.jpg) The match took place at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 1999–2000 Football League First Division | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 29 May 2000 (2000-05-29) | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Referee | Terry Heilbron (County Durham) | ||||||
| Attendance | 73,427[1] | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||||
←1999 2001 → | |||||||
The2000 Football League First Division play-off final was anassociation football match played atWembley Stadium on 29 May 2000, to determine the third and final team to gainpromotion from theFirst Division to thePremiership in the1999–2000 season.Ipswich Town facedBarnsley in the last domestic competitive fixture to be played at the original Wembley Stadium.
The match was both teams' first appearance in a First Division play-off final. It was the first time Barnsley had been in the play-offs, having been relegated to the First Division after the1997–98 season, and finishing mid-table the following season. Ipswich made the play-offs for the fourth consecutive season, but this was the first time they had advanced further than the semifinals. Watched by a crowd of more than 73,000, Ipswich Town came from behind to win 4–2 and secured promotion to thePremiership.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 79 | 45 | +34 | 91 |
| 2 | Manchester City | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 40 | +38 | 89 |
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 87 |
| 4 | Barnsley | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 88 | 67 | +21 | 82 |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 77 |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 76 |
Ipswich finished the regular1999–2000 Football League season in third place in theFirst Division, the second tier of theEnglish football league system, one place ahead of Barnsley. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places forpromotion to thePremiership and instead took part in theplay-offs to determine the third promoted team.[3] It was Ipswich's fourth year running in the playoffs.[4] Ipswich finished two points behindManchester City (who were promoted in second place) and four behind league winnersCharlton Athletic. Barnsley were in fourth place in the league, a further five points behind Ipswich – they also finished as the highest scorers in the division with 88 goals.[3]
On the final day of the league season Ipswich playedWalsall, and won 2–0. At one point, afterDavid Johnson scored his first goal, second place Manchester City were trailing to Blackburn, meaning that Ipswich would qualify for promotion automatically.[4] However, City eventually scored four goals to win the match and secure promotion, meaning Ipswich needed to seek promotion through the play-offs.[5]
In the play-off semi-finals, Ipswich faced sixth-placedBolton Wanderers who had beaten them in the semifinal the previous year.[4] After being 2–0 down in the first leg away at theReebok Stadium,Marcus Stewart scored two to secure a 2–2 draw.[6] In the second leg atPortman Road,Jim Magilton scored ahat-trick as Ipswich won 5–3, winning 7–5 on aggregate.[7][8] Barnsley won the first leg 4–0 away againstBirmingham City atSt Andrew's. Despite losing the second leg 2–1 atOakwell, they reached the final 5–2 on aggregate.[9]
| Barnsley | Round | Ipswich | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Semi-finals | Opponent | Result | Legs |
| Birmingham City | 5–2 | 4–0 away; 1–2 home | Bolton Wanderers | 7–5 | 2–2 away; 5–3 (aet) home | |
This was Ipswich's fourth consecutive appearance in the play-offs, and fifth in total. It was the first time they had progressed to the final, having lost in the play-off semifinals for the past three years, toSheffield United in the1997 play-offs, Charlton Athletic in the1998 play-offs, and Bolton Wanderers in the1999 play-offs.[10] Ipswich's previous appearance at Wembley was in the1978 FA Charity Shield againstNottingham Forest.[11] It was Barnsley's first appearance in both the play-offs and at Wembley.[10][12] During the regular season, Ipswich had beaten Barnsley 6–1 at Portman Road and 2–0 at Oakwell,[13] and Ipswich strikerMarcus Stewart stated before the game that he would have "picked Barnsley ... perhaps they'll be thinking we're their bogey side".[12] Barnsley had played 55 games during the regular season and scored 106 goals, withCraig Hignett (20 goals),Neil Shipperley (15),Darren Barnard (15) andMike Sheron (11) all in double figures for goals scored.[10] Ipswich were going into the match without their fan's and player's player of the season:James Scowcroft was out with a hamstring injury. DutchmanMartijn Reuser was slated to replace him in the starting line-up, andJohn McGreal came back into the team following an ankle injury.[10]
The play-off final was the last domestic competitive fixture to be played at the original Wembley Stadium.[14] Match referee Terry Heilbron became the first person to officiate in four play-off finals, with the 2000 final being his second consecutive final, and his last before retirement.[11] Promotion from the First Division to the Premiership was estimated to be worth up to £12 million.[11]
Ipswich kicked off and immediately sought to press Barnsley, withDavid Johnson making a heavy challenge on goalkeeperKevin Miller but injuring himself in the process. After just five minutes, anown goal from Ipswich's goalkeeperRichard Wright put the Yorkshire club ahead: a Craig Hignett strike from 32 yards (29 m) rebounded off thebar, hit Wright on the arm and was deflected into the net. Ipswich's first shot came on nine minutes fromMark Venus and gradually the East Anglian side regained confidence. The teams exchanged challenges and chances until, in the twenty-second minute of the game, Johnson, who had picked up a shoulder injury after challenging the goalkeeper in the early stages of the match, was replaced by substituteRichard Naylor.[15] Barnsley's Hignett struck a shot in the 25th minute which passed narrowly outside the post with opposition goalkeeper Wright beaten, and two minutes later a shot from Ipswich'sMatt Holland was blocked for a corner. Played to the far post byJim Magilton, the ball was headed past Miller by Ipswich's 36-year-old defenderTony Mowbray to level the score. The goal sparked a period of Ipswich dominance with attempts from Holland and Naylor being saved by Miller. One minute before half-time, Richard Wright's challenge on Hignett was deemed a penalty: Darren Barnard stepped up to take the kick which Wright saved to his right and the half ended 1–1.[16]
The second half started scrappily but with shots from both sides, firstly Ipswich's Holland and then Barnsley'sBruce Dyer. Six minutes in, Ipswich's Marcus Stewart flicked a long ball on to Naylor who delayed his shot before passing it past Miller to make the score 2–1. Removing his shirt to celebrate, Naylor was shown the yellow card by referee Heilbron. Further good work from Naylor saw his cross poorly cleared byKeith Brown, only forJermaine Wright to miss the resulting chance to score. Two minutes later, in the 57th minute, Naylor played a ball out wide toJamie Clapham who crossed for Stewart to head in Ipswich's third goal. Barnsley made their first substitution of the game on 60 minutes with South AfricanEric Tinkler being replaced byGeoff Thomas. Ipswich narrowly missed extending their lead as Mowbray headed a Magilton cross wide, before Barnsley's second substitution, this timeMacedonian international strikerGeorgi Hristov coming on to replace Dyer. After a chance for Hristov, Barnsley's third and final substitution was made in the 71st minute,John Curtis being substituted forNicky Eaden. Magilton's 72nd minute free kick was deflected off the Barnsley wall, and a Neil Shipperley shot was saved by Wright, before a second Barnsley penalty was awarded in the 77th minute. Mowbray was adjudged to have fouled Thomas as he moved through the box, and Hignett converted the penalty taking the score to 3–2 with just over ten minutes remaining. With Ipswich beginning to appear nervous, Burley substituted Stewart off for Reuser in the 83rd minute. Barnsley came close to equalising a minute later with Wright saving a point-blank header from Hristov, and then two minutes after that, catching another Barnsley opportunity. An appeal for a penalty was turned down as Reuser went down in the area with two minutes remaining. Not long after, Jermaine Wright was substituted off forFabian Wilnis. In the last minute of regular time, and with Barnsley sending their team forward, a break for Ipswich saw Reuser pick up the ball in his own half before running half the length of the pitch and striking the ball from the edge of the Barnsley area into the roof of the net, taking the score to 4–2. Five minutes of injury time were played out with no further incident.[16]
| Barnsley | 2–4 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
Wright 6' (o.g.)Hignett 78' (pen.) | Report | Mowbray 28' Naylor 52'Stewart 58'Reuser 90' |
       Barnsley |    Ipswich Town |
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Match rules
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In a change from Barnsley's traditional kit of red top and white shorts, for the play-off final they wore an all-red strip.[17]
After the game, Ipswich manager George Burley remarked "We are ready for the Premiership ... We have got a fantastic squad of players, and they are quality players".[18] Barnsley managerDave Bassett conceded that "overall Ipswich deserved it over the 90 minutes. We didn't play as well as we can do, but all credit to Ipswich".[18] Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart claimed it was "the best day of his life ... apart from [his] kid being born" but paid tribute to the efforts of his teammate Richard Wright whose save at 3–2, Stewart noted, "won the game for us. He was the saviour."[19]Simon Barnes ofThe Times described the match as a "classic play-off final", noting that he had watched it at a hotel in Ipswich, adding "I didn't think such hysteria was legally permitted on licensed premises".[20]
The following season, Ipswich finished fifth in the2000–01 FA Premier League, qualifying for the2001–02 UEFA Cup, and went out of the2000–01 Football League Cup at the semifinal stage. George Burley was recognised as thePremier League Manager of the Season, the first recipient of the award for 26 years who had not won the league.[21] Barnsley endedtheir subsequent season 16th in theFirst Division.[22]
