1993 Football League First Division play-off final

Association football match in London July 2020 1993 Football League First Division play-off final Old Wembley Stadium (external view).jpg 250 Wembley Stadium Swindon Town 4 Leicester City 3 31 May 1993 Wembley Stadium London David Elleray (Harrow) 73,802 Sunny 1992 1994 The 1993 Football League First Division play-off final was an association football match which was played on 31 May 1993 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Leicester City and Swindon Town. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the 1992–93 Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams in the Football League First Division gained automatic promotion to the Premiership, while the teams placed from third to sixth in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; Swindon Town ended the season in fifth position while Leicester City finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 1993–94 season in the Premiership. Winning the game was estimated to be worth around £5million to the successful team. Swindon took a 3–0 lead as they scored three goals in eleven minutes either side of half time. Glenn Hoddle, Swindon's player-manager, opened the scoring late in the first half and early second-half goals from Craig Maskell and Shaun Taylor made it 3–0 after 53 minutes. Leicester's Julian Joachim scored four minutes later, and with further goals from Steve Walsh and Steve Thompson, the score was level at 3–3. With six minutes of the match remaining, the referee David Elleray awarded Swindon a penalty which was converted by Paul Bodin, securing a 4–3 victory. The win saw Swindon promoted to the top tier of English football for the first time in their club's 73-year League history. Four days after the match, Hoddle was confirmed as player-manager at Chelsea. In their following season, Swindon finished bottom of the Premiership and were relegated back to the second tier having conceded a record 100 goals. Leicester ended their next season in fourth place in the First Division and secured promotion to the Premiership with a 2–1 win over Derby County in the play-off final. Route to the final 1992–93 Football League First Division main WDL Q right auto Football League First Division final table, leading positions NEW Newcastle United WHU West Ham United POR Portsmouth TRA Tranmere Rovers SWI Swindon Town LEI Leicester City 29 9 8 92 38 26 10 10 81 41 26 10 10 80 46 23 10 13 72 56 21 13 12 74 59 22 10 14 71 64 complete https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/1993/ 11v11.com AFS Enterprises 13 July 2020 League Division 1 end of season table for 1992–93 season 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113425/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-1/1993/ live Swindon Town finished the regular 1992–93 season in fifth place in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Leicester City. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premiership and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Portsmouth (who finished third) and Tranmere Rovers (who finished fourth), to determine the third promoted team. Swindon finished twelve points behind West Ham United (who were promoted in second place) and twenty behind league winners Newcastle United. Leicester City ended the season level on points with Swindon but with an inferior goal difference. Swindon Town faced Tranmere Rovers in their play-off semi-final and the first leg was played at the County Ground, Swindon, on 16 May 1993. Swindon took the lead within two minutes of the kick-off when a cross from Nicky Summerbee was headed past Eric Nixon in the Tranmere goal by his own defender Steve Vickers. The lead was doubled a minute later when Nixon mishandled a shot from Ross MacLaren, allowing Dave Mitchell to score. A John Aldridge goal in the fourth minute was disallowed for a push on Glenn Hoddle, but Craig Maskell halved Tranmere's deficit in the 27th minute. John Morrissey scored Swindon's third on 58 minutes, and the match ended 3–1. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55273100/the-guardian/ 15 The Guardian Newspapers.com 13 July 2020 17 May 1993 King's men hit by salvo Russell Thomas https://web.archive.org/web/20200713164941/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55273100/the-guardian/ 13 July 2020 live The second leg of the semi-final was played three days later at Prenton Park. Swindon took the lead on 30 minutes, with a goal from John Moncur following a through ball from Martin Ling. Just before half time, Mark Proctor levelled the game with a volley. Pat Nevin then scored after the Swindon goalkeeper Fraser Digby dropped a cross. Maskell equalised before Hoddle fouled Morrissey to concede a penalty. Kenny Irons scored from the spot, but Swindon held on; despite losing the match 3–2, they progressed to the final with a 5–4 aggregate victory. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55274058/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com Stephen Bierley 20 13 July 2020 Robins hold off Rovers 20 May 1993 https://web.archive.org/web/20200713140408/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55274058/the-guardian/ 13 July 2020 live Leicester City's play-off semi-final opponents were Portsmouth and the first leg took place on 16 May 1993. The match was hosted at Nottingham Forest's home stadium, the City Ground, as Leicester's Filbert Street was undergoing redevelopment. The game, described by Paul Weaver in The Guardian as "dreadful", was "partially redeemed by a stunning goal" from Julian Joachim, a second-half substitute for Leicester. It was the only goal of the game which ended 1–0. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55274578/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com 15 13 July 2020 17 May 1993 Joachim shines late in the gloom Paul Weaver 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113455/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55274578/the-guardian/ live The second leg was played at Fratton Park three days later and was goalless at half time. Six minutes into the second half, Portsmouth took the lead when Alan McLoughlin scored from a George Lawrence header. Within two minutes Leicester had equalised when Ian Ormondroyd found the target following a deflected shot from David Oldfield. Steve Thompson then put Leicester ahead in the 69th minute with a shot from the edge of the penalty area beating the Portsmouth goalkeeper Alan Knight. Three minutes later, Bjørn Kristensen levelled the score once more with an 18 yd on curling shot into the far corner of the Leicester goal. The game ended 2–2, and ensured Leicester a 3–2 aggregate victory. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55276076/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com 13 July 2020 20 May 1993 20 Russell Thomas Thompson boost for Little men https://web.archive.org/web/20200713211456/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55276076/the-guardian/ 13 July 2020 live Match Background This was Leicester's second appearance in the First Division play-off final: they had lost 1–0 to Blackburn Rovers in the previous season's final. https://web.archive.org/web/20161009214128/https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/9864357/play-off-final-history-stats https://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/9864357/play-off-final-history-stats 9 October 2016 25 May 2015 Sporting Life 3 May 2020 Play-Off Final History & Stats They had played in the second tier of English football since they were relegated from the First Division in the 1986–87 season. https://www.lcfc.com/news/915635/the-managers-david-pleat-19871991 Leicester City F.C. 13 July 2020 19 November 2018 The Managers: David Pleat, 1987–1991 https://web.archive.org/web/20200511082154/https://www.lcfc.com/news/915635/the-managers-david-pleat-19871991 11 May 2020 live https://www.lcfc.com/news/976109/the-managers-brian-little-19911994 Leicester City F.C. 13 July 2020 16 January 2019 The Managers: Brian Little, 1991–1994 https://web.archive.org/web/20200713154801/https://www.lcfc.com/news/976109/the-managers-brian-little-19911994 13 July 2020 live Swindon had beaten Gillingham 2–0 in a replay after the 1987 Football League Third Division play-off final, which was played over two legs, had ended 2–2 on aggregate. Swindon had played in the second tier since that promotion.Foster 2015 55–56 They had also won a play-off final at Wembley Stadium when they beat Sunderland 1–0 in the 1990 Football League Second Division play-off final. However, the club's promotion was overturned by the Football League as a result of financial irregularities. As a result, Swindon were relegated to the Third Division, but that decision was later overturned on appeal. https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2017/apr-2017/club-history2/ Swindon Town F.C. Club History 13 July 2020 1 April 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20200525135108/https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2017/apr-2017/club-history2/ 25 May 2020 live https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55279547/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com Bitter pair in quest for top 31 May 1993 14 13 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200713183030/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55279547/the-guardian/ 13 July 2020 live As such, Swindon were aiming to be promoted to the top flight of English football for the first time in the 73-year League history of the club. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55280772/the-guardian/ The Guardian Newspapers.com 14 1 June 1993 13 July 2020 Hoddle provides finishing touch Russell Thomas 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113425/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55280772/the-guardian/ live Leicester's top scorer during the regular season was Steve Walsh with fifteen goals in all competitions, followed by Joachim and David Lowe on twelve.Jack Rollin Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94 1993 Headline Publishing Group London 978-0-7472-7895-5 286–287, 621–625, 631–632, 662 Maskell had scored the most goals for Swindon with twenty-one in all competitions, while Mitchell had scored fifteen.Jack Rollin Rothmans Football Yearbook 1993–94 1993 Headline Publishing Group London 978-0-7472-7895-5 508–509, 622–625, 631–632, 661 In the matches played between both sides during the regular season, Leicester had won their home game 4–2 in December 1992, while the return fixture at the County Ground the following April ended in a 1–1 draw. https://www.11v11.com/teams/swindon-town/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Leicester%20City/ 11v11.com Swindon Town football club: record v Leicester City AFS Enterprises 13 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200713210955/https://www.11v11.com/teams/swindon-town/tab/opposingTeams/opposition/Leicester%20City/ 13 July 2020 live The referee for the match was David Elleray of Harrow on the Hill. Prior to the match, there had been considerable speculation over the future of Swindon's player-manager Hoddle who had been linked with Premiership clubs Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. He was able to select a full-strength squad as he had been able to persuade the Australia national soccer team to release Mitchell from the 1994 FIFA World Cup qualification – OFC second round fixture against New Zealand. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55340846/the-guardian/ Six managers of style The Guardian Newspapers.com 14 July 2020 Cynthia Bateman 29 May 1993 23 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113425/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55340846/the-guardian/ live Hoddle also selected Moncur, who had sustained bruised ribs against Tranmere, in preference to Micky Hazard.Mattick 2004 109 The Leicester manager Brian Little named Joachim in the starting line-up in preference to Lowe, in a 4–4–2 formation described in the Staffordshire Sentinel as "imaginative", pairing 18-year-old Joachim in attack alongside Walsh. Prior to the match, Little suggested: "I don't think it would be right to go into the game hoping to keep things tight to start with". https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000525/19930529/631/0060 British Newspaper Archive subscription 14 July 2020 29 May 1993 60 Staffordshire Sentinel Joachim aims to make Premier dream reality According to Deloitte, the match was worth £5million to the promoted club through increases in matchday, commercial and broadcasting income.Foster 2015 112 Former player Alan Hudson, writing in the Staffordshire Sentinel, believed Swindon to be favourites to win the match. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000525/19930528/991/0075 Swindon bite! British Newspaper Archive subscription 6 September 2020 Staffordshire Sentinel 28 May 1993 75 McLoughlin, who scored the winning goal for Swindon in the 1990 play-off final, also suggested that his former club would defeat Leicester. https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002240/19930531/397/0038 Swindon tipped to make it at last British Newspaper Archive subscription 6 September 2020 Newcastle Journal 31 May 1993 38 Tony Banks Summary The match kicked off in sunny conditions in front of a Wembley crowd of 73,802. Although Swindon dominated possession during the early stages of the first half, they were unable to convert any chances. Cutting in from the left wing, a Paul Bodin cross was cleared by Leicester to deny Mitchell. Summerbee was shown a yellow card for a foul as Leicester sought to increase pressure on Swindon, and although Digby failed to hold onto a Joachim cross, he successfully parried it away. Despite Leicester's higher tempo, it was Swindon who took the lead three minutes before half time. A backheel from Maskell found Hoddle whose shot curled past Kevin Poole in the Leicester goal. It was his first goal since the opening day of the season, and his ninth goal at Wembley. Two minutes after the break, Maskell doubled Swindon's lead. After a one-two with Moncur, he struck the ball into the goal inside the far post. In the 53rd minute, Shaun Taylor made it 3–0 with a header after Poole was hesitant to claim the ball. Walsh struck over the bar before, four minutes later, Joachim scored his fourteenth goal of the season after converting a rebound off the post of the Swindon goal. In the 68th minute, a cross beyond the far post was passed back across the box, over Digby, and was headed in by Walsh to make it 3–2.Mattick 2004 109–110 Author Dick Mattick suggested that at this point in the game, "panic set in" for Swindon and Leicester started "cutting swathes through the [Swindon] Town defence".Mattick 2004 110 Thompson completed Leicester's comeback a minute later after scoring with a low shot. Swindon's Ling then saw his strike saved by Poole, before Taylor's header was cleared off the line by Leicester. Mitchell's shot was then smothered before the referee awarded Swindon a penalty in the 84th minute: Hoddle played a 50 yd on pass to substitute Steve White who fell in the Leicester penalty area after contact with both Poole and Colin Hill. Elleray adjudged it to have been a foul, and Bodin stepped up to take the spot kick. Despite a "nonchalant" run-up, his carefully taken strike beat Poole to his left. No further goals were scored, the match ended 4–3 and Swindon were promoted to the Premiership. Details 31 May 1993 15:00 BST Leicester City 3–4 Swindon Town https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-play-off-swindon-lifted-by-hoddles-husbandry-an-unsettling-sense-of-deja-vu-as-wembley-1489087.html Trevor Haylett Football / Play Off: Swindon lifted by Hoddle's husbandry: An unsettling sense of deja vu as Wembley proves an unhappy hunting ground for Leicester 1 June 1993 13 July 2020 The Independent https://web.archive.org/web/20200628204522/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-play-off-swindon-lifted-by-hoddles-husbandry-an-unsettling-sense-of-deja-vu-as-wembley-1489087.html 28 June 2020 live https://www.11v11.com/matches/swindon-town-v-leicester-city-31-may-1993-218827/ 11v11.com AFS Enterprises 15 July 2020 Swindon Town v Leicester City, 31 May 1993 https://web.archive.org/web/20200714020125/https://www.11v11.com/matches/swindon-town-v-leicester-city-31-may-1993-218827/ 14 July 2020 live Joachim 57Walsh 68Thompson 69 Hoddle 42Maskell 47Taylor 53Bodin 84 pen. Wembley Stadium, London 73,802 David Elleray (Harrow) _vneckblue 003399 003399 003399 003399 003399 Leicester City _whiteborder _whitecollarplain _whiteborder _whitebottom _whitestripe DD0000 DD0000 DD0000 DD0000 DD0000 Swindon Town GK 1ENGKevin PooleRB 2ENGGary Mills (c)LB 3ENGMike WhitlowCB 4ENGRichard SmithFW 5ENGSteve WalshCB 6NIRColin HillRM 7ENGDavid OldfieldCM 8 ENGSteve ThompsonFW 9ENGJulian JoachimCM 10ENGSteve AgnewLM 11ENGLee PhilpottSubstitutes:FW 12ENGIan OrmondroydMF 14ENGColin GibsonManager:ENGBrian Little GK 1 ENGFraser DigbyRB 2 ENGNicky Summerbee LB 3 WALPaul BodinSW 4 ENGGlenn HoddleCB 5 SCOColin Calderwood (c)CB 6 ENGShaun TaylorCM 7 ENGJohn Moncur 88LM 8 SCORoss MacLarenFW 9 AustraliaDave MitchellRM 10ENGMartin LingFW 11ENGCraig Maskell 78Substitutes:FW 12ENGSteve White 78MF 14ENGMicky Hazard 88Player-manager:ENGGlenn Hoddle Post-match right|thumb|alt=Glenn Hoddle|upright|Glenn Hoddle (pictured in 2014) left Swindon for Chelsea four days after the match. Trevor Haylett, writing in The Independent, described the match as an "absolute cracker" and that the late penalty was "the last act of a heart-stopping drama". Little was stoic about the late penalty award: "I was surprised it was given... But I'm not going to change the decision, am I?" Referencing Leicester's defeat in the 1992 play-off final as a result of a penalty, he added: "It's almost the same speech as last year". The match was deemed "a minor English classic climaxing the domestic season" by Russell Thomas of The Guardian. He went on to suggest that Swindon's 73-year journey to the top flight of English football was "completed with a flourish worthy of one of the country's most pleasing teams". Clive Baskerville wrote in the Reading Evening Post that the spectators were "entertained by a standard of football rarely seen [that] season". https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0002471/19930601/183/0026 British Newspaper Archive subscription That's football at its best Clive Baskerville Reading Evening Post 1 June 1993 26 13 July 2020 He also suggested that Hoddle should be considered as the next England national football team manager. The Evening Herald in Dublin reported that it was an "extraordinary play-off final". https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001730/19930601/470/0069 British Newspaper Archive subscription Glenn guides Swindon up but could move on to Chelsea The Evening Herald Dublin 1 June 1993 69 13 July 2020 In 2009, Eurosport listed it as the 94th best association football match of all-time. http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27112009/58/top-100-complete-list.html Eurosport 15 July 2020 https://archive.today/20091201033024/http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/27112009/58/top-100-complete-list.html 1 December 2009 Top 100: the complete list live Hoddle noted that it was his proudest moment in football, stating: "To take a club up that has never been in the top flight and in these circumstances is a great feeling". He pointed out: "We have sold something like £2million worth of players in two years and this year we have spent just £100,000 in a swap deal for Craig Maskell". After the game, Hoddle refused to be drawn on his future with Swindon, saying "I want people tomorrow to read about Swindon's promotion, not Glenn Hoddle... I'm under contract to Swindon, so there's no question to answer". Referring to Swindon's cancelled promotion in 1990, he reflected: "We've wiped the slate clean after three years". Hoddle's assistant John Gorman noted: "It's fantastic, unbelievable. I won promotion at Carlisle but there's no comparison". Evening Advertiser 3 June 1993 Enjoying the moment... and keeping mum 6 On the evening of 2 June, a bus-top parade through the town was held during which thousands of fans held aloft banners "in a final plea to the management duo" to remain with the club. Winning goal-scorer Bodin was forced to miss the celebration as he joined up with the Wales national football team who were playing a World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands. Evening Advertiser 2 June 1993 Goal hero Bodin will miss the big night MacClaren, Hazard and Brian Marwood were also absent, having left to go on holiday. Evening Advertiser 3 June 1993 A celebration tinged with uncertainty 15 Club chairman Ray Hardman confirmed that although a two-hour board meeting had taken place prior to the parade, Hoddle's position had not been discussed. Evening Advertiser 3 June 1993 48 hours to keep Hoddle 1 Phil Duffell Four days after the match, Hoddle was confirmed as player-manager at Chelsea. Gorman had initially resigned, alongside Hoddle, but was persuaded to stay by Hardman after being offered the manager's position. Evening Advertiser 4 June 1993 1 Glenn goes – Hoddle signs as Chelsea manager – John stays – Gorman takes over at the Town Phil Duffell Hoddle was unrepentant, and offered no apology for his departure: "It was a very sad day when I left Swindon and it was a very emotional decision to make... you have to do hard things that are right for yourself and [Chelsea manager] is the right job for me... I thought it was time to move on". Evening Advertiser 4 June 1993 No apology says Hoddle 1 In his first season with the London club, he led Chelsea to 14th position in the league and an appearance at Wembley in the 1994 FA Cup Final where they lost 4–0 to Manchester United. https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM fchd.info 29 September 2020 Chelsea 8 June 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080608225138/http://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM live http://www.thefa.com/competitions/thefacup/more/finals The Football Association FA Cup Finals, 1872 – today 9 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20170613182709/http://www.thefa.com/competitions/thefacup/more/finals 13 June 2017 live In their following season, Swindon finished bottom of the Premiership and were relegated back to the second tier. https://www.11v11.com/teams/swindon-town/tab/leagueTables/1994/ 11v11.com 13 July 2020 Premier League table at close of 1993–94 season AFS Enterprises https://web.archive.org/web/20200714003521/https://www.11v11.com/teams/swindon-town/tab/leagueTables/1994/ 14 July 2020 live Their drop back to the Second Division was confirmed after a 4–2 home defeat to Wimbledon on 23 April 1994. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55293813/the-observer/ The Observer Wednesday's high leaves Ipswich low Jason Tomas 13 July 2020 24 April 1994 65 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113439/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55293813/the-observer/ live By the end of the season, they had conceded 100 goals, which, 2020 yes, is a Premier League record. https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/08/23/premier-league-records-own-goals-red-cards-fewest-goals-scored-most-defeats-more Sports Illustrated Premier League Records: Own Goals, Red Cards, Fewest Goals Scored, Most Defeats & More 23 August 2019 13 July 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20190914033747/https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/08/23/premier-league-records-own-goals-red-cards-fewest-goals-scored-most-defeats-more 14 September 2019 live https://www.premierleague.com/stats/records Premier League 2 August 2020 Stats Centre – Premier League Records https://web.archive.org/web/20200701131157/https://www.premierleague.com/stats/records 1 July 2020 live Leicester ended their next season in fourth place in the First Division, https://www.11v11.com/teams/leicester-city/tab/leagueTables/1994/ 11v11.com AFS Enterprises 13 July 2020 League Division 1 table at close of 1993–94 season https://web.archive.org/web/20200713224232/https://www.11v11.com/teams/leicester-city/tab/leagueTables/1994/ 13 July 2020 live and qualified for the play-offs. They defeated Tranmere Rovers in the semi-final before securing promotion to the Premiership with a 2–1 win over Derby County, their East Midlands rivals, in the play-off final. https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55302122/the-observer/ The Observer Wembley Way 13 July 2020 29 May 1994 50 3 September 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200903113459/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55302122/the-observer/ live https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55302354/the-guardian/ The Guardian Third time lucky for Leicester 13 July 2020 31 May 1994 16 David Lacey https://web.archive.org/web/20200713210629/https://theguardian.newspapers.com/clip/55302354/the-guardian/ 13 July 2020 live References The Agony & The Ecstasy Richard Foster 978-1-910906-00-2 Ockley Books 2015 Swindon Town Football Club – Fifty of the Finest Matches Dick Mattick 978-0-7524-2866-6 Tempus Publishing Limited 2004 Football League play-off final Category:EFL Championship play-off finals Play-off Final 1993 Play-off Final 1993 Football League Second Division play-off final Football League Second Division play-off final