2004 Football League First Division play-off final

Last updated

2004 Football League First Division play-off final
Principality Stadium May 3, 2016.jpg
The match was played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
Date29 May 2004
Venue Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Referee Graham Poll (Herts)
Attendance72,523
2003
2005

The 2004 Football League First Division play-off final was an association football match which was played on 29 May 2004 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Crystal Palace and West Ham United. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the FA Premier League. The top two teams of the 2003–04 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; West Ham ended the season in fourth position while Crystal Palace finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2004–05 season in the Premier League. Ipswich Town and Sunderland were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team.

Contents

The 2005 final was played in front of a crowd of 72,523 and was refereed by Graham Poll. After a goalless first half, Crystal Palace took the lead with a goal from Neil Shipperley in the 62nd minute. West Ham twice had goals ruled out for offside and were denied a penalty late in the second half, and Palace held on to win 1–0.

West Ham finished the following season in sixth place in the Championship and gained promotion through the play-offs, beating Preston North End in the final. Palace were relegated on the final day of the following season finishing in 18th place in the table, making an immediate return to the second tier.

Route to the final

Football League Championship final table, leading positions [1]
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1 Norwich City 46281087939+4094
2 West Bromwich Albion 462511106442+2286
3 Sunderland 462213116245+1779
4 West Ham United 461917106745+2274
5 Ipswich Town 462110158472+1273
6 Crystal Palace 462110157261+1173

West Ham United finished the regular 2003–04 season in fifth place in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system, two places and one point ahead of Crystal Palace. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Sunderland and Ipswich Town, to determine the third promoted team. West Ham finished twelve points behind West Bromwich Albion (who were promoted in second place) and twenty behind league winners Norwich City. [1]

Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie had been appointed in December 2003 with the club in 19th position, before losing just six times in the final half of the season to finish sixth, [2] [3] a turnaround in form described by the BBC as "a remarkable transformation". [4] Their qualification for the play-offs was secured in injury time of the final game of the season when West Ham's Brian Deane equalised against Wigan Athletic. [4] Palace faced Sunderland in their play-off semi-final with the first leg being played at Selhurst Park on 14 May 2004. After a goalless first half, Sunderland took the lead early in the second through a Marcus Stewart penalty. Within a minute, Neil Shipperley equalised with a header before Danny Butterfield's deflected shot gave Palace the lead ten minutes later. Kevin Kyle levelled the tie with five minutes to go before Andrew Johnson restored Palace's lead two minutes later, with the match ending 3–2. [5] The second leg took place at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland three days later. Although Palace's Aki Riihilahti hit the woodwork in the sixth minute, Kyle scored in the 42nd minute to level the tie on aggregate. Stewart scored with a header just before half-time to make it 4–3 to Sunderland before substitute Darren Powell's header made it 4–4 on aggregate and sent the semi-final to penalties. John Oster and Jason McAteer both missed penalties for Sunderland while Mart Poom saved twice, from Shaun Derry and Wayne Routledge. Jeff Whitley then failed to score and Michael Hughes struck the winning spot-kick. [6]

West Ham's play-off semi-final opponents were Ipswich Town, and the first leg took place at Portman Road in Ipswich on 15 May 2004. Ian Westlake's shot was cleared off the line by West Ham's Andy Melville in the first half, which ended goalless. Twelve minutes into the second half, Darren Bent scored with a header after Richard Naylor's initial shot rebounded off the crossbar, and the game ended 1–0. [7] The return leg was played at the Boleyn Ground three days later. Bent missed an early chance to extend Ipswich's lead and Steve Lomas hit the post for West Ham, the first half ending goalless. In the 50th minute, Matthew Etherington scored from inside the Ipswich penalty area with a strike described by the BBC as a "screamer" to level the tie. [8] Twenty minutes later, an Etherington corner was poorly defended by Ipswich, and Christian Dailly's shot was deflected into the Ipswich goal off Tommy Miller's heel. Westlake hit the post in the last minute but West Ham held on to win the semi-final 2–1 on aggregate to qualify for the final. [8]

Match

Background

Graham Poll was the match referee. Graham poll.JPG
Graham Poll was the match referee.

This was Crystal Palace's fourth appearance in the second tier play-off final, with their most recent being in the 1997 final at the old Wembley Stadium which they won 1–0 against Sheffield United. Palace had also won the 1989 final (over two legs) against Blackburn Rovers and had lost the 1996 final in extra time against Leicester City. [9] West Ham were making their first appearance in a second-tier playoff final. [9] Crystal Palace's Johnson was the league's leading scorer with 27 goals in the regular season, while his teammate Dougie Freedman was the club's second highest scorer with 13. [10] West Ham's top scorer was Marlon Harewood who had struck 25 goals during the regular league season, although 12 of them were for his previous club, Nottingham Forest, from whom he moved in November 2004. [10] [11]

During the regular league season, both sides won at home in the matches between them: in October 2003, West Ham won 3–0 at Boleyn Park while six months later, Palace triumphed 1–0 at Selhurst Park. [12] The referee for the match was Graham Poll representing the Hertfordshire County Football Association. [13] Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team. [13] [14] It was the fourth time the second tier play-off final was hosted by the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. [15]

Summary

The match kicked off around 3 p.m. in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd of 72,523 spectators. [4] [14] Early in the first half, Dailly fouled Riihilahti and from the resulting Palace free kick, Butterfield's shot was just wide of the West Ham goalpost. On 17 minutes, Johnson's free header from a Routledge cross went over the crossbar despite Shipperley being in a better position. Palace defender Danny Granville subsequently missed a chance after West Ham's goalkeeper Stephen Bywater fumbled a Shaun Derry corner. In the 20th minute, Michael Carrick's chipped through-ball sent Bobby Zamora free but his shot was straight into Nico Vaesen's legs. Approaching half time, Routledge played in a cross and Hughes' initial strike was blocked. His second attempt from the rebound beat Bywater but was cleared off the line by Tomáš Řepka. Zamora then saw a penalty appeal denied after he felt he was fouled by Mikele Leigertwood on the edge of the Palace box. The first half ended goalless. [14] [16]

Early in the second half, West Ham increased the pressure with Vaesen saving a 25 yards (23 m) Lomas shot, and Melville's appeal for a penalty was turned down mafter his shot was blocked. The deadlock was broken in the 62nd minute as Shipperley scored for Palace. Johnson twisted and struck a shot through Dailly's legs which Bywater failed to hold, allowing Shipperley to tap the ball in from close range. David Connolly and subsequently Zamora then saw goals disallowed for offside. Carrick's shot from distance was then saved by Vaesen. In the 68th minute, West Ham made a double substitution with Deane and Nigel Reo-Coker coming on to replace Zamora and Harewood. A minute later Palace brought on Powell for Butterfield before West Ham made their third and final substitution, with Don Hutchison replacing Connolly. In the 83rd minute, Leigertwood appeared to bring down Carrick in front of Poll, but no penalty was awarded. Palace held on to win 1–0 and secure promotion to the Premier League. [14] [16]

Details

Crystal Palace 1–0 West Ham United
Shipperley Soccerball shade.svg61' Report
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 72,523
Referee: Graham Poll (Hertfordshire)
GK27 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Nico Vaesen
RB4 Flag of England.svg Danny Butterfield Sub off.svg 69'
CB6 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Tony Popović
CB24 Flag of England.svg Mikele Leigertwood
LB3 Flag of England.svg Danny Granville
RM22 Flag of England.svg Wayne Routledge Yellow card.svg
CM15 Flag of Finland.svg Aki Riihilahti
CM10 Flag of England.svg Shaun Derry Yellow card.svg
LM17 Ulster Banner.svg Michael Hughes Yellow card.svg
CF11 Flag of England.svg Neil Shipperley (captain)
CF8 Flag of England.svg Andrew Johnson
Substitutes:
GK13 Flag of France.svg Cédric Berthelin
DF32 Flag of England.svg Darren Powell Sub on.svg 69'
MF14 Flag of England.svg Ben Watson
MF16 Flag of England.svg Tommy Black
FW9 Flag of Scotland.svg Dougie Freedman
Manager:
Ulster Banner.svg Iain Dowie
GK32 Flag of England.svg Stephen Bywater
RB2 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Tomáš Řepka Yellow card.svg
CB7 Flag of Scotland.svg Christian Dailly (captain)
CB22 Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg Andy Melville
LB17 Flag of England.svg Hayden Mullins Yellow card.svg
RM10 Flag of England.svg Marlon Harewood Sub off.svg 68'
CM6 Flag of England.svg Michael Carrick
CM11 Ulster Banner.svg Steve Lomas
LM12 Flag of England.svg Matthew Etherington Yellow card.svg
CF25 Flag of England.svg Bobby Zamora Sub off.svg 68'
CF8 Flag of Ireland.svg David Connolly Sub off.svg 74'
Substitutes:
GK30 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Pavel Srníček
DF3 Flag of England.svg Rufus Brevett
MF4 Flag of Scotland.svg Don Hutchison Sub on.svg 74'
MF20 Flag of England.svg Nigel Reo-Coker Yellow card.svgSub on.svg 68'
FW29 Flag of England.svg Brian Deane Sub on.svg 68'
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Alan Pardew
Statistics [14]
StatisticCrystal PalaceWest Ham United
Total shots1210
Shots on target84
Ball possession50%50%
Corner kicks49
Fouls committed1710
Offsides26
Yellow cards34
Red cards00

Post-match

Winning manager Dowie was quick to praise his team: "The players have shown great commitment and desire. We showed today that we are a good football side and now we have to take on the superpowers". [17] He was realistic about the forthcoming season, noting "we have got to come up with a format for keeping us in the Premier League; it is a huge ask". [18] His counterpart Alan Pardew described it as a "dark day" for West Ham, suggesting: "all our fans, their dreams and ambitions for the club, have been ended and it hits your right between the eyes". [18]

West Ham finished the following season in sixth place in the Championship and gained promotion through the play-offs, beating Preston North End 1–0 in the final. [19] Palace were relegated on the final day of the following season after a 2–2 draw with Charlton Athletic consigned them to 18th place in the table and assured their immediate return to the second tier. [20]

Related Research Articles

The 2003–04 season was the 124th season of association football in England. Arsenal completed the season without losing a league match, becoming Premier League champions in the process. Leeds United avoided going into administration, but were unable to avoid relegation and lost their place in the Premier League - along with Leicester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Neil Jason Shipperley is an English football manager and former professional player who played as a forward.

During the 2004–05 English football season, West Ham United competed in the Football League Championship, having lost the previous season's play-off final 0–1 to Crystal Palace at the Millennium Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 FA Cup final</span> Football match between Arsenal and Ipswich Town

The 1978 FA Cup final was an association football match between Arsenal and Ipswich Town on 6 May 1978 at the old Wembley Stadium, London. It was the final match of the 1977–78 FA Cup, the 97th season of the world's oldest football knockout competition, the FA Cup. Four-time winners Arsenal were appearing in their ninth final, whereas Ipswich Town were making their debut at Wembley and in their first FA Cup final. Each team had progressed through five rounds to reach the final. Ipswich had needed a replay in the fifth round to proceed past Bristol Rovers while Arsenal won all of their ties at the first time of asking and went into the final as clear favourites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1914 FA Cup final</span> Football match between Burnley and Liverpool

The 1914 FA Cup final was an association football match between Burnley and Liverpool on 25 April 1914 at Crystal Palace, London. It was the final match of the 1913–14 FA Cup, the 43rd season of the country's primary cup competition, the FA Cup. Both teams were appearing in their first FA Cup final. Burnley and Liverpool, as members of the Football League First Division, entered the competition in the first round and progressed through five rounds to reach the final, both playing seven matches including two replays. Burnley had eliminated four clubs from the First Division en route to the final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Football League Championship play-off final</span> 2006 UK football match

The 2006 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 21 May 2006 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Leeds United and Watford. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the FA Premiership. Reading and Sheffield United, the top two teams of the 2005–06 Football League Championship season, gained automatic promotion to the Premiership, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-off semi-finals. Third-placed Watford defeated sixth-placed Crystal Palace in the first semi-final, while fifth-placed Leeds United beat fourth-placed Preston North End. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2006–07 season in the Premiership. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £40 million to the successful team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Football League Championship play-off final</span> Association football match held in 2008

The 2008 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 24 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Hull City and Bristol City. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2007–08 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; Hull City ended the season in third position while Bristol City finished fourth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2008–09 season in the Premier League. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £60 million to the successful team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Football League First Division play-off final</span> Football match

The 2000 Football League First Division play-off final was an association football match played at Wembley Stadium on 29 May 2000, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the First Division to the Premiership in the 1999–2000 season. Ipswich Town faced Barnsley in the last domestic competitive fixture to be played at the original Wembley Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2005 Football League Championship play-off final</span> English football promotion play-off

The 2005 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 30 May 2005 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Preston North End and West Ham United. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the FA Premier League. The top two teams of the 2004–05 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; Preston ended the season in fifth position while West Ham finished sixth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2005–06 season in the Premier League. Ipswich Town and Derby County were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £31 million to the successful team.

The Football League play-offs for the 2003–04 season were held in May 2004, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.

The 2003–04 season saw West Ham United competing in the First Division for the first time since the 1992–93 season, having been relegated from the Premiership in 18th place the previous year.

The 2011–12 season was Blackpool F.C.'s first season back in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English professional football, after being relegated from the Premier League at the conclusion of 2010–11 campaign. It was their 103rd overall season in the Football League. It was Ian Holloway's third season as manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1997 Football League First Division play-off final</span> Association football playoff match

The 1997 Football League First Division play-off final was an association football match played between Crystal Palace and Sheffield United on 26 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The game was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the second tier Football League First Division to the Premier League, the highest tier of English league football. The top two teams of the 1996–97 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion, while clubs placed from third to sixth in the league table competed in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals played against each other for the final place in the Premier League for the 1997–98 season. Sheffield United ended the season in fifth position, one place ahead of Crystal Palace. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £10 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2012 Football League Championship play-off final</span> Football match

The 2012 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 19 May 2012 at Wembley Stadium, London, between West Ham United and Blackpool. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2011–12 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; West Ham ended the season in third place while Blackpool had finished fifth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2012–13 season in the Premier League.

The 2012–13 season was Stoke City's fifth season in the Premier League and the 57th in the top tier of English football. It was also the club's 150th year in existence and to mark the occasion the club had a special crest and the away kit was the same colours that Stoke Ramblers wore back in 1863, navy and cardinal Stoke also had a new shirt sponsor Bet365 taking over from Britannia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Football League Championship play-off final</span> Football match

The 2013 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Crystal Palace and Watford. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2012–13 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; Watford ended the season in third position while Crystal Palace finished fifth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2013–14 season in the Premier League. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £120 million to the successful team.

The 2015–16 season was Manchester United's 24th season in the Premier League, and their 41st consecutive season in the top flight of English football. Along with the Premier League, the club also competed in the FA Cup, Football League Cup, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The season saw Manchester United win a then record-equalling 12th FA Cup with a 2–1 victory over Crystal Palace in the 2016 FA Cup Final.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 FA Cup final</span> Association football championship match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United in 2016

The 2016 FA Cup final was an association football match between Crystal Palace and Manchester United on 21 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium in London, England, organised by the Football Association (FA). It marked the 135th final of the Football Association Challenge Cup and was the showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition. It was Manchester United's first FA Cup final appearance since 2007, when they lost 1–0 to Chelsea. Crystal Palace were playing their second FA Cup final, the previous occasion being in 1990, when they lost to Manchester United after a replay following a 3–3 draw in the first match.

The 2016–17 Southampton F.C. season was the club's 18th season in the Premier League and their 40th in the top division of English football. In addition to the 2016–17 Premier League, the club also competed in the FA Cup, EFL Cup and UEFA Europa League. The season was the club's only campaign with manager Claude Puel, who took over from Ronald Koeman on 30 June 2016. The club finished eighth in the Premier League table, having won twelve, drawn ten and lost sixteen of their 38 matches played. They were knocked out of the UEFA Europa League at the group stage, having won two, drawn two and lost two of their matches, and the FA Cup in the fourth round, while they finished as runners-up in the EFL Cup Final losing 3–2 to Manchester United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 West Ham United F.C. season</span> West Ham United 2022–23 football season

The 2022–23 season was the 128th season in the existence of West Ham United and the club's 11th consecutive season in the top-flight of English football. In addition to the domestic league, they also participated in this season's editions of the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the UEFA Europa Conference League.

References

  1. 1 2 "Championship – 2003/2004 – Regular season". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. "Dowie flies with the Eagles". The Guardian . Press Association. 22 December 2003. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. "League Division 1 table after close of play on 22 December 2003". 11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 "Crystal Palace 1–0 West Ham". BBC Sport. 29 May 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  5. "C Palace 3–2 Sunderland". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 10 July 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  6. "Sunderland 2–1 C Palace". BBC Sport. 17 May 2004. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. "Ipswich 1–0 West Ham". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 July 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  8. 1 2 "West Ham reach final". BBC Sport. 18 May 2004. Archived from the original on 22 July 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  9. 1 2 "Play-Off Final History & Stats". Sporting Life . 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Football League First Division – 2003/04". Soccerbase.com. Centurycomm. Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  11. "Harewood seals Hammers move". BBC Sport. 25 November 2003. Archived from the original on 17 December 2003. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  12. "Crystal Palace football club: record v West Ham United". 11v11.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  13. 1 2 "Crystal Palace 1–0 West Ham". BBC Sport. 29 May 2004. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Crystal Palace 1–0 West Ham". ESPN. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  15. Foster, p. 132
  16. 1 2 Tongue, Steve (30 May 2004). "Palace reach promised land" . Sunday Tribune . p. 51. Retrieved 11 September 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. Wilson, Paul (30 May 2004). "Shipperley strike sees Eagles soar to Premiership" . Sunday Independent . p. 36. Retrieved 11 September 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. 1 2 Brown, Paul (30 May 2004). "We'll Dow it my way" . Sunday Life . p. 116. Retrieved 11 September 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. Shaw, Phil (31 May 2005). "Redemption for Pardew as Zamora lifts West Ham into the élite". The Independent . Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  20. "Charlton 2–2 C Palace". BBC Sport. 15 May 2005. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 11 September 2020.