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2007 Football League Two play-off final

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2007 Football League Two play-off final
Rickie Lambert taking a free kick
Rickie Lambert taking a free kick in the final
Bristol Rovers Shrewsbury Town
3 1
Date26 May 2007
VenueWembley Stadium,London
RefereeMike Jones
Attendance61,589
←2006
2008→

The2007 Football League Two play-off finalwas anassociation footballmatch which was on 26 May 2007 atWembley Stadium,London, betweenBristol RoversandShrewsbury Townto determine the fourth and final team to gainpromotionfromFootball League TwotoFootball League One.The top two teams of the2006–07 Football League Twoseason gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from third to sixth in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the2007–08 seasonin League One.

Bristol Rovers had reached the play-off final in their sixth season back in the fourth tier of English football, having been relegated from the Second Division (equivalent of League One) in the2000–01 seasonand Shrewsbury in their third season, after their promotion from theFootball Conferencein the2003–04 season.The 2007 final was watched by a crowd of 61,589 people, a record for a fixture played at the fourth tier of English football, and refereed byMike Jones.Shrewsbury opened the scoring throughStewart Drummondwho scored after three minutes from aNeil Ashtonfree kick.Richard Walkerlevelled the match midway through the first half when he scored from aRyan Greencross.Ten minutes before half-time, Walker scored his and Bristol Rovers' second goal after running clear andchippingthe ball overChris Mackenzie,the Shrewsbury Towngoalkeeper.Shrewsbury were reduced to ten players whenMarc Tierneywassent offnear the end of the match for twoyellow cardsbeforeSammy Igoescored into an empty goal to give Bristol Rovers a 3–1 victory and promotion to League One.

Shrewsbury Town ended the next season in eighteenth position, eight points above the relegation zone. Bristol Rovers finished sixteenth in League One, five points above the relegation zone, keeping their place in the third tier.

Route to the final

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See also:2006–07 Football League
Football League Two final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Walsall 46 25 14 7 66 34 +32 89
2 Hartlepool United 46 26 10 10 65 40 +25 88
3 Swindon Town 46 25 10 11 58 38 +20 85
4 Milton Keynes Dons 46 25 9 12 76 58 +18 84
5 Lincoln City 46 21 11 14 70 59 +11 74
6 Bristol Rovers 46 20 12 14 49 42 +7 72
7 Shrewsbury Town 46 18 17 11 68 46 +22 71

Bristol Roversfinished the regular2006–07 seasonin sixth position inFootball League Two,the fourth tier of theEnglish football league system,one place and one point ahead ofShrewsbury Town.Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places forpromotiontoFootball League Oneand instead took part in theplay-offsto determine the fourth promoted team. Bristol Rovers finished thirteen points behindSwindon Town(who were promoted in third place), sixteen behindHartlepool United(who were promoted in second place), and seventeen behind league winnersWalsall.[1]

Shrewsbury Town facedMilton Keynes Donsin their play-off semi-final with the first match of thetwo-legged tiebeing played atGay Meadowin Shrewsbury on 14 May 2007. In what was Shrewsbury's final game at the stadium after 97 years, Milton Keynes Dons dominated the majority of the proceedings and although the home side ended strongly, the final score was 0–0.[2]The second leg took place four days later at theNational Hockey Stadiumin Milton Keynes.[3]After a goalless first half, Shrewsbury Town brought onAndy Cookeas asubstituteat half-time and he put his side ahead in the 58th minute after running onto a pass fromDanny Hallto score. With sixteen minutes remaining,Keith Andrewsequalised after his initialheaderwas saved byScott Shearer.Cooke scored his and his side's second goal less than two minutes later and the match ended 2–1, with Shrewsbury Town progressing to the final with the sameaggregate score.[4]

Bristol Rovers went into the play-offs having won seven and drawn two of their last eleven games.[5]Their opponents for the other play-off semi-final wereLincoln Cityand the first leg was held at theMemorial Stadiumin Bristol on 14 May 2007.Craig Disleyopened the scoring for the home side on ten minutes when headed in acrossfromRickie LambertpastAlan Marriott,the Lincoln City goalkeeper.Jeff Hughesequalised for Lincoln City in the 31st minute when he struck hisfree kickinto the top-right corner of the Bristol Rovers goal. Nine minutes into the second half,Richard Walkerscored with avolleyfromSteve Elliott's free kick to give Bristol Rovers the lead which they held to win the match 2–1.[6]The second leg was played three days later atSincil Bankin Lincoln.[7]Stuart Campbellscored in the third minute for Bristol Rovers with a long-range strike and Lambert volleyed past Marriott to make it 2–0 eight minutes later. Hughes scored fromJamie Forrester's cross midway through the first half to reduce Lincoln City's deficit before Walker made it 3–1 nine minutes before half time.Mark Stallardscored for Lincoln City seven minutes later with a half-volley but a second-halfSammy Igoegoal made it 4–2 to Bristol Rovers in the 82nd minute.Sean Riggthen made it 5–2 in the 90th minute before Hughes scored his second to ensure the match ended 5–3 and Bristol Rovers progressed to the final with a 7–4 aggregate victory.[8]

Match

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Background

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This was Bristol Rovers' fourth appearance in the play-offs and their third final, having lost 2–1 on aggregate toPort Valein the1989 Football League Third Division play-off finaland being defeated 2–1 byHuddersfield Townin the1995 Football League Second Division play-off final.They had played in the fourth tier of English football after being relegated in the2000–01 season.[9]Shrewsbury Town were making their first appearance in theEnglish Football League play-offsbut had earned promotion from theFootball Conferencein the2003–04 seasonwith apenalty shoot-outvictory overAldershot Towninthe final.They had played in the fourth tier of English football since then, having last featured in the third tier in the1996–97 season.[10]The sides had faced one another three times during the regular season: in the league, Bristol Rovers won the match 1–0 at the Memorial Stadium in August 2006 while the game at Gay Meadow the following March ended in a goalless draw.[11]Between those matches, the sides met in the southern section semi-final of theFootball League Trophywhere Bristol Rovers won 1–0 at Gay Meadow.[12]

Walker was Bristol Rovers' top scorer during the regular season with 19 goals (12 in the league, 4 in theFA Cup,1 in theLeague Cupand 2 in the Football League Trophy).[13]The leading scorer for Shrewsbury Town wasMichael Symeswith a total of 13 goals (9 in the league, 4 in the Football League Trophy) whileBen Daviesand Cooke both had a total of 12 goals.[14]TheRacing Postconsidered Bristol Rovers to be favourites to win the final, but theirmanagerPaul Trollopeurged caution, noting "We probably are favourites because of the way we have gone into the final, but it is about producing a performance that is good enough to beat Shrewsbury because you don't win anything just by being favourites and turning up".[5]

The referee for the final wasMike Jonesfrom Cheshire.[15]Shrewsbury Town's Davies was unavailable after sustaining anAchilles tendoninjury in the semi-final, andgoalkeeperShearer, on loan from Bristol Rovers, was ineligible to play against his own club.[16]Luke Joneswas also out injured for Shrewsbury Town, having suffered a locked knee during the warm-up preceding the final.[5]Joe Jacobson's loan period had ended so he had returned toCardiff Cityfrom Bristol Rovers.[5]Both sides adopted a4–4–2 formationfor the final.[16]

Summary

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Richard Walker
Richard Walker scored twice for Bristol Rovers.

The matchkicked offaround 3p.m. on 26 May 2007 at Wembley Stadium in front of a crowd of 61,589.[17]Three minutes into the match, Shrewsbury Town took the lead:Neil Ashton's free-kick from the right was met byStewart Drummondwith a glancing header which sent the ball Bristol Rovers goalkeeperSteve Phillipsinto the bottom corner of the goal. Ashton had an opportunity to equalise afterDerek Asamoah's cross was passed on byRyan Greenbut failed to connect with the ball. In the 21st minute, Green took the ball down the right wing before crossing for Walker who struck the ball first time pastChris Mackenziein the Shrewsbury Town goal. Asamoah then found Cooke with a cross but the Shrewsbury striker was unable to convert the chance to score. With ten minutes of the half remaining,Lewis Haldanepassed the ball down the left, and afterRichard Hopefailed to make the interception, Walker took a controlling touch of the ball andlobbedit over MacKenzie to make it 2–1 before the interval.[18]Late in the second half, Shrewsbury Town'sMarc Tierneywassent offafter being shown a secondyellow cardfollowing a latetackleon Campbell. Two minutes intostoppage time,Shrewsbury Town won acornerfor which their goalkeeper MacKenzie came up the pitch. Bristol Rovers broke from the corner and Igoe was able to run with the ball before striking it into an empty goal. The match ended 3–1 to Bristol Rovers who were promoted to League One.[15]

Details

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Bristol Rovers3–1Shrewsbury Town
Walker21',35'
Igoe90'		 (Report) Drummond3'
Wembley,London
Attendance: 61,589
Referee:Mike Jones
Bristol Rovers
Shrewsbury Town
GK 1 Steve Phillips
RB 2 Ryan Green
CB 6 Steve Elliott
CB 15 Byron Anthony
LB 11 Chris Carruthers
RM 4 Sammy Igoe
CM 7 Stuart Campbell(c) Yellow card
CM 20 Craig Disley
LM 26 Lewis Haldane downward-facing red arrow64'
CF 9 Rickie Lambert
CF 10 Richard Walker Yellow card
Substitutes:
GK 31 Mike Green
DF 17 Andy Sandell
DF 32 Aaron Lescott
MF 22 Chris Lines
FW 27 Sean Rigg upward-facing green arrow74'
Manager:
Paul Trollope
GK 21 Chris Mackenzie
RB 12 Ben Herd downward-facing red arrow84'
CB 5 Richard Hope(c)
CB 8 Kelvin Langmead
LB 23 Marc Tierney Red card89'
RM 10 Derek Asamoah
CM 2 Danny Hall
CM 4 Stewart Drummond
LM 3 Neil Ashton
CF 9 Andy Cooke Yellow card downward-facing red arrow73'
CF 24 Michael Symes downward-facing red arrow80'
Substitutes:
GK 1 Ryan Esson
DF 28 Sagi Burton upward-facing green arrow84'
MF 18 Steve Leslie
MF 22 Chris Humphrey upward-facing green arrow73'
FW 29 Leo Fortune-West upward-facing green arrow80'
Manager:
Gary Peters

Post-match

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Sammy Igoe rolls in Bristol Rovers' third goal to seal their promotion to League One.

The attendance of 61,589 was a record for the fourth tier play-off final and it was estimated inThe Guardianthat more than 37,000 of the crowd were Bristol Rovers supporters.[19]Trollope, who had featured in three play-off semi-final defeats as a player, described the victory as "the greatest day of my career."[18]He did, however, note his belief that the two-goal margin of victory somewhat flattered his side. Walker said "I knew it was going to be the biggest game of my life... We didn't doubt ourselves when they scored, we believed in our ability, we clawed our way back into the game and it was a fantastic thing to win. "[20]He went on to express his summer holiday plans: "I'm going to drink for six weeks".[16]Gary Peters,the Shrewsbury Town manager, admitted "Had we had Walker on our side, it might have been different. They had two chances and took them, we had four and didn't put them away... I think the season's caught up with us. We had four more games than anybody else. "[20]

Shrewsbury Town ended the next season in 18th place, eight points above the relegation zone.[21]Bristol Rovers finished 16th in the2007–08 Football League One,five points above the relegation zone, keeping their place in the third tier.[22]

References

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  1. ^ab"League Two – 2006/2007 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2017.Retrieved10 June2021.
  2. ^Henderson, Charlie (14 May 2007)."Shrewsbury 0–0 MK Dons".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 7 September 2007.Retrieved11 June2021.
  3. ^"Milton Keynes Dons v Shrewsbury Town, 18 May 2007".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2021.Retrieved11 June2021.
  4. ^Fletcher, Paul (18 May 2007)."MK Dons 1–2 Shrewsbury".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 23 August 2007.Retrieved11 June2021.
  5. ^abcdChilds, Dan (26 May 2007)."Shrews will miss crucial midfield duo".Racing Post.p. 4.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021– viaGale.
  6. ^"Bristol Rovers 2–1 Lincoln City".BBC Sport.12 May 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 6 October 2007.Retrieved11 June2021.
  7. ^"Lincoln City v Bristol Rovers, 17 May 2007".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 3 August 2016.Retrieved11 June2021.
  8. ^"Lincoln City 3–5 Bristol Rovers".BBC Sport.17 May 2007.Archivedfrom the original on 8 September 2007.Retrieved11 June2021.
  9. ^"Bristol Rovers".Football Club History Database.Archivedfrom the original on 29 November 2020.Retrieved11 June2021.
  10. ^"Shrewsbury Town".Football Club History Database.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2021.Retrieved11 June2021.
  11. ^"Bristol Rovers football club: record v Shrewsbury Town".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2021.Retrieved11 June2021.
  12. ^"Shrewsbury Town v Bristol Rovers, 30 January 2007".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2021.Retrieved11 June2021.
  13. ^"Bristol R squad details – 2006/07 – Player appearances".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021.
  14. ^"Shrewsbury squad details – 2006/07 – Player appearances".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021.
  15. ^abBevan, Chris (26 May 2007)."Bristol Rovers 3–1 Shrewsbury".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 27 August 2017.Retrieved12 June2021.
  16. ^abcDart, Tom (28 May 2007)."Rovers drink in moment as Walker enjoys taste of glory".The Times.p. 62.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021– viaGale.
  17. ^"Bristol Rovers v Shrewsbury Town, 26 May 2007".11v11.AFS Enterprise.Archivedfrom the original on 11 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021.
  18. ^abJackson, Jamie (27 May 2007)."Walker brace tames Shrews as Rovers enjoy final flourish".The Observer.p. 6.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021– viaGale.
  19. ^Wilson, Jeremy (28 May 2007)."Walker applies finishing touch to Rovers' revival".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 17 October 2020.Retrieved12 June2021.
  20. ^abGlanville, Brian(27 May 2007)."Walker leads Rovers to glory".The Sunday Times.p. 13.Archivedfrom the original on 12 June 2021.Retrieved12 June2021– viaGale.
  21. ^"League Two – 2007/2008 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2017.Retrieved10 June2021.
  22. ^"League One – 2007/2008 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 11 July 2017.Retrieved10 June2021.
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