OXFORD United will head into the second tier of English football knowing the survival record for previous play-off winners is pretty healthy.

Since the play-offs were first introduced at the end of the 1986/87 season, only six winning teams have dropped straight back to the third tier.

Walsall, the second side to win the third tier play-offs, finished bottom of Division Two the following campaign, while Burnley also suffered relegation a year on from their promotion in 1994.

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It took almost two decades for another third tier play-off winner to face the drop the following season, with Yeovil Town finishing bottom of Sky Bet Championship in the 2013/14 campaign.

League One play-off winners Rotherham United, Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers were relegated in successive seasons between 2019 and 2021.

Two sides though, Notts County and Manchester City, have managed to achieve back-to-back promotions after winning the third tier play-offs, doing so in 1991 and 2000 respectively.

Oxford Mail:

See below the full list of third tier play-off winners, and how they fared the following campaign.

1987: Swindon Town (12th)

1988: Walsall (24th. Relegated)

1989: Port Vale (11th)

1990: Notts County (4th. Won play-off final)

1991: Tranmere Rovers (14th)

1992: Peterborough United (10th)

1993: West Bromwich Albion (21st)

1994: Burnley (22nd. Relegated)

1995: Huddersfield Town (8th)

1996: Bradford City (21st)

1997: Crewe Alexandra (11th)

1998: Grimsby Town (11th)

1999: Manchester City (2nd. Won promotion)

2000: Gillingham (13th)

2001: Walsall (18th)

2002: Stoke City (21st)

2003: Cardiff City (13th)

2004: Brighton & Hove Albion (20th)

2005: Sheffield Wednesday (19th)

2006: Barnsley (20th)

2007: Blackpool (19th)

2008: Doncaster Rovers (14th)

2009: Scunthorpe United (20th)

2010: Millwall (9th)

2011: Peterborough United (18th)

2012: Huddersfield Town (19th)

2013: Yeovil Town (24th. Relegated)

2014: Rotherham United (21st)

2015: Preston North End (11th)

2016: Barnsley (14th)

2017: Millwall (8th)

2018: Rotherham United (22nd. Relegated)

2019: Charlton Athletic (22nd. Relegated)

2020: Wycombe Wanderers (22nd. Relegated)

2021: Blackpool (16th)

2022: Sunderland (6th. Beaten in play-off semi-finals)

2023: Sheffield Wednesday (20th)