2019 EFL League One play-off Final

The 2019 EFL League One play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2019 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Charlton Athletic and Sunderland to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from EFL League One to the EFL Championship. The top two teams of the 2018–19 EFL League One season gained automatic promotion to the Championship, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2019–20 season in the Championship.

2019 EFL League One play-off final
The match took place at Wembley Stadium.
Event2018–19 EFL League One
Charlton Athletic Sunderland
2 1
Date26 May 2019 (2019-05-26)
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeAndrew Madley
Attendance76,155

Sunderland had reached the play-off final in their first season back in the third tier of English football, having been relegated from the Championship in the 2017–18 season. The two clubs had faced one another in a play-off final before, in the 1998 Football League First Division play-off Final, making it the first time in the history of the play-off format that a fixture had been repeated. The 2019 final was watched by a crowd of more than 76,000 people and refereed by Andrew Madley. Sunderland took the lead early in the first half when Charlton's Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr scored an own goal. The equaliser for Charlton came from Ben Purrington before half time, and Patrick Bauer scored the winning goal late into additional time in the second half, ending the match 2–1 to Charlton.

Sunderland started their next season in League One which, as of May 2020, has been suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with Sunderland in seventh position. Charlton's first season back in the EFL Championship was also interrupted by the pandemic with the club in the relegation zone, in 22nd position.

Route to the final
Main article: 2018–19 EFL League One
EFL League One final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team P W D L F A Pts
1. Luton Town 46 27 13 06 90 42 94
2. Barnsley 46 26 13 07 80 39 91
3. Charlton Athletic 46261010734088
4. Portsmouth 46251308835188
5. Sunderland 46221905804785
6. Doncaster Rovers 46201313765873
Pos=Position, P=Games played, W=Wins, D=Draws, L=Losses, F=Goals for, A=Goals against, Pts=Points

Charlton Athletic finished the regular 2018–19 season in third place in EFL League One, the third tier of the English football league system, two places ahead of Sunderland. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the EFL Championship and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Charlton finished three points behind Barnsley (who were promoted in second place) and six behind league winners Luton Town. Sunderland ended the season three points behind Charlton, but having lost only five games, one fewer than the champions.[2][1]

Sunderland faced Portsmouth their play-off semi-final. The first leg was played at Sunderland's home ground, the Stadium of Light. Chris Maguire, who had been on the pitch for four minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, volleyed Matt Clarke's attempted clearance into the Portsmouth net from 15 yards (14 m) to give Sunderland the lead. Soon after, Alim Öztürk was sent off for a foul on Gareth Evans, and the resulting free kick struck the Sunderland bar. Maguire hit the post but the game ended 1–0 to Sunderland.[3] The second leg, held five days later at Fratton Park, saw seven yellow cards shown, five to Portsmouth players. The match ended goalless and Sunderland progressed to the final 1–0 on aggregate.[4]

Charlton's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Doncaster Rovers. The first leg held at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium. Lyle Taylor's header put Charlton into the lead after 32 minutes. They doubled their lead soon after when Joe Aribo scored from a Taylor pass. Matty Blair scored for Doncaster with three minutes remaining and the game ended 2–1 to Charlton.[5] The second leg, played at The Valley, saw Charlton extend their aggregate lead to 3–1 after two minutes with a Krystian Bielik goal, but nine minutes later, Tommy Rowe equalised the game. With two minutes of regular time remaining, Doncaster's Andy Butler scored with a header to make it 3–3 on aggregate, sending the match into extra time. Doncaster's John Marquis scored ten minutes into the first period, but Darren Pratley's headed goal a minute later made it 4–4 and sent the game to a penalty shootout. Charlton's goalkeeper Dillon Phillips saved Marquis' penalty, before Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr failed to score. Rowe's subsequent miss meant the shootout ended 4–3 and Charlton qualified for the play-off final.[6]

Charlton Athletic Round Sunderland
Opponent Result Legs Semi-finals Opponent Result Legs
Doncaster Rovers 4–4 (4–3 p.) 2–1 away; 2–3 (a.e.t.) home Portsmouth 1–0 1–0 home; 0–0 away

Match

Background

Charlton had previously made two appearances in play-off finals. In the 1987 Football League Second Division play-off Final, they beat Leeds United in a replay after the two-legged final ended 1–1 on aggregate, retaining their top-tier status.[7] In the 1998 Football League First Division play-off Final, Charlton faced Sunderland at the old Wembley Stadium in a match described by Rob Stevens of the BBC as "arguably the best play-off final in English Football League history".[8] That final ended 3–3 in regular time, 4–4 after extra time, and Charlton won the resulting penalty shootout 7–6.[8] As well as the 1998 final, Sunderland had appeared in the 1990 Football League Second Division play-off Final against Swindon Town which they lost 1–0. They were promoted however, as Swindon were later found guilty of financial misconduct.[9] During the 2018–19 regular league season, Sunderland had beaten Charlton 2–1 in the opening match at the Stadium of Light in August, while the return fixture at The Valley in January 2019 ended in a 1–1 draw.[10]

The Montserrat international Lyle Taylor was Charlton's top scorer for the season with 21 goals and 9 assists, while Josh Maja was Sunderland's most prolific striker having scored 15 times prior to the semi-finals, despite having left the club in January.[1][11] Sunderland were aiming to be promoted at their first attempt, having been relegated from the Premier League in the 2017–18 season, while Charlton had spent three seasons in the third tier of English football following their drop in the 2015–16 season.[12] Sunderland had already played at Wembley during the season, losing on penalties to Portsmouth in the 2019 EFL Trophy Final;[13] the play-off final was the club's 61st competitive fixture of the season.[14] Pratley was selected for the Charlton starting eleven, in place of Albie Morgan who was not included in match-day squad.[15] Igor Vetokele also missed out for Charlton with a long-term injury.[11] Sunderland's starting line-up was the same as for their second semi-final leg against Portsmouth, although Aiden McGeady, who had scored 11 goals during the regular season, had recovered from a foot injury sustained in April to be named amongst the substitutes.[1][14]

The final was refereed by Andrew Madley, with assistant referees Nick Hopton and Andrew Fox, and Peter Bankes acting as fourth official.[16] It was the first time in the history of the play-offs that two teams would face each other in the final for a second time.[15] Sunderland were considered as favourites to win the match by bookmakers.[11][17][18] The match was broadcast live in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event.[17]

First half

Charlton kicked off the first half around 3 p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 76,155 in their regular red home kit, with Sunderland playing in their black away strip. In the third minute, Max Power was brought down by Sunderland's Sarr and required treatment from the physiotherapist. Two minutes later, Phillips failed to control a backpass from Sarr, and the ball rolled into the Charlton net for an own goal, putting Sunderland 1–0 ahead. On nine minutes, Charlton were forced to make their first substitution, bringing on Lewis Morgan for Power who had failed to recover from the earlier injury. Grant Leadbitter's 11th minute shot was tipped round the post by Phillips. Over the next fifteen minutes, the game evened out with Charlton beginning to exert some pressure: in the 24th minute a Taylor corner was headed wide by Patrick Bauer and three minutes later Taylor himself struck a shot over the Sunderland bar.[15] With ten minutes of the first half remaining, Charlton scored the equaliser. Aribo's pass to Anfernee Dijksteel was flicked to Taylor whose cross was side-footed into the Sunderland goal from 3 yards (2.7 m) by Ben Purrington. A foul late on in the half by Sarr on George Honeyman earned the Charlton defender the first yellow card of the game. The resulting free kick was struck over the bar by Morgan, and with no further incident, the half ended 1–1.[19]

Second half
Patrick Bauer scored the winning goal deep into injury time.

Naby was substituted during half time and replaced by Jason Pearce as Charlton switched to a diamond formation in midfield. They kicked off the second half with the first chance coming ten minutes in for Sunderland, as Maguire's cross was volleyed wide of the Charlton goal by Morgan. In the 57th minute, Sunderland made their second change of the afternoon, with Will Grigg coming on to replace Maguire. Two minutes later, Pratley and Luke O'Nien clashed heads, the latter needing to leave the pitch to address a bleeding head wound. In the 65th minute Grigg was booked for a foul on Purrington,[19] and on 70 minutes, Pratley was replaced by Jonny Williams. A minute later McGeady came on for Charlie Wyke for Sunderland's final substitution of the afternoon. Soon after O'Nien was booked for a foul on Williams, before Bielik's header was cleared by Leadbitter. Grigg's cross with eight minutes to go was cleared by Bielik and a minute later, Leadbitter was shown a yellow card for a foul on Williams. McGeady's shot flew over Charlton's bar before O'Nien's cross was cleared at Sunderland's near post. Two minutes into injury time, Taylor was fouled by Tom Flanagan who received the fifth booking of the game. Josh Cullen's subsequent free kick was headed into the box by Bauer but the Sunderland goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin claimed the ball in a crowded area. In the final moments of added time, Cullen's deep cross from a quickly taken free kick was met by Bauer whose initial header was blocked by Flanagan, but the German defender was able to slide the ball into the Sunderland net from 4 yards (3.7 m) for a Charlton lead. The match ended 2–1 to Charlton and the London club were promoted to the EFL Championship.[20]

Details
Charlton Athletic2–1Sunderland
 Report Sarr  5' (o.g.)
Attendance: 76,155
Referee: Andrew Madley
Charlton Athletic
Sunderland
1Dillon Phillips
2Anfernee Dijksteel
4Krystian Bielik
5Patrick Bauer
23Mouhamadou-Naby Sarr0 44' 45'
16Ben Purrington
15Darren Pratley 71'
24Josh Cullen
17Joe Aribo
9Lyle Taylor
10Josh Parker
Substitutes:
22Chris Maxwell
6Jason Pearce 45'
20Chris Solly
8Jake Forster-Caskey
12Ben Reeves
21Jonny Williams 71'
32George Lapslie
Manager:
Lee Bowyer
1Jon McLaughlin
13Luke O'Nien 73'
5Alim Öztürk
12Tom Flanagan 90+2'
3Bryan Oviedo
6Lee Cattermole
27Max Power 9'
23Grant Leadbitter 83'
10George Honeyman
9Charlie Wyke 72'
7Chris Maguire 57'
Substitutes:
32Max Stryjek
2Adam Matthews
30Jimmy Dunne
11Lynden Gooch
17Lewis Morgan 9'
19Aiden McGeady 72'
22Will Grigg 65' 57'
Manager:
Jack Ross

Statistics
Statistics[15]
Charlton Sunderland
Goals scored 21
Shots on target 23
Shots off target 67
Fouls committed 1420
Corner kicks 34
Yellow cards 14
Red cards 00

Post-match

The winning goalscorer Bauer was elated: "I don't know what to say. It's amazing. We worked so hard all season – now we’ve done it, and it's unbelievable."[20] His manager, Lee Bowyer, said: "The goal was one of those freak things that happens in the game, but it shows our character to come from behind. This is probably the proudest moment of my whole career."[20] Jack Ross, the Sunderland manager, noted: "I came here to take the club back to the Championship at the first time of asking and I haven't been able to do that ... We have not fallen short by very much – but we have done."[21]

Sunderland started their next season in the second third of English football in League One for the second consecutive year. As of May 2020 the league has been suspended as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with Sunderland in seventh position, equal on points with Peterborough who occupy the final play-off place, with eight games remaining to be played.[22] Charlton's first season back in the EFL Championship was also interrupted by the pandemic. As of May 2020 the club were in the relegation zone, in 22nd position, with nine games left.[23]

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References
  1. "League One – 2018/19 – regular season". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  2. "League One end of season table for 2018–19 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  3. "Sunderland 1–0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. 11 May 2019. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  4. Williams, Adam (16 May 2019). "Portsmouth 0–0 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 31 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  5. Mitchell, Brendon (12 May 2019). "Doncaster Rovers 1–2 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  6. Stevens, Rob (17 May 2019). "Charlton Athletic 2–3 Doncaster Rovers". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 20 August 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  7. "Play-off hero Shirtliff recalls heroics against Leeds United". Charlton Athletic F.C. 29 May 2018. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  8. Stevens, Rob (24 May 2019). "Charlton v Sunderland 1998: The greatest play-off final ever?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 4 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  9. Gleave, Simon (23 May 2019). "EFL play-offs: Is this the year Sunderland break the red and white curse?". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  10. "Charlton Athletic football club match record: 2019". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  11. Davies, Steve (25 May 2019). "Charlton v Sunderland: League One playoff final betting preview & tip". Racing Post. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  12. "Play-Off Final preview: League One". English Football League. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  13. Williams, Adam (31 March 2019). "Portsmouth 2–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  14. Lightle, Sam (24 May 2019). "Play-off Final Preview: Charlton Athletic v Sunderland". Sunderland A.F.C. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  15. Smyth, Rob (26 May 2019). "Charlton 2–1 Sunderland (3 of 3)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  16. "EFL appointments: League One Play-Off Final". English Football League. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  17. Dudman, Alan. "Charlton Athletic v Sunderland: Back the Black Cats for Wembley victory". Betfair. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  18. Clarke, Ross (25 May 2019). "Championship playoff final: best bets as Aston Villa and Derby County attempt to return to the big time". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  19. Smyth, Rob (26 May 2019). "Charlton 2–1 Sunderland (2 of 3)". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  20. Smyth, Rob (26 May 2019). "Charlton 2–1 Sunderland (1 of 3)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 28 February 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  21. Fisher, Ben (26 May 2019). "Charlton return to Championship after Patrick Bauer scores last-gasp winner". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 May 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  22. "League One end of season table for 2019–20 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  23. "EFL Championship end of season table for 2019–20 season". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
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