 The crests of Bristol City and Hull City, prior to the match | |||||||
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| Date | 24 May 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Dean Windass | ||||||
| Referee | Alan Wiley | ||||||
| Attendance | 86,703 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||||
←2007 2009 → | |||||||
The2008 Football League Championship play-off final was anassociation football match which was played on 24 May 2008 atWembley Stadium, London, betweenHull City andBristol City. The match was to determine the third and final team to gainpromotion from theFootball League Championship, the second tier ofEnglish football, to thePremier League. The top two teams of the2007–08 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; Hull City ended the season in third position while Bristol City finished fourth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the2008–09 season in the Premier League. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £60 million to the successful team.
The 2008 final, refereed byAlan Wiley, was watched by a crowd of more than 86,000 people, in sunny and bright conditions. The match was won by Hull City 1–0, with the only goal of the game coming fromDean Windass in the first half. It was the first time that Hull City would play in the top tier of English football in their club's 104-year history.
Hull City ended the next season in 17th place in the Premier League, one point above relegation. Bristol City finished the following season in 10th place, thirteen points outside the play-offs.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 88 | 55 | +33 | 81 |
| 2 | Stoke City | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 69 | 55 | +14 | 79 |
| 3 | Hull City | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 75 |
| 4 | Bristol City | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 74 |
| 5 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 58 | 42 | +16 | 71 |
| 6 | Watford | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 70 |
Hull City finished the regular2007–08 season in third place in theFootball League Championship, the second tier of theEnglish football league system, one point and one place ahead ofBristol City. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places forpromotion to thePremier League and instead took part in theplay-offs to determine the third promoted team. Hull City finished four points behindStoke City (who were promoted in second place) and six behind league winnersWest Bromwich Albion.[2][1]
Bristol City facedCrystal Palace in their play-off semi-final, the first leg of which took place atSelhurst Park on 10 May 2008. After a goalless first half,Louis Carey put City into the lead before he fouledJosé Fonte to concede a latepenalty which was converted byBen Watson. In injury time,David Noble's strike from 30 yards (27 m) beatJulián Speroni in the Palace goal, and the match ended 2–1 to City.[3] The second leg, played atAshton Gate, took place three days later. Palace took the lead and levelled the tie on aggregate through a Watson goal midway through the first half. His second-half penalty struck the post and no further goals were scored in regular time, taking the match into extra time.Lee Trundle scored towards the end of the first half andMichael McIndoe doubled City's advantage in the second half. The match finished 2–1 to City and they progressed to the final with a 4–2aggregate victory.[4]
In the other play-off semi-final, Hull City's opponents wereWatford, with the first leg being played atVicarage Road on 11 May 2008. Watford'sDanny Shittu had an early goal disallowed and shortly after,Nick Barmby put Hull City ahead, with a sidefooted shot from aFraizer Campbell pass. Campbell then hit the post from anAndy Dawsoncross, but the rebound was picked up and guided into an empty net byDean Windass, doubling Hull's lead. With thirty minutes of the match remaining, the refereeKevin Friend showedJohn Eustace a straightred card for an infraction after a tackle. Shittu was thensubstituted with an unspecified injury and the match ended 2–0.[5] The second leg was played at theKC Stadium three days later.Darius Henderson opened the scoring on 12 minutes to halve Watford's deficit across the legs, but Barmby equalised before half time. Second-half goals fromCaleb Folan,Richard Garcia andNathan Doyle ensured a dominant win for Hull, 4–1 on the day and 6–1 on aggregate.[6]
| Hull City | Round | Bristol City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Semi-finals | Opponent | Result | Legs |
| Watford | 6–1 | 2–0 away; 4–1 home | Crystal Palace | 4–2 | 2–1 away; 2–1 (a.e.t.) home | |
This was Bristol City's first Championship play-off final, but they had been losing finalists in the1988 Football League Third Division play-off final, contested over two legs, and the2004 Football League Second Division play-off final at theMillennium Stadium.[7][8][9] Hull's only play-off experience came in the2001 Third Division playoffs where they were eliminated in the semi-finals byLeyton Orient.[10] During the regular season, the two sides played out a goalless draw at the KC Stadium in November 2007, while Bristol City won their home game 2–1.[11] Bristol City had not lost a competitive match against Hull since 1985.[12] Hull City had never played in the highest tier of English football, while Bristol City last featured in the top division during the1979–80 Football League First Division season.[13] Campbell was Hull's highest scorer with fifteen goals during the regular season, followed by Windass on eleven, whileDele Adebola was Bristol City's top marksman with ten.[1] The match was reported to be worth around £60 million to the winning team.[13]
The referee for the game wasAlan Wiley of theStaffordshire Football Association. Before kick-off, both teams were presented to formerConservative Member of Parliament andFootball League chairmanBrian Mawhinney.[13] Hull City's starting line-up remained unchanged from their semi-final second leg, while Bristol City'sJamie McCombe was ill and had to be replaced byLiam Fontaine.[12]
Hull City kicked the game off around 3 p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 86,703,[14] in bright, sunny conditions. Their first attack sawRichard Garcia's shot fly high and wide of the Bristol City goal. At the other end, Adebola's shot was saved by Hull's goalkeeperBoaz Myhill. Bristol City were more dominant in the early stages and in the 17th minute, Adebola's pass foundNick Carle on the edge of thepenalty area but his shot went narrowly wide. Garcia then headed aSam Ricketts cross overAdriano Basso's goal. Midway through the half, Windass' chip from a Dawson cross landed on the roof of the net. In the 38th minute, Hull City took the lead. Adebola lost possession allowing Hull to counter attack, with Campbell's accurate cross beingvolleyed into the Bristol City goal from the edge of the area. A clash of head between Barmby andBradley Orr resulted in a prolonged stop in play while the latter received treatment, including oxygen, for a suspected fractured cheekbone. Unable to continue, Orr was stretchered off with a neck brace in place, and substituted byLee Johnson. After ten minutes of additional time, the refereeAlan Wiley blew his whistle to signify the end of the first half, with Hull holding a 1–0 lead.[12][13]
Bristol City got the second half underway and almost immediately, Carle's shot went wide. Soon after, Ricketts was adjudged to have handled the ball, allowing Noble a chance with a direct free kick but it was saved by Myhill. At the other end, a Garcia free kick was gathered by Bosso. McIndoe's free kick was deflected wide and the resulting corner was headed past the post by Trundle. In the 63rd minute, Bristol City made their second substitution of the afternoon, withIvan Sproule coming on for Noble. Four minutes later, Hull made their first change of the match as Barmby was replaced byCraig Fagan and soon after Windass was substituted forCaleb Folan. In the 74th minute, Trundle's shot was saved by Myhill before a long-range strike from McIndoe was also stopped by the Hull goalkeeper. With 14 minutes of regular time remaining, Bristol City made their final change, withDarren Byfield replacing Carle. Sproule's foul on Fagan drew the firstyellow card of the game in the 78th minute. Garcia's half-volley was struck straight at Bosso before Folan's shot was deflected. On 85 minutes, Myhill's weak punch allowed Trundle an opportunity to level the match but his shot was blocked byMichael Turner. Byfield then went close twice, but his header was over the Hull bar and his shot wide of the post. There were four minutes of additional time indicated, and with a minute remaining, Campbell received a booking for a foul on Fontain, before being replaced byDean Marney. The game ended 1–0 to Hull who were promoted the top tier of English football for the first time in the club's 104-year history.[12][13]
          Bristol City |    Hull City |
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Match rules:[15]
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| Bristol City | Hull City | |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 21 | 11 |
| Shots on target | 13 | 4 |
| Ball possession | 49% | 51% |
| Corner kicks | 2 | 1 |
| Fouls committed | 17 | 11 |
| Offsides | 3 | 1 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Hull City managerPhil Brown said "It is very fitting that Dean Windass got the winning goal, I think it was written in the Gods that it would be Dean Windass orNicky Barmby who would get the winner today.". Goalscorer Windass said that "It feels unbelievable. I don't think there is anyone left in Hull today looking at how many supporters we've got here." Hull City chairman Paul Duffen said "This is fantastic, I think it's amazing. It is something which means a lot to the city of Hull."[12] Bristol City managerGary Johnson congratulated Hull, and said that Bristol City would "bounce back" in the following years. Bristol City chairmanStephen Lansdown said that "It's been a great day out for Bristol City football club – it doesn't feel like it at the moment but the future's there and I think we've shown over the last few weeks what this football club can achieve."[17]
Hull City ended thenext season in 17th place in the Premier League, one point above the relegation zone.[18] Bristol City finished thefollowing season in 10th place, thirteen points outside theplay-offs.[19]
