2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final

2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
Event 2000–01 Football League Second Division
Walsall Reading
3 2
After extra time
Date 27 May 2001
Venue Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee E. K. Wolstenholme
Attendance 50,496

The 2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final was contested by Walsall and Reading. It was the first season that the play-off finals were contested at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley Stadium.

Route to the final

  • Reading: Reading beat Wigan 2–1 on aggregate after a 0–0 draw and a 2–1 second leg win.
  • Walsall: Walsall beat Stoke 4–2 at Home in the second leg, after 0–0 draw at Stoke's Britannia Stadium.

Match

Summary

Reading scored the opening goal from a throw in. Jamie Cureton's volley crept in underneath Walsall goalkeeper Jimmy Walker. Don Goodman scored the leveler for Walsall just after half-time to take the game into extra-time.

Reading made a storming start to extra-time with, ex-Walsall striker, Martin Butler scoring a header inside the first 2 minutes. A treble substitution by Walsall manager Ray Graydon on 98 minutes changed the game. Walsall's Dean Keates forced an own-goal by Reading's Tony Rougier on 107 minutes. Walsall nicked it 2 minutes later virtue of a stunning turn and shot from substitute Darren Byfield.

Details

Walsall 3–2 Reading
Goodman  48'
Rougier  107' (o.g.)
Byfield  109'		 Report Cureton  31'
Butler  91'
Attendance: 50,496
Walsall
Reading
GK1Jimmy Walker
DF3Ian Brightwell
DF15Zigor Aranalde
DF25Tony Barras Yellow card
DF5Andy Tillson
MF10Dean Keates
MF27Pedro Matías
MF4Tom Bennett 98'
MF19Paul Hall 98'
FW9Don Goodman
FW14Jorge Leitão 98'
Substitutes:
DF21Matt Gadsby 98'
GK17Carl Emberson
MF26Gábor Bukrán 98'
FW11Brett Angell
FW8Darren Byfield 98'
Manager:
Ray Graydon
GK1Phil Whitehead
DF7Graeme Murty
DF3Matthew Robinson
DF5Adrian Viveash Yellow card
DF29Adrian Williams 105'
MF40James Harper
MF14Sammy Igoe 66'
MF16Phil Parkinson Yellow card
FW22Jim McIntyre 82'
FW9Martin Butler
FW12Jamie Cureton
Substitutes:
MF37Tony Rougier 82'
DF6Barry Hunter 105'
GK21Scott Howie
FW10Nicky Forster 66'
MF8Darren Caskey
Manager:
Alan Pardew

Match rules:

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary.
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
  • Five named substitutes.
  • Maximum of three substitutions.

References

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