Never in the 39 years of play-offs in English football has there ever been more of a controversial Championship final.
The Sordid Saga of Spygate
Hull City, having dispatched Millwall in the semi-final, spent 10 days preparing to face Southampton before the Saints were expelled from Saturday’s final for spying against semi-final opponents Middlesbrough, who were given their spot.
That left them with one training session – yes one – to prepare for new opponents. Middlesbrough meanwhile have been training for a week to face Hull, putting them at a massive advantage. Little wonder the Hull owner Acun Ilicali called foul and suggested the that his club should be handed promotion.
The EFL, being the EFL, didn’t do either. Presumably because money is more important to them than sporting integrity or being fair.
They kicked Southampton out for cheating in the face of fierce Middlesbrough and media pressure, which was overkill in itself. They promoted Middlesbrough who didn’t deserve a shot at the Premier League because they lost over two legs to Southampton.
And now they’ve penalised Hull City, the one team who got there fairly and squarely. What an absolute dog’s dinner.
In case you’re wondering about the effect of spying, I’ve spoken to a player this week who was on the wrong end of it in 2019 when Leeds were caught spying on Derby. They said the dressing room wasn’t bothered as in their view there was little to gain through a pair of binoculars or an mobile phone given the data and analytics. Makes you wonder why Southampton bothered, especially as the fallout threatens to decimate the club.
Anyway, amid the Spygate recrimination and blame game, a football match is breaking out and Saturday sees the richest game in club soccer take place at Wembley, with the winners earning an estimated $267,000,000 by reaching the Premier League.
Hull City
The Tigers nearly threw it away towards the end of the season yet they stand on the verge of greatness after surprising 3rd placed Millwall at the Den in the second leg of the semi-final, winning 2-0, following a 0-0 draw at home in the first leg.
They have been in the play-off position for 29 out of the 46 game weeks and looked set fair for a push at automatic promotion until a dramatic collapse in form almost saw them miss out. Having gone six consecutive games without a win in April, they dropped out of the play-off places heading into the final match but their victory against Norwich coupled with Wrexham’s draw against Middlesbrough saw them leapfrog the team from North Wales back into 6th.
Head coach Sergej Jakirovic said it had been a difficult few days and backing his owner, said promoting Hull would have been the “best idea”. “It’s not a question for me, but if you’re asking me, it’s the best scenario for our club,” he said.
Taking a philosophical view of the chaos of the last week, he said: “We prepared for at least seven days for Southampton because they won in the semi-finals and then, from Tuesday evening, we started to prepare for this game against Middlesbrough.
“Maybe it’s a little bit short, but we already faced Southampton twice and Middlesbrough, so we know everything about them and they know everything about us, so we will see on Saturday.”
Jakirovic received a major injury boost this week when Cody Drameh and Amir Hadžiahmetović were declared fit after missing the final weeks of the regular season and the semi-final win over Millwall.
Worse news is forward Kyle Joseph is out for 10 weeks after suffering a severe ankle injury in the semi-final second leg at The Den.
Middlesbrough
Sitting second as the run in started, Middlesbrough saw their automatic promotion hope disappear after a poor late February and March, Middlesbrough’s end of season form was good.
They were the better team for the first half hour of the play-off first leg against Southampton, but after that the Saints dominated, and were much the better team in the second leg, winning 2-1 on aggregate following a 0-0 at the Riverside.
Head coach Kim Hellberg said it had been hard to focus since the initial defeat to Southampton on Tuesday May 12, but appreciated his team had been given a second chance.
He said: “It’s been a crazy time, back and forth with a lot of emotions from losing the game, to being involved and trying to keep your head in the game for what may happen. I’m very happy to be here.”
He said he had been to Sweden with his son to get away from the furore, adding: “We tried to keep them [the players] here, but it’s been impossible to train. We had a meeting with them here on Monday to try to see where we’re at, but it’s been very, very difficult.”
EFL Championship player of the season Hayden Hackney has been passed fit to play in a major boost for Middlesbrough. He has been injured with a calf injury since March but is expected to start.
Tommy Conway picked up an injury in the play-off semi-final and will miss Saturday’s final.
Alex Bangura and Kaly Sene face late fitness assessments and may make the bench.
Head to Head and Form
In a bit of a rarity, both teams won the away game.
Boro beat Hull 4-1 at the MKM stadium in December 2025 under the then newly appointed Hellberg, while three weeks later Hull won 1-0 in the reverse fixture at the Riverside.
Both suffered a significant dip in form in the run in but recovered late to secure their play off spot.
Middlesbrough finished in 5th and Hull 6th with a gap of seven points. Middleborough’s goal difference was significantly better, 25 to Hull’s 4, even though goals scored was close 72 to 70.
Hull’s Achilles’ heel was their defence. Letting in 66 goals, you had to go down to 15th and Queen’s Park Rangers to find a team which had let in more.
Players to watch
Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney had not only been Boro’s best player, he was named the EFL Championship player of the season. The 23-year-old has been the best midfielder in the division and a major part of the Teesider’s success, with 5 goals and 7 assists. He ranked 1st in the Championship for primary shot assists and first for forward ball carries per 90 minutes. He ranked 2nd for passes that successfully broke the opposition’s backline.
Hull City’s goalscoring machine Oli McBurnie has somehow been overlooked for the Scotland World Cup squad, but Tigers’ fans will want him to take out that disappointment on Middlesbrough and fire Hull to the Premier League. Scoring 18 goals in 39 games, his final-day goals against Norwich saw his team over the line and into the play-offs. He was awarded Head Coaches’ player of the year while midfielder Regan Slater swept the board with the other awards.
Prediction
With all the chaos surrounding the final, it’s impossible to sense how the teams will actually perform. Middlesbrough are the better team and had a better season, but Hull have enjoyed the certainty of knowing they’re in the final for longer than the three days their opponents have.
Expect a tight game between two teams who can turn it on but who’s confidence is also fragile. We’ll go for Hull City, only because morally after everything that’s happened it would be the right result.
Nick has enjoyed a highly successful career in journalism and the media. He spent 23 years in the UK national print media, including 15 years on the Daily Telegraph as a senior reporter. He is also an experienced commentator and communications expert. His broadcast appearances include Newsnight, Sky News, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Television, BBC Radio Scotland and local television in Scotland and England. He currently hosts The Road to World Cup 26 podcast.
