2003 Football Conference play-off final

October 2014 November 2017 November 2017 2003 Football Conference play-off final Britannia Stadium 1.JPG 240 Britannia Stadium venue of the 2003 Football Conference play-off final 2002–03 Football Conference Dagenham & Redbridge 2 Doncaster Rovers 3 After extra time 10 May 2003 Britannia Stadium Stoke-on-Trent Andre Marriner (Birmingham) 13,092 2004 The 2003 Football Conference play-off final took place on 10 May 2003 and was contested between Dagenham & Redbridge and Doncaster Rovers. It was held at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent and was the inaugural final of the Football Conference playoffs which were introduced to accommodate a second promotion place to the Football League. Match Summary Doncaster had much of the play early on in the match with Tony Roberts in the Daggers goal making a number of good saves, notably from Paul Barnes. Doncaster turned up the pressure and should have taken the lead through Steve Foster, whose header was cleared off the line by John McGrath. However they took a deserved lead when Tim Ryan's cross was headed into the net by Paul Green. Ten minutes into the second half Doncaster were two goals in front thanks to Dave Morley's header, which a Dagenham defender got an inadvertent hand to, with the ball rebounding in off the post. Dagenham battled on and got a goal back through Mark Stein, who netted after a knock down from target man Steve West. They then levelled the scores when Tarkan Mustafa scored arguably the goal of the game. He received a good ball from Paul Terry on the right, ran at the Rovers defence and shot past Andy Warrington into the far corner of the net. Extra time was needed and, with legs tiring, it was Doncaster who got the golden goal. Paul Barnes broke away on the left and crossed for Francis Tierney, who sidefooted home to send his team back into the Football League. It is the only time in UK football that promotion has been decided by the controversial golden goal method, officially known as "Promotion Goal" in this match. The pitch was subsequently invaded by Doncaster Rovers fans, including one wearing an oversized jester's hat who managed to circle the ground before being caught by police. Details 10 May 2003 14:30 BST Dagenham & Redbridge 2–3 yes http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/3014141.stm Doncaster Rovers Stein 63 Mustafa 78 Green 39 Morley 55 Tierney 110 Britannia Stadium Stoke-on-Trent 13,092 Andre Marriner (Birmingham) GK 1 Tony RobertsDF 2 Tim ColeDF 17Lee Matthews (c) DF 19Tarkan MustafaDF 4 Lee Goodwin 71MF 8 Paul Terry 94MF 26John McGrath 70MF 7 Mark JanneyFW 10Mark SteinFW 9 Danny ShippFW 15Steve WestSubstitutes:GK 18Paul GothardDF 3 Ashley Vickers 71DF 5 Mark Smith 70MF 6 Steve Heffer 94MF 14Danny HillManager:Garry Hill GK 1 Andy WarringtonDF 2 Simon MarplesDF 3 Tim RyanDF 4 Dave MorleyDF 23Steve FosterMF 11Jamie Paterson 84MF 19Ricky Ravenhill MF 20Paul GreenMF 7 Francis TierneyFW 9 Paul Barnes (c)MF 16Tristram Whitman 83Substitutes:GK 13Stuart NelsonDF 6 Mark AlbrightonMF 30Jason Blunt 84MF 5 John DoolanFW 26Gregg Blundell 83Manager:Dave Penney Match rules: 90 minutes. 30 minutes of golden-goal extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level. Five named substitutes Maximum of three substitutions. References http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/3014141.stm Doncaster seal League return BBC Sport 10 May 2003 10 January 2014 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2401249/Play-offs-round-up-Cardiff-edge-rivals.html Play-offs round-up: Cardiff edge rivals The Daily Telegraph London 10 May 2003 2 December 2014 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2401446/Tierney-has-golden-touch-as-Rovers-return.html Tierney has golden touch as Rovers return The Daily Telegraph London 11 May 2003 2 December 2014 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2401423/Tierneys-golden-goal-dagger.html Tierney's golden dagger The Daily Telegraph London 11 May 2003 2 December 2014 https://www.theguardian.com/football/2003/may/12/newsstory.sport1 Tierney gives Doncaster the golden touch The Guardian London 12 May 2003 2 December 2014 Play-off Final Play-off Final 2003 Play-off Final 2003 Category:National League (English football) play-off finals Conference Playoff Final 2003 Football Conference play-off final