2011 Football League Two play-off final

November 2017 May 2021 2011 Football League Two play-off final Old Trafford inside 20060726 1.jpg Old Trafford hosted the match due to the double-booking of the usual venue Wembley Stadium 2010–11 Football League Two Stevenage 1 Torquay United 0 28 May 2011 Old Trafford Manchester Darren Deadman 11,484 2010 2012 The 2011 Football League Two play-off final was an association football match which was played on 28 May 2011 at Old Trafford in Manchester, between Stevenage and Torquay United, to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two to the League One. The top three teams of the 2010–11 Football League Two season, Chesterfield, Bury and Wycombe Wanderers, gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh position took part in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2011–12 season in League One. Shrewsbury Town and Accrington Stanley were the defeated semi-finalists, losing to Torquay United and Stevenage respectively. Darren Deadman was the referee for the final which was played in front of 11,484 spectators. Stevenage started the game strongly and in the 41st minute took the lead when Darius Charles passed to John Mousinho whose strike from 20 yd flew into the bottom corner of the Torquay United goal. Jake Robinson's second-half shot hit the Stevenage crossbar and with no further goals the match ended 1–0 to Stevenage who secured back-to-back promotions. Stevenage ended their following season in sixth place in League One and qualified for the 2012 play-offs where they lost 1–0 on aggregate to Sheffield United on aggregate in the semi-final. The next season, Accrington Stanley finished in fourteenth position in League Two. Route to the final 2010–11 Football League Two main WDL Q right auto Football League Two final table, leading positions CSF Chesterfield BUR Bury WYC Wycombe Wanderers SHR Shrewsbury Town ACC Accrington Stanley STE Stevenage TOR Torquay United 24 14 8 85 51 23 12 11 82 50 22 14 10 69 50 22 13 11 72 49 18 19 9 73 55 18 15 13 62 45 17 18 11 74 53 -1 Torquay United were deducted one point for fielding an unregistered player.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/12987033 Torquay and Hereford docked points by Football League 6 April 2011 BBC Sport 8 April 2011 15 April 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20200415123202/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/12987033 live complete https://uk.soccerway.com/national/england/league-two/2011-2012/regular-season/r14890/ Soccerway 9 May 2021 League Two – 2010/11 – regular season 4 February 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210204212825/https://uk.soccerway.com/national/england/league-two/2011-2012/regular-season/r14890/ live https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-two/2011/ League Two end of season table for 2010–11 season 11v11 9 May 2021 AFS Enterprises 9 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210509161925/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-two/2011/ live Stevenage finished the regular 2010–11 season in sixth place in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, one place and one point ahead of Torquay United (who had been deducted a single point for fielding an unregistered player). Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to Football League One and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Stevenage finished eleven points behind Wycombe Wanderers (who were promoted in third place), twelve behind Bury (promoted in second) and seventeen behind league winners Chesterfield. Torquay United's opponents for their play-off semi-final were Shrewsbury Town with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at Plainmoor in Torquay on 14 May 2011. Torquay dominated the first half and took the lead in the 29th minute when Chris Zebroski scored following a pass from Gavin Tomlin. The home side doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time after Eunan O'Kane's 20 yd on strike beat the Shrewsbury Town goalkeeper Ben Smith. After a goalless second half, the match ended 2–0 to Torquay United. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13324786 BBC Sport 10 May 2021 Torquay United 2–0 Shrewsbury Town 14 May 2011 10 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210510095208/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13324786 live The second leg was held six days later at New Meadow in Shrewsbury. Torquay United's goalkeeper Scott Bevan was forced to make a number of saves while his side also went close to scoring, but the deadlock failed to be broken. The match ended 0–0 and Torquay United progressed to the final with a 2–0 aggregate victory. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13385768 Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Torquay United BBC Sport 10 May 2021 20 May 2011 10 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210510144105/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13385768 live In the other semi-final, Stevenage faced Accrington Stanley and the first leg was played at Broadhall Way in Stevenage on 15 May 2011. Stacy Long opened the scoring for the home side with a 15 yd on strike which took a deflection off Sean Hessey before finding the Accrington Stanley net. Darius Charles's 30 yd volley then hit the Accrington Stanley goalpost and rebounded to Joel Byrom who scored just before half time. The visiting side went closest to scoring in the second half when Jimmy Ryan struck the ball against his teammate Sean McConville when the Stevenage goal was undefended, and the match ended 2–0. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13325751 BBC Sport 10 May 2021 15 May 2011 Stevenage 2–0 Accrington Stanley 24 December 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191224224618/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13325751 live The return leg took place five days later at the Crown Ground in Accrington. After a goalless first half, two Accrington Stanley players were sent off: Joe Jacobson was dismissed for a late tackle on Lawrie Wilson before Sean McConville was shown the red card for lashing out after the initial sending-off. Chris Beardsley scored in the last minute of the match to secure a 1–0 win for Stevenage and progression to the final with a 3–0 aggregate victory. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13385762 Paul Fletcher 10 May 2021 BBC Sport 20 May 2011 Accrington Stanley 0–1 Stevenage 30 October 2020 https://web.archive.org/web/20201030024638/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13385762 live Match Background Due to the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final being held at Wembley Stadium on 28 May 2011, it appeared that the three Football League play-off finals may have to be played at a different venue for the first time since 2007. Manchester United's Old Trafford had been confirmed as a possible alternative, while Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff were also under consideration to host the Championship, League One and League Two play-off finals.Old Trafford considered as venue for 2010–11 Football League play-off finals https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/championship/7595473/Old-Trafford-considered-as-venue-for-2010-11-Football-League-play-off-finals.html The Daily Telegraph London Mark Ogden 16 April 2010 2 April 2018 3 December 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171203042149/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/championship/7595473/Old-Trafford-considered-as-venue-for-2010-11-Football-League-play-off-finals.html live It was confirmed in January 2011 that Wembley would host the Championship play-off final on 30 May, while Old Trafford would host the League Two and League One finals on 28 and 29 May respectively. https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/9369296.stm BBC News 6 May 2020 21 January 2011 Old Trafford to host League One and Two play-off finals https://web.archive.org/web/20110125141045/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9369296.stm 25 January 2011 live Stevenage were bidding for back-to-back promotions, as the season prior they had won the Conference Premier title with 99 points making the 2010–11 season their first season in the Football League. Stevenage revel in their remarkable success http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2011/05/stevenage_revel_in_their_remar.html#291485 BBC Sport 30 May 2011 8 June 2011 2 June 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110602211537/http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/paulfletcher/2011/05/stevenage_revel_in_their_remar.html#291485 live English Conference Premier 2009–2010: Table http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/conference-premier/2009-2010 Statto Organisation 15 July 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120924021943/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/conference-premier/2009-2010 24 September 2012 live Kidderminster 0–2 Stevenage https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/8618329.stm BBC Sport 17 April 2010 15 July 2011 17 April 2010 https://web.archive.org/web/20100417055215/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/8618329.stm live Manager Graham Westley was in his second spell as Stevenage manager. Westley to leave Borough http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/05/15/graham_westley_leaves_feature.shtml BBC Three Counties Radio 15 May 2006 8 June 2011 29 June 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110629080331/http://www.bbc.co.uk/threecounties/content/articles/2006/05/15/graham_westley_leaves_feature.shtml live Westley named as Stevenage boss https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/stevenage/7380315.stm BBC Sport 2 May 2008 8 June 2011 5 May 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20080505083542/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/stevenage/7380315.stm live Stevenage secured a play-off place after a run of nine victories out of eleven, propelling the club up the league table and into the play-off positions. Port Vale 1–3 Stevenage https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/9394824.stm BBC Sport 22 February 2011 15 July 2011 Burton 0–2 Stevenage https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/12742339.stm BBC Sport 22 March 2011 15 July 2011 5 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210705080005/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/12742339.stm live This included winning six games in a row, a sequence only matched by Bury during the regular season. Stevenage 2–1 Bradford https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/12869478.stm BBC Sport 2 April 2011 15 July 2011 2 April 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110402041942/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/12869478.stm live English League Two 2010–2011 : Full Longest Sequences http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-two/2010-2011/longest-sequences/full Statto Organisation 15 July 2011 4 September 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110904013519/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-two/2010-2011/longest-sequences/full live A 3–3 draw on the last day of the season against Bury confirmed Stevenage's place in the play-offs, finishing sixth with 69 points. Stevenage 3–3 Bury https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13247216 BBC Sport 7 May 2011 15 July 2011 5 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210705080009/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13247216 live English League Two 2010–2011 : Table http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-two/2010-2011/table/2011-01-18 Statto Organisation 15 July 2011 11 October 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121011191808/http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-two/2010-2011/table/2011-01-18 live Torquay were aiming to return to League One, where they last played in the 2004–05 season. Having been relegated from the Football League in 2007, Torquay lose Football League spot https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/6534985.stm BBC Sport 14 April 2007 8 June 2011 18 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070918194346/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/6534985.stm live they returned two seasons later via the play-offs. Cambridge Utd 0–2 Torquay https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/8038429.stm BBC Sport 17 May 2009 8 June 2011 Emlyn Begley 2 April 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120402053747/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/8038429.stm live Torquay went into the match having lost one of their last fourteen in all competitions, with seven clean sheets out of the last nine. Manager Paul Buckle was appointed in June 2007; Buckle named as new Torquay boss https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/6714703.stm BBC Sport 2 June 2007 15 July 2011 12 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070912190912/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/6714703.stm live his team lost the 2008 FA Trophy Final, Ebbsfleet 1–0 Torquay https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_conf/7382167.stm BBC Sport 10 May 2009 8 June 2011 21 February 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20090221234300/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7382167.stm live but returned to Wembley one year later for play-off success against Cambridge United. In the meetings between the sides during the regular season, the match at Broadhall Way in September 2010 ended in a goalless draw while the game at Plainmoor the following March saw a 2–0 victory for Torquay United. https://www.11v11.com/matches/torquay-united-v-stevenage-05-march-2011-294060/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 9 May 2021 Torquay United v Stevenage, 05 March 2011 5 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210705080005/https://www.11v11.com/matches/torquay-united-v-stevenage-05-march-2011-294060/ live Zebroski and Elliot Benyon were Torquay United's leading scorers during the regular season, both having scored a total of 14 goals in all competitions. https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2589&teamTabs=stats&season_id=140 Soccerbase Centurycomm Torquay squad details – 2010/11 – Player appearances 9 May 2021 9 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210509203320/https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2589&teamTabs=stats&season_id=140 live Stevenage's top scorer going into the play-offs was Byron Harrison with 8 goals (all in the league). https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2499&teamTabs=stats&season_id=140 Soccerbase Centurycomm Stevenage squad details – 2010/11 – Player appearances 9 May 2021 9 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210509203321/https://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=2499&teamTabs=stats&season_id=140 live Summary The scheduled 3p.m. kick off was delayed following a road traffic accident on the M6 motorway which held up the arrival of travelling supporters. The match finally got under way at 3:16p.m. on 28 May 2011 and was refereed by Darren Deadman. Stevenage started the final the stronger side and after six minutes had the first opportunity to score. Darius Charles passed the ball in-field to Craig Reid but his shot from 12 yd was blocked by Torquay United's Guy Branston. Three minutes later, both Billy Kee and then Lee Mansell shot at the Stevenage goal but the ball was eventually cleared by Mark Roberts. Charles' pass then found John Mousinho on the edge of the Torquay United penalty area but his low shot was held by Bevan. Torquay United began to assert some pressure on Stevenage with a series of crosses, but failed to convert any of their opportunities to score. On the half-hour mark, Lawrie Wilson made a break and after Bevan failed to clear his cross, Charles struck the ball over the Torquay United crossbar. Two minutes later, Reid's low shot was gathered by Bevan which was followed by a Stevenage free kick which was caught by the Torquay United goalkeeper. Tomlin was clear in the Stevenage box in the 37th minute but was tackled by Roberts, then Charles headed Long's cross into the ground and over the Torquay United bar. In the 41st minute, Stevenage took the lead when Charles passed to Mousinho whose strike from 20 yd flew into the bottom corner of the Torquay United goal. Branston then headed a corner just wide for Torquay United and after one minute of stoppage time, the half was brought to a close. Stevenage promoted to League One by beating Torquay https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/13482198.stm BBC Sport 28 May 2011 8 June 2011 5 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210705080032/https://news.bbcimg.co.uk/view/1_0_32/wide/hi/shared/styles.css live https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/9499548.stm BBC Sport League Two play-off final as it happened Sam Lyon 9 May 2021 28 May 2011 5 July 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210705080012/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_3/9499548.stm live Neither side made any changes to their personnel during the interval and the second half started with Torquay United applying pressure. Five minutes in, Kee was sent clear with a pass from Kevin Nicholson and went one-one-one with the Stevenage goalkeeper Chris Day but his weak shot was deflected round the goalpost. In the 55th minute, Zebroski was shown the first yellow card of the match for foul on Roberts. Three minutes later, Stevenage made the first substitution of the match, with Darren Murphy replacing Byrom. Soon after, Mousinho was booked for time-wasting before Harrison was brought on by Stevenage as a substitute for Reid who had injured his hamstring. Charles then saw his low shot saved by Bevan before Zebroski's shot following an error from Roberts hit the side netting. Jake Robinson's 18 yd on strike was saved by Day and then Zebroski shot over the Stevenage bar. Murphy's close-range header went wide of the Torquay United goal before Robinson's shot hit the Stevenage crossbar. In the 79th minute, Joe Oastler came on to replace Damon Lathrope and was booked a minute later for a foul on Harrison. Three minutes later, Branston's initial shot from a Stevenage corner was blocked and he struck the rebound over the bar from around 12 yd. With seven minutes of regular time remaining, Torquay United made a double-substitution, with Danny Stevens and Lathaniel Rowe-Turner coming on for Robinson and Nicholson. Stevenage then brought Beardsley on to replace Charles. Stevens late shot for Torquay United was blocked and the match ended 1–0 to Stevenage who secured back-to-back promotions. Details 28 May 2011 15:15 BST Stevenage 1–0 Torquay United Report Mousinho 41 Old Trafford, Manchester 11,484 Darren Deadman (Cambridgeshire) FFFFFF FFFFFF FFFFFF FF0000 FF0000 Stevenage_adidas_blue_piping FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 white Torquay United GK 16Chris DayDF 3 Scott LairdDF 14 Mark Roberts (c)DF 24 Michael BostwickDF 25Ronnie HenryDF 4Darius Charles 85MF 2Lawrie WilsonMF 8Stacy LongMF 13Joel Byrom 57MF 21John Mousinho 59FW 10Craig Reid 62Substitutes:GK 29 Joe WelchDF 5Jon AshtonMF 7Darren Murphy 57MF 17Peter WinnFW 12Ben MayFW 20Chris Beardsley 85FW 26Byron Harrison 90+4 62Manager:Graham Westley GK 1Scott BevanDF 3Kevin Nicholson 83DF 5Chris RobertsonDF 7Lee Mansell (c)DF 23Guy BranstonMF 8Billy KeeMF 9Jake Robinson 83MF 10Eunan O'KaneMF 22Damon Lathrope 79FW 15Gavin TomlinFW 26Chris Zebroski 55Substitutes:GK 16Danny PotterDF 2Lathaniel Rowe-Turner 83DF 18Joe Oastler 80 79DF 4Mark EllisMF 17Saul HalpinMF 19Danny Stevens 83MF 14Lloyd MacklinManager:Paul Buckle +Statistics Stevenage Torquay United Goals scored 1 0 Total shots 8 16 Shots on target 4 3 Ball possession 54% 46% Corner kicks 3 7 Fouls committed 14 10 Offsides 1 2 Yellow cards 2 2 Red cards 0 0 Post-match The winning goalscorer Mousinho said: "It's incredible to be here at Old Trafford and to win through as well. From where we've come, to win back-to-back promotions is incredible. It was a long, long second half... but we came through it." His manager Westley attributed his side's success to the effort they had put in during the season: "It's been a long, hard season... The secret to success in any form of life is hard work and we've done that, put in the work." Two days after the final, Buckle left Torquay United to take up the vacant managerial role at Bristol Rovers. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13593492 30 May 2011 11 May 2021 Paul Buckle leaves Torquay to be Bristol Rovers manager BBC Sport 11 December 2019 https://web.archive.org/web/20191211104850/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13593492.stm live Two weeks later, Torquay United appointed Martin Ling as Buckle's replacement. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13750150 Torquay United appoint Martin Ling as manager 13 June 2011 11 May 2021 BBC Sport 11 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210511121239/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13750150 live Stevenage ended their following season in sixth place in League One and qualified for the 2012 League One play-offs where they lost 1–0 on aggregate to Sheffield United in the semi-final. https://www.11v11.com/teams/stevenage/tab/leagueTables/2012/ 11v11 AFS Enterprises 10 May 2021 Stevenage league performance history 10 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210510151205/https://www.11v11.com/teams/stevenage/tab/leagueTables/2012/ live The next season, Torquay United finished in fifth position in League Two and qualified for the 2012 League Two play-offs where they lost 4–1 on aggregate to Cheltenham Town in the semi-final. https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-two/2012/ League Two end of season table for 2011–12 season 11v11 10 May 2021 AFS Enterprises 11 May 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210511211917/https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-two/2012/ live References Category:EFL League Two play-off finals Play-off Final 2011 Play-off Final 2011 3 Play-off Final Category:2011 in sport in Manchester Football League Two play-off final