2024 EFL League One play-off final
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| Date | 18 May 2024 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Wembley Stadium,London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Josh Murphy[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Sam Barrott | ||||||
| Attendance | 70,472 | ||||||
The2024 EFL League One play-off finalwas anassociation footballmatch that took place on 18 May 2024 atWembley Stadium,London,to determine the third and final team to gainpromotionfromEFL League One,the third tier ofEnglish football,to theEFL Championship.The top two teams of the2023–24 EFL League One,PortsmouthandDerby County,gained automatic promotion to the Championship.[2]
Route to the final
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portsmouth(C, P) | 46 | 28 | 13 | 5 | 78 | 41 | +37 | 97 | Promotion to2024-25 EFL Championship |
| 2 | Derby County(P) | 46 | 28 | 8 | 10 | 78 | 37 | +41 | 92 | |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 86 | 51 | +35 | 87 | Qualified |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 89 | 61 | +28 | 84 | Eliminated |
| 5 | Oxford United(O, P) | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 79 | 56 | +23 | 77 | Qualified |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 82 | 64 | +18 | 76 | Eliminated |
Bolton Wanderersfinished the regular2023–24 seasonin third place inEFL League One,the third tier of theEnglish football league system,two places and 10 points ahead ofOxford United.Both, therefore, missed out on the two automatic places forpromotionto theEFL Championshipand instead took part in theplay-offsto determine the third promoted team. Bolton finished finished five points behindDerby County(who were promoted in second place) and 10 behind league winnersPortsmouth.They finished 11 points ahead ofBarnsley,their opponents in the play–off semi-final. Oxford United finished seven points behindPeterborough United,their semi-final opponents.[4]
The first leg between Bolton and Barnsley took place atOakwellon 3 May.Dion Charlesput Bolton ahead in the 23rd minute, scoring from aParis Maghomacross. He scored a second on 53 minutes from the penalty spot afterLiam Robertshad fouledJosh Sheehan.Barnsley pulled one back when substituteSam Cosgrove,on forDevante Cole,scored. They were unable to find an equaliser andRandell Williamsscored direct from a corner kick to make it 3–1 to Bolton, the final score.[5]
On 4 May,Elliott Moore's goal was enough to give Oxford United victory as they beat Peterborough United by a single goal at theKassam Stadium.[6]
Bolton and Barnsley played their second leg on 7 May at theToughsheet Community Stadium.Sam Cosgrove put Barnsley 1–0 up on 36 minutes.Aaron Collinsscored from 25 yards (23 m) on 43 minutes and three minutes later a headed goal fromEoin Toalput the hosts 2–1 at half-time. In the second half a deflected shot fromAdam Phillipson 64 minutes and another Cosgrove goal on 76 minutes brought Barnsley within a goal of bringing the tie level. No goals followed and Bolton won 5–4 on aggregate securing their place in the final on 18 May.[7]
The return leg between Peterborough United and Oxford United at theWeston Homes Stadiumon 8 May finished 1–1.Josh Knightscored for Peterborough United on 41 minutes and a goal from the penalty spot fromCameron Brannagandrew the game level. The tie finished 2–1 on aggregate in Oxford's favour taking them to Wembley to face Bolton Wanderers.[8]
Match
[edit]Background
[edit]The match was Bolton's first appearance in a play-off final since 2001 when they appeared in the2001 First Division play-off finalplayed in Cardiff, and beatPreston North End3–0.
This was the third time Oxford United had been in a play-off final, the most recent being the2020 EFL League One play-off finalwhich they lost toWycombe Wanderers.[9] Games between the two clubs in the 2023–24 season resulted in a goalless draw at the Kassam Stadium in November 2023 and a 5–0 Bolton victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium in March 2024.[10][11]
The match was televised live bySky Sportson both its Football and Main Event channels and was also available for live streaming onSky GoandNOW.[12]BBC Local Radiostations covered the game for each team:BBC Radio Manchesterfor Bolton Wanderers andBBC Radio Oxfordfor Oxford United.[13][14]TalkSportprovided national radio commentary.[12]
Details
[edit]| Bolton Wanderers | 0–2 | Oxford United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Murphy 31',42' |
          Bolton Wanderers
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     Oxford United
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| Bolton Wanderers | Oxford United | |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 63.4% | 36.6% |
| Goals scored | 0 | 2 |
| Shots on target | 0 | 5 |
| Shots off target | 3 | 4 |
| Fouls committed | 12 | 12 |
| Corner kicks | 7 | 3 |
| Yellow cards | 4 | 1 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^Unwin, Will (18 May 2024)."Bolton 0–2 Oxford United: League One playoff final – as it happened".the Guardian.Retrieved19 May2024.
- ^"Sky Bet EFL Play-Off dates confirmed".English Football League.Retrieved9 May2024.
- ^"League One – 2023/2024 – Regular season".Soccerway.Perform Group.Archivedfrom the original on 6 May 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Sky Bet League One".Football Web Pages.27 April 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Bolton beat Barnsley in League One play-off first leg".BBC Sport.3 May 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Advantage Oxford after play-off win over Peterborough".BBC Sport.4 May 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Bolton lose to Barnsley but reach League One play-off final".BBC Sport.7 May 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Oxford Utd beat Peterborough to reach League One play-off final".BBC Sport.8 May 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^Cantrill, James (16 May 2024)."League One play-off final tips: Bolton vs Oxford best bets and preview".Sporting Life.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Oxford United 0–0 Bolton Wanderers".BBC Sport.28 November 2023.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Bolton Wanderers 5–0 Oxford United".BBC Sport.12 March 2024.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^abHarris, Alex (18 May 2024)."What channel is Bolton v Oxford League One play-off final on? TV coverage, live stream and kick-off time".RadioTimes.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"Manchester Total Sport: Commentary, Bolton Wanderers v Oxford United".BBC.Retrieved18 May2024.
- ^"BBC Radio Oxford Sport: Commentary, Bolton Wanderers v Oxford United (18/05/2024)".BBC.Retrieved18 May2024.