Date 28 May 2011 Attendance 11,484 | Referee Darren Deadman | |
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Event 2010–11 Football League Two Venue Old Trafford, Manchester | ||
The 2011 Football League Two play-off final was a football match contested by Stevenage and Torquay United on 28 May 2011 at Old Trafford in Manchester to decide the fourth team to be promoted from League Two to League One for the 2011–12 season.
Contents
Under League Two play-off rules, the final is contested by the two teams which secured an aggregate victory over two-legged semi-finals, with the team that finished seventh in the league table (Torquay United) having played fourth (Shrewsbury Town), and sixth (Stevenage) having played fifth (Accrington Stanley).
The format of the match was 90 minutes of normal playing time, with an additional 30 minutes of extra-time if the score was tied. A penalty shootout would determine the winner if the score remains tied at the end of extra-time. Each team was permitted to make three substitutions from seven named substitutes during the course of the match.
Stevenage won the final by a scoreline of 1–0, John Mousinho scoring the only goal of the game on 41 minutes.
Venue controversy
Due to the UEFA Champions League 2011 final being held at Wembley Stadium on 28 May 2011, it appeared that the three Football League play-off finals may have to be played at a different venue for the first time since 2007 due to the double-booking of Wembley.
Manchester United's Old Trafford had been confirmed as a possible alternative, while Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff were also said to be under consideration to host the Championship, League One and League Two play-off finals.
It was later confirmed that Wembley would host the Championship play-off final on 30 May, while Old Trafford would host the League Two and League One finals on 28 and 29 May respectively.
Route to the final
The two-legged semi-finals determined that the final would be contested by Stevenage and Torquay United.
Second legs
Torquay United won 2–0 on aggregate.
Stevenage won 3–0 on aggregate.
Pre-match
Stevenage were bidding for back-to-back promotions. The season prior, the Hertfordshire club won the Conference National title with 99 points, and the 2010–11 season was Stevenage's fledgling season in the Football League. Manager Graham Westley was in his second spell as Stevenage manager, and overseeing the most successful period of the club's history. Stevenage secured a play-off place after a run of nine victories out of eleven, propelling the club up the league table and into the play-off positions. This included winning six games on the trot, a sequence only matched by Bury during the regular season. A 3–3 draw on the last day of the season against Bury confirmed Stevenage's place in the play-offs, finishing sixth with 69 points. This meant that they faced fifth placed Accrington Stanley over two legs in the play-off semi-finals, winning both legs and securing an aggregate 3–0 win. The club had never competed at League One level in its history.
Torquay were aiming to return to League One, where they last played in the 2004–05 season. Having been relegated from the Football League in 2007, the Devon club returned two seasons later via the play-offs. Torquay went into the match having lost one of their last fourteen in all competitions, with seven clean sheets out of the last nine. Manager Paul Buckle was appointed in June 2007; his team lost the 2008 FA Trophy Final, but returned to Wembley one year later for play-off success against Cambridge United.
Summary
Stevenage secured back-to-back promotions with a 1–0 win, thanks to a 41st-minute John Mousinho shot from the edge of the penalty box. The first half was largely dominated by Stevenage, but Torquay United improved after the interval, with Jake Robinson striking the crossbar with a 20-yard shot.