When Bristol City's loanees are in play-off final action at Wembley

Fortunately, the Reds faithful have had more than enough to occupy their mind over the course of the first fortnight or so of the off-season, with speculation surrounding the potential new head coach and the appointment of James Ellis as sporting director a more than welcome distraction.

In truth, in south Bristol, the 2025/26 campaign has already been confined to the history book, with what's to come this summer and next season a far more interesting topic of conversation for those in red and white circles in the West Country.

Zoom out of BS3, however, and the upcoming bank holiday weekend is the real climax of the English football season. Not only does the Premier League come to a close this coming Sunday - with one relegation place still to be decided - but the EFL's three play-off finals also take place.

By the close of play on bank holiday Monday, we will know exactly who will make up the four divisions of English football for the 2026/27 campaign. On the face of it, that matters very little to the Reds, who have known for far longer than they'd have liked that they will remain in the Championship.

City do, though, have some skin in the game in two of this weekend's play-off finals, in the shape of two of their loanees.

To ensure that you know when they're in action at Wembley, especially as you may have lost track given the events of recent days, we've rounded up what the coming days have in store for those with ties to Ashton Gate…

In any normal season, we would have been able to publish this piece a week or so ago, following the conclusion of the Championship and League One play-off semi-finals. It is safe to say, however, the events of the last fortnight or so have ensured that this hasn't been a normal play-off campaign.

Had we written this piece as planned, we would have told you that Bristol City winger Yu Hirakawa and his loan side Hull City would be facing Southampton in the Championship play-off final at 4:30pm at Wembley on Saturday, May 23. That was because the Tigers had beaten Millwall across two legs, and the Saints had got the better of Middlesbrough in their tie.

Up until Tuesday evening, that remained the case. However, Tonda Eckert's side have since been expelled from the play-offs and docked four points for next season, after admitting to spying on Boro before their semi-final meeting.

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Southampton, as you'd expect, opted to appeal the decision of the independent commission, but that appeal has been unsuccessful. As a result, Hull will now meet Middlesbrough in the final, which is still set to be played on Saturday afternoon, but now at the earlier time of 3:30pm.

Hirakawa, who has played nine times for the Tigers in all competitions since joining on loan in January, featured as a second-half substitute in the first leg of Hull's semi-final win, but didn't make it off the bench in the return fixture at The Den.

He'll be hoping to end what has been a mixed season and his loan spell by securing a first-ever promotion in English football.

When it comes to who Josh Stokes and Stockport County will be meeting in the League One play-off final this season, we could have - fairly confidently - written this piece without amendments a week ago.

Dave Challinor's side booked their place at Wembley in a fairly comfortable fashion as they beat Stevenage 3-0 across their two-legged semi-final. While the Bristol City loanee didn't score or assist, he did start both games, playing 89 minutes in the first leg and 90 in the second.

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The day after Stockport qualified for the final, Bolton Wanderers also kept their dream of promotion to the Championship alive. Steven Schumacher's side got the better of Bradford City 2-0 on aggregate in their respective semi-final, having finished the regular season sitting fifth in the table.

Fortunately, due to the swiftness of the independent commission's hearing regarding 'Spygate' - as it has been dubbed by fans and the media alike - it doesn't appear as though the timing of the League One final has been impacted. As a result, Stokes and company will take to the Wembley pitch as expected at 1pm on Sunday, May 24.