 Vale Park pictured in July 2006 | |||||||
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| First leg | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 31 May 1989 (1989-05-31) | ||||||
| Venue | Twerton Park,Bath | ||||||
| Referee | Allan Gunn (Sussex) | ||||||
| Attendance | 9,042 | ||||||
| Second leg | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 3 June 1989 (1989-06-03) | ||||||
| Venue | Vale Park,Stoke-on-Trent | ||||||
| Referee | Keith Hackett (Sheffield & Hallamshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 17,343 | ||||||
←1988 1990 → | |||||||
The1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was atwo-leggedfootball match played on 31 May and 3 June 1989, betweenPort Vale andBristol Rovers to determine the third and final team to gainpromotion from theThird Division to theSecond Division. The top two teams of the1988–89 Football League Third Division season gained automatic promotion to the Second Division, while those placed from third to sixth place in the table took part inplay-offs; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the1989–90 season in the Second Division. From 1990 onwards, play-off finals would be one-legged affairs decided atWembley Stadium or an appropriate neutral stadium.
It was the first time either Port Vale or Bristol Rovers played a play-off final, with play-offs only being introduced to English football for the first time two years previously. In the semi-finals, Port Vale defeatedPreston North End, and Bristol Rovers beatFulham. The first leg of the final finished 1–1, with Port Vale midfielderRobbie Earle equalising in the 73rd minute afterGary Penrice had given Bristol Rovers the lead in the first half. In the second leg, Earle scored the only goal of the match with a 52nd minuteheader. The result meant that Port Vale won the play-offs with a 2–1aggregate victory.
Port Vale ended the following season eleventh in the Second Division, 13 points outside the play-offs and 13 points above therelegation zone. Bristol Rovers secured promotion as champions of the Third Division, finishing two points ahead of Bristol City in second and six points ahead of third-placedNotts County.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 96 | 49 | +47 | 92 |
| 2 | Sheffield United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 93 | 54 | +39 | 84 |
| 3 | Port Vale | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 84 |
| 4 | Fulham | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 75 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 74 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 72 |
The1988–89 season sawWolverhampton Wanderers,Sheffield United andPort Vale vie for the two automaticpromotion places in theThird Division, the third tier of theEnglish football league system, and it was Port Vale who missed out and finished in third-place, two places ahead ofBristol Rovers in fifth.[2] Both therefore took part in theplay-offs to determine the third promoted team. Port Vale had finished level on points with second-place Sheffield United, but their inferiorgoal difference cost them automatic promotion.[3] Bristol Rovers finished fifth, ten points behind Port Vale.[4]
Port Vale's opponents for the play-off semi-final werePreston North End, managed byJohn Rudge's predecessorJohn McGrath, and the first leg was played on theplastic pitch atDeepdale in Preston on 22 May.[2] Port Vale sold their 3,500 allocation for the game in three days.[3] Preston'sNigel Jemson put the home side in front on 16 minutes, beforeRobbie Earle levelled the score at 1–1 after aJohn Jefferscross was flicked on byDarren Beckford.[3][5] There was apitch invasion by the Preston fans after a fire erupted under the wooden slats of their stands.Joan Walley,Member of parliament (MP) for theStoke-on-Trent North constituency, called for an enquiry atParliament, but none was made.[6] The return leg was held atVale Park three days later.[3] Beckford opened the scoring on 11 minutes after latching on to aRon Futcher flick on, only forMark Patterson to again level the tie just two minutes later.[3] Futcher had the chance to take the lead with apenalty, only to hit the bar, before Beckford scored two goals in quick succession to claim ahat-trick and secure a 4–2aggregate victory.[3]
Bristol Rovers faced Fulham in their semi-final play-off on 21 May, and the first leg was played atTwerton Park,Bath, where Bristol Rovers had played their home matches since being forced to leaveEastville Stadium in 1986. Bristol Rovers claimed a 1–0 win with a goal fromGary Penrice.[7] The second leg was played three days later atCraven Cottage, London. Bristol Rovers claimed a comfortable victory, winning 4–0 away with goals fromBilly Clark,Ian Holloway,Dennis Bailey andAndy Reece.[8]
| Bristol Rovers | Round | Port Vale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Semi-finals | Opponent | Result | Legs |
| Fulham | 5–0 | 1–0 home; 4–0 away | Preston North End | 4–2 | 1–1 away; 3–1 home | |
It was the first time Port Vale or Bristol Rovers played a play-off final. Port Vale had previously posted two mid-table finishes following their promotion into the third tier in1986.[9] Bristol Rovers meanwhile had spent most of the decade in the third tier followingrelegation from the second tier in1981. In the two league matches played between the clubs during the regular season, the two teams played out a 2–2 draw at Twerton Park in April before Vale won the home fixture 1–0 in the campaign's penultimate game.[9] Port Vale had conceded fewer goals than any other team in the Third Division in the1988–89 season.[10] No team in the Football League had picked up as many home league draws as Bristol Rovers, with 11, whereas only the bottom two clubs of the Third Division had won fewer home fixtures. Port Vale quickly sold out their 1,500 ticket allocation at Twerton Park, whilst 4,000 Bristol Rovers fans secured tickets at Vale Park.[3]Simon Mills had to postpone hishoneymoon to play in the final.[3] The second leg would be the first time Port Vale would play a competitive fixture in June.[3] Port Vale were strong favourites, withThe Guardian's David Foot reporting that financially limited Bristol Rovers had made it to the play-offs "against every apparent law of logic" asmanagerGerry Francis had built a squad with atransfer budget of £20,000, half of which he had lent the club himself in order to sign Ian Holloway.[3][11]
Thereferee for the first leg wasAllan Gunn fromSussex.[12] The Port Vale starting line-up were largely the same eleven that defeated Preston, but withGary West starting in place ofAlan Webb.[13] Bristol Rovers were reported to havereserve playersPaul Nixon and Willmott on stand-by asDevon White,Phil Purnell and leading scorer Gary Penrice faced late fitness tests,[14] though all three would start the game. Francis was unable to nameGeoff Twentyman, who was suspended, whilst loanees Bailey andIan Hazel both returned to their parent clubs.[15] Francis stated that "we are going to give it a real go. We are not letting up now".[14]
Jeffers missed a good chance to open the scoring in the 30th minute following a Beckford flick-on from acorner kick.[16] It was Bristol Rovers that were the first to score; keeperNigel Martyn hit the ball upfield and Penricevolleyed the ball into the net over a strandedMark Grew following a White flick-on.[16] Futcherheaded the ball into the net just beforehalf-time only to find his goal disallowed foroffside.[16] Port Vale dominated the second half and it was Earle who equalised 17 minutes from time to level the tie, scoring a headed goal from a Futcher cross.[16] Port Vale nearly won the match in the dying moments, only for Beckford'sheader to be cleared off the goal-line.[16] Bristol Rovers manager Francis bemoaned Futcher beingyellow-carded for an altercation withIan Alexander when he believed a red was more appropriate, saying "It was an out and out nut!"[3] In his match report, Nicholas Harling ofThe Times wrote that "Vale finished the first leg looking by far the more accomplished side".[17]
The referee for the second leg was1981 FA Cup final referee andSheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association representativeKeith Hackett.[18] Port Vale manager John Rudge announced an unchanged team from the eleven that held Bristol Rovers to a 1–1 draw in the first leg.[13] Francis was also able to name the same starting line-up for Bristol Rovers as the 13-man squad all passed fitness tests.[19] The first half finished goalless despite large periods of pressure from Port Vale, with Martyn in good form in the Bristol Rovers goal.[3] Martyn saved a 30 yards (27 m) strike fromDean Glover, whilst Beckford and Earle both came close to taking the lead.[3] The second half saw the "MBE" combination (a Simon Mills corner, flicked on by Beckford and knocked into the net by Earle)[20] pay off, resulting in an Earle headed goal in the 52nd minute; it was his 19th goal of the season and fourth headed goal against Bristol Rovers that season.[3] It was to prove the only goal of the match as Port Vale controlled the remainder of the game, and a celebratory pitch invasion ensued.[3][2]The Guardian's Stephen Bierley did not enjoy the match and his only praise for Bristol Rovers was that they "did as little as possible to threaten the status quo, winning much praise from everybody by not forcingextra time to extend the tedium".[21] In contrast,The Observer's Derek Wallis reported that "Rovers ... played some delightful football but they were unable to penetrate a resolute defence ... in which West and Glover needed to be constantly alert".[22] With the play-offs still a relatively new concept, both managers and some journalists were highly critical of the idea and agreed that Port Vale had deserved their promotion after finishing the league campaign in third place.[23]
"We practised corners for hours, and it certainly paid off. Millsy could put in a brilliant delivery and as soon as it went toward Becky I knew it was coming my way. At the end of the game it was a huge feeling of relief that we had proved a point – we were good enough for promotion. We knew as a group of players we could play at a higher level and this gave us a chance to do so. I had a great time at Vale, and this was the greatest of them all.
— Earle speaking toThe Sentinel in 2009[20]
| Bristol Rovers | 1–1 | Port Vale |
|---|---|---|
Penrice 31' | Earle 73' |
          Bristol Rovers |  Port Vale |
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| Port Vale | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Earle 52' |
  Port Vale | Bristol Rovers |
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Bristol Rovers recovered from the loss andthe following season joined Port Vale in the second tier, coming up as champions.[24] Port Vale remained in the second tier until1991–92, when they were relegated in last place.[25] Bristol Rovers were themselves relegated at the end of the1992–93 season.[26] Goalkeeper Martyn went on to win 23 caps forEngland and spend a long career in thePremier League withCrystal Palace,Leeds United andEverton.[27] Midfielder Holloway went on to manage Bristol Rovers in May 1996, with Gary Penrice as his assistant,[28] in the first job of a long managerial career.[29] Gerry Francis went on to manageTottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, though would end his management career after a second spell at Bristol Rovers in 2001.[30]
Earle was sold on toWimbledon for £775,000 in July 1991 and later appeared in the1998 FIFA World Cup forJamaica.[31] The man that effectively put Port Vale in the final, Beckford, was himself sold toNorwich City for £925,000 in June 1991.[32] Mastermind of the success John Rudge immediately signed a new two-yearcontract and continued to manage Port Vale until January 1999, when he was dismissed in a controversial decision by chairmanBill Bell.[33][34]
