2012 Football League Two play-off final
 The match took place at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
| Event | 2011–12 Football League Two | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Date | 27 May 2012 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Referee | Craig Pawson | ||||||
| Attendance | 24,029 | ||||||
| Weather | Hot | ||||||
The2012 Football League Two play-off finalwas anassociation footballmatch played on 27 May 2012 atWembley Stadium,London, betweenCheltenham TownandCrewe Alexandra.The match determined the fourth and final team to gainpromotionfromFootball League Two,English football's fourth tier, toFootball League One.The top three teams of the2011–12 Football League Twoseason gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the2012–13 seasonin League One. Cheltenham Town finished in sixth place while Crewe Alexandra ended the season in seventh position.Southend UnitedandTorquay Unitedwere the losing semi-finalists, being defeated by Crewe and Cheltenham respectively.
Therefereefor the match wasCraig Pawsonwhich kicked off around 3p.m. in front of a crowd of 24,029. In the 15th minute,Nick Powellscored to put Crewe 1–0 ahead:Kelvin Mellorfound Powell, who beat a defender by flicking the ball up before striking avolleyinto the Cheltenham net from around 20 yards (18 m).Jeff Goulding's long-range shot then struck the Crewe crossbar before rebounding toBen Burgesswho missed the target. In the 25th minute, Goulding struck Burgess' flick-on into the Crewe net but the goal was disallowed foroffside.Byron Moore's 81st minute shot was just wide of the Cheltenham's right-hand goalpost but a minute later his shot into the bottom-corner of the net after exchanged passes withA-Jay Leitch-Smithmade it 2–0. Crewe won the match and gained promotion to League One.
Crewe ended theirfollowing seasonin thirteenth position in the League One table. Cheltenham finished in fifth place in League Two in theirnext seasonand qualified for theplay-offswhere they lost in the semi-finals toNorthampton Town.
Route to the final
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swindon Town | 46 | 29 | 6 | 11 | 75 | 32 | +43 | 93 |
| 2 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 88 |
| 3 | Crawley Town | 46 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 76 | 54 | +22 | 84 |
| 4 | Southend United | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 77 | 48 | +29 | 83 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 81 |
| 6 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 23 | 8 | 15 | 66 | 50 | +16 | 77 |
| 7 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 59 | +8 | 72 |
Cheltenham Townfinished the regular2011–12 seasonin sixth place inFootball League Two,the fourth tier of theEnglish football league system,one position ahead ofCrewe Alexandra.Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places forpromotiontoFootball League Oneand instead took part in theplay-offsto determine the fourth promoted team. Cheltenham Town finished seven points behindCrawley Town(who were promoted in third place), eleven behindShrewsbury Town(who were promoted in second place), and sixteen behind league winnersSwindon Town.Crewe Alexandra ended the season one place and five points behind Cheltenham Town.[1]Crewe Alexandra had lost the first four games of their season and were fifteenth in the league at its mid-point before going on a thirteen-match unbeaten run to qualify for the play-offs.[2]In November 2011,Dario Gradiwas replaced after 1,353 games as Crewe'smanagerbySteve Daviswith the club in 18th position.[3]
Crewe Alexandra's opposition in the play-off semi-final wasSouthend Unitedwith the first match of thetwo-legged tiebeing played atGresty Roadon 12 May 2012. After a goalless first half,Adam Dugdalescored aheaderfrom aAshley Westwoodfree kickearly in the second half. Despite Southend having chances to score, the match ended 1–0 to Crewe.[4]The second leg of the play-off semi-final took place four days later atRoots Hallin Southend-on-Sea.A-Jay Leitch-Smithput Crewe into the lead in the first half after striking a shot pastCameron Belford.Freddy Eastwoodthen saw his goal disallowed after he was adjudged to have beenoffside.Both he andMichael Timlinthen struck the Crewe goalposts with shots beforeNeil Harrisscored from aChris Barkercross to level the game.Max Claytonmade it 2–1 to Crewe before Barker himself scored. The game ended 2–2 and Crewe progressed to the final 3–2on aggregate.[5]
The second play-off semi-final saw Cheltenham Town faceTorquay Unitedand the first leg took place atWhaddon Roadin Cheltenham on 13 May 2012.Jermaine McGlashanput the home side ahead in the first half with a cross-cum-shot which went in off the post.Ben Burgessthen doubled his side's lead in the second half, heading pastBobby Olejnikin the Torquay goal from a McGlashan cross. Torquay's closest chance came whenRyan Jarvisstruck the Cheltenham crossbar with a header, but the match ended 2–0.[6]The second semi-final leg took place atPlainmoorin Torquay four days later. After a goalless first half, McGlashan extended Cheltenham's aggregate lead with a strike in the 75th minute after aKaid Mohamedpass.Taiwo Atienoreduced the deficit for Torquay when he headed inEunan O'Kane's corner.Marlon Packthen extended Cheltenham's lead with a 25-yard (23 m) free kick, and his team ended 4–1 aggregate winners, progressing to Wembley for the final.[7]
Match
[edit]Background
[edit]Cheltenham had played in two fourth tier play-off finals before 2012, winning them both. In 2002, they facedRushden & Diamondsin theThird Division play-off finalat theMillennium Stadium,winning 3–1.[8]Four years later, Cheltenham secured promotion from the third tier of English football through the play-offs for a second time, beatingGrimsby Town1–0 inthe finalin Cardiff.[9]Crewe had also appeared in two play-offs finals previously, both at theold Wembley Stadium.They lost the1993 Football League Third Division play-off finalagainstYork Cityin apenalty shootout,and defeatedBrentford1–0 in the1997 Football League Second Division play-off final.[10]Both Cheltenham and Crewe had played in the fourth tier of English football since they were relegated in the2008–09 season.[11][12]
Crewe won both matches played between the sides during the regular season, with a 1–0 victory at Whaddon Road in October 2011 followed by a 1–0 win at Gresty Road the following April.[13]Nick Powellwas Crewe's top scorer for the season with 14 goals (all in the league),[14]whileDarryl Duffyled the scoring charts for Cheltenham with 13 (11 in the league and 2 in theFA Cup).[15]Crewe's manager Davis believed the contest would be even: "There's no favourites. If anything they'd be, as they finished above us. But the fact that they won more games than us doesn't count for anything now."[16]
Therefereefor the match wasCraig Pawsonwho wasassistedby Steve Bratt and John Brooks. Thefourth officialwas Nigel Miller while David Rock was the reserve assistant referee.[17]Crewe made one change to their line-up from the play-off semi-final second leg withLuke MurphyreplacingLee Bellhaving recovered from a groin injury. Cheltenham made two changes:Keith LoweandJames Spencerwere dropped from the Cheltenham side and were replaced byLuke GarbuttandJeff Goulding.[18]Both sides adopted a4–4–2 formation.[19]According toThe Daily Telegraphthe match was played in "blistering temperatures".[18]
Summary
[edit]
The match kicked off around 3p.m. on 27 May 2012 in front of a crowd of 24,029.[20]The first shot of the match came in the third minute from Cheltenham's Mohamed but it was wide of the Crewe goal. Seven minutes later, Powell won the ball and passed to Murphy whose shot from the edge of thepenalty areawas saved byScott Brownin the Cheltenham goal, before Leitch-Smith struck the ball wide of the goalpost. In the 12th minute McGlashan's strike was saved by Crewe goalkeeperSteve Phillips.Three minutes later Powell scored to put Crewe 1–0 ahead:Kelvin Mellorfound Powell, who beat a defender by flicking the ball up before striking avolleyinto the Cheltenham net from around 20 yards (18 m). Goulding's long-range shot then struck the Crewe crossbar before rebounding to Burgess who missed the target. In the 25th minute, Goulding struck Burgess' flick-on into the Crewe net but the goal was disallowed for offside. Mohamed's 27th minute shot went high over the Crewe goal before Goulding's strike was over the bar six minutes later. Powell then struck a shot from distance wide of the goal in the 36th minute before Mellor's close-range header went over Cheltenham's crossbar five minutes later. Phillips then saved from a Goulding header before the referee blew the whistle for half-time with Crewe leading 1–0.[18][21]
Neither side made any change to their personnel during the interval. Six minutes into the second half, Pack's 20-yard (18 m) low strike was just wide of the Crewe goal. A mistake from Dugdale saw Mohamed run through on goal in the 54th minute, but Phillips made the save. A free kick from Westwood in the 71st minute found Dugdale in the Cheltenham penalty area but his control was poor and allowed Brown to block his shot. In the 75th minute, Cheltenham made their firstsubstitutionof the match with Duffy coming on to replace Goulding. Pack's long-range strike then went of Crewe's goal before Powell was substituted for Clayton.Byron Moore's 81st minute shot was just wide of the Cheltenham's right-hand goalpost but a minute later his shot into the bottom-corner of the net after exchanged passes with Leitch-Smith made it 2–0. In the 83rd minute, Cheltenham made a double-substitution, withRussell Pennand Spencer coming on for Pack and Burgess. Soon afterCarl Martincame on for Leitch-Smith before Brown made saves from both Moore and Clayton. Deep into stoppage time, Bell came on for Moore and the final whistle was blown, Crewe winning 2–0 and gaining promotion to League One.[18][21]
Details
[edit]
     Cheltenham Town
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Crewe Alexandra
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Assistant referees:
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| Cheltenham Town | Crewe Alexandra | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Disallowed goals | 1 | 0 |
| Total shots | 20 | 16 |
| Shots on target | 5 | 5 |
| Ball possession | 47% | 53% |
| Corner kicks | 8 | 6 |
| Fouls committed | 11 | 8 |
| Offsides | 7 | 4 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 0 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
Post-match
[edit]Davis, the winning manager, recalled his chairman's instruction after taking over in November 2011: "Get us out of the bottom six. Just get us safe."[22]His counterpart Yates was proud of his side: "They've been brilliant... Today was just one step too far. "[22]Speaking of Powell's goal, he said: "It was a wonder strike from a prodigious talent and we couldn't do much about that one".[19]Powell signed for Manchester United two weeks after the final.[23]The defeat was Cheltenham's first in the play-offs, having won five and drawn three of their previous post-season matches.[21]
Crewe ended theirfollowing seasonin thirteenth position in the League One table.[24]Cheltenham finished in fifth place in League Two in theirnext seasonand qualified for theplay-offswhere they lost in the semi-finals toNorthampton Town.[25][26]
References
[edit]- ^ab"League Two – 2011/2012 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved1 February2021.
- ^Foster, p. 38
- ^Farrell, Dominic (10 November 2011)."Dario Gradi hands Crewe reins to Steve Davis".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved3 February2021.
- ^"Crewe Alexandra 1–0 Southend United".BBC Sport.12 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Osborne, Chris (16 May 2012)."Southend United 2–2 Crewe Alexandra (agg 2–3)".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 11 November 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Chapman, Caroline (13 May 2012)."Cheltenham Town 2–0 Torquay United".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"Torquay United 1–2 Cheltenham Town (agg 1–4)".BBC Sport.17 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Foster, p. 212
- ^Foster, p. 216
- ^Foster, pp. 203, 207
- ^"Crewe Alexandra".Football Club History Database.Archivedfrom the original on 5 August 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"Cheltenham Town".Football Club History Database.Archivedfrom the original on 19 July 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"Crewe Alexandra football club: record v Cheltenham Town".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 28 January 2017.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"Crewe – 2011/12 – Player appearances".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"Cheltenham – 2011/12 – Player appearances".Soccerbase.Centurycomm.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Jackson, Jamie (27 May 2012)."Football: League Two: Control your nerves and we can win, says Davis".The Observer.p. 6.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved3 February2021– viaGale.
- ^"Match Official Appointments".English Football League.14 May 2012. Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2012.Retrieved9 June2012.
- ^abcd"Crewe 2 Cheltenham 0: match report; England Under-18 international Nick Powell produced a moment of magic to set Crewe on the road to npower League Two play-off glory against Cheltenham".The Daily Telegraph.27 May 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved3 February2021– viaGale.
- ^abWest, Jon (28 May 2021)."Crewe get a parting gift from Powell".The Times.p. 9.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved3 February2021– viaGale.
- ^ab"Cheltenham Town v Crewe Alexandra, 27 May 2012".11v11.AFS Enterprises.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved1 February2021.
- ^abcdBegley, Emlyn (27 May 2012)."Crewe are promoted".BBC Sport.Archived fromthe originalon 17 October 2013.Retrieved9 June2012.
- ^abAshdown, John (28 May 2012)."League Two play-off final: Powell serves notice of rare talent to earn Crewe play-off glory: Cheltenham T 0 Crewe Alexandra".The Guardian.p. 5.Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2021.Retrieved3 February2021– viaGale.
- ^"Manchester United sign Nick Powell from Crewe Alexandra".BBC Sport.12 June 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 23 November 2020.Retrieved3 February2021.
- ^"League One – 2012/2013 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 26 March 2019.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^"League Two – 2012/2013 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 1 November 2020.Retrieved2 February2021.
- ^Mitchell, Brendon (5 May 2013)."Cheltenham 0–1 Northampton (agg 0–2)".BBC Sport.Archivedfrom the original on 14 July 2020.Retrieved31 January2021.
- Foster, Richard (2015).The Agony & The Ecstasy.Ockley Books.ISBN978-1-910906-00-2.