Date 27 May 1995 Referee Paul Alcock
(Surrey) | Man of the Match Billy Stewart Attendance 22,814 | |
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Venue Wembley Stadium, London | ||
The 1995 Football League Third Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 27 May 1995, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of the Football League in the 1994–95 season.
It was contested by Chesterfield, who finished third in the Third Division table, and Bury, who finished fourth. The teams reached the final by defeating Mansfield Town and Preston North End respectively in the two-legged semi-finals.
Chesterfield won the match 2–0 thanks to goals from Tony Lormor and Phil Robinson to gain promotion back to the third tier of English football five seasons after being relegated. For the club's manager, John Duncan, it was his second success with Chesterfield as a manager, having won the Fourth Division title in 1985. His counterpart, Mike Walsh, parted company with Bury less than four months later.
Route to the final
Chesterfield had finished the 1994–95 Football League season in third place in the Third Division, one place ahead of Bury. Therefore, both missed out on the two automatic promotion places and instead took part in the play-offs to determine who would join Carlisle United, and Walsall as the third promoted team. On the final day of the league season, Chesterfield had the opportunity to finish second in the table and thereby clinch the final automatic promotion place but a 2–2 draw at Saltergate against Colchester United was not enough to overtake Walsall, after they also drew 0–0 away to Bury.
In the play-off semi-finals, Bury were paired with fifth-placed Preston North End and Chesterfield with sixth-place finishers Mansfield Town. Bury won their first leg tie 1–0 at Deepdale courtesy of a goal from David Pugh. They also won the second leg by the same scoreline at Gigg Lane with Tony Rigby on the scoresheet.
Chesterfield drew the first leg of their semi-final tie 1–1 at Field Mill after Robinson's opener for the visiting side was cancelled out by Stewart Hadley. They then came through the second leg at Saltergate after Mansfield had forced extra-time with 10-men. Two goals from Nicky Law and further strikes from Jonathan Howard, Lormor, and Robinson ensured their progress, 6–3 on aggregate.