1991 Football League Second Division play-off final
.jpg) The final was held at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
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| Date | 2 June 1991 | ||||||
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| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Referee | David Elleray (Harrow) | ||||||
| Attendance | 59,940 | ||||||
The 1991 Football League Second Division play-off Final was an
The match was played in front of a Wembley crowd of 59,940 spectators and was refereed by David Elleray. Brighton started strongly but Notts County took the lead in the first half of the final with a Tommy Johnson goal. Brighton hit the post and the bar either side of half time, before Johnson made it 2–0 midway through the second half. Notts County added a third goal through Dave Regis before Dean Wilkins scored a late consolation goal, to end the game 3–1.
In their following season, Notts County finished 21st in the First Division, and were relegated back to the second tier of English football. Brighton's next season also ended with their relegation: they finished in 23rd position and dropped into the third tier.
Route to the final
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 83 | 53 | +30 | 88 |
| 2 | West Ham United | 46 | 24 | 15 | 7 | 60 | 34 | +26 | 87 |
| 3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 80 | 51 | +29 | 82 |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 76 | 55 | +21 | 80 |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 73 |
| 6 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 63 | 69 | −6 | 70 |
| 7 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 66 | 47 | +19 | 69 |
Brighton & Hove Albion had qualified for the play-offs with a
Notts County faced Middlesbrough in their play-off semi-final with the first leg being hosted at Ayresome Park in Middlesbrough. Phil Turner opened the scoring for the visitors when he chipped a Dave Regis pass over Andy Dibble in the Middlesbrough goal. Jimmy Phillips then equalised from a John Hendrie cross and the match ended 1–1.[5] The second leg was held at Meadow Lane in Nottingham three days later. After a goalless first half, Paul Harding scored his first goal in professional football, putting the home side ahead in the 78th minute with a header from a Mark Draper cross. Notts County won the match 1–0, their eighth victory in nine games, and qualified for the final with a 2–1 aggregate win.[6]
Match
Background
Neither team had featured in the second tier play-offs before.
Walker returned to the Brighton starting line-up after suffering an arm injury in the semi-final, while Byrne was selected as one of the two
Summary
The match kicked off around 3 p.m. in front of a Wembley Stadium crowd of 59,940.[17] Brighton started on the offence with Barham and Walker exploiting the wings while Small worked to disrupt the Notts County defence. They dominated the first 20 minutes but after Walker's shot was blocked, Notts County began to get a foothold in the match.[16] In the 29th minute, Notts County won a controversial corner: Chivers tackled Dean Thomas and the ball appeared to have gone out off the Notts County player, but Elleray awarded the corner against Brighton.[15] A short pass from the set play from Turner found Thomas. He played the ball back to Turner whose cross was met by Johnson who scored past Digweed in the Brighton goal. Just before half-time, Walker passed to Gary Chivers who returned the pass: Chivers jumped to head the ball goal-bound but it rebounded off the near post.[16]
Three minutes into the second half Brighton struck the frame of the Notts County goal again: Dean Wilkins took a direct free kick from around 30 yards (27 m) which cleared the defensive wall but shaved the crossbar. In the 59th minute, Johnson scored his and his team's second goal of the match, beating Digweed from a narrow angle. Thirteen minutes later, Regis scored to make it 3–0 to Notts County.[16] Colin Pates headed out a Draper free kick but it struck Regis who bundled it over the line. Wilkins scored a late consolation goal after Byrne, who had come on as a substitute, had gone on a dribbling run and sent in a low cross.[15] The full-time score was 3–1 and Notts County were promoted to the top tier of English football for the first time since 1984.[16]
Details
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–3 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
Wilkins  89' |
Johnson 29', 59' Regis 71' |
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Post-match
Notts County became the seventh team to win back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the first tier, but the first to do so through the play-offs both times.[13][16] In their following season, they finished 21st in the First Division, and were relegated back to the second tier of English football.[18][19] Brighton's next season also ended with their relegation: they finished in 23rd position and dropped into the third tier.[20]
According to the Chelsea chairman Ken Bates, he approached Warnock with a provisional three-year deal to become manager of the club before the play-offs but he turned down the move citing his desire to remain continue working with his assistant Mick Jones at Notts County.[21][22] Warnock later claimed he had "no regrets" that he did not accept the offer, suggesting that he remained with his promoted team because he "wanted to stay loyal to a group of players who had been fantastic for [him]."[23] He was sacked by Notts County in January 1993 with the club bottom of the Second Division.[24]
References
- ^ a b c "League Division Two end of season table for 1990–91 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
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- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Play-Off Final History & Stats". Sporting Life. 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Notts County". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Brighton and Hove Albion football club: record v Notts County". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-356-19198-0.
- ISBN 978-0-356-19198-0.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tommy's sights on a repeat". Liverpool Echo. 1 June 1991. p. 30. Retrieved 2 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Aberdeen Press and Journal. 3 June 1991. p. 20. Retrieved 5 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brighton and Hove Albion v Notts County, 02 June 1991". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- ^ "League Division One end of season table for 1991–92 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "League Division Two end of season table for 1991–92 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ Taylor, Louise (17 December 2012). "Leeds' Neil Warnock unsure whether to shake with Chelsea's Rafa Benítez". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 January 2021.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ Diner, Matt (18 December 2012). "Neil Warnock has no regrets over turning down Chelsea job". The Independent. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
- Newspapers.com.