2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The Millennium Stadium hosted the final.
Blackpool Leyton Orient
4 2
Date26 May 2001
VenueMillennium Stadium, Cardiff
RefereeDavid Pugh
Attendance23,600

The 2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Blackpool and Leyton Orient. It was to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Third Division to the Second Division. The top three teams of the 2000–01 Football League Third Division, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City and Chesterfield, gained automatic promotion to the Second Division, while those placed from fourth to seventh place in the table took part in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2001–02 season in the Second Division. The losing semi-finalists were Hartlepool United and Hull City who had been defeated by Blackpool and Leyton Orient respectively. It was the first season that the play-off finals were contested at the Millennium Stadium during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium.

The match was refereed by David Pugh in front of a crowd of 23,600. After 27 seconds, an error from Blackpool's goalkeeper Phil Barnes following a backpass from Brian Reid allowed Chris Tate to score, putting Leyton Orient into an early lead. In the 35th minute, the scores were level as Ian Hughes headed in Paul Simpson's corner to make it 1–1. Two minutes later, Houghton restored Leyton Orient's lead with a strike from around 20 yards (18 m) which beat Barnes. A minute before half-time, Blackpool equalised once again as Reid converted Gary Parkinson's cross, and the half ended 2–2. With 13 minutes of the match remaining, Blackpool took the lead for the first time, after Simpson scored following Brett Ormerod's through ball. In the 88th minute Omerod converted a cross from John Hills from around 6 yards (5.5 m) to make it 4–2 to Blackpool who secured promotion to the Second Division.

Blackpool ended their following season in sixteenth position in the Second Division, five places and twelve points ahead of the relegation zone. Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in eighteenth place in the Third Division.

Route to the final

Football League Third Division final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 28 8 10 73 35 +38 92
2 Cardiff City 46 23 13 10 95 58 +37 82
3 Chesterfield 46 25 14 7 79 42 +37 80[lower-alpha 1]
4 Hartlepool United 46 21 14 11 71 54 +17 77
5 Leyton Orient 46 20 15 11 59 51 +8 75
6 Hull City 46 19 17 10 47 39 +8 74
7 Blackpool 46 22 6 18 74 58 +16 72
Notes:
  1. ↑ Chesterfield had 9 points deducted.

Leyton Orient finished the regular 2000–01 season in fifth position in the Third Division, the fourth tier of the English football league system, two places and three points ahead of Blackpool. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to the Second Division and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Leyton Orient finished three points behind Chesterfield (who were promoted in third place, despite having been deducted nine points for financial irregularities),[2] fourteen behind Cardiff City and twenty-four behind league winners Brighton & Hove Albion.[1] Blackpool were in fifteenth position in the league in mid-November and secured their play-off place on the final day of the season.[3] Leyton Orient lost just one of their final eleven league matches prior to the play-offs.[4]

Blackpool's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Hartlepool United with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool on 13 May 2001.[5] After a goalless first half, the home side took the lead on the hour mark when Brett Ormerod received a pass from Gary Parkinson and struck the ball past Hartlepool goalkeeper Anthony Williams. Seventeen minutes later Ormerod scored his and Blackpool's second goal to secure a 2–0 victory.[6] The return leg was held three days later at Victoria Park in Hartlepool. The visitors took the lead in the 21st minute when Ormerod headed a free kick from Parkinson past Williams. Three minutes into the second half, Hartlepool made it 1–1 when Kevin Henderson scored with a volley from Paul Stephenson's pass. John Hills restored Blackpool's lead a minute later when he headed Ormerod's cross in before Jermaine Easter, a second-half substitute for Hartlepool, was sent off for a foul on Brian Reid. In the 67th minute, Richie Wellens passed to Hills whose cross was converted by Ormerod to make it 3–1. Blackpool secured a 5–1 aggregate victory and progressed to the final.[7]

In the second semi-final, Leyton Orient faced Hull City and the first match was played at Boothferry Park, Hull's home ground, on 13 May 2001.[8] The first half ended goalless with the best chance coming when a flick-on from Kevin Francis found Mark Greaves whose shot struck the Leyton Orient crossbar. John Eyer came on as a substitute for Francis midway through the second half and within minutes had put Hull ahead. Leyton Orient failed to clear a Hull corner and Eyre's shot from the edge of the penalty area beat Ashley Bayes to make it 1–0.[9] The second leg took place three days later at Brisbane Road in Leyton. The home side took the lead a minute before half-time when Steve Watts headed in a cross from Scott Houghton from around 10 yards (9.1 m). Leyton Orient dominated the game and doubled their lead midway through the second half when Matt Lockwood scored from 30 yards (27 m) direct from a free kick. It gave them a 2–1 aggregate victory and saw them progress to the final.[10]

Match

Background

Brett Ormerod
Brett Ormerod (pictured in 2010) scored four times in the play-off semi-finals and once in the final.

This was Blackpool's fourth appearance in the play-offs and their third final: they lost to Torquay United on penalties in the 1991 Football League Fourth Division play-off final at the old Wembley Stadium and defeated Scunthorpe United in a penalty shootout in the following season's final. Blackpool had been relegated to the fourth tier of English football the previous season and were aiming for an immediate return to the Second Division.[11] Leyton Orient were making their third appearance in the final of the play-offs, and had won just once, in the 1989 Football League Fourth Division play-off final which was played over two legs against Wrexham.[12] Orient's defeat came in the 1999 Football League Third Division play-off final against Scunthorpe United at the old Wembley Stadium.[13] Leyton Orient had played in the fourth tier of English football since being relegated in the 1994–95 season.[14]

In the matches between the sides during the regular season, the first ended in a 2–2 at Bloomfield Road in August 2000 while Leyton Orient won their home game 1–0 the following March.[15] Carl Griffiths was the leading scorer for Leyton Orient with 19 goals in the regular season (15 in the league and 4 in the FA Cup) followed by Watts on 9 (8 in the league and 1 in the League Cup).[16] John Murphy led the scoring for Blackpool with 23 goals (18 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup and 4 in the League Cup) followed by Ormerod with 22 (18 in the league, 2 in the FA Cup, 1 in the League Cup and 1 in the Football League Trophy).[17]

The referee for the match was David Pugh.[18] Both sides adopted a 4–4–2 formation for the final.[19] Blackpool were considered favourites to win the match by the Racing Post.[4] As a result of the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium, it was the first time the English Football League play-offs had taken place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.[20]

Summary

The match kicked off around 3 p.m. on 26 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in front of 23,600 spectators.[18] After 27 seconds, an error from Blackpool's goalkeeper Phil Barnes following a backpass from Reid allowed Chris Tate to score, putting Leyton Orient into an early lead. In the sixth minute, Tate's header from an Andy Harris cross went over the Blackpool crossbar. Three minutes later Bayes saved Danny Coid's attempt to score from close range, before diving to keep out a 25-yard (23 m) strike from Coid in the 13th minute. Parkinson's free kick from 35 yards (32 m) went high over the Leyton Orient bar in the 19th minute before Barnes tipped over a diving header from David McGhee. Another McGhee header was saved by Barnes in the 27th minute. Seven minutes later the scores were level as Ian Hughes headed in Paul Simpson's corner to make it 1–1. Two minutes later, Houghton restored Leyton Orient's lead with a strike from around 20 yards (18 m) which beat Barnes. A minute before half-time, Blackpool equalised once again as Reid converted Parkinson's cross, and the half ended 2–2.[21]

Neither side made any change to their personnel during the interval and three minutes into the second half, Jabo Ibehre's strike from inside the Blackpool penalty area struck the goalpost. In the 58th minute, Murphy's shot from around 20 yards (18 m) cleared the Leyton Orient crossbar. Seven minutes later, Leyton Orient made their first substitutions of the game, with Tate and Wim Walschaerts being replaced by Ahmet Brković and Steve Castle. With 13 minutes of the match remaining, Blackpool took the lead for the first time, after Simpson scored following Ormerod's through ball. In the 82nd minute, Houghton was then substituted for John Martin. Six minutes later Omerod converted a cross from Hills from around 6 yards (5.5 m) to make it 4–2 to Blackpool. With a minute to go, Mike Milligan and Jamie Milligan were brought on for Ormerod and Simpson and after three minutes of injury time, the final whistle was blown, with Blackpool securing promotion to the Second Division with a 4–2 victory.[21]

Details

Blackpool4–2Leyton Orient
Hughes 35'
Reid 45'
Simpson 77'
Ormerod 88'		 (Report) Tate 1'
Houghton 37'
Attendance: 23,600
Referee: David Pugh
Blackpool
Leyton Orient
GK1Phil Barnes
DF3John Hills Yellow card
DF33Gary Parkinson
DF5Ian Hughes
DF6Brian Reid
MF12Danny Coid
MF14Richie Wellensdownward-facing red arrow 88'
MF8Phil Clarkson
MF25Paul Simpsondownward-facing red arrow 88'
FW16Brett Ormeroddownward-facing red arrow 89'
FW9John Murphy
Substitutes:
DF23Neil Murphy
DF17Phil Thompsonupward-facing green arrow 89'
MF4Steve Bushell
MF7Mike Milliganupward-facing green arrow 88'
MF32Jamie Milliganupward-facing green arrow 88' Yellow card
Manager:
Steve McMahon
GK1Ashley Bayes
DF2Matt Joseph
DF3Matt Lockwood
DF4Dean Smith
DF6Simon Downer
MF15Wim Walschaertsdownward-facing red arrow 67'
MF7Andy Harris
MF5David McGhee
MF27Scott Houghtondownward-facing red arrow 82'
MF8Jabo Ibehre
FW30Chris Tatedownward-facing red arrow 66'
Substitutes:
GK12Scott Barrett
MF17John Martinupward-facing green arrow 82'
MF14Steve Castleupward-facing green arrow 67'
MF10Ahmet Brkovićupward-facing green arrow 66'
MF16Billy Beall
Manager:
Tommy Taylor

Post-match

The Blackpool manager Steve McMahon "was in total disbelief when the first goal went in" but suggested although his side "didn't play brilliantly but I think we were the best team."[22] His counterpart Tommy Taylor said that his opponents were "the better side in the second half" and that they "deserved to win it."[22] The opening goal, timed at 27 seconds, was the fastest ever scored in a play-off final.[3]

Blackpool ended their following season in sixteenth position in the Second Division, five places and twelve points ahead of the relegation zone.[23] Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in eighteenth place in the Third Division.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 "League Two – 2000/2001 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Chesterfield's points deduction confirmed". BBC Sport. 3 May 2001. Archived from the original on 5 November 2002. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Foster 2015, p. 168.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Paul (26 May 2001). "Blackpool to illuminate final thriller". Racing Post. p. 127. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021 – via Gale.
  5. ↑ "Blackpool v Hartlepool United, 13 May 2001". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 1 June 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ↑ "Ormerod raises Blackpool hopes". BBC Sport. 12 May 2001. Archived from the original on 25 February 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Blackpool reach play-off final". BBC Sport. 16 May 2001. Archived from the original on 25 February 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Hull City v Leyton Orient, 13 May 2001". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  9. ↑ "Eyre puts Hull on top". BBC Sport. 13 May 2001. Archived from the original on 25 December 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Orient see off Hull challenge". BBC Sport. 16 May 2001. Archived from the original on 25 December 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Blackpool". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 8 August 2020. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Leyton Orient v Wrexham, 03 June 1989". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  13. ↑ "Garcia strike takes Iron up". BBC Sport. 29 May 1999. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  14. ↑ "Leyton Orient". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  15. ↑ "Leyton Orient football club: record v Blackpool". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "Leyton Orient squad details – 2000/01 – Player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Blackpool squad details – 2000/01 – Player appearances". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  18. 1 2 "Blackpool v Leyton Orient, 26 May 2001". 11V11.Com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Brodkin, John (28 May 2001). "Blackpool's winning day trip is perfect end to roller-coaster season". The Guardian. p. 4. Archived from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021 – via Gale.
  20. ↑ Rees, Paul; Chaudhary, Vivek (4 January 2001). "Cardiff to host next three FA Cup finals". The Guardian. p. 28. Archived from the original on 4 February 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. 1 2 "Clockwatch: Blackpool 4–2 Orient". BBC Sport. 26 May 2001. Archived from the original on 24 February 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  22. 1 2 "McMahon: The best team won". BBC Sport. 26 May 2001. Archived from the original on 24 February 2003. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  23. ↑ "League Two – 2001/2002 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  24. ↑ "League One – 2001/2002 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 6 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.
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