TIME FOR RICK TO DO THE TRICK!

IT will be 22 years at the end of this season since Francis Tierney tapped in to send Doncaster Rovers back into the Football League.

- MATT BADCOCK

Not only was his strike against Yeovil Town the first and last time a Golden Goal has won promotion in England, it was also the first time a second team had gone up from the, then, Conference into the Football League through play-offs.

Since that day in May 2003, 21 other sides have followed the same path through the jeopardy of the play-off system.

Of course, the National League's format has expanded from four teams to six teams and has largely been seen as a successful twist on the traditional four-team schedule.

Look, play-offs aren't fair.

That's not the point of them.

If football was opting for fairness then, throughout the leagues, it would be solely decided on league position.

But they bring drama, unmissable games that teeter on the knife edge, keep more seasons alive ahead of the run-in and, when successful, are an unforgettable way to get promoted.

But the promotion system throughout English football isn't fair either and that's why the debate around three up, three down has festered for more than a decade.

It is madness League Two has three automatic promotion spots, a fourth through the play-offs but only two clubs are liable for relegation.