| Event | 2003–04 Football Conference | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Shrewsbury Town won 3–0 onpenalties | |||||||
| Date | 16 May 2004 | ||||||
| Venue | Britannia Stadium,Stoke-on-Trent | ||||||
| Referee | Keith Stroud (Hampshire) | ||||||
| Attendance | 19,216 | ||||||
←2003 2005 → | |||||||
The2004 Football Conference play-off final took place on 16 May 2004 and was contested betweenAldershot Town andShrewsbury Town. It was held at theBritannia Stadium,Stoke-on-Trent. A crowd of 19,216 attended the game (a conference play-off final record at the time), with just over 12,000 travelling fromShropshire.
Aldershot had the first real chance of the game whenRoscoe Dsane got on the end of a ball over the top of the defence and held off Shrews captain Darren Tinson, only to drag his shot wide. Jon Challinor then had a chance but failed to connect properly withAaron McLean's cutback. At the other end it took a crucial intervention from Dominic Sterling to denyJamie Tolley after a good surging run from the midfielder.[1]
Aldershot took the lead in the 36th minute when Shots captainRay Warburton headed on a free kick and McLean powered the ball into the net. However Shrewsbury were level just minutes later, with Duane Darby smashing in an almost identical goal. In the second half the Shropshire side should have taken the lead whenLuke Rodgers crossed forRyan Lowe, who blazed over from inside the area.[1]
With the scores level at 1–1, silver goal extra time was required, and Lee Charles had a couple of chances to win it for the Shots. Ultimately the match needed a penalty shoot-out to be settled. After Rodgers had missed Shrewsbury's first kick, goalkeeperScott Howie was the hero, saving all three of Aldershot's penalties while teammates Tolley,Jake Sedgemore and finallyTrevor Challis scored theirs to send Shrewsbury back into theFootball League.[2]
| Aldershot Town | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Shrewsbury Town |
|---|---|---|
McLean 35' | Report | Darby 43' |
| Penalties | ||
Sills Giles Gosling | 0–3 | Rodgers TolleySedgemoreChallis |
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Match rules:
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