The magic of the play-offs

For Gillingham, Scunthorpe and Burnley, this May Bank Holiday weekend has really been something special. For Shrewsbury, Millwall and Sheffield United, it's been a nightmare.

And that is all because of 90 minutes of football which took place at Wembley Stadium.

The play-offs have always had their critics, and I suppose those will look at the three winners this year and point out that none of them would have gone up in the days before the play-offs, with the Gills and Clarets having both finished fifth, while Scunthorpe ended League One in sixth.

But for drama, excitement and brilliant days out, you just can't beat the play-offs.

All three of the finals were intriguing games, and all three were ultimately enjoyable.

On Saturday it all kicked off with the Gills against the Shrews. They had history - the Shrews won 7-0 when the two clubs met in September - but were arguably the two form teams going into the play-offs.

And at Wembley they played out a clash which was a cracking advert for League Two. The Gills - playing some wonderful football - dominated the first half, but the Shrews were on top in the second. Both keepers had saves to make, with Shrews stopper Luke Daniels making the best of them.

But just as the game was heading to extra-time, Daniels was beaten by a Simeon Jackson header and the Gills were up, a year after relegation.

If the League Two game was cagey, the League One clash was a cracker from start to finish. It got an early goal through Scunthorpe's Matt Sparrow, but Millwall's Gary Alexander turned the game on its head with two goals in two minutes - the first a screamer.

But the Iron, whose fans were heavily outnumbered, hit back and Sparrow netted again before Martyn Woolford won it to ensure they - like the Gills - bounced straight back from the drop.

And then it was the "most expensive game ever" on Monday as Burnley and Sheffield United went head-to-head for the final place in the Premier League.

There was just one goal, and it was worthy of the top flight as Wade Elliott side-footed home superbly from 25 yards to take the Clarets up.

The Blades - still rueing the Carlos Tevez affair - gave it a good go, but it was always Burnley who looked more likely to score the second goal, and in the end they held on.

I never thought that Burnley, Stoke and Hull would all be in the Premier League one day, but fair play to them all.

For those that doubt the play-offs, just look back at the last weekend - and the joy for all three of those teams playing and winning at Wembley. For smaller clubs, it really is a huge treat.