1996 Football League Second Division play-off final

December 2017 December 2017 1996 Football League Second Division play-off final Old Wembley Stadium (external view).jpg The match took place at Wembley Stadium. Bradford City 2 Notts County 0 26 May 1996 Wembley Stadium London Des Hamilton (Bradford City) Gurnam Singh 39,972 1995 1997 The 1996 Football League Second Division play-off final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 26 May 1996, at the end of the 1995–96 English league season to determine the final promoted club from the Second Division. Bradford City beat Notts County 2–0 to join Swindon Town and Oxford United in winning promotion to the First Division. It was the 10th Second Division play-off final and the seventh to be held at Wembley. For Bradford, it was the first time they had played at Wembley in their 93-year history. City finished sixth during the regular league season only winning a play-off place with a victory on the final day of the season. They came from two goals down during the semi-finals against Blackpool to gain a place in the play-off final. Having been relegated the previous season, Notts County had the chance to win an instant promotion back to the First Division. They finished fourth during the regular season and defeated Crewe Alexandra in the semi-final by drawing the away tie and winning by one-goal in the second leg at home. Bradford took an eighth-minute lead in the final through 19-year-old Bradford-born Des Hamilton. Notts County only had one chance in the first half before applying more pressure during the early part of the second half. However Bradford's recent signing Mark Stallard doubled their lead to give them victory and newspaper reporters agreed that Bradford dominated the match. Their manager Chris Kamara had only been in charge for six months before the final. Three years after their victory, Bradford went on to win promotion to the Premier League; their opponents Notts County were relegated the season after their play-off final defeat and have yet to finish higher since their fourth-place finish in 1996. Route to the final 1995–96 Football League#Second Division main WDL Q right auto Football League Second Division final table, leading positions SWI Swindon Town OXF Oxford United BLP Blackpool NTC Notts County CRE Crewe Alexandra BRA Bradford City 25 17 4 71 34 24 11 11 76 39 23 13 10 77 40 21 15 10 63 39 22 7 17 77 60 22 7 17 71 69 complete https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/1996/ 11v11 25 March 2021 League Division Two end of season table for 1995–96 season AFS Enterprises Second Division league champions Swindon Town and runners-up Oxford United took the two automatic promotion spots after recording 92 and 83 points respectively, leaving Blackpool, Notts County, Crewe Alexandra and Bradford City to contest the play-offs for the final promotion place.http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=125&competitionid=3 Final 1995/1996 Football League One Table Soccerbase 2 September 2010 5 May 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20050505111321/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=3&seasonid=125 dead Bradford City won nine of their last 12 league matcheshttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/SPECIAL+K.-a061320719 Special K Lindsay Sutton Daily Mirror London 28 May 1996 3 September 2010 TheFreeLibrary.com and only secured a play-off berth on the final day of the season by defeating Hull City 3–2 at Boothferry Parkhttp://www.thefreelibrary.com/KAMARA+BOOM+D-DAY!-a061162065 Kamara boom D-Day Lindsay Sutton Sunday Mirror London 12 May 1996 3 September 2010 TheFreeLibrary.com in a match that was delayed because of crowd trouble.David Hobbs May 2005 Bradford City 1996 When Saturday Comes http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/1646/29/ 219 3 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100304141701/http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/1646/29/ 4 March 2010 dead They were one point ahead of seventh place Chesterfield, and equal on points with Crewe but behind in goal difference; they therefore finished sixth. As a result, in the play-off semi-finals Bradford played third-place Blackpool, whose manager Sam Allardyce admitted his team had thrown away an automatic promotion spot; they finished a solitary point behind Oxford. Bradford had already played Blackpool four times during the season, after being drawn together in the League Cup, with Bradford winning three of the previous encounters.http://www.soccerbase.com/head2.sd?team2id=317&team1id=234 https://archive.today/20130203134102/http://www.soccerbase.com/head2.sd?team2id=317&team1id=234 dead 3 February 2013 All time results between Bradford City and Blackpool Soccerbase 2 September 2010 Notts County, who had been relegated the previous season having finished in last place in the First Division,http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=124&competitionid=2 Final 1994/1995 Football League Championship Table 8 October 2010 Soccerbase 8 December 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20051208092732/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=2&seasonid=124 dead came in fourth position to set up a tie against Crewe Alexandra in the other semi-final. Notts County's fourth place meant they were away to Crewe Alexandra in the first leg, which finished 2–2 at Gresty Road. With home advantage at Meadow Lane three days later, they won 1–0 thanks to a goal from Gary Martindale to give them a 3–2 aggregate victory.http://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/page/100YearsDetail/0,,10426~2127297,00.html August 20: 1995/1996 (15 Days To Go) 20 August 2010 3 September 2010 Notts County F.C. dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120318071053/http://www.nottscountyfc.co.uk/page/100YearsDetail/0%2C%2C10426~2127297%2C00.html 18 March 2012 The other semi-final went against home advantage; City finished sixth so played at their Valley Parade home in the first leg, losing 2–0. However, they overturned the deficit by winning 3–0 at Bloomfield Road. Des Hamilton, Carl Shutt and Mark Stallard scored the three goals that also gave them a 3–2 aggregate victory. Kamara called it the "best night" of his career,http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BRAD+ALL+OVER%3b+Brave+City+set+for+Wembley.-a061330068 Brad all over: Brave City set for Wembley Alan Nixon Daily Mirror London 16 May 1996 3 September 2010 TheFreeLibrary.com whereas his opposite number Allardyce was sacked.http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sports-news/Big-Sam-on-39devastating39-Blackpool.6548580.jp Big Sam on 'devastating' Blackpool blow 24 September 2010 25 September 2010 Blackpool Gazette Steve Canavan Bradford CityNotts CountyOpponentResultLegsRoundOpponentResultLegsBlackpool3–20–2 home; 3–0 awaySemi-finalsCrewe Alexandra3–22–2 away; 1–0 home Pre-match City had only appeared in one previous major final when they won the 1911 FA Cup Final before Wembley Stadium had been built. Hence, the play-off final was the club's first match at Wembley in their 93-year history.Markham David The legends of Bradford City Breedon Books Sport 2007 978-1-85983-572-2 103 For Notts County, it was the fifth visit to the national stadium since 1990. The historic occasion for Bradford was reflected in the ticket sales, with City fans outnumbering their opponents nearly three-to-one with 28,000 of the crowd of 39,972 coming from Bradford.Going up 27 May 1996 The Yorkshire Post Leeds 1 Kamara's main selection dilemma was in attack where he had to pick a strike partner for Stallard, a player who had joined from Derby County in January for £120,000 and gone on to score ten goals. Kamara opted for Shutt, who was given only a 50 per cent of playing in the run-up to the match because of a slight knock,Bradford on an upswing The Guardian London David Hopps 25 May 1996 with Ian Ormondroyd, a veteran of three play-off finals with his previous club Leicester City,Markham The legends of Bradford City 147 selected as substitute. Captain Eddie Youds, who overcame a knee problem to return to the team in defence in place of David Brightwell, was the only player not to have played in the second leg against Blackpool.Ormondroyd times arrival to perfection 27 May 1996 The Yorkshire Post Leeds B10 Notts County's team featured only two of the players that had been relegated the previous season – Tony Agana and Shaun Murphy. Their team also contained Darren Ward, who was selected for the Second Division PFA (Professional Footballers' Association) representative team, and Steve Finnan, on loan from First Division club Birmingham City.Mean defence will test out City Telegraph & Argus Bradford 22 May 1996 23 City's chairman Geoffrey Richmond was reported to have told his team before the match: "Well boys, you can either play Bury or Manchester City next season – it's up to you!" Two times league champions Manchester City had been relegated from the Premier Leaguehttp://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=125&competitionid=1 Final 1995/1996 English Premier Table Soccerbase 2 September 2010 19 May 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090519002613/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=1&seasonid=125 dead whereas Bury had been just promoted from the Third Division.http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=125&competitionid=4 Final 1995/1996 Football League Two Table Soccerbase 2 September 2010 15 December 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20041215190631/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=4&seasonid=125 dead Three of the City players, Richard Huxford, Wayne Jacobs and Andy Kiwomya – all Christians – went onto the pitch to pray before the match.Markham The legends of Bradford City 97 Gurnam Singh, from Wolverhampton, a former non-League player who turned to officiating after an injury, was chosen as the match referee.https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/football-referee-says-he-was-dropped-because-of-his-colour-698849.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/football-referee-says-he-was-dropped-because-of-his-colour-698849.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Football referee says he was dropped because of his colour Daisy Price 5 September 2000 7 September 2010 The Independent London He had been overlooked as the referee for the previous year's First Division play-off final despite having the top marks in the countryhttps://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/graham-kelly-singh-case-exposes-lip-service-paid-to-race-issues-621552.html Graham Kelly: Singh case exposes lip service paid to race issues 31 December 2001 7 September 2010 The Independent London dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100519211057/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/graham-kelly-singh-case-exposes-lip-service-paid-to-race-issues-621552.html 19 May 2010 and The Independent reported after Singh's career that his appointment a year on was the highlight of his career. Match Summary Bradford opened the scoring after only eight minutes of the match through teenage hometown midfielder Hamilton.https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/hamilton-engineers-bradfords-elevation-1349367.html Hamilton engineers Bradford's elevation 27 May 1996 2 September 2010 The Independent London Tim Collings A long pass from Huxford down the right flank was headed by Shutt into Hamilton's path. He beat three defenders and, despite the fact he was stumbling, shot past Notts County goalkeeper Ward, with the ball going in after hitting the crossbar.Hamilton's high point Trevor Haylett The Guardian London 27 May 1996 It had been Bradford's first shot of the match. Steve Finnan had County's first chance after 14 minutes but shot straight at Bradford keeper Jonathan Gould. Minutes later, City had two successive chances through Shutt and Youds, but the first was blocked and the second went wide.Match notes Telegraph & Argus Bradford 27 May 1996 3a During this spell of play, County's two central defenders Murphy and Gary Strodder both received yellow cards. Just before half-time, Shutt had the chance to double City's lead but his weak shot hit Ward's ankles after good work by Kiwomya. Ian Richardson was booked within a minute of the second half starting for bringing down Kiwomya. Notts County started to come back into the match; Martindale headed wide, Agana and Richardson both had shots blocked during a goalmouth scramble and Tony Battersby had a shot saved over the crossbar by Jonathan Gould, as County tried to equalise during a 20-minute spell of pressure. Between County's chances, Stallard had the opportunity to double City's lead when he capitalised on a slip from Strodder, but Ward saved his effort. However, City went on to double their advantage on 75 minutes. Ormondroyd, who had replaced the injured Hamilton, flicked on a long pass from Richard Huxford with his first touch. His header went across goal to Stallard who volleyed home. Two minutes after the goal, Martindale fired wide for County after a pass from Agana, and with time running out Finnan's long-range shot was deflected for a corner, but from the resulting set-piece, Richardson shot over the crossbar. Details 26 May 1996 15:00 BST Bradford City 2–0 Report Notts County Hamilton 8Stallard 75 Wembley Stadium, London 39,972 Gurnam Singh _amber_stripes _amber_stripes _amber_stripes 800000 800000 800000 000000 800000 Bradford City F1EF00 F1EF00 F1EF00 F1EF00 F1EF00 Notts County GK 1 Jonathan GouldRB 2 Richard HuxfordLB 3 Wayne JacobsCM 4 Graham MitchellCB 5 Nicky MohanCB 6 Eddie Youds (c)LW 7 Andy Kiwomya 77CM 8 Lee DuxburyCF 9 Carl Shutt 69CF 10 Mark StallardRW 11 Des Hamilton 71Substitutes:FW 12Ian Ormondroyd 71MF 13Tommy Wright 77FW 14Neil TolsonManager:Chris Kamara GK 1 Darren WardRB 2 Shaun DerryLB 3 Ian BaracloughCB 4 Shaun Murphy 13CB 5 Gary Strodder 17CM 6 Ian Richardson 46RW 7 Steve FinnanCM 8 Paul RogersCF 9 Gary MartindaleCF 10 Tony Battersby 82LW 11 Tony AganaSubstitutes:DF 12Graeme HoggGK 13Mike PollittFW 14Gary Jones 82Manager:Colin Murphy Match rules: 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Three named substitutes. Maximum of three substitutions. Statistics Bradford City Notts CountyGoals scored 2 0Shots on target 4 4Shots off target 3 5Corner kicks 4 5Fouls committed 11 16Yellow cards 1 3Red cards 0 0 Post-match In his match report for The Independent, Tim Collings wrote that City "played with a width, verve and pace which embarrassed County" and called it "a professional job by a spirited and swift team". The Daily Mirror reported that County had struggled until the second half with their best chance limited to one from 25 yards from goal.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/DES-TROYER%3b+Home-grown+Hammy+is+toast+of+Bradford.-a061320588 Des-troyer: Home-grown Hammy is toast of Bradford Daily Mirror London 27 May 1996 3 September 2010 TheFreeLibrary.com Trevor Haylett, The Guardian match reporter, called it an uneven contest, with Bradford never looking back from their early goal. He added Hamilton and Kiwomya, City's two wingers, maintained their team's momentum. Haylett reported that County played as a "team of strangers" during the first half. Bradford's daily newspaper the Telegraph & Argus reported that "apart from a 15-minute spell midway through the second half when Notts came close to equalising, City were in complete charge of the game".Dream come true Telegraph & Argus Bradford 27 May 1996 David Markham 3a City's matchwinner Hamilton and his manager Kamara shared the headlines in the national newspapers.Hamilton goes on home run to glory Daily Express London 27 May 1996 26 Jacobs, the Bradford full-back who played 11 years for the club and won a subsequent promotion to the Premier League, said after his career: "I just look back on some amazing times and I was delighted to be part of them. It was a real blessing to my life. To play at Wembley was a dream fulfilled." The day after the final, City held an open top bus tour and a civic reception at Bradford City Hall.http://archive.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/1999/5/13/163164.html https://archive.today/20120711084823/http://archive.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/1999/5/13/163164.html dead 11 July 2012 Season to be cheerful Telegraph & Argus Bradford 13 May 1999 7 September 2010 The following day, they hosted a friendly match against Dutch team Feyenoord to celebrate their victory. Aftermath The following season, Bradford City's fate once again went down to the final match of the season. A 3–0 victory against Queens Park Rangers ensured they avoided being relegated immediately back to the Second Division. Instead Grimsby Town went down alongside Oldham Athletic and Southend United.http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=126&competitionid=2 Final 1996/1997 Football League Championship Table 2 September 2010 Soccerbase 12 April 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20050412185947/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=2&seasonid=126 dead In January 1998, Richmond sacked Kamarahttp://archive.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/1998/4/8/176185.html Sad end for Kamara Telegraph & Argus Bradford 8 April 1998 2 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20120527132148/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/archive/1998/04/08/Bradford+District+Archive/8078174.Sad_end_for_Kamara/ 27 May 2012 dead dmy-all and named his assistant Paul Jewell as new manager.Markham The legends of Bradford City 99 Jewell guided City to the Premier League within 16 months, the first time City had been in the top flight in 77 years.http://archive.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/1999/5/10/163290.html Fantastic! Dream comes true for City Telegraph & Argus Bradford 10 May 1999 2 September 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20120509193830/http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/archive/1999/05/10/Bradford+District+Archive/8065236.Fantastic__Dream_comes_true_for_City/ 9 May 2012 dead dmy-all Notts County's fate went in the opposite direction. They were relegated in bottom place the season after the 1996 play-off final defeat,http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=126&competitionid=3 Final 1996/1997 Football League One Table 2 September 2010 Soccerbase 5 May 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20050505111325/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=3&seasonid=126 dead only to win the 1997–98 Third Division title and gain instant promotion.http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=127&competitionid=4 Final 1997/1998 Football League Two Table 2 September 2010 Soccerbase 9 November 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20091109004908/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=4&seasonid=127 dead However, they have spent every season since in the bottom two divisions of the Football League before suffering relegation to the National League in 2019. The two clubs did not meet again in league football until January 2008 after City's fall back down the league structure.http://www.soccerbase.com/head2.sd?team2id=234&team1id=1871 https://archive.today/20130202121840/http://www.soccerbase.com/head2.sd?team2id=234&team1id=1871 dead 2 February 2013 All time results between Notts County and Bradford City 9 September 2010 Soccerbase Blackpool, whom Bradford had defeated in the play-off semi-final, were relegated to the bottom tier in 1999–2000.http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?seasonid=129&competitionid=2 Final 1999/2000 Football League One Table 2 September 2010 Soccerbase 4 September 2005 https://web.archive.org/web/20050904013440/http://www.soccerbase.com/league2.sd?competitionid=2&seasonid=129 dead They won three promotions – all via the play-offshttp://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/the-clubs/blackpool-back-at-the-top https://web.archive.org/web/20110725103506/http://premierskills.britishcouncil.org/the-clubs/blackpool-back-at-the-top 25 July 2011 Blackpool back at the top Premier League 2 September 2010 – within the following decade to reach the Premier League themselves for the first time in their history.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article7133840.ece https://web.archive.org/web/20100529232546/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article7133840.ece dead 29 May 2010 Blackpool reach promised land Andrew Longmore 23 May 2010 2 September 2010 The Sunday Times London See also 1996 Football League play-offs 1996 Football League First Division play-off final 1996 Football League Third Division play-off final References Category:Football League Second Division play-off finals Category:EFL League One play-off finals play Category:1996 Football League play-offs Play-off Final 1996 Play-off Final 1996 Football League Second Division play-off final Football League Second Division play-off final