1993 Football League play-offs

The Football League play-offs for the 1992–93 season were held in May 1993, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished 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 progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.

Football League play-offs
Season1992–93
ChampionsSwindon Town
(First Division)
West Bromwich Albion
(Second Division)
York City
(Third Division)
Matches played15
Goals scored47 (3.13 per match)
Biggest home winCrewe 5–1 Walsall
(Third Division)
Biggest away winWalsall 2–4 Crewe
(Third Division)
Highest scoringLeicester 3–4 Swindon
(7 goals)
Highest attendance73,802 – Leicester v Swindon
(First Division final)
Lowest attendance6,196 – Crewe v Walsall
(Third Division semi-final)
Average attendance21,320
1992
1994

Background

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The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.

First Division

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Portsmouth 46 26 10 10 80 46 +34 88
4 Tranmere Rovers 46 23 10 13 72 56 +16 79
5 Swindon Town 46 21 13 12 74 59 +15 76
6 Leicester City 46 22 10 14 71 64 0+7 76

Portsmouth, whose top scorer Guy Whittingham had found the net 42 times in Division One, only missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. Fourth placed Tranmere Rovers had recorded the highest finish of their history and had yet to play in the top flight of English football. Swindon Town, who finished fifth, had won the playoff final three years earlier but promotion was then withdrawn due to financial irregularities. The last playoff place went to the previous season's beaten finalists, Leicester City.

In the end, it was Leicester and Swindon who went through to the final. Swindon took a 3-0 lead before Leicester clawed back to make it 3-3, only for Paul Bodin to score the winner and deliver top flight football to Swindon for the first time in their history.

Glenn Hoddle's impressive two-year spell as player-manager of Swindon attracted attention of bigger clubs, and soon after this famous victory he was appointed player-manager of Chelsea, while losers Leicester had now been beaten in all of their six appearances at Wembley.

Semi-finals

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First leg
Leicester City1–0Portsmouth
Joachim   86'
Attendance: 24,538
Referee: Keith Hackett

Swindon Town3–1Tranmere Rovers
Vickers   2' (o.g.)
Mitchell   3'
Maskell   27'
Morrissey   58'
Attendance: 14,230
Referee: Allan Gunn
Second leg
Tranmere Rovers3–2Swindon Town
Proctor   45'
Nevin   64'
Irons   83' (pen.)
Moncur   28'
Maskell   81'
Attendance: 16,083
Referee: Paul Durkin

Swindon Town won 5–4 on aggregate.


Portsmouth2–2Leicester City
McLoughlin   51'
Kristensen   72'
Ormondroyd   53'
Thompson   69'
Attendance: 25,438
Referee: Roger Milford

Leicester City won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

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Leicester City3–4Swindon Town
Joachim   57'
Walsh   68'
Thompson   69'
Hoddle   42'
Maskell   47'
Taylor   53'
Bodin   84' (pen.)
Attendance: 73,802
Referee: David Elleray

Second Division

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
3 Port Vale 46 26 11 9 79 44 +35 89
4 West Bromwich Albion 46 25 10 11 88 54 +34 85
5 Swansea City 46 20 13 13 65 47 +18 73
6 Stockport County 46 19 15 12 81 57 +24 72

Semi-finals

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First leg
Stockport County1–1Port Vale
Gannon   5' (pen.) Glover   24'
Attendance: 7,856
Referee: Alan Wilkie

Swansea City2–1West Bromwich Albion
McFarlane   50'
Hayes   65'
McFarlane   72' (o.g.)
Attendance: 13,917
Second leg
Port Vale1–0Stockport County
Foyle   84'
Attendance: 12,689
Referee: David Elleray

Port Vale won 2–1 on aggregate.


West Bromwich Albion2–0Swansea City
Hunt   10'
Hamilton   20'
Attendance: 26,045

West Bromwich Albion won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

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Port Vale0–3West Bromwich Albion
Hunt   66'
Reid   82'
Donovan   90'
Attendance: 53,471
Referee: Roger Milford

Third Division

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
4 York City 46 21 12 9 72 45 +27 75
5 Walsall 46 22 7 13 76 61 +15 73
6 Crewe Alexandra 46 21 7 13 75 56 +19 70
7 Bury 46 18 9 15 63 55 0+8 63

Semi-finals

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First leg
Bury0–0York City
Attendance: 6,520

Crewe Alexandra5–1Walsall
Naylor   19', 39'
Clarkson   49'
Edwards   50'
Ward   83'
Cecere   38'
Attendance: 6,196
Second leg
Walsall2–4Crewe Alexandra
Clarke   18'
O'Connor   78'
Naylor   31', 42', 88'
Ward   77'
Attendance: 7,398

Crewe Alexandra won 9–3 on aggregate.


York City1–0Bury
Swann   59'
Attendance: 9,206

York City won 1–0 on aggregate.

Final

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Crewe Alexandra1–1 (a.e.t.)York City
McKearney   119' (pen.) Swann   104'
Penalties
McKearney  
Smith  
Whalley  
Ward  
3–5   McCarthy
  Barnes
  Canham
  Pepper
  Hall
Attendance: 22,416
Referee: Allan Gunn
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