2000 Football League play-offs
Football league season
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The Football League play-offs for the 1999–2000 season were held in May 2000, with the finals taking place at the old Wembley Stadium in London for the final time. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish 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 will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
(First Division)
Gillingham
(Second Division)
Peterborough United
(Third Division)
| Season | 1999–2000 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ipswich Town (First Division) Gillingham (Second Division) Peterborough United (Third Division) |
| Matches | 15 |
| Goals | 49 (3.27 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Peterborough 3–0 Barnet (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Birmingham 0–4 Barnsley (First Division) |
| Highest scoring | Ipswich 5–3 Bolton (8 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 73,427 – Barnsley v Ipswich (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,535 – Barnet v Peterborough (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 22,266 |
← 1999 2001 → | |
Background
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.
In the First Division, Ipswich Town, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 5 years outside the top flight, finished 2 points behind second placed Manchester City, who in turn finished 2 points behind champions Charlton Athletic, who returned to the top flight after being relegated last season. Barnsley who are aiming to return to the top flight after 2 seasons outside the top division, finished in fourth place in the table. Birmingham City, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 14 years outside the top division, finished in fifth place. Bolton Wanderers, who as well as Barnsley are aiming to return to the top flight after relegation 2 seasons ago, finished 1 point behind Birmingham City in sixth place.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 87 |
| 4 | Barnsley | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 88 | 67 | +21 | 82 |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 77 |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 76 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Birmingham City | 0–4 | Barnsley |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Shipperley  12' Dyer 48', 60' Hignett 84' |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–2 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Holdsworth 5' Guðjohnsen 26' |
Report | Stewart 36', 65' |
- Second leg
| Ipswich Town | 5–3 (a.e.t.) | Bolton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Magilton 18' (pen.), 49', 90' Clapham 94' (pen.) Reuser 110' |
Report | Holdsworth 6', 39' Johnston 50' |
Ipswich Town won 7–5 on aggregate.
Barnsley won 5–2 on aggregate.
Final
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Gillingham | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 79 | 48 | +31 | 85 |
| 4 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 22 | 17 | 7 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 83 |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 76 | 50 | +26 | 82 |
| 6 | Stoke City | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 68 | 42 | +26 | 82 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Stoke City | 3–2 | Gillingham |
|---|---|---|
| Gunnlaugsson 1' Lightbourne 8'Thorne 67' |
Report | Gooden 18' Hassenthaler 90' |
- Second leg
| Gillingham | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Stoke City |
|---|---|---|
| Ashby 55' Onuora 102'Smith 118' |
Report |
Gillingham won 5–3 on aggregate.
| Wigan Athletic | 1–0 | Millwall |
|---|---|---|
| Sheridan 61' |
Wigan Athletic won 1–0 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Darlington | 46 | 21 | 16 | 9 | 66 | 36 | +30 | 79 |
| 5 | Peterborough United | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 63 | 54 | +9 | 78 |
| 6 | Barnet | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 59 | 53 | +6 | 75 |
| 7 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 72 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Barnet | 1–2 | Peterborough United |
|---|---|---|
| Arber 22' |
Lee 5' Clarke 68' |
| Hartlepool United | 0–2 | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Liddle 35' Gabbiadini 76' (pen.) |
- Second leg
| Darlington | 1–0 | Hartlepool United |
|---|---|---|
| Strodder 9' (o.g.) |
Darlington won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Peterborough United | 3–0 | Barnet |
|---|---|---|
| Farrell 28', 70', 89' |
Peterborough United won 5–1 on aggregate.