1994 Football League Second Division play-off final

1994 Football League Second Division play-off final
The final took place at Wembley Stadium.
Event1993–94 Football League Second Division
Date29 May 1994
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeDavid Elleray
Attendance44,806
1993
1995

The 1994 Football League Second Division play-off final was an association football match which was played on 29 May 1994 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Burnley and Stockport County. It was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Second Division, the third tier of English football, to the First Division. The top two teams of the 1993–94 Football League Second Division, Reading and Port Vale, gained automatic promotion, while the teams placed from third to sixth place took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these competed for the final place in the First Division for the 1994–95 season. Burnley and Stockport County beat Plymouth Argyle and York City, respectively, in the semi-finals.

The referee for the match, which was played in front of 44,806 spectators, was David Elleray. Chris Beaumont opened the scoring for Stockport in less than two minutes, when he headed David Frain's free kick into the Burnley goal. In the 14th minute, Ted McMinn won the ball from Stockport's Mick Wallace who reacted: first he fouled McMinn and then spat at him, earning himself a straight red card from Elleray. In the 29th minute, David Eyres beat three Stockport defenders before striking the ball past John Keeley to score his 28th goal of the season, and levelling the score at 1–1. In the 60th minute, Beaumont stamped on Les Thompson's calf and was shown a straight red card. Midway through the second half, Gary Parkinson took possession of a loose ball and struck a low shot from the edge of the Stockport penalty area past Keeley, making it 2–1 to Burnley who gained promotion to the First Division.

Burnley ended their next season in 22nd place in the First Division, two places and eight points below safety, and were relegated back to the Second Division. Stockport's following season saw them finish in eleventh position in the Second Division.


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