2002 Football League play-offs
Football league season
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The Football League play-offs for the 2001–02 season were held in May 2002, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 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)
Stoke City
(Second Division)
Cheltenham Town
(Third Division)
| Season | 2001–02 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Birmingham City (First Division) Stoke City (Second Division) Cheltenham Town (Third Division) |
| Matches | 15 |
| Goals | 35 (2.33 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Norwich 3–1 Wolves (First Division) |
| Biggest away win | Cardiff 0–2 Stoke (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring | Norwich 3–1 Wolves Rushden & Diamonds 2–2 Rochdale Cheltenham 3–1 Rushden & Diamonds (4 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 71,597 – Birmingham v Norwich (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 6,015 – Rushden & Diamonds v Rochdale (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,859 |
← 2001 2003 → | |
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, Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were aiming to return to the top flight after nearly 20 years, finished 3 points behind their Black Country rivals West Bromwich Albion, who finished second and thus gained automatic promotion. Albion ended the season 10 points behind champions Manchester City, who returned to the Premier League after being relegated the previous season. Millwall who were aiming for a place in the top flight for the first time since 1990, finished in fourth place in the table. Birmingham City, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1986, finished in fifth place. Norwich City finished 1 point behind Birmingham City and were looking for a place back in the Premiership for the first time since 1995.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 25 | 11 | 10 | 76 | 43 | +33 | 86 |
| 4 | Millwall | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 69 | 48 | +21 | 77 |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 70 | 49 | +21 | 76 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 60 | 51 | +9 | 75 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Birmingham City | 1–1 | Millwall |
|---|---|---|
Hughes  56' |
Report | Dublin 80' |
| Norwich City | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers 56' McVeigh 73'Mackay 90' |
Report | Sturridge 22' |
- Second leg
Norwich City won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Millwall | 0–1 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Report | John 90' |
Birmingham City won 2–1 on aggregate.
Final
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Brentford | 46 | 24 | 11 | 11 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 |
| 4 | Cardiff City | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 75 | 50 | +25 | 83 |
| 5 | Stoke City | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 80 |
| 6 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 78 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Stoke City | 1–2 | Cardiff City |
|---|---|---|
| Burton 84' |
Report | Earnshaw 12' Fortune-West 59' |
- Second leg
Brentford won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Cardiff City | 0–2 (a.e.t.) | Stoke City |
|---|---|---|
| Report | O'Connor 90' Oularé 115' |
Stoke City won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Cheltenham Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 66 | 49 | +17 | 78 |
| 5 | Rochdale | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 65 | 52 | +13 | 78 |
| 6 | Rushden & Diamonds | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 69 | 53 | +16 | 73 |
| 7 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 71 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Hartlepool United | 1–1 | Cheltenham Town |
|---|---|---|
| Williams 45' |
Report | Grayson 89' |
| Rushden & Diamonds | 2–2 | Rochdale |
|---|---|---|
| Wardley 34' Butterworth 73' |
Report | McEvilly 8' Simpson 57' |
- Second leg
Cheltenham Town 2–2 Hartlepool United on aggregate. Cheltenham Town won 5–4 on penalties.
Rushden & Diamonds won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
| Cheltenham Town | 3–1 | Rushden & Diamonds |
|---|---|---|
| Devaney 27' Alsop 49'Finnigan 80' |
Report | Hall 28' |