It was only in 2006 that Swansea lost a League One playoff final on penalties. Five years on however, the Swans are celebrating a remarkable rise following a Championship playoff final triumph, after they managed to record a 4-2 victory over Reading.

Brendan Rodgers’ men couldn’t have wished for a better opening forty five minutes after two goals from Scott Sinclair and one from Stephen Dobbie gave them a significant half time advantage. The first came from the penalty spot after the nippy Nathan Dyer was unceremoniously brought down in the area by Zurab Khizanishvili. Sinclair stepped up and coolly dispatched, before shortly adding a second after goalkeeper Adam Federici had failed to deal with a cross. Dobbie then completed a first half of amazing success after calmly finishing following more good work down the wings.

However, the tie was turned into at least something of a contest not long into the second half. Firstly, an own goal from Joe Allen occurred just two minutes in, before a Matt Mills header gave Reading a huge lifeline. However, they could not capitalize and in the end, another Sinclair penalty not just confirmed his hat trick, but also Swansea’s promotion.

The result means that within six years, Swansea have travelled from League Two to the Premier League. It also means that Brendan Rodgers has most certainly restored his reputation and having failed so miserably in his last job, coincidently at today’s opponents Reading, this achievement definitely reestablishes him as one of the top, young, British managers of today.

As for Reading, they will have to go back to the drawing board as they launch another bid to return to the top flight next season. Their task is likely to be much trickier however, with several big name players such as Shane Long and Adam Federici both linked with moves away from the Madejski Stadium already. If Brian McDermott can keep his squad together though, the Royals will have an excellent chance of making a return to the Premiership after a four year absence.

They set out their intentions from the start; they wanted Wimbledon to have a football club that was playing in the Football League. That was stated all the way back in 2002 when AFC Wimbledon was founded, after the original Wimbledon opted to incredibly move over 50 miles away to Milton Keynes and then rename themselves MK Dons.

Ever since then the whole country has seemingly been supporting them and eight years on, AFC Wimbledon can proudly announce themselves as a Football League club. The Dons, who finished 2^nd in the Conference this season, beat Luton on penalties in the playoff final this afternoon to claim their place in League Two.

The game had finished at a 0-0 deadlock and following a tense period of extra time, it all came down to penalties. In the end, Alex Lawless and Jason Walker were the unfortunate pair of Luton players that missed their spot-kicks, gifting the Dons their fourth promotion in seven seasons. It certainly proved to be a hugely frustrating day for Walker, who also saw a late header hit the post at the end of normal time.

Ironically, only a few days ago MK Dons were knocked out of the League One playoffs, meaning that just one division separates the two sides now. However, while many supporters deserted the Dons when they relocated, there is no doubting that they are now one of the strongest outfits in League One. Bankrolled by a wealthy chairman, the Stadium:mk side also have one of the most highly rated managers in the Football League in Karl Robinson and it’s even thought that the 30-year-old is being courted by managerless West Ham. At the moment however, there is no question as to who is the happier between the two clubs, as AFC Wimbledon start their planning towards another promotion.

Welsh side Swansea booked their place in the Championship playoff final following a thrilling 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest last night.

Following a goalless draw in the first leg, there was everything to play for as Forest travelled down to the Liberty Stadium although the tie swung completely in favor of the home side in the space of just five first half minutes. Goals from Leon Britton and Stephen Dobbie put the Swans 2-0 ahead, only for Rob Earnshaw to grab a goal back in the second half to make things interesting. Forest pushed and pushed yet Lee Camp’s decision to go up for a late corner to prove costly, as Darren Pratley broke away to crack home an effort into the empty net from the halfway line.

The result caps a fantastic season for Swansea, who only finished four points away from the automatic positions after ending the season in 3^rd. As for Nottingham Forest, it’s yet more disappointment and their supporters must be bitterly frustrated after failing at the same hurdle last year.

However, Billy Davies is remaining optimistic and insists he is there to stay at the club and try to win promotion in his third attempt. However, he’ll be hoping for more of an assault on the automatic positions as the playoffs clearly aren’t his forte with the former Derby manager losing four playoff semi-finals through his career.

The second playoff semi-final takes place tonight as Cardiff host Reading at the Cardiff City Stadium. Neutral supporters will be hoping for a similarly eventful game to the one witnessed last night, after the first leg clash between these two also ended goalless last week. If the Bluebirds can manage to pull through, the Premier League will be home to a Welsh club for the first time in its history.