2006 Football League Championship play-off final

Last updated

2006 Football League Championship play-off final
Milleniumstadiumchampionshipplayofffinal06.jpg
Date21 May 2006
Venue Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Man of the Match Jay DeMerit
Referee Mike Dean (Cheshire)
Attendance64,736
WeatherHeavy rain
2005
2007

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.

Contents

The final was refereed by Mike Dean and was watched by a crowd of 64,736. It was the last play-off final to be held at the Millennium Stadium, as the new Wembley Stadium was completed in time for the 2007 final. Watford won the match 3–0, with opening goalscorer Jay DeMerit named man of the match. Leeds goalkeeper Neil Sullivan scored an own goal to make the score 2–0 to Watford after 60 minutes, and the final goal was a penalty kick scored by Darius Henderson.

The following season, Leeds's manager Kevin Blackwell was sacked in September, with the club second from bottom, and was replaced by Dennis Wise. The club went into administration the following May and were deducted ten points; they finished the season bottom of the league and they were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. Watford struggled in the Premiership and they were relegated back to the Championship after ending the season bottom of the league, ten points below safety.

Route to the final

Football League Championship final table, leading positions [1]
PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPts
1 Reading 46311329932+67106
2 Sheffield United 46261287646+3090
3 Watford 46221597753+2481
4 Preston North End 46202065930+2980
5 Leeds United 462115105738+1978
6 Crystal Palace 462112136748+1975

Watford finished the regular 2005–06 season in third place in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system, two places and three points ahead of Leeds United. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premiership and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Preston North End and Crystal Palace, to determine the third promoted team. Watford finished nine points behind Sheffield United (who were promoted in second place) and twenty-five behind league winners Reading. [1] [2]

Leeds had won just one of their final ten league games. [3] Their play-off semi-final opponents were Preston North End with the first leg taking place at Elland Road, Leeds, on 5 May 2006. The match ended 1–1: Preston took the lead with a goal from David Nugent in the 48th minute before Eddie Lewis equalised for Leeds with a free kick in the 74th minute. [4] Billy Davies, the Preston manager, commented after the match: "it is tremendous to come here in front of their biggest crowd of the season and get what is a fantastic result. It is a case of job done." [3] The second leg took place three days later at Deepdale, Preston's home ground. After a goalless first half, a header from Rob Hulse and a low strike from Frazer Richardson saw Leeds secure a 2–0 win on the day and a 3–1 aggregate victory. Leeds were reduced to nine men when both Stephen Crainey and Richard Cresswell were sent off in the second half, [5] with six of their team-mates also shown a yellow card. [3]

Watford's opposition for their play-off semi-final was Crystal Palace, with the first leg held at Selhurst Park on 6 May 2006. After a goalless first half, a strike from Marlon King one minute into the second half opened the scoring for Watford. Ben Foster, on loan from Manchester United, [6] made a fingertip save to deny a header from Crystal Palace's Tony Popovic, before a curling free kick from Ashley Young made it 20. Five minutes from full time, Matthew Spring scored to give Watford a 3–0 win. [7] The second leg at Watford's Vicarage Road took place three days later. The home side's manager Aidy Boothroyd was sent to the stand after an altercation with Fitz Hall which resulted in a mass brawl on the pitch. The match finished 0–0, giving Watford a 3–0 aggregate victory and a place in the final. [8]

WatfordRoundLeeds
OpponentResultLegsSemi-finalsOpponentResultLegs
Crystal Palace 3–03–0 away; 0–0 home Preston North End 3–1
1–1 home; 2–0 away

Match

Background

Aidy Boothroyd (pictured in 2005) had left Leeds United to manage Watford. Aidy Boothroyd.JPG
Aidy Boothroyd (pictured in 2005) had left Leeds United to manage Watford.

Leeds United were making their second play-off final appearance: they had lost 2–1 in a replay of the 1987 final to Charlton Athletic after the two legs ended in an aggregate draw. Watford had also previously participated in one play-off final, having beaten Bolton Wanderers 2–0 at the old Wembley Stadium in the 1999 final. [9] [10] During the regular season, the match between the two teams at Vicarage Road in October 2005 was a goalless draw, while Leeds won the return fixture at Elland Road 2–1 the following February. [11] Watford's King was the Championship's leading scorer with 21 goals; his team-mate Darius Henderson was the second-highest scorer with 15. David Healy and Hulse were the top marksmen for Leeds, with 12 each, followed by Robbie Blake on 11. [12] Leeds United had last played in the top tier of English football in the 2003–04 season, when they were relegated after finishing nineteenth in the league. [13] [14] Watford had played in the Championship since being relegated from the Premiership in the 1999–2000 season. [15] Boothroyd was the first-team coach at Leeds United until he left in March 2005 to take the Watford manager's role. In doing so, at the age of 34, he became the youngest manager in the Football League. [16] His playing career had been ended while he was at Peterborough United when he suffered a broken leg in a tackle by Shaun Derry, then playing for Notts County; Derry was in the starting line-up for Leeds for the play-off final. [17] Boothroyd had been promoted from academy football by the Leeds manager Kevin Blackwell, [18] who himself had experienced failure in the play-off final three years earlier. Then, he was assistant to Neil Warnock whose Sheffield United team lost 3–0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers. [19]

The referee for the match was Mike Dean who was representing the Cheshire Football Association. He had been selected to referee the 2006 FA Cup Final between Liverpool and West Ham United, but was later replaced as he lived in the Wirral. While the Football Association were adamant that they had "complete faith in Dean's refereeing ability, integrity and impartiality", they felt his connection to the Wirral "might lead to comment and debate which could place him under undue additional pressure". [20] It was the last play-off final to be held at the Millennium Stadium, as the new Wembley Stadium was completed in time for the 2007 final. [21] The pitch was in a poor condition following rugby union's Heineken Cup Final which had been hosted at the stadium the previous day. [22] Winning the play-off final was estimated to be worth up to £40 million to the successful team. [23] [24] [25] The chief executive of Watford, Mark Ashton, did not underestimate the impact of promotion: "In my opinion it surpasses the riches of the Champions League – it is the richest football game on the planet". [23]

Both Crainey and Cresswell were unavailable for Leeds as they were suspended following their dismissals in the second leg of the semi-final. [26] Paul Butler returned from injury and was included in Leeds's starting eleven, along with Hulse and Healy; Blake was named amongst the substitutes. [24] Watford's Clarke Carlisle was out with a hip injury, [26] and Henderson was selected in place of Al Bangura. [24] The match was broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports 1. [26] Watford adopted a 4–4–2 formation, while Leeds played 4–5–1 with Hulse playing as the lone striker. [19] Watford were considered narrow favourites to win the match by bookmakers. [25] Both teams wore black armbands in memory of Queens Park Rangers youth player Kiyan Prince, who was stabbed to death outside his school four days before the match. [24]

Summary

Jay DeMerit (pictured in 2005) opened the scoring for Watford. Jay Demerit.jpg
Jay DeMerit (pictured in 2005) opened the scoring for Watford.

The match kicked off around 3 p.m. on 21 May 2006 in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd of 64,736 under a closed roof because of rainy conditions. Two minutes in, Henderson's header from a Watford corner was weak, and was deflected off Butler. [24] [27] On eight minutes, the Watford goalkeeper Foster failed to catch a long Leeds throw-in allowing a Derry shot, but Lloyd Doyley diverted the strike wide. [27] In the 14th minute, Young's shot from 20 yards (18 m) from a King pass went wide of the Leeds goalpost. Eleven minutes later, Watford took the lead through Jay DeMerit. Losing his marker Hulse, DeMerit scored with a 5-yard (4.6 m) header from Young's corner. [22] [24] It was the American defender's third goal of his first season in English football after failing to be drafted into Major League Soccer. [28] Leeds had a penalty claim just before half-time, when Foster appeared to foul Hulse, but it was rejected by Dean. [27] Soon after, from a diagonal free kick, Sean Gregan's header at the far post went outside the Watford post. [22] In stoppage time, a Leeds free kick from a central position 35 yards (32 m) out was struck high by Eddie Lewis, and the first half ended 1–0 to Watford. [24]

At half-time, Leeds made their first substitution of the match with Blake coming on for Richardson; Watford made no changes. Henderson's half-volley was saved by Neil Sullivan before an own goal from the Leeds goalkeeper made it 2–0 to Watford in the 57th minute: James Chambers, who received a long throw-in, turned and shot; the ball was deflected off Lewis, hit the Leeds post and went in off Sullivan. [24] Eight minutes later, Healy's strike was kept out by Foster and in the 70th minute, Derry's header from a corner was cleared off the goal line by Watford's Chambers. From the resulting corner, a 20-yard (18 m) shot from Lewis was saved by Foster. [27] Five minutes later, King's free kick went over the crossbar before an injury to one of the assistant referees meant the fourth official Chris Foy was required to replace him. Lewis then cleared a Malky Mackay header off the line before Watford made it 3–0 in the 84th minute. Spring made a run forward and passed to King who was fouled by Derry; the resulting penalty was converted by Henderson. No further goals were scored, and the match ended 3–0 with Watford returning to the top tier of English football for the first time since 2000. [24] [27]

Details

Leeds United 0–3 Watford
Report DeMerit Soccerball shade.svg25'
Sullivan Soccerball shade.svg57' (o.g.)
Henderson Soccerball shade.svg84' (pen.)
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance: 64,736
Referee: Mike Dean (Cheshire)
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Leeds United
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks long.svg
Watford
GK1 Flag of Scotland.svg Neil Sullivan
RB2 Flag of Ireland.svg Gary Kelly
CB6 Flag of Ireland.svg Paul Butler (c)
CB8 Flag of England.svg Sean Gregan Yellow card.svgSub off.svg 84'
LB26 Flag of England.svg Matthew Kilgallon
RM15 Flag of England.svg Frazer Richardson Sub off.svg 45'
CM20 Flag of Ireland.svg Jonathan Douglas
CM21 Flag of England.svg Shaun Derry Yellow card.svg
CM17 Flag of Ireland.svg Liam Miller Yellow card.svgSub off.svg 62'
LM11 Flag of the United States.svg Eddie Lewis
CF10 Flag of England.svg Rob Hulse
Substitutes:
GK13 Flag of England.svg Ian Bennett
MF14 Flag of England.svg Steve Stone
MF19 Flag of Norway.svg Eirik Bakke Sub on.svg 84'
FW28 Flag of England.svg Robbie Blake Sub on.svg 45'
FW9 Ulster Banner.svg David Healy Sub on.svg 62'
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Kevin Blackwell
GK26 Flag of England.svg Ben Foster
RB12 Flag of England.svg Lloyd Doyley Yellow card.svg
CB4 Flag of Scotland.svg Malky Mackay
CB6 Flag of the United States.svg Jay DeMerit
LB3 Flag of England.svg Jordan Stewart
RM2 Flag of England.svg James Chambers Sub off.svg 72'
CM25 Flag of England.svg Matthew Spring Yellow card.svg
CM8 Flag of England.svg Gavin Mahon (c)Yellow card.svg
LM15 Flag of England.svg Ashley Young
CF9 Flag of Jamaica.svg Marlon King
CF29 Flag of England.svg Darius Henderson
Substitutes:
GK1 Flag of England.svg Alec Chamberlain
DF23 Flag of England.svg Adrian Mariappa
MF7 Flag of England.svg Chris Eagles
MF20 Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Al Bangura Sub on.svg 72'
FW18 Flag of Algeria.svg Hamer Bouazza
Manager:
Flag of England.svg Aidy Boothroyd
Ashley Young was among Watford's scorers in the semi-final first leg. Ashley Young.JPG
Ashley Young was among Watford's scorers in the semi-final first leg.
Statistics [29]
Leeds UnitedWatford
Goals scored03
Shots on target67
Shots off target64
Ball possession44%56%
Corner kicks89
Fouls committed1814
Offsides23
Yellow cards33
Red cards00

Post-match

Boothroyd, who was to become the youngest manager in the Premiership, [19] was circumspect: "This is just the end of the beginning ... We will start as relegation favourites next season, like this season." [30] He was confident that his club could maintain their top-flight status the following season however, saying: "We won't go down ... I think the best way to sum this up is that I think we are now a model for other clubs that don't have a great deal of money. But with good organisation, preparation and a fantastic work ethic ... We will take that ethic with us into the Premiership and we won't go down." [31] Boothroyd also paid his respects to his former club: "I have a great deal of sympathy for Leeds and Kevin Blackwell ... They're a massive club and I'm sure they will bounce back." [32] The Watford chairman Graham Simpson opined: "That was the most tortuous 90 minutes I've ever endured. You cannot enjoy it, until afterwards anyway." [30] Blackwell was downcast but equitable in defeat: "It's a terrible place to come and lose and feel as though you've achieved nothing ... We lacked a spark and were second to the ball all over the park. We deserved to lose." [33] He added: "We're very disappointed – although not as disappointed as when we dropped out of the Premiership and lost all our players." [32] Hulse was defiant: "Right now I am gutted ... We will take a break, refocus for next season and come back stronger." [33] Watford's former manager Graham Taylor suggested the match was "by no means a classic" and urged the club to maintain "the spirit that has been fostered throughout this season". [34] Rick Broadbent, writing for the Irish Independent proposed that Leeds "never gave it a go at Cardiff, fading with a whimper". [18]

DeMerit was named man of the match. [35] The BBC described the match as "a frantic play-off final". [22] Stuart James, writing in The Guardian , suggested that "Leeds were crushed" and that they had failed to deal with Watford's "high-tempo approach" nor with their threat from set pieces. [27] Eurosport observed that Watford had switched from their "normally attractive footballing principles to use the long ball into the channels" as a direct result of the condition of the playing surface at the Millennium Stadium. [28] Louise Taylor, writing in The Guardian, concurred: "the ball repeatedly flew high through the air, conveniently bypassing midfield before crashing towards the corners, as long throws were launched into the 'mixer' and three goals were scored from set pieces." [36] Derry had not seen the footage of the game for a decade when, in 2016, he commented on his foul to concede the late penalty: "That was a desperate footballer making a desperate lunge on a desperate day ... There’s no other way to describe it" and described the loss as the "lowest point of my career". [37]

The following season, Blackwell was sacked by Leeds on 20 September 2006, with the club second from bottom. [38] He was eventually replaced more than a month later by Dennis Wise and assistant manager Gus Poyet, who were incumbent at Swindon Town. [39] The following May, Leeds went into administration via a company voluntary arrangement and were deducted ten points. This ensured the club finished the season bottom of the 2006–07 Football League Championship and they were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. [40] Watford's next season saw them struggle in the Premiership, and they were relegated back to the Championship on 21 April 2007. [41] They ended the season bottom of the league, ten points below safety. [42]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watford F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. They play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006–07 in English football</span> 127th season of competitive association football in England

The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive association football in England.

Kevin Patrick Blackwell is an English football manager and former professional player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aidy Boothroyd</span> English football manager (born 1971)

Adrian Neil Boothroyd is an English former footballer who was most recently the manager of Indian Super League club Jamshedpur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Foster (footballer)</span> English footballer (born 1983)

Ben Anthony Foster is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He also runs a YouTube channel, "The Cycling GK", and The Fozcast podcast.

Robert William Hulse is an English former footballer who played as a striker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malky Mackay</span> Scottish footballer and manager

Malcolm George Mackay is a Scottish professional football coach and former player, who is the sporting director at Scottish Premiership club Hibernian.

James Ashley Chambers is an English professional footballer. Chambers played predominantly as a right-back, although he also played at centre-back, left-back and right-wing during his career. He last played for Worcester City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Spring</span> English footballer (born 1979)

Matthew John Spring is an English semi-professional footballer and coach who last played as a midfielder for Southern League Premier Division Central club Hitchin Town. He previously played for Luton Town, Leeds United, Watford, Sheffield United, Charlton Athletic, Leyton Orient, Wycombe Wanderers, St Neots Town and Hemel Hempstead Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Mahon</span> English association football player (born 1977)

Gavin Andrew Mahon is an English former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarke Carlisle</span> English association football player

Clarke James Carlisle is an English former professional footballer who played as a defender and was chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay DeMerit</span> American soccer player

Jay Michael DeMerit is an American former soccer player who played as a center back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Shittu</span> Nigerian footballer

Daniel Olusola Shittu is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a centre back. He made 346 appearances in the Premier League and Football League, including 190 for Queens Park Rangers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Hockaday</span> English footballer & manager

David Hockaday is an English professional footballer who is currently Head of Male Football at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. He has previously worked as a manager at Leeds United, Forest Green Rovers, Kidderminster Harriers and in a caretaker capacity at Coventry City.

<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 2008–09 Football League Championship was the sixth season of the league under its current title and seventeenth season under its current league division format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Rose (footballer, born 1990)</span> English footballer

Daniel Lee Rose is an English former professional footballer who played as a left-back. As a left-back with a tendency to play attacking football, Rose has been compared to Cyril Knowles, with particular focus being placed on his speed, in game decision-making and defending skills making Rose a highly rated left back among his peers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Watford F.C.</span>

Watford Football Club is an English association football club from Watford, Hertfordshire. Formed as Watford Rovers in 1881, the club entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886. In the same year, they also entered the county-wide Herts Senior Cup, reaching the final six times over the next ten years. Watford Rovers became West Hertfordshire in 1893, and joined the Southern League for the 1896–97 season. The team started to change from one entirely of amateurs, to one including paid professionals. In 1898, West Hertfordshire merged with Watford St Mary's to form Watford Football Club.

The 2010–11 Football League Championship was the seventh season of the league under its current name and nineteenth season under its current league division format. It started on 6 August 2010 and concluded on 7 May 2011, with the resultant play-offs concluding with the final on 30 May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matěj Vydra</span> Czech footballer

Matěj Vydra is a Czech professional footballer who plays as a striker for Viktoria Plzeň and the Czech Republic national team.

References

  1. 1 2 "League Championship end of season table for 2005–06 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  2. "Championship – 2005/06 – regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Chapman 2019 , p. 368
  4. "Leeds 1–1 Preston". BBC Sport. 5 May 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  5. "Preston 0–2 Leeds (agg 1–3)". BBC Sport. 8 May 2006. Archived from the original on 22 December 2006. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  6. Burt, Jason (22 May 2006). "Leeds United 0 Watford 3: Hornets pull off £40m sting". The Independent . Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  7. "Crystal Palace 0–3 Watford". BBC Sport. 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 January 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  8. "Watford 0–0 C Palace (agg 3–0)". BBC Sport. 9 May 2009. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  9. "Play-Off Final History & Stats". Sporting Life . 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  10. Thorpe, Martin (1 June 1999). "Taylor returns triumphant" . The Guardian . p. 26. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Leeds United football club: record v Watford". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  12. "Championship – 2005/06". Soccerbase. CenturyComm. Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  13. Shaw, Phil (10 May 2010). "Grayson targets return to the top flight after Leeds seal promotion in dramatic style". The Independent . Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  14. "Premier League – 2003/2004". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  15. "Watford". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 27 April 2008. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  16. Gee, Jason (30 March 2005). "Untried Boothroyd handed Watford job". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 18 September 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  17. Atkin, Ronald (21 May 2006). "Boothroyd the ideas manager". The Independent . Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  18. 1 2 Broadbent, Rick (22 May 2006). "Defiant boss Boothroyd rejects relegation forecast" . Irish Independent . p. 80. Retrieved 27 July 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. 1 2 3 Rich, Tim (22 May 2006). "Youth policy pays off for promoted Watford". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  20. Davies, Christopher (25 April 2006). "FA replace Cup final referee from the Wirral". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  21. "Wembley will host play-off games". BBC Sport. 30 March 2007. Archived from the original on 16 January 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Leeds 0–3 Watford". BBC Sport. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 7 November 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
  23. 1 2 Culf, Andrew (22 May 2006). "Moving up in the world Why promotion means the biggest single windfall in football". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Play-off final as it happened". BBC Sport. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  25. 1 2 Rej, Arindam (21 May 2006). "Blackwell believes in resurrection". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 24 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  26. 1 2 3 "Hulse banking on Leeds' top-flight comeback" . Sunday Independent . Dublin. 21 May 2006. Retrieved 25 July 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 James, Stuart (22 May 2006). "Brave Boothroyd scripts Watford fairytale". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  28. 1 2 "Watford in the promised land". Eurosport. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  29. Yorke, Tony. "Leeds United vs Watford". Watford F.C. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  30. 1 2 "Boothroyd hails spirit of Watford". BBC Sport. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 20 December 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  31. Ley, John (22 May 2006). "Unflappable Boothroyd certain 'we won't go down' next season". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  32. 1 2 "Buzzing Hornets into the big-time" . Evening Herald . 22 May 2006. p. 93. Retrieved 27 July 2020 via British Newspaper Archive.
  33. 1 2 "Blackwell laments below-par Leeds". BBC Sport. 21 May 2006. Archived from the original on 19 December 2006. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  34. Taylor, Graham (22 May 2006). "This time I was able to savour the celebrations". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 16 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  35. Oxley, Simon (11 May 2006). "Watford FC – Cardiff 2006". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  36. Taylor, Louise (22 May 2006). "Open-top bus beckons for the route one master". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 23 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  37. Hay, Phil (20 May 2016). "Leeds United: Ten years after play-off final defeat how knock-on effect cost Leeds more than £30m". Yorkshire Evening Post . Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  38. Walker, Michael (21 September 2006). "Curbishley and Wise are Leeds frontrunners after Blackwell's turbulent tenure ends". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  39. "Wise completes Leeds move". The Guardian . 24 October 2006. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  40. "Relegated Leeds in administration". BBC Sport. 4 May 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  41. Bevan, Chris (21 April 2007). "Watford 1–1 Man City". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  42. "Premier League – 2006/2007". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 27 July 2020.