Now everyone, I know that today is Wednesday and the football league play off finals took place over the Bank Holiday weekend, so forgive me for posting about it later. I’ve had a strenuous few days of posting on other topics, and preparing an assignment due for this Friday before Uni disappears until September. Well, that’s my token argument anyway.
But, as usual, the play offs didn’t disappoint as six teams battled it out for promotion. Normally, the League Two play off is on the Saturday, with League One on Sunday and the Championship on Bank Holiday Monday. But this year the Football League switched the League Two and Championship finals because of Euro 2008 and the fact some of the home nations may be involved. Alas, none made it and we’ll all be picking a European side to follow from our armchairs.
But the match for a place in the Premier League still went ahead on Saturday between Bristol City and Hull City at Wembley. Earlier on this blog, I have lauded the Championship as one of the most exciting and unpredictable leagues around, and I also applauded the achievements of Bristol in reaching the play off final in their first Championship season after promotion.
Hull also deserve immense credit as former Derby County boss Phil Brown has turned them from relegation battlers into a side brimming with confidence and challenging at the top end. They went to London in search of a top flight place for the first time in their entire history, with 40,000 fans backing them.
The West Country side’s fans didn’t disappoint the Robins either, with similar numbers turning out to create a terrific atmosphere under the arc. It doesn’t sound as sexy as the Twin Towers does it? Oh well, never mind.
The two sides were seperated by just a point in the league table, with Hull 3rd and Bristol 4th, and it was a tight match as you would expect, with nerves on both teams and chances at a premium. But it was a moment of genius which saw Hull go in front after 38 minutes.
Dean Windass, the former Aberdeen and Bradford City striker, is remarkably still turning out at the age of 39 for his hometown club. Not for sentimental reasons, but because his undoubted ability has never waned and he marked his first appearance at Wembley with the goal which sent Hull to the promised land.
His strike partner Frazier Campbell, on loan from Manchester United, crossed to the edge of the area and Windass struck with a superb volley 18 yards out to give Bristol keeper Adriano Basso no chance.
Gary Johnson’s team fought back in the second half and Lee Trundle went agonisingly close to an equaliser, but it was not enough and Hull celebrated top flight promotion. At this point, credit has to go to the two managers for leading their clubs to wonderful seasons and I believe Bristol City will bounce back next year.
But Phil Brown deserves immense credit. To be the man who leads the Tigers into the top league for the first time is tremendous and his team have had a consistently good season. And when I saw goal hero Windass play for Aberdeen against Dunfermline many a time in the mid to late 1990’s, I never imagined that in 2008 he’d be heading to Old Trafford and the Emirates to go up against the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Kolo Toure. Remarkable.
So as East Yorkshire celebrated, a great deal of the south of the county headed to Wembley on Sunday as Doncaster Rovers took on fallen giants Leeds United in the League One final. Donny had been outwith the second tier of English football for over 50 years and were in the non league doldrums just five years previous, while Leeds had never been as low as League One until this season. And, amazingly, just 7 years ago, they were taking on Valencia in the semi final of the Champions League.
But that was then and former Scotland and Leeds skipper Gary McAllister aimed to take them back to the second tier after replacing Dennis Wise in January. Its been a controversial season, with Leeds docked 15 points at the start of the season for financial mismanagement but they prodcued stunning form to overcome that defecit. Indeed, their record of 27 wins, 10 draws and just 9 defeats would’ve seen them win promotion behind champions Swansea if they had not been given the deduction.
But Sean O’Driscoll’s Rovers side were superior on the day and James Hayter’s header in the second half from a corner kick proved enough to win the match. Rovers passed the ball around the slick Wembley surface with ease and dominated the opening exchanges, with United failing to get any sort of foothold on the game, with Doncaster creating chance after chance.
Hayter’s goal 2 minutes into the second period was just reward and while McAllister’s men poured forward in the final 10 minutes, they failed to trouble former United keeper Neil Sullivan to any real degree and it is Doncaster who join Swansea and Nottingham Forest in next season’s Championship.
For Leeds, it was more final heartbreak. In 2006 they lost out to Watford in the Championship play off in Cardiff, while on their last trip to Wembley in 1996, they were beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa in the Coca Cola Cup. However, you’d think they will be strong favourites to win promotion next term.
Onto the final match on Monday now and, living in the shadow of Manchester United and Manchester City, Rochdale and Stockport County don’t get much limelight. But Monday was their day in the sun and I confess to knowing little about either team (apologies to fans of both sides!) However, I do remember Stockport from the 1990s when they were in the Championship and, oddly, a Coca Cola Cup game with Middlesbrough which was live on ITV. I remember nothing about it apart from Stockport playing in Adidas, Robinson’s juice sponsored strips at Edgeley Park.
County had been beaten in four previous visits to Wembley in play off games, Rochdale manager Keith Hill had transformed them from relegation battlers to promotion chasers but the gods were not with his team- they had won promotion just once in their entire history and had played in England’s bottom league for 34 years.
In a terrific game, Rochdale took the lead early on through a Rory McArdle header but a Nathan Stanton own goal, an Anthony Pilkington header and Liam Dickinson sealed it for Jim Gannon’s County before Adam Rundle’s volley gave Rochdale a consolation.
So more misery for Rochdale who will enter their 35th year as a bottom tier club, while County are aiming for eventual promotion to the Championship. And why not- football without ambition, hopes and dreams is nothing. Stockport have played there before, so why not again?
So there we have it, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers and Stockport County earned Wembley glory. Congratulations to them and best wishes for next season as they each take a step up, but commiserations to Bristol City, Leeds United and Rochdale. There’s no reason why those clubs can’t bounce back next season and become heroes next season.
hartypar