Play-off dates confirmed as Nottingham Forest in thick of Championship promotion race

The English Football League have announced the dates for the Championship play-offs, amid Nottingham Forest’s push for promotion.

Steve Cooper’s side currently sit fourth in the table with seven matches to play. They are six points below second-placed Bournemouth and are four points above Blackburn Rovers, in seventh, with games in hand on Tony Mowbray’s side.

It means there is still plenty to be decided in the second tier between now and the final round of fixtures on May 7. And the Reds are right in the mix.

The play-off semi-final first legs will take place on Friday, May 13 (6th v 3rd) and Saturday, May 14 (5th v 4th). And the second legs will be on Monday, May 16 (3rd v 6th) and Tuesday, May 17 (4th v 5th).

The final will take place at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, May 29. A place in the Premier League will be up for grabs for whoever gets there.

Forest make the trip to Luton Town on Friday for the first of a crunch Easter weekend double-header. That is followed by a home game with West Bromwich Albion on Monday.

They also have clashes against Peterborough United, Fulham, Swansea, Bournemouth and Hull City to come. And boss Cooper is eager to ensure his squad maintain focus on the task in hand.

“This isn’t the first time where, in the Championship, there’s just so much that could happen and you couldn’t predict,” he said, ahead of taking on the Hatters. “It’s pretty normal on that front.

“That is why you’ve just got to really focus on your own contribution and your own doings. That’s the only bit you can change, for better or worse.

“It’s not surprising that there’s still so much which could happen in the league. Fortunately, we’re still in a position where we could do positive things. But we’re far away from seeing