2012 Football League Championship play-off final
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| Event | 2011–12 Football League Championship | ||||||
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| Date | 19 May 2012 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | James Tomkins(West Ham) | ||||||
| Referee | Howard Webb | ||||||
| Attendance | 78,523 | ||||||
The2012 Football League Championship play-off finalwas anassociation footballmatch which was played on 19 May 2012 atWembley Stadium,London, betweenWest Ham UnitedandBlackpool.The match was to determine the third and final team to gainpromotionfrom theFootball League Championship,the second tier ofEnglish football,to thePremier League.The top two teams of the2011–12 Football League Championshipseason gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; West Ham ended the season in third place while Blackpool had finished fifth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the2012–13 seasonin the Premier League.
The 2012 final, refereed byHoward Webb,was watched by a crowd of more than 78,000 people. West Ham United took the lead in the latter stages of the first half throughCarlton Cole.Blackpool'sTom Incescored the equaliser three minutes in the second half beforeRicardo Vaz Tê's 87th minute strike secured victory and promotion for West Ham. It West Ham's second win in three play-off finals. Their defender,James Tomkins,was named man of the match.
West Ham ended thenext seasonin mid-table in the Premier League. Blackpool finished thefollowing seasonin 15th place, nine points outside the play-offs and five points above the relegation zone.
Route to the final
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading | 46 | 27 | 8 | 11 | 69 | 41 | +28 | 89 |
| 2 | Southampton | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 85 | 46 | +39 | 88 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 46 | 24 | 14 | 8 | 81 | 48 | +33 | 86 |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 78 | 51 | +27 | 76 |
| 5 | Blackpool | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 79 | 59 | +20 | 75 |
| 6 | Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 18 | 9 | 66 | 53 | +13 | 75 |
West Ham Unitedfinished the regular2011–12 seasonin third place in theFootball League Championship,the second tier of theEnglish football league system,two places ahead ofBlackpool.Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places forpromotionto thePremier Leagueand instead took part in theplay-offsto determine the third promoted team. West Ham finished two points behindSouthampton(who were promoted in second place) and three behind league winnersReading.Blackpool ended the season eleven points behind West Ham.[1][2]
Blackpool facedBirmingham Cityin their play-off semi-finals, with the first leg being played atBloomfield Road.A long-range shot fromTom Incericocheted off Birmingham defenderCurtis DaviespastColin Doylelate in the first half. The match finished 1–0, securing Blackpool's tenth consecutive play-off victory.[3]In the return leg, played five days later atSt Andrew's,Stephen Dobbieextended Blackpool's aggregate lead on the stroke of half time.Matt Phillipsscored soon after the break to make it 3–0 on aggregate to Blackpool before Birmingham'sNikola Žigićscored midway through the second half. Davies reduced Birmingham's deficit to a single goal but the match ended without further scoring, and Blackpool qualified for the final 3–2 on aggregate.[4]
In the other play-off semi-final, West Ham United's opponents were Cardiff City, with the first leg being played at theCardiff City Stadium.A first-half brace fromJack Collisonensured the London club took a 2–0 lead to the return leg at theBoleyn Ground.[5]Goals from West Ham captainKevin Nolan,Ricardo Vaz TêandNicky Maynardsecured a 3–0 victory and an aggregate 5–0 win, and qualified the club for their first appearance at Wembley since the1981 Football League Cup Final.Collison was taken to hospital as a precaution with a suspected dislocated shoulder.[6]
| Blackpool | Round | West Ham United | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Semi-finals | Opponent | Result | Legs |
| Birmingham City | 3–2 | 1–0 home; 2–2 away | Cardiff City | 5–0 | 2–0 away; 3–0 home | |
Match
[edit]
Background
[edit]This was Blackpool's second appearance in the second tier play-off final, having beatenCardiff City3–2 in the2010 Football League Championship play-off final.[7]Blackpool had also had beatenYeovil Townat Wembley in the third-tier2007 Football League One play-off final.[8][9]West Ham also had play-off final experience having lost the2004 Football League First Division play-off finalagainstCrystal Palacebut winning thefollowing season's play-off finalagainstPreston North End.[8]During the regular season, West Ham dominated Blackpool, winning 4–0 at the Boleyn Ground in October 2011, and 4–1 at Bloomfield Road the following February.[10]West Ham's Vaz Tê was the division's top scorer, with 22 goals to his name, including 10 while he was atBarnsleyearlier in the season. Blackpool's top scorer wasKevin Phillipswho netted 16 times during the regular season.[11]The referee for the final wasHoward Webb,with assistant referees Peter Kirkup and Mike Mullarkey, andKevin Friendacted as the fourth official.[12]
Blackpool went into the final withoutGary Taylor-Fletcherwhose injury during training prevented him from taking part.[13]During Blackpool's regular season, he had contributed ten assists and eight goals;[14][15]Phillips started in his place, and Czech strikerRoman Bednářwas named amongst thesubstitutes.[16][17]West Ham's Collinson was cleared to play, despite suffering a dislocated shoulder in the play-off semi-finals.[16]
First half
[edit]West Ham United kicked the game off around 3p.m. in front of a Wembley crowd of 78,523.[18]Almost immediately, the first chance fell to West Ham'sCarlton Colebut Nolan's pass was too long and was picked up by the Blackpool goalkeeperMatt Gilks.At the other end, a mistake fromMatthew Taylorallowed Dobbie to shoot but it was blocked by Green onto the post. Another chance for Blackpool came in the 14th minute: Matt Phillips was played in by Dobbie but he shot straight at Green who saved once again. Four minutes later, Vaz Tê's shot hits the side netting after a pass fromMark Noble.Collison’s shot then sailed high and wide of Blackpool's goal. On the half-hour mark, a series of four consecutivecornersfor West Ham came to nothing, but in the 34th minute the deadlock was broken. Taylor made a cross-field pass to Cole who took one touch to control the ball before shooting past Gilks to make the score 1–0. Another shot went wide from Vaz Tê three minutes later, and after one minute of stoppage time, the half was brought to an end with West Ham leading by the single goal.[16][17]
Second half
[edit]Two minutes into the second half, Ince scored the equaliser for Blackpool. Cole lost the ball near the half-way line and a Matt Phillips pass overWinston Reidfell to Ince whose first-time strike beat Green in the West Ham goal. Kevin Phillips then playedAlex Baptistein and his lob over Green was cleared off the line by Taylor. In the 54th minute, West Ham made the first substitution of the afternoon, withGeorge McCartneycoming on to replaceGary O'Neil.Shortly after,Guy Demelwas injured and was replaced byJulien Faubert.Taylor's cross was then headed high over the Blackpool bar by Collison. Vaz Tê's weak attempt was then cleared by Taylor before Gilks was forced to save a shot on the turn from Cole. In the 66th minutes, Dobbie's shot from the centre of the penalty area went wide, before Noble made a goal-line clearance to Baptiste, who struck the ball over the bar. Blackpool made their first substitution on 71 minutes, withLudovic Sylvestrecoming on to replace Kevin Phillips, and began to dominate possession. Green saved another Dobbie shot before West Ham's Nolan's volley struck the bar after Gilks' fingertip save. With three minutes to go Nolan passed to Cole who rode a challenge and collided with Gilks. Vaz Tê picked up the loose ball and hit it into the roof of the Blackpool goal, making it 2–1 to the London club. In the final minute of regular time, Dobbie andÁngel Martínezwere replaced byNouha Dickoand Bednář. Four minutes of injury time followed but with no change to the score, and West Ham were promoted back to the Premier League, one season after they were relegated.[16][17]
Details
[edit]
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     West Ham United
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Match rules:
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Statistics
[edit]
| Blackpool | West Ham United | |
|---|---|---|
| Total shots | 14 | 12 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 4 |
| Ball possession | 52% | 48% |
| Corner kicks | 4 | 5 |
| Fouls committed | 6 | 8 |
| Offsides | 3 | 5 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Post-match
[edit]The West Ham managerSam Allardycesaid: "I told you it was going to be difficult... Blackpool were equally as good as us today but it's about taking your chances and never more so than on a day like today. "[17]His captain, Nolan, agreed: "Blackpool were fantastic today but there's always got to be one loser... We didn't play our best today but I'm absolutely delighted for everyone here. "[16]Ian Holloway,the Blackpool manager, was downbeat: "We are left to regret the chances we missed. We have to get over it and bounce back."[16]West Ham United's Tomkins was selected as man of the match.[19]
West Ham ended thenext seasonin mid-table in the Premier League, in tenth place and ten points clear of the relegation zone.[20]Blackpool finished thefollowing seasonin 15th place, nine points outside the play-offs and five above the relegation zone.[21]
References
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- ^"Championship – 2011/12 – regular season".Soccerway.Archivedfrom the original on 20 April 2020.Retrieved6 May2020.
- ^Johnston, Neil (4 May 2012)."Blackpool 1–0 Birmingham City".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^Sanghera, Mandeep (9 May 2012)."Birmingham City 2–2 Blackpool".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^Pope, Bruce (3 May 2012)."Cardiff City 0–2 West Ham United".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^"West Ham United 3–0 Cardiff City".BBC Sport.7 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 3 May 2020.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^Fletcher, Paul (22 May 2010)."Blackpool 3–2 Cardiff City".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 20 March 2012.Retrieved10 February2018.
- ^ab"Play-Off Final History & Stats".Sporting Life.25 May 2015. Archived fromthe originalon 9 October 2016.Retrieved3 May2020.
- ^Hughes, Ian (27 May 2007)."Yeovil 0–2 Blackpool".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 13 September 2007.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^"West Ham United football club match record: 2012".11v11.com.Archivedfrom the original on 21 April 2017.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^Rollin, Glenda; Rollin, Jack, eds. (2 August 2012).Playfair Football Annual 2012–2013.Headline. p. 37.ISBN978-0-7553-6358-2.
- ^"Match Official Appointments".English Football League.14 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 2 August 2012.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^abFletcher, Paul (19 May 2012)."West Ham clinch Premier League return".BBC Sport.Archived fromthe originalon 16 March 2016.Retrieved5 May2020.
- ^"Divisional assists – 2011/12".The Football League.Archived fromthe originalon 26 June 2012.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^"Divisional scorers – 2011/12".The Football League.Archived fromthe originalon 26 June 2012.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^abcdefBevan, Chris (19 May 2012)."Championship play-off final as it happened".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 17 June 2019.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^abcdFanning, Evan (19 May 2012)."Blackpool v West Ham – as it happened".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 7 April 2016.Retrieved4 May2020.
- ^"Irons in Prem after Wembley win".Sky Sports.19 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 1 June 2019.Retrieved5 May2020.
- ^ab"Tonks' final flourish".West Ham United F.C.19 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 24 May 2012.Retrieved7 June2012.
- ^"Premier League table at close of 2012–13 season".11v11.com.Retrieved5 May2020.
- ^"League Championship table at close of 2012–13 season".11v11.com.Retrieved5 May2020.
