 The final took place atWembley Stadium | |||||||
| Event | 2014–15 Football League Trophy | ||||||
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| Date | 22 March 2015 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Mark Little (Bristol City) | ||||||
| Referee | Mick Russell | ||||||
| Attendance | 72,315 | ||||||
←2014 2016 → | |||||||
The 2015Football League Trophy Final was the 32nd final of the domestic cup involving the 48 teams fromFootball League One andFootball League Two, the respective third and fourth tiers of English football.
The final took place atWembley Stadium in London on 22 March 2015 withBristol City winning their third title with a 2–0 win overWalsall, who were making their first appearance at Wembley in their 127-year history.[1][2] The third win made Bristol City the most successful team in the history of the tournament.[3]
The match was refereed by Mick Russell.[4]
At the time of the final, Bristol City were 10 points clear at the top of the League One table, 37 above Walsall. Bristol City had previously played at Wembley in 2008, when they lost theChampionship playoff final toHull City.[3]
Walsall, of League One, arrived in the final as winners of the Northern section. They were given a bye in the first round, and started in the second round on 7 October 2014 with a 1–0 away win over fellow League One team Rochdale atSpotland,Mathieu Manset scoring the only goal in the 23rd minute.[5] On 12 November, in the quarter-finals, Walsall hostedSheffield United and again won by a single goal, fromRomaine Sawyers.[6]
On 9 December in the semi-finals, they travelled toPrenton Park to play League TwoTranmere Rovers, and trailed 0–2 at half time after conceding fromMax Power andKayode Odejayi. In the second half, they equalised with goals byAnthony Forde andMichael Cain. The score remained the same throughout extra time, and the game went to a penalty shootout, in which the first to miss was Walsall'sAshley Grimes, whose shot was saved by Tranmere'sOwain Fôn Williams. However, Tranmere'sLiam Ridehalgh hit the crossbar andMarc Laird's attempt was saved by Walsall goalkeeperRichard O'Donnell, thenPaul Downing scored to put Walsall through.[7]
In the Northern section final, Walsall playedPreston North End over two legs. The first, away atDeepdale on 7 January 2015, was a 2–0 win for Walsall with late goals by a Forde free kick andTom Bradshaw intercepting a backwards pass byScott Wiseman.[8] A goalless draw 20 days later in the second game at theBescot Stadium confirmed Walsall's place in the final.[9]
Bristol City, also of League One, were also given a bye in the first round of the Southern section, so began on 8 October in the second round away to League TwoCheltenham Town atWhaddon Road. They won 3–1, withWes Burns scoring the first goal andKorey Smith the other two.[10] On 11 November in the quarter-finals atAshton Gate, they defeated another fourth-tier team,AFC Wimbledon, 2–1.Aaron Wilbraham scored two late goals, despite a consolation byGeorge Francomb.[11] In the semi-finals on 10 December, again at home, Bristol City won 2–0 againstCoventry City with a goal in either half fromDerrick Williams and Wilbraham.[12]
In the Southern final againstGillingham, Bristol City won the first leg 4–2 atPriestfield Stadium on 6 January 2015:Cody McDonald scored twice for the hosts, but Matt Smith netted four times for the visitors.[13] In the second leg on the 29th, Matt Smith opened the scoring andJermaine McGlashan equalised in the first half, but Bristol City nonetheless advanced 5–3 on aggregate.[14]
Supporters of Bristol City and theirlocal rivalBristol Rovers walked 100 miles to the match over four-and-a-half days, to raise money for private surgery for six-year-old mascot Oskar Pycroft. Pycroft hascerebral palsy and surgery could result in him being able to walk.[15]
Bristol City gained the lead after 15 minutes,Aden Flint heading aMarlon Pack corner past Walsall goalkeeperRichard O'Donnell.[16]Walsall then had chances to equalise bySam Mantom andAndy Taylor. Five minutes into the second half,Mark Little, a winner in theprevious season's final withPeterborough United, scored a second after O'Donnell had saved his header. Walsall'sJordan Cook hit the post, and Bristol City'sAaron Wilbraham had a goal disallowed foroffside.[3]
      Walsall |     Bristol City |
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Bristol City managerSteve Cotterill said that despite the gap between the two teams in the league table, Walsall were a difficult side to beat. He said that for a lot of his players, it would be the start of their careers.[3] His Walsall counterpartDean Smith expressed disappointment with his team's performance, saying that for reasons of height it was likely that they would concede from a corner. He added that nerves may have played a part in the defeat, as most of his players were young and had never played in front of such a large crowd before.[3]
