1989 Football League Second Division play-off final

The 1989 Football League Second Division play-off final was an association football match played over two legs between Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace on 31 May 1989 and 3 June 1989. The final was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Second Division, the second tier of English football, to the First Division. The top two teams of the 1988–89 Football League Second Division season gained automatic promotion to the First Division, those placed from third to sixth in the league table competed play-off semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals played against each other for the final place in the First Division for the 1989–90 season. Crystal Palace ended the season in third position, two places ahead of Blackburn Rovers, while Swindon Town and Watford were the other semi-finalists.

The first leg of the final took place at Blackburn's Ewood Park on 31 May 1989. Midway through the first half, Simon Garner flicked on a cross from Scott Sellars and Howard Gayle scored to make it 1–0 to Blackburn. In the 27th minute, Gayle doubled his side's lead with a half-volley from just outside the Palace penalty area. In the 70th minute, Jeff Hopkins brought Gayle down in the box and a penalty was awarded. Gayle took the spot kick himself but struck his shot wide of the goal. With four minutes of regular time remaining, Palace made it 2–1 through Eddie McGoldrick. Garner restored the two-goal lead in injury time, ending the match 3–1. Selhurst Park hosted the second leg of the final on 3 June 1989. Blackburn started the game strongly but Palace took the lead through Ian Wright who scored after 17 minutes from an Alan Pardew cross. A minute after half time, Mark Atkins tripped McGoldrick in the box to concede a penalty from which David Madden scored. Palace were 2–0 ahead at the end of regular time, and with the aggregate score being 3–3, the game went into extra time. With three minutes of the match remaining, Wright scored his 33rd goal of the season heading the ball from a McGoldrick cross past Terry Gennoe. The match ended 3–0 and Palace were promoted to the First Division with a 4–3 aggregate victory.

Crystal Palace ended the following season in fifteenth position in the First Division. Blackburn's next season saw them finish in fifth position in the Second Division and qualify for the play-offs where they lost to Swindon Town.