1992 Football League play-offs

The Football League play-offs for the 1991–92 season were held in May 1992, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium. The play-off semi-finals were also played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Second Division, the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division and the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place teams in the Football League Fourth Division table. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.

Football League play-offs
Season1991–92
ChampionsBlackburn Rovers
(Second Division)
Peterborough United
(Third Division)
Blackpool
(Fourth Division)
Matches played15
Goals scored41 (2.73 per match)
Biggest home winLeicester 5–0 Cambridge
(Second Division)
Biggest away winHuddersfield 1–2 Peterborough
(Third Division)
Highest scoringBlackburn 4–2 Derby
(6 goals)
Highest attendance68,147 – Blackburn v Leicester
(Second Division final)
Lowest attendance5,629 – Barnet v Blackpool
(Fourth Division semi-final)
Average attendance18,510
1991
1993

Second Division

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The Second Division season finished with Ipswich Town as champions and Middlesbrough as runners-up gaining automatic promotion to the new FA Premier League. This left Derby County and Blackburn Rovers, the two biggest spending teams in the division, facing each other in the one playoff semi-final, while the other was contested between Leicester City and a Cambridge United side who successful style of long ball play had taken them to the brink of a unique third successive promotion, while Leicester had made their first serious promotion challenge since being relegated from the First Division five years earlier.

Blackburn won the first leg 4-2 at Ewood Park, and Derby's 2-1 win in the return leg at the Baseball Ground was not enough to prevent the Lancastrian side from going through to the final. In the other semi-final, Cambridge held Leicester to a 1-1 draw at the Abbey Stadium before losing the return leg 5-0 at Filbert Street.

The final - and a place in the new Premier League - was settled by a single goal as Blackburn beat Leicester thanks to a penalty by former Leicester striker Mike Newell, securing Blackburn's return to the top flight of English football after 26 years away.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Derby County 46 23 9 14 69 51 +18 78
4 Leicester City 46 23 8 15 62 55 0+7 77
5 Cambridge United 46 19 17 10 65 47 +18 74
6 Blackburn Rovers 46 21 11 14 70 53 +17 74

Semi-finals

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First leg
Cambridge United1–1Leicester City
O'Shea   76' Russell   44'
Attendance: 9,225
Referee: John Martin

Blackburn Rovers4–2Derby County
Sellars   35'
Newell   44'
Speedie   66', 70'
Gabbiadini   2'
Johnson   14'
Attendance: 19,677
Referee: Keith Hackett
Second leg
Derby County2–1Blackburn Rovers
Comyn   23'
McMinn   74'
Moran   49'
Attendance: 22,920
Referee: David Elleray

Blackburn Rovers won 5–4 on aggregate.


Leicester City5–0Cambridge United
Wright   29', 60'
Thompson   35'
Russell   59'
Ormondroyd   64'
Attendance: 21,024

Leicester City won 6–1 on aggregate.

Final

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Blackburn Rovers1–0Leicester City
Newell   45' (pen.)
Attendance: 68,147

Third Division

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Huddersfield Town's fourth season in the Third Division since relegation in 1988 saw their most serious promotion challenge in that time, but a third-place finish meant that they had to navigate a playoff semi-final clash with a Peterborough United side in the hunt for a second successive promotion. Peterborough went through, while Stockport County overcame Stoke City in the other semi-final to set up a playoff final clash between two teams who had both been promoted from the Fourth Division only a year earlier. Peterborough won the final 2-1 to reach the second tier of English football for the first time in their history; they were still among the newest ten clubs in the Football League having joined in 1960.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Huddersfield Town 46 22 12 12 59 38 +21 78
4 Stoke City 46 21 14 11 69 49 +20 77
5 Stockport County 46 22 10 14 75 51 +24 76
6 Peterborough United 46 20 14 12 65 58 0+7 74

Semi-finals

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First leg
Stockport County1–0Stoke City
Ward   41'
Attendance: 7,537

Peterborough United2–2Huddersfield Town
Charlery   46'
Halsall   88'
Onuora   28'
Robinson   68' (o.g.)
Attendance: 11,751
Referee: David Elleray
Second leg
Stoke City1–1Stockport County
Stein   81' Beaumont   1'
Attendance: 16,170

Stockport County won 2–1 on aggregate.


Huddersfield Town1–2Peterborough United
Starbuck   2' Sterling   69'
Cooper   86'
Attendance: 16,167

Peterborough United won 4–3 on aggregate.

Final

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Peterborough United2–1Stockport County
Charlery   51', 89' Francis   87'
Attendance: 35,087

Fourth Division

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A year after losing the Fourth Division playoff final on penalties to Torquay United, Blackpool returned to Wembley for a showdown with Scunthorpe United and this time were the winning side as they triumphed on penalties after a 1-1 draw. The Seasiders had overcome league newcomers Barnet in their semi-final, with Scunthorpe overcoming Crewe Alexandra in the other semi-final.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
4 Blackpool 42 22 10 10 71 45 +26 74
5 Scunthorpe United 42 21 9 12 64 59 0+5 72
6 Crewe Alexandra 42 20 10 12 66 51 +15 70
7 Barnet 42 21 6 15 81 61 +20 69

Semi-finals

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First leg
Barnet1–0Blackpool
Carter   29'
Attendance: 5,629

Crewe Alexandra2–2Scunthorpe United
Hignett   6'
Naylor   39'
Helliwell   17', 35'
Attendance: 6,063
Second leg
Blackpool2–0Barnet
Groves   41'
Garner   57' (pen.)
Attendance: 7,588

Blackpool won 2–1 on aggregate.


Scunthorpe United2–0Crewe Alexandra
Martin   83'
Hamilton   89'
Attendance: 7,938

Scunthorpe United won 4–2 on aggregate.

Final

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Blackpool1–1 (a.e.t.)Scunthorpe United
Bamber   40' Daws   52'
Penalties
Cook  
Groves  
Garner  
Eyres  
4–3   Hamilton
  Longden
  Elliott
  Alexander
  White
Attendance: 22,741
Referee: Keith Hackett
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