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We saw Charlton Athletic prevail in the League One play-off final yesterday, but we also had to endure an eight-minute delay to the game, too.
After a thrilling campaign in the third tier, both Charlton and Leyton Orient brought their own brand of football to Wembley Stadium for the League One showcase.
In the end, the two teams were separated by one moment of magic from Macaulay Gillesphey, who delivered the win for Charlton with a fine free-kick.
But, the game was marred by a frustrating delay to proceedings, with technical difficulties leaving the refereeing team without their communications system.
- READ MORE: Five players destined for Championship next season regardless of League One play-off result
League One play-off final suffered eight-minute delay
With the game nearing its conclusion, play had to be stopped in the 85th minute due to Andrew Kitchen and his team’s inability to communicate with the VAR officials, leading to the game being paused for a massive eight minutes.
The stoppage halted Orient’s momentum on the day as they chased an equaliser, and left fans in the ground disgruntled at the delay.
EFL Analysis spoke exclusively to former referee Mark Clattenburg about the situation, and he said: “I understand the frustration for the big delay, because of the issue with the match officials’ communication system which is linked to the VAR system.
“This is not ideal for the players as it breaks the flow of the match and I believe if this could not be solved in a short period then the match officials should have informed the teams that there would not be VAR being used for the rest of the match.
“They did solve the issue after a delay of eight minutes which is not great for the spectacle of this special match with many people questioning why the game could not continue.”
VAR has been used across the play-off finals at Wembley this weekend, something Clattenburg is very much supportive of. But, the issues with the technology on Sunday will not have gone down well with fans who were already sceptical.
Charlton Athletic return to the second tier
Nathan Jones was the happier manager in the end, with his side clinching their place in the Championship for the 2025/26 campaign.
The Addicks are a huge club and their return to the second tier will be a welcome sight for most neutrals. Now, Charlton must learn from past winners of the play-offs and avoid their own mistakes of the 2019/20 campaign when they were relegated to League One.
For Leyton Orient, it’s a disappointing end to a brilliant season. This Orient side will now be dismantled, with loan players like Jamie Donley and Charlie Kelman heading back to their parent clubs.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on both clubs next season, as Charlton look to survive and Leyton Orient look to go one better and secure promotion.