaign. The game was decided two minutes before the half-time whistle as Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill headed home James Garner’s teasing delivery in the box.

Carlos Corberan resigned before the season started to take up a role with Greek side Olympiacos, with Danny Schofield named as the new head coach. But his tenure would end just nine games into the league campaign, with the Terriers picking up just four points from a possible 27.

That season would see two further managerial changes, with veteran manager Neil Warnock returning to the club he had managed 30 years earlier to oversee the final two months of Huddersfield’s campaign, leading them to safety with nine points, and the club from Yorkshire ended the season with three. consecutive triumphs.

Swansea City – 15th place

Swansea finished 2020/21 in fourth place under Steve Cooper with hopes of returning to the Premier League for the first time in two seasons. After losing in the play-off semi-finals the previous campaign to Brentford, the Welsh side secured a trip to Wembley against the same opponents after beating Barnsley in the two-legged semi-final.

But the Bees emerged victorious in the capital, with goals from Ivan Toney and Emiliano Marcondes securing the London club’s participation in the Premier League for the first time in their history. The 2021/22 campaign began with a managerial change as Russell Martin arrived from MK Dons in South Wales six days before the season started.

It’s been a term full of indifferent results, with the Swans managing 61 points over the course of the campaign, but it did include two convincing wins over rivals Cardiff City. Martin steered his side to a top-half finish the following season before completing a move to Southampton, winning promotion to the Premier League after beating the Whites at Wembley.