Three EFL fairy tales set to be written this month - and none of them involve Wrexham

EFL
The end of the EFL season is fast approaching (Image credit: PA Images)

The end of the regular EFL season is just 24 days away and there is everything to play for across all three leagues.

From title races to play-off battles and relegation scraps, dozens of teams across the Championship, League One and League Two are still fighting to end the campaign on a high.

Three EFL fairy tales to watch out for this month

Wrexham earned their third consecutive promotion last season and will play Championship football in 2025/26

Wrexham finished second in League One last season to earn a third consecutive promotion (Image credit: Getty Images)

For the past few seasons, Wrexham have been held up as the ultimate fairy-tale story, having climbed from the National League to the Championship via three consecutive promotions.

It has been an incredible rise - even accounting for the millions of pounds pumped in by Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac - and the North Wales club are in the running for another promotion this term, but the favourites to win each EFL division all boast equally impressive rags-to-riches stories.

1. Coventry City

Frank Lampard, Manager of Coventry City, celebrates victory following the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City and Leicester City at The Coventry Building Society Arena on January 17, 2026 in Coventry, England.

Frank Lampard has led Coventry City to the brink of a Premier League return (Image credit: Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Championships leaders Coventry City have had quite a ride since they last played Premier League football in 2001 - and, until recently, it has not been an enjoyable one.

The Sky Blues' relegation ended a 34-year unbroken stay in the top flight and they left their beloved Highfield Road home in 2005, moving into what was then known as the Ricoh Arena.

But off-field issues dominated their early years at the 32,000-capacity stadium and a long-running dispute with former club owners Sisu Capital saw Coventry twice forced to play home games elsewhere, first at Northampton Town in 2013/14 and then at Birmingham City between 2019 and 2021.

During that time, the club dropped into the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1959 but the appointment of Mark Robins in 2017 kick-started a rise back up the divisions that included two promotions and an FA Cup semi-final in 2024.

The past few years have not been entirely plain sailing, with Coventry experiencing Championship play-off heartbreak to both Luton Town and Sunderland, but they have led the table for most of the season under Frank Lampard and need a maximum of four points from their final five games to seal promotion back to the Premier League after 25 tumultuous years away.

2. Lincoln City

Lincoln City celebrate promotion to the Championship after beating Reading

Lincoln City celebrate promotion to the Championship after beating Reading (Image credit: Getty Images)

Lincoln City have already written the most important part of their fairy tale, after sealing promotion to the second tier for the first time in 65 years with a 2-1 win at Reading on Easter Monday.

But the Imps will now want to complete the story in their final five games of an astonishing campaign by securing the League One title, for which they need no more than seven points.

Lincoln are on a 23-game unbeaten run and there is plenty to admire about a club with one of the smallest budgets in the division winning promotion at a canter under Michael Skubala, a manager still in his first head coach role in the professional game.

But the club's journey to reach this point makes it even more of a fairy tale. They fell into administration in 2002 and dropped out of the EFL in 2011, spending six seasons in the National League before winning promotion under Danny Cowley - reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals that same campaign.

Having challenged for promotion from League One a few times, most notably when they lost the play-off final to Blackpool in 2020/21, they have finally completed the job.

3. Bromley

Bromley players celebrate after beating Solihull Moors to win the National League play-off final in May 2024.

Bromley were promoted from the National League only two years ago (Image credit: Getty Images)

Although League Two leaders Bromley are not quite as comfortable in their position as Coventry and Lincoln, the finish line is in sight.

The south east London club need a maximum of seven points from their final four games to seal promotion to the third tier for the first time in their history - having reached the EFL for the first time only two years ago.

Bromley spent the first 132 years of their history as a non-League side and their average attendance at Hayes Lane is under 4,000, but they have shown they belong at this level during an excellent campaign.

Led by larger-than-life boss Andy Woodman, the Ravens moved one step closer to promotion with a 2-1 win over Shrewsbury Town last night.

If they get over the line, they can look forward to league fixtures against the likes of Sheffield Wednesday next season - a scenario that even their own fans would have barely believed just a few years ago.

Freelance writer

James Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo. He has spent the past three years as a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers and started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away.

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