UK Government release health warning - Middlesbrough and Hull City fans should take note | OneFootball

Thousands of fans will descend on Wembley in baking hot conditions this weekend

The Championship play-off final is now looming large, with Hull City and Middlesbrough potentially 90 or 120-plus minutes away from ending their respective nine-year exiles from the Premier League.

It is well-known that the EFL's post-season lottery produces iconic moments of drama, glory and despair in equal measure, only this year the pre-game drama has certainly been determined away from the pitch.

The Tigers have defied the odds all season to reach Wembley Stadium for the fifth time in the last 18 years, as well as their entire history for that matter, under the management of Sergej Jakirovic, defeating Millwall 2-0 in their two-legged semi-finals.

Boro, meanwhile, have been amongst the promotion race for the majority of the season in the Championship, but, at least on the pitch, were defeated 2-1 by Southampton in the semi-finals.

However, that result only tells you a fraction of the drama which has unfolded in the past two weeks, with Saints originally charged by the EFL over allegations of unauthorised filming at Middlesbrough's Rockliffe Park training ground ahead of the first semi-final at the Riverside.

Despite the uncertainty over a 'planned' kick-off time of 4:30PM between Hull and Southampton, as well as the selling of thousands of tickets, an independent disciplinary commission have since expelled Tonda Eckert's side from the play-offs and reinstated Kim Hellberg's outfit ahead of the showpiece event in North London, with that decision and a four-point deduction for Saints now upheld by a league arbitration panel.

As such, many from Teesside and East Yorkshire will descend on Olympic Way on Saturday afternoon hoping to see their side emerge victorious in club football's most lucrative game.

However, a recent warning from the government is perhaps something for them to bear in mind.

UK Government issues health warning impacting EFL play-off finals

One of the most enjoyable aspects for match-going fans about the season's latter months is the upturn in weather conditions, as well as the drama on the pitch.

With approximately 33,000 tickets sold in the East End of Wembley allocated to Tigers supporters, Middlesbrough had managed to shift 10,000 within the first four hours of their 35,984 allocation in place of Southampton's, with club staff working overtime to ensure as close, or up to the remainder, are sold ahead of Saturday's 3:30PM kick-off.

If each and every general admission seat is sold, over 71,000 will be in attendance, and with many likely to be in the sun, a UK Government 'yellow' health alert has been issued from between 9AM on Friday, May 22nd until 5:00PM on Wednesday, May 27th across London.

A risk score of 7 means there is a 60 to 89% chance of likelihood but a low impact, albeit vulnerable people are said to be at a greater risk, as well as an increased use of healthcare services by people in said category as a result.

During the Championship play-off final, the temperature is currently expected to fall in the range of 28 and 29 degrees celsius with winds of just five miles per hour.

However, the aforementioned health alert will also fall into place for the League One play-off final between Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County at 1PM on Sunday, May 24th and the League Two play-off final at 3PM on bank holiday Monday involving Salford City and Notts County.

Hull City and Middlesbrough fans have waited a long time for Wembley appearances

After the pre-game uncertainty, both Hull and Middlesbrough supporters will be eager to make the long journey south, having waited over a decade to feature at the national stadium.

The Tigers' last appearance at Wembley came in the 2016 Championship play-off final against Sheffield Wednesday, when Mohamed Diame's 71st-minute curler saw them promoted to the Premier League for just the third time ever.

Middlesbrough, meanwhile, have been involved in two prior play-off campaigns since then, losing to Aston Villa and Coventry City at the semi-final stage in 2018 and 2023, whilst their only trip to the new Wembley came 11 years ago, where they lost 2-0 to Norwich City in the final after early strikes from Cameron Jerome and Nathan Redmond.