2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final

2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final
After Extra Time (Score after 90 minutes 1-1)
Date 27th May 2001
Venue Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee E. K. Wolstenholme
Attendance 50,496

The 2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final was contested by Walsall and Reading. It was the first season that the play-off Finals were contested in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley.

Background

Route to the Final

Match Summary

Reading scored the opening goal from a throw in. Jamie Cureton's volley crept in underneath Walsall goalkeeper Jimmy Walker. Don Goodman scored the leveler for Walsall just after half-time to take the game into extra-time.

Reading made a storming start to extra-time with, ex-Walsall striker, Martin Butler scoring a header inside the first 2 minutes. A treble substitution by Walsall manager Ray Graydon on 98 minutes changed the game. Walsall's Dean Keates forced an own-goal by Reading's Tony Rougier on 107 minutes. Walsall nicked it 2 minutes later virtue of a stunning turn and shot from substitute Darren Byfield.

Match details

27 May 2001
15:00 BST
Walsall 3–2 Reading
Goodman  48'
Rougier  107' (o.g.)
Byfield  109' 		Report Cureton  31'
Butler  91'
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 50,496
Walsall
Reading
Walsall:
GK 1England Jimmy Walker
DF 3England Ian Brightwell
DF 15Spain Zigor Aranalde
DF 25England Tony Barras
DF 5 England Andy Tillson
MF10England Dean Keates
MF27Spain Pedro Matias
MF 4 Scotland Tom Bennett  98'
MF 19 Jamaica Paul Hall  98'
FW 9England Don Goodman
FW14 Portugal Jorge Leitão  98'
Substitutes:
DF 21 England Matt Gadsby  98'
GK 17 England Carl Emberson
MF 26Hungary Gábor Bukrán  98'
FW 11England Brett Angell
FW 8England Darren Byfield  98'
Manager:
England Ray Graydon
Reading:
GK 1 England Phil Whitehead
DF7England Graeme Murty
DF 3England Matthew Robinson
DF 5 England Adrian Viveash
DF 29 Wales Adrian Williams  105'
MF 40 England James Harper
MF 14 England Sammy Igoe  66'
MF 16England Phil Parkinson
FW 22Scotland Jim McIntyre  82'
FW 9 England Martin Butler
FW 12England Jamie Cureton
Substitutes:
MF 37Trinidad and Tobago Tony Rougier  82'
DF 6 Northern Ireland Barry Hunter  105'
GK 21Scotland Scott Howie
FW 10England Nicky Forster  66'
MF 8England Darren Caskey
Manager:
England Alan Pardew

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes.
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
  • Penalty shootout if scores still level.
  • 5 named substitutes.
  • Maximum of 3 substitutions.

References