2006 Football League Trophy final

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

2006 Football League Trophy Final
Event2005–06 Football League Trophy
Date2 April 2006
Venue
2007

The 2006 Football League Trophy Final was an

1997 final
.

Both sides had progressed through five rounds to reach the final based on their location, Carlisle in the northern section of the draw and Swansea in the southern section. Carlisle required extra-time on three occasions during their run to the final, including a 22-man penalty shoot-out victory over Tranmere Rovers in the northern area quarter-finals. Karl Hawley was their top goalscorer in the tournament, scoring four times en route to the final. Swansea twice required extra-time to progress in their matches, while Andy Robinson led the team with five goals in the competition.

The final was watched by 42,028 spectators and was refereed by Tony Burke. Swansea took the lead inside the opening five minutes when

Kieran Westwood. Leon Britton collected the ball before crossing to Trundle who proceeded to control the ball with his chest before volleying into the net. Hawley had a goal disallowed shortly before half-time but Carlisle were able to equalise when Adam Murray scored via a header. Swansea took the lead with nine minutes remaining through Adebayo Akinfenwa
and held on to win the match 2–1.

During their post-match celebrations, Swansea players Trundle and Alan Tate were pictured with a t-shirt and flag bearing offensive material referring to South Wales rivals Cardiff City. The pair were given a police caution over the incident and received a ban and fine from the Football Association of Wales.

Route to the final

The

Football League Trophy is a domestic association football competition for teams competing in the third and fourth tiers of English football, Leagues One and Two of the Football League. Some teams from the fifth tier, the Football Conference, were also invited to compete in order to ensure an even number of competitors. The teams are grouped together based on their location, split between north and south sections, with the winners of each area meeting in the competition final.[1]

Carlisle United

Round Opposition Score
1st Oldham Athletic (A) 1–1
(6–5 after penalties)
2nd Blackpool (H) 2–1
QF Tranmere Rovers (A) 0–0
(11–10 after penalties)
SF Kidderminster Harriers (H) 1–0
F Macclesfield Town (H)
Macclesfield Town (A)
2–1
3–2 (aet)

League Two club Carlisle United entered the competition in the first round in the northern section of the draw where they met Oldham Athletic.[1] Carlisle took an early lead as Karl Hawley opened the scoring after five minutes. They held the lead for more than 70 minutes until Andy Liddell converted a penalty to equalise for Oldham. The match proceeded to extra-time before requiring a penalty shoot-out with the score remaining 1–1. The first 11 penalties were all successfully converted until Oldham's Mark Hughes failed to score, handing Carlisle victory.[2] In the second round, Carlisle defeated Blackpool 2–1, with all three goals being scored in a five-minute period. Gary Harkins gave Blackpool the lead after 62 minutes only for Carlisle to equalise one minute later through Hawley. Four minutes later, Carlisle took the lead through Derek Holmes and held on to secure victory.[3]

In the area quarter-final, Carlisle again required a penalty shoot-out to advance. Drawn against Tranmere Rovers, the two sides played 90 minutes and extra-time without scoring. In the ensuing shoot-out, 21 consecutive penalties were scored, with all 22 players on the field at the time taking a spot kick. The shoot-out eventually ended when Tranmere goalkeeper Steve Wilson missed his penalty to hand Carlisle the win.[4] The side progressed to the area final by defeating Kidderminster Harriers through a single goal by Glenn Murray.[5]

Karl Hawley scored four times during Carlisle's cup run

Carlisle met

aggregate. Midway through the first half, Matty McNeil gave Macclesfield the lead before Hawley tied the game for Carlisle shortly before half-time. The second half remained goalless, requiring extra-time for the third match of Carlisle's competition. After 109 minutes, Simon Grand gave Carlisle the lead. With the away goals rule in effect, Macclesfield required two goals to advance. Kevin Townson pulled a goal back in the final minute of the game but Carlisle ultimately advanced on the away goals rule as the tie ended 4–4 on aggregate.[7]

Swansea City

Round Opposition Score
1st Torquay United (A) 1–3
2nd
H
)
4–0
QF Peterborough United (H) 3–1
SF Walsall (H) 2–2
(6–5 after penalties)
F Colchester United (H)
Colchester United (A)
1–0
1–2

League One side Swansea City also entered the competition in the first round, although in the southern section of the draw.[1] They fell behind early in their first match against Torquay United but equalised midway through the second half after a goal from Adrian Forbes. In the 86th minute, Adebayo Akinfenwa gave Swansea the lead with a headed goal before Andy Robinson secured victory with his side's third goal two minutes later.[8] In the second round, Swansea recorded a 4–0 victory over Rushden & Diamonds. Robinson opened the scoring after 20 minutes and added a second midway through the second half. Swansea added further goals from Garry Monk, his first for the club, and Paul Connor late in the game.[9]

In the area quarter-final, Swansea were drawn at home against Peterborough United. The two sides played out a goalless draw over 90 minutes, necessitating extra-time. Peterborough took a quick lead through Danny Crow but Swansea equalised one minute later via Akinfenwa. Robinson gave Swansea the lead in the 99th minute before Akinfenwa added his second goal ten minutes later to secure a 3–1 victory.[3] Swansea met Walsall in the semi-final, taking an early lead through Leon Knight. He had a second goal disallowed before Walsall eventually equalised through an Alex Nicholls goal in the second half. Robinson gave Swansea the lead in the 83rd minute but his goal was quickly cancelled out by an equaliser from James Constable which sent the match to extra-time.[10] The match eventually required a penalty shoot-out. The opening eight penalties were all successfully converted before the following four were all missed. The shootout ended when Walsall's Graham Deakin missed his side's eighth penalty, allowing Alan Tate to convert the winning penalty for Swansea.[11]

Swansea met

Liberty Stadium 1–0. The only goal of the game was scored shortly before half time by Akinfenwa, his fourth of the competition, who received the ball on the edge of the penalty area before shooting low into the net.[12] The first half of the second leg remained goalless but Colchester opened the scoring early in the second half through Neil Danns, whose shot deflected off a divot in the turf and eluded Swansea goalkeeper Willy Guéret. The strike ended a goal drought that the club had been enduring, the first time a Colchester player had scored for more than 12 hours of play. However, Colchester were tied on aggregate for only five minutes, as Swansea retook the lead when Leon Britton scored. Swansea secured victory when Knight added a second on the day to give his side a 3–1 aggregate victory.[13]

Background

Carlisle entered the final having won seven of their previous eight fixtures and were unbeaten in their last nine league games.

One month prior to the game, Hawley was named League Two Player of the Year for the season.[17] He was also the highest scoring player in League Two, having scored 25 goals in all competitions at the time of the final. Hawley attributed his success during the campaign to being spurred on by his omission from the starting lineup of the Conference play-off final one year previously, stating "it forced me to work harder at my game and I've become a better player for it."[18]

Swansea were featuring in their second Football League Trophy final, having won the competition in

1994.[19] They entered the final having lost their previous league fixture, 1–0 against Gillingham, but having not lost any of their previous ten fixtures beforehand.[20] Four days prior the final, Swansea had won the FAW Premier Cup for the second consecutive season after defeating Wrexham 2–1.[21]

Like Hawley, Swansea's Lee Trundle had won his league's respective player award, being named the League One Player of the Year.[18] Trundle was also his side's leading goalscorer for the season, netting 21 times during the campaign. Robinson was Swansea's second highest goalscorer with 18,[22] including 5 in the club's Football League Trophy run.[23]

Pre-match

Carlisle were hampered by the absence of on-loan striker Michael Bridges who was forced to miss the match having already appeared in the competition earlier in the season for parent club Bristol City.[18][24] Swansea had two players, Rory Fallon and Tom Williams, cup-tied for the fixture while Robinson missed training the day before the game with a dead leg, but was expected to be fit to play.[25]

The week before the final, the main sponsor of the competition LDV Vans pulled its sponsorship after being sold to a new owner. The company had entered administration the previous year, but the new owners had decided not to honour the prize fund agreement. This meant that the winners of the match would receive no prize money, rather than the £50,000 that had been on offer when the competition began. Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins estimated that, if they won the trophy, the loss of a sponsor and the contractual win bonuses for the players would result in a loss of around £75,000 for his club. The two clubs would however receive 45 per cent of the gate receipts for the final.[26]

The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, which was hosting its last Football League Trophy final. The venue had hosted the finals of English football's main cup competitions and play-off finals since 2001, during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium.[27] South Wales Police expressed concerns over possible violence ahead of the game as the match was played in Cardiff, the home city of Swansea's South Wales rivals Cardiff City. Swansea were allocated 33,000 tickets for the match, with a further 7,000 available on request if necessary.[28] However, the club eventually sold 28,000 of their allocation for the match.[29] Carlisle sold only 13,000 of their allocation.[30]

Match

Summary

The match kicked off at 1:30pm BST in front of 42,028 spectators and was refereed by Tony Leake.

Kieran Westwood who attempted to kick the ball upfield, but his clearance hit Trundle and rolled across the Carlisle defence. Robinson won the ball back from an opposition defender before Britton played a long ball into the area. Controlling the ball with his chest, Trundle proceeded to volley the ball across the face of goal and into the net with his left foot.[32]

Adebayo Akinfenwa scored the winning goal for Swansea.

The goal provided further encouragement for Swansea, who continued to pressure Carlisle for the opening 30 minutes.[33] Robinson had an attempt off target after being played through by Trundle while Akinfenwa drew a save from Westwood.[34] The Carlisle goalkeeper also required the application of a bandage on a head injury sustained in the opening half hour. Towards the end of the first half, Carlisle began to establish a foothold in the game and saw an effort by Hawley disallowed for offside. Soon after, a Zigor Aranalde long throw into the Swansea area was flicked on by Swansea's Kristian O'Leary into the path of Adam Murray who headed into the Swansea goal to equalise.[33]

Westwood was called into action again early in the second half, saving two efforts in the opening minutes. The game saw few chances in the second half, the best opportunity falling to Carlisle's Holmes who saw his header cleared off the goal line by Sam Ricketts after an hour.[35] Swansea retook the lead with nine minutes remaining with Trundle playing through Akinfenwa, who held off a challenge before shooting past Westwood. With ten minutes remaining, Carlisle pressed forward in the hope of finding an equalising goal. Their best chance fell to Murray who attempted an overhead kick which forced a save from Guéret. Swansea held onto their lead to win the match 2–1.[33]

Match details

Carlisle United1–2Swansea City
Murray 40' Report Trundle 3'
Akinfenwa 81'
Attendance: 42,028
Referee: Tony Leake (Lancashire)
Carlisle United
Swansea City
GK 20 Keiren Westwood
RB 15 Paul Arnison Yellow card downward-facing red arrow 89'
CB 5 Danny Livesey
CB 6 Kevin Gray
CB 3 Peter Murphy
LB 21 Zigor Aranalde
CM 4 Chris Billy
CM 8 Chris Lumsdon
CM 11 Adam Murray Yellow card downward-facing red arrow 79'
CF 9 Derek Holmes downward-facing red arrow 70'
CF 10 Karl Hawley
Substitutes:
GK 1 Anthony Williams
DF 14 Simon Grand upward-facing green arrow 89'
MF 7 Brendan McGill
MF 18 Simon Hackney upward-facing green arrow 79'
FW 16 Glenn Murray upward-facing green arrow 70'
Manager:
Paul Simpson
GK 27 Willy Guéret
RB 17
Keith Lowe
CB 5
Alan Tate
CB 16 Garry Monk
LB 2 Sam Ricketts
RM 4 Kristian O'Leary downward-facing red arrow 63'
CM 7 Leon Britton
CM 23 Owain Tudur Jones
LM 18 Andy Robinson downward-facing red arrow 83'
CF 9 Adebayo Akinfenwa
CF 10 Lee Trundle
Substitutes:
GK 1 Brian Murphy
DF 3 Kevin Austin
MF 6 Roberto Martínez upward-facing green arrow 83'
MF 11 Adrian Forbes
FW 24 Leon Knight upward-facing green arrow 63'
Manager:
Kenny Jackett

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Five named substitutes
  • Maximum of 3 substitutions.

Aftermath

In the immediate aftermath of the match, Swansea players Trundle and Tate caused controversy after displaying anti-Cardiff sentiment. Trundle wore a t-shirt featuring an image of a Swansea fan urinating on a Cardiff City shirt. He later claimed that he had put the shirt on without realising that the image was on the front and removed it shortly afterwards.[36] Trundle made his way behind the goal where his teammates were celebrating and proceeded to hold a Welsh flag along with teammate Tate that had an anti-Cardiff obscenity written on it. Trundle again claimed afterwards that he was initially unaware what was written on the flag and dropped it when he realised.[36] The actions were widely condemned, with South Wales Police, the Football League and the management of the Millennium Stadium all issuing statements following the incidents. South Wales Police received numerous complaints over the incident, including from Swansea fans,[37] and as a result both players were arrested over public order offences.[38] The pair were later issued with a caution,[39] while the Football Association of Wales fined the players £2,000 and issued them with a one-match ban.[40] Trundle later received death threats following the incident.[36]

Regarding his goal, Trundle has described the effort as the best he scored during his career, remarking "Where it went in was probably the only place I could have put it, the technique and the occasion make it my favourite goal."[32] The players returned to Morgans Hotel in Swansea where they held a party for their victory.[32] The celebrations were however limited by manager Kenny Jackett who insisted on the team remaining focused on earning promotion from League One with seven league games remaining.[41] His side went on to reach the 2006 Football League One play-off final the following month, losing to Barnsley in a penalty shootout with Tate missing the decisive spot kick.[42] Despite the lack of a sponsor's prize fund, Swansea were estimated to have made around £400,000 from winning the final.[43]

Carlisle manager

following year.[46]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Football League Trophy 2005–06". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  2. ^ "Oldham Athletic v Carlisle United, 18 October 2005". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b King, Ian. "England LDV Vans Trophy 2005/06". RSSSF. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Tranmere Rovers v Carlisle United, 20 December 2005". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Carlisle United v Kidderminster Harriers, 24 January 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Carlisle United 2–1 Macclesfield Town". Macclesfield Express. 22 February 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Macclesfield Town v Carlisle United, 07 March 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Torquay United 1–3 Swansea City". BBC Sport. 18 October 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Swansea 4–0 Rushden". BBC Sport. 22 November 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Swansea 2–2 Walsall". BBC Sport. 24 January 2006. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Swansea City v Walsall, 24 January 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Swansea 1–0 Colchester". BBC Sport. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Colchester United 1–2 Swansea City (LDV Vans Trophy Southern Area Final, 1–3 aggregate)". Gazette News. 15 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Carlisle United match record: 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  15. ^ Mackay, Duncan (15 May 2005). "Murphy ends Carlisle's brief exile". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  16. ^ "Carlisle United football club honours". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  17. ^ "Hawley scoops accolade". BBC Sport. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Tomas, Jason (1 April 2006). "Football League Trophy preview". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Swansea City football club honours". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Swansea City match record: 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  21. ^ "Wrexham 1–2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 29 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  22. ^ "Swansea City player appearances 2005/06". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Games played by Andy Robinson 2005/06". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Games played by Michael Bridges 2005/06". Soccerbase. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Millennium misery not on agenda". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 1 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Prize money blow for cup winners". BBC Sport. 27 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Swans anticipate Cardiff party". BBC Sport. 15 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Police ready for Swans' invasion". BBC Sport. 18 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  29. ^ "Fan-tastic day ahead for Swans". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  30. ^ "13,000 United fans march to the Millennium Stadium". News and Star. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  31. ^ "Carlisle United v Swansea City, 02 April 2006". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  32. ^ a b c Fisher, Ben (26 October 2017). "Golden Goal: Lee Trundle for Swansea City v Carlisle United (2006)". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  33. ^ a b c "Carlisle 1–2 Swansea". BBC Sport. 2 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  34. ^ "Swans seal Football League Trophy glory". Swansea City A.F.C. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  35. ^ a b c "Carlisle United 1, Swansea City 2". Chronicle Live. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  36. ^ a b c Watham, Chris (1 April 2016). "The inside story of the Swansea City triumph and celebration that sparked outcry and a police investigation a decade ago". WalesOnline. Media Wales. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  37. ^ "Police to quiz Swansea flag pair". BBC Sport. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  38. ^ "Swansea players arrested for Cardiff slur". The Guardian. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  39. ^ "Players cautioned over obscenity". BBC Sport. 20 April 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  40. ^ "Trundle ban is 'pathetic'". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 27 June 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  41. ^ "We'll put party on hold – for now". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 2 April 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  42. ^ "Swansea 2–2 Barnsley (aet)". BBC Sport. 27 May 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  43. ^ "Nest stop promotion – Jackett". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 3 April 2006. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  44. ^ "2005–06 Football League". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  45. ^ Fletcher, Paul (14 February 2007). "Simpson ready to face his past". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  46. ^ "Carlisle United". Football Club History Database. Retrieved 20 July 2020.

External links