Hartlepool United, York City, Oldham Athletic and Southend United throw support behind National League's 3UP campaign

Whereas last season's play-off decider between Solihull Moors and Bromley was a clash between two teams bidding to reach League Two for the first time, Sunday's face off involving Southend and Oldham saw two sides with a combined 216 seasons in the Football League go head-to-head.

In a remarkable Wembley final in front of a record crowd of more than 52,000 fans - smashing the previous attendance record by more than 5,000 despite travel disruption - two of the division's biggest, most historic and best supported sides produced an epic spectacle. For the fifth year in a row - including when Pools edged past Torquay on penalties in 2021 - the National League's promotion final went to extra time, with Oldham securing a return to League Two thanks to two goals in three minutes.

While few would begrudge Oldham, who became the first ever former Premier League side to drop out of the Football League when they were relegated in 2022, their return to League Two, it once again highlighted the challenges of getting out of the National League.

Oldham finished the regular season in fifth, 29 points behind champions Barnet - a record for the National League - and a staggering 23 behind York. The Minstermen finished second but missed out on promotion despite securing 96 points, winning 10 more games than the Latics. The fact that a side can have such a successful season but still not win promotion represents a real cause for concern; to many fans and observers, the current system is unfair and no longer fit for purpose.

Ever since a second promotion place was introduced in 2003, National League clubs who have won promotion to the Football League have thrived at the level above. Chesterfield, last season's champions, finished in the League Two play-offs while Bromley, by no means one of the most well-resourced sides, were 11th. The likes of Wrexham, who won promotion to the Championship, Stockport, who finished third in League One, and Notts County, sixth in League Two, have all gone from strength to strength. Luton, perhaps the ultimate success story, went from the National League to the Premier League in less than a decade. It is almost unheard of for a side to win promotion from the National League to League Two and then be relegated back down again.

Equally, teams that drop down into the National League tend to find things difficult. Although Forest Green Rovers finished third following a summer of lavish spending, Sutton found things more challenging and ended the campaign in mid-table. Pools have been 12th and 11th on their first two seasons back in the fifth division. A number of players who have featured in the National League, including the likes of Jamie Vardy, Chris Smalling, Callum Wilson, Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Jarrod Bowen, Dan Burn, Ollie Watkins and Kalvin Phillips, have gone on to represent England.

In an unprecedented move, all 72 National League clubs wrote to the Football League board in February to demand a third promotion place. In spite of a recent survey conducted by the Football Supporters' Association showing 93 per cent support for the 3UP campaign among fans, including 77 per cent of League Two supporters, whose teams would face the additional jeopardy of a third relegation place, National League general manager Mark Ives admitted he fears it could be four more years before a change is made, if at all.

Yet the campaign is continuing to gain support. Julie-Anne Uggla, who alongside her son Matthew took over York in 2023, penned an open letter to the EFL and National League, arguing that the case for a third promotion place was "beyond compelling". Uggla lambasted a "glaring imbalance" that she wrote "not only undermines sporting merit but erodes the very foundations of fair competition". Uggla went on to call for an "immediate review" and "accelerated implementation" in an explosive letter that hit headlines and provoked widespread debate.

Uggla is not alone in having called for a third promotion place in the wake of another enthralling National League season. Southend boss Kevin Maher, reflecting on his side's agonising play-off final defeat, said that Sunday's game "tells you everything about the standard and quality in this league" while victorious Oldham manager Micky Mellon said a third promotion place would be the "fairest thing for football".

While Pools might have a lot of work to do before they can even consider the possibility of challenging for promotion following a remarkable few months that has seen the club lurch from one crisis to another, head coach Anthony Limbrick, who has worked in both the Football League and National League in recent years, threw his support behind the campaign earlier in the season.

"When you look at the quality of teams that are in this league and the size of some of the clubs, I think it makes sense," he said.

"A lot of teams that get relegated find it difficult to go back up. Not too long ago, you had Grimsby, Chesterfield, Wrexham, Notts County - big clubs. I think there's no doubt it makes sense.

"From our point of view, we would of course welcome that - I would of course welcome that. It would give us more chance to get ourselves up.

"We would obviously be in favour of that, very much so."

Your next Hartlepool United read: Limbrick discusses Pools future