.jpg) The match was played at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 1990–91 Football League Fourth Division | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Afterextra time Torquay United won 5–4 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 31 May 1991 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Referee | George Courtney | ||||||
| Attendance | 21,615 | ||||||
←1990 1992 → | |||||||
The1991 Football League Fourth Division play-off final was anassociation football match played on 31 May 1991 at theWembley Stadium, London, betweenBlackpool andTorquay United. The match determined the fifth and final team to gainpromotion from theFootball League Fourth Division, English football's fourth tier, to theThird Division. The top four teams of the1990–91 Fourth Division season gained automatic promotion to the Third Division, while those placed from fifth to eighth in the table took part inplay-offs, the semi-final winners of which competed for the final place for the1991–92 season in the Third Division. Blackpool finished in fifth place while Torquay ended the season in seventh position.Burnley andScunthorpe United were the losing semi-finalists, being defeated by Torquay and Blackpool respectively.
The match wasrefereed byGeorge Courtney in front of a crowd of 21,615.Paul Groves opened the scoring for Blackpool with an angled shot from 8 yards (7.3 m) following a pass fromMark Taylor after seven minutes. Torquay equalised on 28 minutes after across fromMark Loram washeaded pastSteve McIlhargey, the Blackpool goalkeeper, byWes Saunders. In the 37th minute,Dave Bamber was adjudged to have handled a cross fromPaul Holmes in the Blackpoolpenalty area andDean Edwards scored thepenalty make it 2–1 to Torquay at half time. After the interval, Blackpool dominated the game and scored the equaliser in the 76th minute with anown goal fromChris Curran, and the match ended 2–2 and went intoextra time. No goals were scored in additional time so the match had to be decided by apenalty shootout. The first two shots were saved before the next nine penalties were converted. Bamber then sliced his shot wide of the goal, concluding the shootout with a 5–4 victory to Torquay who were promoted to the Third Division for the first time in 20 years. It was the first play-off final to be decided by a penalty shootout.
In theirfollowing season, Blackpool finished in fourth position in the Fourth Division and participated inthe play-offs where they defeated Scunthorpe United on penalties inthe final. Torquay United ended their next season in 23rd place in the Third Division table and were relegated back to the Fourth Division after a single season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Darlington | 46 | 22 | 17 | 7 | 68 | 38 | +30 | 83 |
| 2 | Stockport County | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 84 | 47 | +37 | 82 |
| 3 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 82 |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 46 | 21 | 17 | 8 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 80 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 78 | 47 | +31 | 79 |
| 6 | Burnley | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 79 |
| 7 | Torquay United | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 64 | 47 | +17 | 72 |
| 8 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 71 | 62 | +9 | 71 |
Blackpool finished the regular1990–91 season in fifth place in theFootball League Fourth Division, the fourth tier of theEnglish football league system, two positions ahead ofTorquay United. Both therefore missed out on the four automatic places forpromotion to theThird Division and instead took part in theplay-offs to determine the fifth promoted team. Blackpool finished one point behindPeterborough United (who were promoted in fourth place), three behindHartlepool andStockport County (who were promoted in third and second place respectively), and four behind league winnersDarlington. Torquay ended the season seven points behind Blackpool, who missed out on automatic promotion when they lost their final league game to finish fifth.[1][2]
Torquay United facedBurnley in their play-off semi-final with the first match of thetwo-legged tie being held atPlainmoor in Torquay on 19 May 1991.Dean Edwards opened the scoring for the home side before Burnley'sDavid Hamilton was shown thered card for a late tackle onMicky Holmes. Five minutes laterMatt Elliott doubled Torquay's lead and the match ended 2–0.[3] The second leg was played three days later atTurf Moor in Burnley. The home team dominated the game but it was not until the 89th minute that they scored through anown goal fromStewart Evans. The match ended 1–0 to Burnley but Torquay progressed to the final with a 2–1aggregate victory.[4]
Blackpool's opponents for their play-off semi-final wereScunthorpe United and the first leg took place atGlanford Park in Scunthorpe on 19 May 1991. After a goalless first half,Tony Rodwell put the visitors ahead in the 57th minute beforeSteve Lister wassent off for insulting thelinesman. Twenty minutes later,Mark Lillis turned with the ball and struck an equaliser to ensure the match ended 1–1.[5] The second leg was held on 22 May 1991 atBloomfield Road in Blackpool. Scunthorpe took the lead in the 38th minute with a 30 yards (27 m)free kick off the post fromDave Hill. Eleven minutes after half-time,David Eyres scored from anAndy Garnercross. In the 67th minute, Eyres then scored from aheaded pass from Garner to make it 2–1, and Blackpool progressed to the final 3–2 on aggregate.[4]
This was Blackpool's first appearance in theEnglish Football League play-offs and their first appearance at the national stadium since the1953 FA Cup Final where they defeatedBolton Wanderers.[5][6]Stan Mortensen, who had scored ahat-trick for Blackpool in that final, had died the previous week.[7] The club had played in the Fourth Division for a single season having been relegated in the1989–90 season.[6]Billy Ayre had taken over asmanager of Blackpool in December 1990 with the team sixth from bottom but led them into the play-offs with a club-record winning streak of 13 games at home.[5] Torquay were making their second appearance in the play-offs having lost in the semi-finals in1988. They had played in the Fourth Division after being relegated in the1971–72 season.[8] Their managerDave Smith had been replaced byJohn Impey in April 1991 after the side had slipped from top to mid-table.[7][9] This was Torquay's second visit toWembley Stadium, their previous appearance being in the1988–89 Associate Members' Cup which they lost 4–1 against Bolton Wanderers.[10][11] In the matches between the clubs during the regular season, each side won their home game: Torquay secured a 2–1 victory in October 1990 while Blackpool won 1–0 the following March.[12]
Thereferee for the match wasGeorge Courtney.[13]
The matchkicked off around 8 p.m. on 31 May 1991 in front of a crowd of 21,615.[14]Paul Groves opened the scoring for Blackpool with an angled shot from 8 yards (7.3 m) following a pass fromMark Taylor after seven minutes. Torquay equalised on 28 minutes after aMark Loram cross was headed pastSteve McIlhargey, the Blackpool goalkeeper, byWes Saunders. In the 37th minute,Dave Bamber was adjudged to have handled a cross fromPaul Holmes in the Blackpool penalty area and Edwards dispatched the resulting spot kick to make it 2–1 to Torquay at half time. After the interval, Blackpool dominated the game and scored the equaliser in the 76th minute:[15] Garner'soverhead kick was tipped onto the crossbar by Torquay's goalkeeperGareth Howells beforeChris Curran played the ball into the net for an own goal. Regular time ended with the score as 2–2 and the game went intoextra time.[13][16]
Bamber scored in extra time but his goal was disallowed as he was adjudged to have beenoffside. Both Elliott and Evans had shots cleared from beneath the Blackpool crossbar and the game ended 2–2 sending it to apenalty shootout. Loram and Rodwell both saw their shots saved before the next nine penalties were converted. Bamber then sliced his shot wide of the goal, concluding the shootout with a 5–4 victory to Torquay who were promoted to the Third Division for the first time in 20 years.[16]
| 31 May 1991 | Blackpool | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (4–5p) | Torquay United | Wembley Stadium,London |
| 20:00 UTC | Groves 7'Curran 76' (o.g.) | Saunders 28' Edwards 37' (pen.) | Attendance: 21,615 Referee:George Courtney | |
| Penalties | ||||
Rodwell Taylor  Gore Groves Garner Bamber | LoramM. HolmesSaundersP. HolmesMyersHowells | |||
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It was the first time that a play-off final had been settled by a penalty shootout and there was some dismay in the media over the method.[17] Keith Blackmore, writing inThe Times, described it as "the least desirable way" to win the match and a "sad conclusion", whileRothmans Football Yearbook described the game as being "settled by that most unsatisfactory of methods" and that "such an outcome did nothing to enhance the wretched reputation of this most misguided vehicle for deciding football matches".[13][14] Ayre, the defeated manager, said "It is unfortunate from our point of view but we knew the rules, and we abide by them. There's no use complaining about it".[18]
In theirfollowing season, Blackpool finished in fourth position in the Fourth Division and participated inthe play-offs where they defeated Scunthorpe United on penalties inthe final.[19][20] Torquay manager Impey was sacked in October 1991 with the club second from bottom, having lost eight of their first ten league matches.[21][22] They ended their next season in 23rd place in the Third Division table and were relegated back to the Fourth Division after a single season.[23]
