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Leeds United will start as favourites to win the League One play-offs

FOUR of Yeovil Town's Coca-Cola League One rivals are gearing themselves up for the end-of-season drama of the play-offs.

For one team it will result in promotion joy to the Championship, but for the other three it will mean another season in League One.

But who - out of Southend United, Doncaster Rovers, Leeds United and Carlisle United - will be celebrating at Wembley on the evening of Sunday, May 25.

It is a tough call to make because after 46 league games in which those sides have managed to finish in the play-offs, it is now down to what is basically cup football.

On paper you would have to say that Leeds are the favourites to win the play-offs and with it promotion back to the Championship at the first time of asking.

Despite having started the season with the well-publicised deduction of 15 points, as well as a change of manager midway through the campaign, Leeds have done brilliantly to have finished in fifth spot.

They will entertain Carlisle United on Monday at 7.45pm at a packed Elland Road in their semi-final first leg.

Carlisle, under the guidance of the experienced and respected manager John Ward, have also enjoyed an excellent season and are probably disappointed not to have gained automatic promotion.

The other semi-final between Southend United, who finished sixth, and Doncaster Rovers, who finished third, kicks-off tonight at Roots Hall at 7.45pm.

Doncaster will be going into the game having had less than a week to get over the heartbreak of missing out on automatic promotion last Saturday. Their 2-1 defeat at Cheltenham Town, coupled with Nottingham Forest's 3-2 win over Yeovil Town, meant that it was Colin Calderwood's side who finished runners-up behind champions Swansea City.

Will the Doncaster players have put that huge disappointment behind them in readiness for the play-offs? Time will tell.

Southend, meanwhile, have gone about their League One business this season quietly and effectively and to reach the play-offs is a commendable achievement following their relegation from the Championship last term.

The second legs take place next when Carlisle will entertain Leeds on Thursday, May 15, and Doncaster play host to Southend the following night.

But who will be celebrating promotion at the end of this exciting climax?

It is anyone's guess. But me personally? Although Leeds will start as favourites, I've got a sneaky feeling that Southend will be joining Swansea and Forest in the Championship.

4:44pm Friday 9th May 2008

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