Rochdale's Wembley Heroics Fuel Fresh Push for Three-Up, Three-Down System
Dale's dramatic penalty shootout victory over Boreham Wood after a two-goal comeback has given National League bosses fresh ammunition in their campaign to pry open the EFL's promotion trapdoor.
Nothing quite says 'football's beautiful madness' like watching a team rack up 106 points in a season only to need a penalty shootout at Wembley to actually get promoted. Yet that's precisely the melodrama Rochdale endured to secure their return to the EFL, and it's given National League chiefs the perfect stick to beat the Football League with.
Phil Alexander, the National League's chief executive, has wasted no time in dusting off the old three-up, three-down proposal following Dale's heart-stopping victory over Boreham Wood. And frankly, after watching Rochdale come back from two goals down with just 12 minutes of normal time remaining before triumphing on penalties, you'd be hard-pressed to argue they didn't deserve an easier route back.
The current system feels particularly cruel when you consider that a club can amass over 100 points – a tally that would have won most League Two titles in recent memory – yet still face the lottery of play-offs. It's the footballing equivalent of acing your A-levels but still having to sit an entrance exam for university.
Alexander's timing is shrewd, mind you. The proposal was discussed at an EFL clubs meeting back in March but never made it to a vote – presumably because turkeys don't typically vote for Christmas, and relegated clubs aren't keen on making their return journey any more perilous.
The National League boss has a decent case study in Bromley, who secured promotion from the fifth tier two years ago and have just gone and won the League Two title. It rather undermines the argument that National League sides aren't ready for the rigours of EFL football, doesn't it?
For Rochdale, this Wembley triumph represents the end of a brief but uncomfortable sojourn in non-league football. Their 106-point haul suggests they were always too good for the National League, but football's funny old game has a habit of making even the most deserving teams sweat for their rewards.
The three-up, three-down debate isn't going anywhere, and Alexander knows it. With examples like Bromley's immediate success and Rochdale's points total providing compelling evidence, the pressure on the EFL to expand promotion opportunities will only intensify.
Whether the Football League's member clubs will eventually buckle remains to be seen. But after watching Dale's dramatic comeback under Wembley's arch, it's hard to argue against giving more teams the chance to write their own promotion stories without the added jeopardy of play-off roulette.