The Football League play-offs for the 2012–13 season (referred to as the npower Football League Play-Offs for sponsorship reasons) were held in May 2013 with all finals being staged at Wembley Stadium in London.
 | |
| Season | 2012–13 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (Championship) Yeovil Town (League One) Bradford City (League Two) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 36 (2.4 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Watford 3–1 Leicester (Championship) |
| Biggest away win | Burton 1–3 Bradford (League Two) |
| Highest scoring | Brentford 3–3 Swindon (6 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 82,025 – Crystal Palace v Watford (Championship Final) |
| Lowest attendance | 5,955 – Cheltenham v Northampton (League Two semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 23,077 |
← 2012 2014 → | |
The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs, contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Championship and League One and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th-placed teams in the League Two table. The winners of the semi-finals advanced to the finals, with the winner of the final gaining promotion for the following season.
Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.
Championship
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Watford | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 85 | 58 | +27 | 77 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 69 | 43 | +26 | 75 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 73 | 62 | +11 | 72 |
| 6 | Leicester City | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 71 | 48 | +23 | 68 |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 1 | |||||||||
| 3 | Watford | 0 | |||||||||
| 6 | Leicester City | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 3 | Watford | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Watford won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–2 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Zaha  69', 88' |
Crystal Palace won 2–0 on aggregate.
Final
League One
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 79 |
| 4 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 71 | 56 | +15 | 77 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 56 | 42 | +14 | 75 |
| 6 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 72 | 39 | +33 | 74 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Yeovil Town won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Brentford | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| A. Rooney 24' (o.g.) Donaldson 40', 47' | Report | A. Rooney 44' Devera 57'Flint 90+5' |
| Penalties | ||
Saunders  Hayes Dean Craig Forshaw | 5–4 | Devera Flint Collins Storey Roberts |
Brentford 4–4 Swindon Town on aggregate. Brentford won 5–4 on penalties.
Final
League Two
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Burton Albion | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 71 | 65 | +6 | 76 |
| 5 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 58 | 51 | +7 | 75 |
| 6 | Northampton Town | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 64 | 55 | +9 | 73 |
| 7 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 63 | 52 | +11 | 69 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Bradford City | 2–3 | Burton Albion |
|---|---|---|
| Wells 37' (pen.) Thompson 75' | Report | Zola 22', 27' Weir 44' |
- Second leg
| Burton Albion | 1–3 | Bradford City |
|---|---|---|
| Maghoma 55' (pen.) | Report | Wells 27', 57' Hanson 50' |
Bradford City won 5–4 on aggregate.
Northampton Town won 2–0 on aggregate.
Final
| Bradford City | 3–0 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Hanson 15' McArdle 19'Wells 28' | Report |