1993 Football League First Division play-off Final

The 1993 Football League First Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 31 May 1993 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Leicester City and Swindon Town. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the Premiership. The top two teams of the 1992–93 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion to the Premiership, while the teams placed from third to sixth in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; Swindon Town ended the season in fifth position while Leicester City finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 1993–94 season in the Premiership. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £20 million to the successful team.

1993 Football League First Division play-off Final
Swindon Town Leicester City
4 3
Date31 May 1993
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeDavid Elleray (Harrow)
Attendance73,802

Swindon took a 3–0 lead as they scored three goals in eleven minutes across half time. Glenn Hoddle, Swindon's player-manager, opened the scoring late in the first half and early second-half goals from Craig Maskell and Shaun Taylor made it 3–0 after 53 minutes. Leicester's Julian Joachim scored four minutes later, and with further goals from Steve Walsh and Steve Thompson, the score was level at 3–3. With six minutes of the match remaining, the referee David Elleray awarded Swindon a penalty which was converted by Paul Bodin, securing a 4–3 victory. The win saw Swindon promoted to the top tier of English football for the first time in their club's 73-year League history.

Four days after the match, Hoddle was confirmed as player-manager at Chelsea. In their following season, Swindon finished bottom of the Premiership and were relegated back to the second tier having conceded a record 100 goals. Leicester ended their next season in fourth place in the First Division and secured promotion to the Premiership with a 2–1 win over Derby County in the play-off final.

Route to the final
Football League First Division final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Newcastle United 46 29 09 08 92 38 +54 96
2 West Ham United 46 26 10 10 81 41 +40 88
3 Portsmouth 46 26 10 10 80 46 +34 88
4 Tranmere Rovers 46 23 10 13 72 56 +16 79
5 Swindon Town 46 21 13 12 74 59 +15 76
6 Leicester City 46 22 10 14 71 64 +07 76

Swindon Town finished the regular 1992–93 season in fifth place in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Leicester City. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premiership and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Portsmouth (who finished third) and Tranmere Rovers (who finished fourth), to determine the third promoted team. Swindon finished twelve points behind West Ham United (who were promoted in second place) and twenty behind league winners Newcastle United. Leicester City ended the season level on points with Swindon but with an inferior goal difference.[1]

Swindon Town faced Tranmere Rovers in their play-off semi-final and the first leg was played at the County Ground, Swindon, on 16 May 1993. Swindon took the lead within two minutes of the kick-off when a cross from Nicky Summerbee was headed past Eric Nixon in the Tranmere goal by his own defender Steve Vickers. The lead was doubled a minute later when Nixon mishandled a shot from Ross MacLaren, allowing Dave Mitchell to score. A John Aldridge goal in the fourth minute was disallowed for a push on Glenn Hoddle, but Craig Maskell halved Tranmere's deficit in the 27th minute. John Morrissey scored Swindon's third on 58 minutes, and the match ended 3–1.[2] The second leg of the semi-final was played three days later at Prenton Park. Swindon took the lead on 30 minutes, with a goal from John Moncur following a through ball from Martin Ling. Just before half time, Mark Proctor levelled the game with a volley before Pat Nevin scored after the Swindon goalkeeper Fraser Digby dropped a cross. Maskell equalised before Hoddle fouled Morrissey to concede a penalty. Kenny Irons scored from the spot, but Swindon held on, and despite losing the match 3–2, progressed to the final with a 5–4 aggregate victory.[3]

Leicester City's play-off semi-final opponents were Portsmouth and the first leg took place on 16 May 1993. The match was hosted at Nottingham Forest's home stadium, the City Ground, as Leicester's Filbert Street was undergoing redevelopment. The game, described by Paul Weaver in The Guardian as "dreadful", was "partially redeemed by a stunning goal" from Julian Joachim, a second-half substitute for Leicester.[4] It was the only goal of the game which ended 1–0.[4] The second leg was played at Fratton Park three days later and was goalless at half time. Six minutes into the second half, Portsmouth took the lead when Alan McLoughlin scored from a George Lawrence header. Within two minutes Leicester had equalised when Ian Ormondroyd found the target following a deflected shot from David Oldfield. Steve Thompson then put Leicester ahead in the 69th minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area beating the Portsmouth goalkeeper Alan Knight. Three minutes later, Bjørn Kristensen levelled the score once more with an 18-yard (16 m) curling shot into the far corner of the Leicester goal. The game ended 2–2, and ensured Leicester a 3–2 aggregate victory.[5]

Match

Background

This was Leicester's second appearance in the First Division play-off: they had lost 1–0 to Blackburn Rovers in the previous season's final.[6] They had played in the second tier of English football since they were relegated from the First Division in the 1986–87 season.[7][8] Swindon had beaten Gillingham 2–0 in a replay after the 1987 Football League Third Division play-off Final, which was played over two legs, had ended 2–2 on aggregate. Swindon had played in the second tier since that promotion.[9][10] They had also won a play-off final at Wembley Stadium when they beat Sunderland 1–0 in the 1990 Football League Second Division play-off Final.[6] However, the club's promotion was overturned by the Football League as a result of financial irregularities, and they were relegated to the Third Division, which was overturned on appeal.[10][11] As such, Swindon were aiming to be promoted to the top flight of English football for the first time in the 73-year League history of the club.[12]

Leicester's top scorer during the regular season was Steve Walsh with fifteen goals in all competitions, followed by Joachim and David Lowe on twelve.[13] Maskell had scored the most goals for Swindon with twenty-one in all competitions, while Mitchell had scored fifteen.[14] In the matches played between both sides during the regular season, Leicester had won their home game 4–2 in December 1992, while the return fixture at the County Ground the following April ended in a 1–1 draw.[15]

The referee for the match was David Elleray of Harrow on the Hill.[16] Prior to the match, there had been considerable speculation over the future of Swindon's player-manager Hoddle who had been linked with Premiership clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.[2] He was able to select a full-strength squad as he had been able to persuade the Australia national soccer team to release Mitchell from an international fixture.[17] The Leicester manager Brian Little named Joachim in the starting line-up in preference to Lowe, and prior to the match suggested: "I don't think it would be right to go into the game hoping to keep things tight to start with".[18] According to Deloitte, the match was worth £20 million to the promoted club through increases in matchday, commercial and broadcasting income.[19]

Summary

The match kicked off in front of a Wembley crowd of 73,802.[20] Swindon took the lead three minutes before half time. A backheel from Maskell found Hoddle whose shot curled past Kevin Poole in the Leicester goal. It was his first goal since the opening day of the season, and his ninth goal at Wembley. Two minutes after the break, Maskell doubled Swindon's lead. After a one-two with Moncur, he struck the ball into the goal inside the far post. In the 53rd minute, Shaun Taylor made it 3–0 with a header after Poole was hesitant to claim the ball. Four minutes later, Joachim scored his fourteenth goal of the season, before Walsh made it 3–2 with a header in the 68th minute. Thompson completed Leicester's comeback a minute later. Ling then saw his strike saved by Poole, before Taylor's header was cleared off the line. Mitchell then saw his shot smothered before the referee awarded Swindon a penalty in the 84th minute. Hoddle played a 50-yard (46 m) pass to Steve White who fell in the Leicester penalty area after contact with both Poole and Colin Hill which David Elleray adjudged to have been a foul. Paul Bodin stepped up to take the spot kick, and despite a "nonchalant" run-up, his carefully taken strike beat Poole to his left. No further goals were scored, the match ended 4–3 and Swindon were promoted to the Premiership.[12]

Details
Leicester City3–4Swindon Town
Joachim  57'
Walsh  68'
Thompson  69'		 [16][20] Hoddle  42'
Maskell  47'
Taylor  53'
Bodin  84' (pen.)
Attendance: 73,802

Match rules

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shootout if scores still level.
  • Two named substitutes.
  • Maximum of two substitutions.

Post-match
Glenn Hoddle (pictured in 2014) left Swindon for Chelsea four days after the match.

After the game, Hoddle refused to be drawn on his future with Swindon, saying "I want people tomorrow to read about Swindon's promotion, not Glenn Hoddle ... I'm under contract to Swindon, so there's no question to answer".[12] Referring to Swindon's cancelled promotion in 1990, he reflected: "We've wiped the slate clean after three years".[12] Trevor Haylett, writing in The Independent, described the match as an "absolute cracker" and that the late penalty was "the last act of a heart-stopping drama".[16] Little was stoic about the late penalty award: "I was surprised it was given ... But I'm not going to change the decision, am I?"[12] Referencing Leicester's defeat in the 1992 play-off final as a result of a penalty, he added: "It's almost the same speech as last year".[12] The match was deemed "a minor English classic climaxing the domestic season" by Russell Thomas of The Guardian.[12] He went on to suggest that Swindon's 73-year journey to the top flight of English football was "completed with a flourish worthy of one of the country's most pleasing teams".[12] Clive Baskerville wrote in the Reading Evening Post that the spectators were "entertained by a standard of football rarely seen [that] season".[21] He also suggested that Hoddle should be considered as the next England national football team manager.[21] The Evening Herald in Dublin reported that it was an "extraordinary play-off final".[22] In 2009, Eurosport listed it as the 94th best association football match of all-time.[23]

Four days after the match, Hoddle was confirmed as player-manager at Chelsea. His assistant John Gorman declined the opportunity to move with Hoddle, and was instead appointed manager at Swindon.[24] In their following season, Swindon finished bottom of the Premiership and were relegated back to the second tier.[25] Their drop back to the Second Division was confirmed after a 4–2 home defeat to Wimbledon on 24 April 1994.[26] By the end of the season, they had conceded 100 goals, which, as of 2020, is a Premier League record.[27][28] Leicester ended their next season in fourth place in the First Division,[29] and qualified for the play-offs. They defeated Tranmere Rovers in the semi-final before securing promotion to the Premiership with a 2–1 win over Derby County, their East Midlands rivals, in the play-off final.[30][31]

gollark: I mean, it kind ofi s.
gollark: That's not actually the issue here.
gollark: Guess Macron will never happen then.
gollark: Oops.
gollark: ++choose 1000 "lyricly do not make esolang" "lyricly make esolang"

References
  1. "League Division 1 end of season table for 1992–93 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  2. Thomas, Russell (17 May 1993). "King's men hit by salvo". The Guardian. p. 15. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Bierley, Stephen (20 May 1993). "Robins hold off Rovers". The Guardian. p. 20. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Weaver, Paul (17 May 1993). "Joachim shines late in the gloom". The Guardian. p. 15. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Thomas, Russell (20 May 1993). "Thompson boost for Little men". The Guardian. p. 20. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Play-Off Final History & Stats". Sporting Life. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  7. "The Managers: David Pleat, 1987–1991". Leicester City F.C. 19 November 2018. Archived from the original on 11 May 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  8. "The Managers: Brian Little, 1991–1994". Leicester City F.C. 16 January 2019. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  9. Foster 2015, pp. 55–56
  10. "Club History". Swindon Town F.C. 1 April 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  11. "Bitter pair in quest for top". The Guardian. 31 May 1993. p. 14. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Thomas, Russell (1 June 1993). "Hoddle provides finishing touch". The Guardian. p. 14. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. Rollin, Jack, ed. (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 286–287, 621–625, 631–632, 662. ISBN 978-0-7472-7895-5.
  14. Rollin, Jack, ed. (1993). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94. London: Headline Publishing Group. pp. 508–509, 622–625, 631–632, 661. ISBN 978-0-7472-7895-5.
  15. "Swindon Town football club: record v Leicester City". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  16. Haylett, Trevor (1 June 1993). "Football / Play Off: Swindon lifted by Hoddle's husbandry: An unsettling sense of deja vu as Wembley proves an unhappy hunting ground for Leicester". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  17. Bateman, Cynthia (29 May 1993). "Six managers of style". The Guardian. p. 23. Retrieved 14 July 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Joachim aims to make Premier dream reality". Staffordshire Sentinel. 29 May 1993. p. 60. Retrieved 14 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. Foster 2015, pp. 112
  20. "Swindon Town v Leicester City, 31 May 1993". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  21. Baskerville, Clive (1 June 1993). "That's football at it's best". Reading Evening Post. p. 26. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  22. "Glenn guides Swindon up but could move on to Chelsea". The Evening Herald. Dublin. 1 June 1993. p. 69. Retrieved 13 July 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  23. "Top 100: the complete list". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  24. Winter, Henry (5 June 1993). "Football: Hoddle leaves Town for the bright lights of Chelsea: Swindon lose the man who brought them promotion while Souness begins rebuilding at Liverpool by spending pounds 2m on Nigel Clough". The Independent. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  25. "Premier League table at close of 1993–94 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  26. Tomas, Jason (24 April 1994). "Wednesday's high leaves Ipswich low". The Observer. p. 65. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  27. "Premier League Records: Own Goals, Red Cards, Fewest Goals Scored, Most Defeats & More". Sports Illustrated. 23 August 2019. Archived from the original on 14 September 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  28. "Stats Centre – Premier League Records". Premier League. Archived from the original on 1 July 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  29. "League Division 1 table at close of 1993–94 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  30. "Wembley Way". The Observer. 29 May 1994. p. 50. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  31. Lacey, David (31 May 1994). "Third time lucky for Leicester". The Guardian. p. 16. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  • Foster, Richard (2015). The Agony & The Ecstasy. Ockley Books. ISBN 978-1-910906-00-2.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.