1989 Football League Fourth Division play-off final
| Event | 1988–89 Football League Fourth Division | ||||||
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| First leg | |||||||
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| Date | 30 May 1989 | ||||||
| Venue | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham | ||||||
| Attendance | 7,915 | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
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| Date | 3 June 1989 | ||||||
| Venue | Brisbane Road, Leyton | ||||||
| Attendance | 13,355 | ||||||
The 1989 Football League Fourth Division play-off Final was an
The first leg of the final was played at the Racecourse Ground in Wrexham and ended goalless. The second leg took place at Brisbane Road in Leyton four days later and a minute before half-time, Leyton Orient took the lead when Lee Harvey struck the ball past Mike Salmon in the Wrexham goal from the right of the penalty area. One minute into the second half, Jon Bowden equalised for Wrexham when he was unmarked at the near post and headed in a cross. With eight minutes of the match remaining, Mark Cooper received the ball from Harvey before swivelling and striking it past Salmon to make it 2–1. Leyton Orient won the match and tie, and were promoted to the Third Division.
Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in fourteenth position in the Third Division. Wrexham ended their following season in 21st place in the Fourth Division.
Route to the final
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rotherham United | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 76 | 35 | +41 | 82 |
| 2 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 62 | 43 | +19 | 80 |
| 3 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 78 |
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 77 | 57 | +20 | 77 |
| 5 | Scarborough | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 77 |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 75 |
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 77 | 63 | +14 | 71 |
Leyton Orient finished the regular 1988–89 season in sixth position in the Football League Fourth Division – the fourth tier of the English football league system – one place and four points ahead of Wrexham. Both missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to the Third Division and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Scunthorpe United and Scarborough, to determine the fourth promoted team. Leyton Orient finished three points behind Crewe Alexandra (who were promoted in third place), five behind Tranmere Rovers (promoted as runners-up) and seven behind league winners Rotherham United.[1]
Wrexham's opposition for their play-off semi-final were Scunthorpe United and the first match of the
Leyton Orient faced Scarborough in the other semi-final with the first leg being played at
Match
Background
Neither Wrexham nor Leyton Orient had participated in the English Football League play-offs prior to this season.[6][7] Wrexham had played in the Fourth Division since being relegated from the Third in the 1982–83 season while Leyton Orient had played in the fourth tier since being relegated there (as Orient) in the 1984–85 season.[6][8] Both sides had won their away game in the matches between them during the regular season: Wrexham secured a 1–0 victory at Brisbane Road in December 1988 while Leyton Orient won by the same scoreline at the Racecourse Ground the following April.[9]
First leg
Summary
The first leg of the play-off final took place at the Racecourse Ground on 30 May 1989 in front a crowd of 7,915,[10] Wrexham's largest attendance of the season. The referee for the match was Terry Holbrook. Ian Ross, writing in The Times, described the playing surface as "so dry as to make the bounce of the ball unpredictable". Although those conditions did not favour Leyton Orient whose "attempts to play cohesive football floundered", they had the first opportunity to score when a free kick from Kevin Dickenson struck the Wrexham crossbar from a Cooper header. Alan Comfort played in a number of crosses but none were converted by his Leyton Orient colleagues. Wrexham were limited to long-range chances, to no avail, and the match ended in a goalless draw.[11]
Details
| 30 May 1989 | Wrexham | 0–0 | Leyton Orient | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham |
| Attendance: 7,915 Referee: Terry Holbrook |
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Second leg
Summary
The second leg of the final was held at Brisbane Road on 3 June 1989 in front of a crowd of 13,355.[10] The referee for the game was J. Martin and kick-off was delayed by 20 minutes as the large attendance was safely introduced to the ground. A minute before half-time, Leyton Orient took the lead when Lee Harvey struck the ball past Mike Salmon in the Wrexham goal from the right of the penalty area. One minute into the second half, Jon Bowden equalised for Wrexham when he was unmarked at the near post and headed in a cross. With eight minutes of the match remaining, Cooper received the ball from Harvey before swivelling and striking it past Salmon to make it 2–1. Leyton Orient won the match and tie, and were promoted to the Third Division.[12][13]
Details
| 3 June 1989 | Leyton Orient | 2–1 (2–1 agg.) | Wrexham | Brisbane Road, Leyton |
Harvey  44' Cooper 82' |
Bowden 46' |
Attendance: 13,355 Referee: J. Martin |
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Post-match
Frank Clark, the winning manager, said "I do not feel sorry for [Wrexham] but I feel for them."[13] He added that "Going back into the third won't make us a million ... But it's a start."[14] His counterpart Dixie McNeil said "the lads fought hard all the way."[13] He left Wrexham in November 1989 and was replaced by Brian Flynn.[15] After the match, Comfort departed by helicopter for Heathrow Airport to catch a flight to Ireland where he was to be married later that afternoon.[12]
Wrexham ended their following season in 21st place in the Fourth Division.[16] Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in fourteenth position in the Third Division.[17]
References
- ^ a b "League Division Four end of season table for 1988–89 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "Wrexham on right course". Liverpool Echo. 22 May 1989. p. 47. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Wrexham take on Orient in final". Evening Herald. 25 May 1989. p. 65. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Taylor, Louise (22 May 1989). "Blackburn fail to gain the initiative". The Times. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Searby, Martin (25 May 1989). "Orient are cleared to qualify". The Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ a b "Wrexham". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Leyton Orient". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Orient". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "Leyton Orient football club: record v Wrexham". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ a b Foster 2015, p. 199.
- ^ Ross, Ian (31 May 1989). "Orient's revival on course". The Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via Gale.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Signy, Dennis (5 June 1989). "Orient's home comforts". The Times. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021 – via Gale.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "League Division Four end of season table for 1989–90 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 21 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
- ^ "League Division Three end of season table for 1989–90 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
Bibliography
- Foster, Richard (2015). The Agony & The Ecstasy (A Comprehensive History of the Football League play-offs). Ockley Books. ISBN 978-1-910906-00-2.