2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final

The 2001 Football League Division Two play-off Final was contested by Walsall

Walsall F.C.

Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...

and Reading

Reading F.C.

Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...

. It was the first season that the play-off Finals were contested in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium following the demolition of Wembley.

Route to the Final

Reading: Reading beat Wigan
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...

2-1 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw and a 2-1 second leg win.
Walsall: Walsall beat Stoke
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...

4-2 at Home in the second leg, after 0-0 draw at Stoke's Britannia Stadium
Britannia Stadium
The Britannia Stadium is an all-seater football stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England and the home of Premier League club Stoke City Football Club. With space for 27,598 spectators . The name is taken from the sponsors of the Stadium the Britannia Co-operative Bank...

.

Match Summary

Reading scored the opening goal from a throw in. Jamie Cureton's volley crept in underneath Walsall goalkeeper Jimmy Walker. Don Goodman scored the leveler for Walsall just after half-time to take the game into extra-time.

Reading made a storming start to extra-time with, ex-Walsall striker, Martin Butler scoring a header inside the first 2 minutes. A treble substitution by Walsall manager Ray Graydon on 98 minutes changed the game. Walsall's Dean Keates forced an own-goal by Reading's Tony Rougier on 107 minutes. Walsall nicked it 2 minutes later virtue of a stunning turn and shot from substitute Darren Byfield.

Match details


style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">	Walsall:
GK	1	Jimmy Walker
DF	3	Ian Brightwell Ian Brightwell Ian Robert Brightwell is an English former footballer, he played for six clubs, most notably spending twelve years with Manchester City...
DF	15	Zigor Aranalde Zigor Aranalde Zigor Aranalde Sarasola is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a left defender.-Football career:...
DF	25	Tony Barras Tony Barras Anthony "Tony" Barras is an English footballer who plays for New Mills as a defender.-Career:Born in Billingham, County Durham, Barras started his career with the Hartlepool United youth system, before signing a professional contract in July 1989...
DF	5	Andy Tillson Andy Tillson Andy Tillson is a football coach and former player who was head coach at Team Bath. Following Team Bath's decision to disband at the end of the 2008/9 season, Tillson was initially appointed as Weymouth's Assistant Manager, but on June 15 2009 it was announced that he would instead join Exeter...
MF	10	Dean Keates Dean Keates Dean Scott Keates is an English footballer, who plays as a midfielder, for Welsh side Wrexham. He has won promotion six times with three different clubs.-Career:...
MF	27	Pedro Matias Pedro Matias Pedro Manuel Miguel Matías is a Spanish footballer who plays for RCD Carabanchel as an attacking midfielder.-Football career:...
MF	4	Tom Bennett Tom Bennett Tom Bennett is a British actor. He has appeared in many British television shows, including Red Cap, The Worst Week of My Life, My Hero, Life Begins, The Booze Cruise II, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders and EastEnders, playing Steve Clarke.His early television appearances include Shoot The Writers! ,...
MF	19	Paul Hall Paul Hall (footballer) Paul Anthony Hall , is a retired English-born Jamaican international footballer. He is currently a coach at Conference National side Tamworth, during his career, Hall was a striker who could also play on the right wing....
FW	9	Don Goodman Don Goodman Don Goodman is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker.-Career:Born in Leeds, Goodman played for Bradford City, West Bromwich Albion, Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Barnsley, Motherwell, Walsall, Exeter City, Doncaster Rovers and Stafford...
FW	14	Jorge Leitão Jorge Leitão Jorge Manuel Vasconcelos Leitão is a Portuguese footballer who plays for F.C. Arouca as a striker.-Football career:...
Substitutes:
DF	21	Matt Gadsby Matt Gadsby Matthew John Gadsby was an English professional footballer. Born in Sutton Coldfield, he played for Walsall, Mansfield Town, Kidderminster Harriers, Forest Green and Hinckley United as a defender and midfielder....
GK	17	Carl Emberson Carl Emberson Carl Wayne Emberson is a retired English football goalkeeper and coach at Bristol Rovers.-Career:He played in the 1990–91 Final of the FA Youth Cup with Millwall, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club.He joined Colchester United for ₤25,000 in 1994, where he had previously been...
MF	26	Gábor Bukrán Gábor Bukrán Gábor Bukrán is a Hungarian professional footballer who plays in Belgium for Union Royale Namur.He began his career in 1992 with Budapest Honvéd before moving to the Belgian side Charleroi in 1993...
FW	11	Brett Angell Brett Angell Brett Ashley Mark Angell is an English association football coach and former player, now coaching in New Zealand. His brother Darren also played football professionally....
FW	8	Darren Byfield Darren Byfield Darren Asherton Byfield is an English-born professional footballer of Jamaican descent who played for Walsall. His predominant position is as a forward.-Career:...
Manager:
Ray Graydon Ray Graydon Ray Graydon is an English football manager and retired football player. He was recently employed as First Team Coach of Championship team, Leicester City while Rob Kelly was manager during the 2005-06 season.-Playing career:...

style="font-size: 90%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"> Reading: | GK 1

Phil Whitehead

Philip Matthew Whitehead is an English former professional football goalkeeper. He is mainly remembered for his playing days with Oxford United and Reading....

DF 7

Graeme Murty

Graeme Stuart Murty is a footballer. He has made more than 400 appearances in the Football League playing for York City, Reading, Charlton Athletic and Southampton...

DF 3

Matthew Robinson

Matthew Robinson (footballer)

Matthew Richard Robinson is a professional footballer who currently plays as a full back for Swindon Supermarine.-Playing career:...

DF 5

Adrian Viveash

Adrian Lee Viveash is an English former professional footballer who is the current manager of the Chelsea Youth team. He is most notable for his spells with Reading and Walsall during the 1990s. He played in the Reading team which won the Division Two title in 1994 and reached the Division One...

DF 29

Adrian Williams

Adrian "Ady" Williams is a Wales international footballer and is the former manager of Didcot Town-Reading:...

MF 40

James Harper MF 14

Sammy Igoe

Samuel Gary "Sammy" Igoe is an English professional footballer who plays for Havant & Waterlooville.-Career:He started his career with Portsmouth, and after spells with Reading, Luton Town and Swindon Town...

MF 16

Phil Parkinson

Philip John "Phil" Parkinson is an English football manager and former player who currently manages Bradford City.-Playing career:...

FW 22

Jim McIntyre FW 9

Martin Butler

Martin Neil Butler is a former English footballer who played as a striker between 1993 and 2009. Butler notably played for Walsall, Cambridge United and Reading...

FW 12

Jamie Cureton

Jamie Cureton is an English professional footballer who currently plays for Leyton Orient.-Early years:Cureton began his professional career with Norwich City, before moving on to Bristol Rovers...

Substitutes: MF 37

Tony Rougier

Anthony "Tony" Rougier is a Trinidadian footballer who is a player-coach with Trinidadian football side FC South End. In the late 1990s and early 2000s he played for numerous clubs, most notably Raith Rovers, Hibernian, Port Vale, Reading and Brentford...

DF 6

Barry Hunter GK 21

Scott Howie

Scott Howie is a Scottish former professional football goalkeeper. Having played professionally in the English and Scottish football leagues, he currently plays for English non-league side Wroxham....

FW 10

Nicky Forster

Nicholas Michael "Nicky" Forster is a former professional footballer who has also been player-manager at Brentford, and is now manager of Dover Athletic...

MF 8

Darren Caskey

Darren Mark Caskey is an English former footballer.A central midfielder, Caskey started his career as a trainee at Tottenham Hotspur, but failed to live up to early potential. He went on to have notable spells at Reading and Notts County.He captained the England side which won the U-18 European...

Manager:

Alan Pardew

Alan Scott Pardew is an English football manager and former player, currently the manager of Newcastle United....

MATCH RULES

90 minutes.
30 minutes of extra-time if necessary.
Penalty shootout if scores still level.
5 named substitutes.
Maximum of 3 substitutions.

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