1993 Football League play-offs

Background

The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.

First Division

Portsmouth, whose top scorer Guy Whittingham had found the net 42 times in Division One, only missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. Fourth placed Tranmere Rovers had recorded the highest finish of their history and had yet to play in the top flight of English football. Swindon Town, who finished fifth, had won the playoff final three years earlier but promotion was then withdrawn due to financial irregularities. The last playoff place went to the previous season's beaten finalists, Leicester City.

In the end, it was Leicester and Swindon who went through to the final. Swindon took a 3-0 lead before Leicester clawed back to make it 3-3, only for Paul Bodin to score the winner and deliver top flight football to Swindon for the first time in their history.

Glenn Hoddle's impressive two-year spell as player-manager of Swindon attracted attention of bigger clubs, and soon after this famous victory he was appointed player-manager of Chelsea, while losers Leicester had now been beaten in all of their six appearances at Wembley.

Semi-finals

First leg

16 May 1993

13:00

Leicester City	1–0	Portsmouth
Joachim 86'

Forest Ground, Nottingham

Attendance: 24,538

Referee: Keith Hackett

16 May 1993

14:50

Swindon Town	3–1	Tranmere Rovers
Mitchell 3' Maskell 27'		Morrissey 58'

County Ground, Swindon

Attendance: 14,230

Referee: Allan Gunn

19 May 1993

19:30

Tranmere Rovers	3–2	Swindon Town
Proctor 45' Nevin 64' Irons 83' (pen.)		Moncur 28' Maskell 81'

Prenton Park, Birkenhead

Attendance: 16,083

Referee: Paul Durkin

Swindon Town won 5–4 on aggregate.

19 May 1993

19:45

Portsmouth	2–2	Leicester City
McLoughlin 51' Kristensen 72'		Thompson 69'

Fratton Park, Portsmouth

Attendance: 25,438

Referee: Roger Milford

Leicester City won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

31 May 1993

15:00

Leicester City	3–4	Swindon Town
Thompson 69'		Hoddle 42' Maskell 47' Taylor 53' Bodin 84' (pen.)

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 73,802

Referee: David Elleray

Second Division

Semi-finals

First leg

16 May 1993

12:00

Stockport County	1–1	Port Vale
Gannon 5' (pen.)		Glover 24'

Edgeley Park, Stockport

Attendance: 7,856

Referee: Alan Wilkie

16 May 1993

15:00

Swansea City	2–1	West Bromwich Albion
McFarlane 50' Hayes 65'		McFarlane 72' (o.g.)

Vetch Field, Swansea

Attendance: 13,917

Second leg

19 May 1993

19:45

Port Vale	1–0	Stockport County
Foyle 84'

Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent

Attendance: 12,689

Referee: David Elleray

Port Vale won 2–1 on aggregate.

19 May 1993

19:45

West Bromwich Albion	2–0	Swansea City
Hamilton 20'

The Hawthorns, West Bromwich

Attendance: 26,045

West Bromwich Albion won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

30 May 1993

15:00

Port Vale	0–3	West Bromwich Albion
		Hunt 66' Reid 82' Donovan 90'

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 53,471

Referee: Roger Milford

Third Division

Semi-finals

First leg

16 May 1993

15:00

Crewe Alexandra	5–1	Walsall
Edwards 50' Ward 83'		Cecere 38'

Gresty Road, Crewe

Attendance: 6,196

19 May 1993

19:45

Walsall	2–4	Crewe Alexandra
Clarke 18' O'Connor 78'		Naylor 31', 42', 88' Ward 77'

Bescot Stadium, Walsall

Attendance: 7,398

Crewe Alexandra won 9–3 on aggregate.

19 May 1993

19:45

York City	1–0	Bury
Swann 59'

Bootham Crescent, York

Attendance: 9,206

York City won 1–0 on aggregate.

Final

29 May 1993

14:30

Crewe Alexandra	1–1 (a.e.t.)	York City
McKearney 119' (pen.)		Swann 104'
Penalties
McKearney Smith Whalley Ward	3–5	McCarthy Barnes Canham Pepper Hall

Wembley Stadium, London

Attendance: 22,416

Referee: Allan Gunn

External links

• Football League website