PLAY OFFS (‘PO’ in the table above)
These were first played at the end of the 1986/87 season with four clubs playing in a knockout competition. The eventual winner played in the higher division the following season.

Using the example of the First and Second Division, the bottom three clubs from the higher division were automatically relegated and the top two from the lower one were automatically promoted. The First Division club finishing immediately above those automatically relegated went into the Play Offs with the three highest placed clubs from the Second Division below those automatically promoted. The same principle applied to the other two Play Off competitions for the 2nd/3rd and 3rd/4th Divisions.

This format was used until the end of the 1990/91 season, after which all relegation places became automatic and four clubs from each of the three lower divisions competed for the final promotion place via the Play Offs.