2013 Football League Two play-off Final

The 2013 Football League Two play-off Final was an association football match played on 18 May 2013 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Bradford City and Northampton Town. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two, English football's fourth tier, to Football League One. The top three teams of the 2012–13 Football League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One, while the teams placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2013–14 season in League One. Northampton Town finished in sixth place while Bradford City Albion ended the season in seventh position. Burton Albion and Cheltenham Town were the losing semi-finalists, being defeated by Bradford and Northampton respectively.

2013 Football League Two play-off Final
The match took place at Wembley Stadium.
Event2012–13 Football League Two
Bradford City Northampton Town
3 0
Date18 May 2013
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeKeith Stroud
Attendance47,127

The match was refereed by Keith Stroud in front of a crowd of 47,127. On 15 minutes, Bradford took the lead after James Hanson headed in a pass from Garry Thompson after James Meredith's cross. Four minutes later, the lead was doubled through Rory McArdle whose strong header from a Nathan Doyle cross went low into Northampton's goal. Wells then volleyed past McLaughlin from close range on 28 minutes to make it 3–0 to Bradford. Northampton failed to make a shot on target and the match ended 3–0 to see Bradford promoted to League One.

Bradford ended their following season in 11th place in League One, while Northampton finished in 21st place in League Two in their next season, two places and three points above the relegation zone. Their manager, Aidy Boothroyd, was sacked in December 2013 with the club bottom of the division.

Route to the final
Main article: 2012–13 Football League Two
Football League Two final table, leading positions[1]
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Gillingham 46 23 14 9 66 39 +27 83
2 Rotherham United 46 24 7 15 74 59 +15 79
3 Port Vale 46 21 15 10 87 52 +35 78
4 Burton Albion 46 22 10 14 71 65 +6 76
5 Cheltenham Town 46 20 15 11 58 51 +7 75
6 Northampton Town 46 21 10 15 64 55 +9 73
7 Bradford City 46 18 15 13 63 52 +11 69

Northampton Town finished the regular 2012–13 season in sixth place in Football League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Bradford City. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to Football League One and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Northampton Town finished five points behind Port Vale (who were promoted in third place), six behind Rotherham United (who were promoted in second place), and ten behind league winners Gillingham. Bradford City ended the season one place and four points behind Northampton Town.[1]

Bradford City's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Burton Albion with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at Valley Parade in Bradford. Calvin Zola put the visitors ahead midway through the first half with a header, before scoring his second in the 29th minute with a curling shot. Damien McCrory was then adjudged to have deflected Garry Thompson's shot with his hand and the referee awarded a penalty to Burton. Nahki Wells converted the spot kick to make it 2–1, before Robbie Weir scored from Alex McDonald's pass to make it 3–1 at half-time. With 16 minutes remaining, Thompson scored for Burton making the final score 3–2.[2] The second leg of the semi-final was played three days later at the Pirelli Stadium in Burton upon Trent. Wells opened the scoring for the visitors when he intercepted Marcus Holness' header and beat Bradford goalkeeper Stuart Tomlinson. James Hanson then made it 2–0 with a shot from the edge of the Bradford penalty area before Jacques Maghoma scored from the penalty spot after Stephen Darby was fouled in the Burton box by Thompson. Wells made it 3–1 to Bradford less than two minutes later after Hanson had knocked down a long free kick from his goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin. With no further goals, Bradford won the semi-final 5–4 on aggregate and secured their place in the final.[3]

Northampton Town faced Cheltenham Town in the other play-off semi-final with the first leg being played at Sixfields Stadium in Northampton on 2 May 2013. Roy O'Donovan scored in the 27th minute to put Northampton into the lead from a Chris Hackett cross and almost immediately Paul Benson missed a chance to equalise after shooting wide of the post. Both sides had chances to add to the scoreline but the match finished 1–0.[4] The second leg took place three days later at Whaddon Road in Cheltenham. In the 15th minute, Ben Tozer was deemed to have fouled Russell Penn and the referee awarded a penalty: Marlon Pack took the spot kick but it was saved by Lee Nicholls. Before half-time, Luke Guttridge's volley put Northampton into the lead which they did not relinquish. An aggregate score of 2–0 meant that Northampton progressed to the final.[5]

Match

Background
Nakhi Wells (pictured in 2015) scored Bradford's third goal of the final.

Bradford had featured in the play-offs on two occasions, losing in the second tier semi-finals in 1989 and winning the third tier 1996 Football League Second Division play-off Final 2–0 against Notts County.[6] They had played in the fourth tier since relegation from League One in the 2006–07 season.[7] Northampton had lost in the 1998 Football League Second Division play-off Final having secured promotion the season before from the fourth tier of English football with victory in the 1997 Football League Third Division play-off Final.[8] They had played in the fourth tier since relegation from League One in the 2008–09 season.[9] The teams had faced each other four times during the season. In the league matches, Bradford had won both matches 1–0, at Sixfields in October 2012 and at Valley Parade in April 2013.[10] They had also be drawn against one another in the first round of the 2012–13 FA Cup. The first encounter, at Sixfields, ended 1–1 forcing a replay which was played ten days later at Valley Parade. That match ended 2–2 in regular time, 3–3 after extra time with Bradford winning 4–2 in the subsequent penalty shootout.[11][12] The play-off final was Northampton's 64th match of the season.[13] Bradford had already played at Wembley during the season when they faced Swansea City in the League Cup final, losing 5–0.[14]

The referee for the match was Keith Stroud and Geoff Eltringham was the fourth official.[15][16] According to bookmakers, a draw in regular time was the most likely outcome,[17] although Jason Mellor writing in The Times suggested Bradford were marginal favourites having gone unbeaten in the four matches between the sides earlier in the season.[18] Both teams played a 4–4–2 formation.[19] The Northampton supporters were situated in the East End of Wembley while Bradford's fans occupied the West End.[20] The Bradford squad had cost a total of £7,500 with the only transfer fee having been paid for Hanson.[21] The game was broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports.[18]

Summary

The match kicked off around 1:30 p.m. on 18 May 2013 in front of a crowd of 47,127.[15] Wells went close for Bradford in the early stages of the game, with a free-kick which his struck over the bar and a header which went close. On 15 minutes, Bradford took the lead. A cross from James Meredith found Thompson at the far post who sent the ball back high for Hanson to score with a header. Four minutes later, the lead was doubled through Rory McArdle whose strong header from a Nathan Doyle cross went low into Northampton's goal. Wells then volleyed past McLaughlin from close range on 28 minutes to make it 3–0 to Bradford.[19] Nicholls made a one-handed stop from a Wells shot on 31 minutes.[13]

Neither side made any changes to their personnel during half-time. Immediately after the restart, McLaughlin saved from Hanson.[19] In the 53rd minute, Northampton made their first substitution of the match with Collins being replaced by Joe Widdowson.[19] Two minutes later, Northampton's Akinfenwa came on in place of Clive Platt.[19] Northampton made their final substitution of the game in the 70th minute with Lewis Hornby coming on to replace Ishmel Demontagnac.[19] In the 78th minute, Bradford's Kyel Reid was substituted for Will Atkinson.[19] Connell then came on for Wells in the 85th minute before Ricky Ravenhill replaced Doyle two minutes later.[13] Roy O'Donovan's header for Northampton went wide of the Bradford goal.[13] Northampton failed to register a single shot on target and the match ended 3–0 with Bradford securing promotion to League One.[13]

Details
Bradford City3–0Northampton Town
Hanson  15'
McArdle  19'
Wells  28'		 [15]
Attendance: 47,127
Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)
Bradford City
Northampton Town
GK1Jon McLaughlin
RB2Stephen Darby
CB23Rory McArdle
CB5Andrew Davies
LB3James Meredith
RM11Garry Thompson
CM18Gary Jones
CM24Nathan Doyle 85' 87'
LM7Kyel Reid 78'
CF9James Hanson 89'
CF21Nahki Wells 85'
Substitutes:
GK12Matt Duke
DF16Carl McHugh
DF22Michael Nelson
MF4Ricky Ravenhill 87'
MF14Will Atkinson 78'
FW17Alan Connell 85'
FW20Zavon Hines
Manager:
Phil Parkinson
GK21Lee Nicholls
RB12Ben Tozer
CB30Clarke Carlisle 67'
CB15Nathan Cameron
LB6Lee Collins 53'
RM11Chris Hackett
CM8Ben Harding
CM4Luke Guttridge
LM7Ishmel Demontagnac 70'
CF28Roy O'Donovan 30'
CF9Clive Platt 21' 55'
Substitutes:
GK13Dean Snedker
DF2John Johnson
DF3Joe Widdowson 53'
DF5Kelvin Langmead
MF22Lewis Hornby 70'
FW10Adebayo Akinfenwa 55'
FW17Jake Robinson
Manager:
Aidy Boothroyd

Fourth official:
Geoff Eltringham

Statistics[22]
Bradford City Northampton Town
Total shots1210
Shots on target80
Ball possession54%46%
Corner kicks83
Fouls committed1416
Yellow cards23
Red cards00

Post-match

Winning manager Phil Parkinson noted: "This determines the future of the club. In the League Cup it was great to reach the final, given the revenue that it brought in, but this is what it's all about. This is our bread and butter – to get this club back to where it belongs."[13] He described the season's achievements as "his best yet as a manager."[23] His counterpart Aidy Boothroyd was downcast: "It's great to have got here but when you get to a final like this, you want to be a winner, nothing else."[21] He added: "[Bradford] dealt with the whole occasion and the game, more importantly, better than we did. This is a rubbish day."[13]

Bradford ended their following season in 11th place in League One, 15 points outside the play-offs and 12 points above the relegation zone.[24] Northampton finished in 21st place in League Two in their next season, two places and three points above the relegation zone.[25] Boothroyd was sacked in December 2013 with the club bottom of the division.[26]

References
  1. "League Two – 2012/2013 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  2. Woodcock, Ian (2 May 2013). "Bradford 2–3 Burton". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  3. Woodcock, Ian (5 May 2013). "Burton 1–3 Bradford (agg 4–5)". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  4. Osborne, Chris (2 May 2013). "Northampton 1–0 Cheltenham". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  5. Mitchell, Brendon (5 May 2013). "Cheltenham 0–1 Northampton (agg 0–2)". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  6. Foster, pp. 198, 206
  7. "Bradford City". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  8. Foster, pp. 207, 208
  9. "Northampton Town". Football Club History Database. Archived from the original on 21 December 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  10. "Bradford City football club: record v Northampton Town". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 22 April 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  11. "Northampton Town v Bradford City, 03 November 2012". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  12. "Bradford City v Northampton Town, 13 November 2012". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  13. Maul, Rob (19 May 2013). "Bradford rise again". The Sunday Times. p. 8. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  14. McNulty, Phil (24 February 2013). "Bradford 0–5 Swansea". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  15. "Bradford City v Northampton Town, 18 May 2013". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  16. "Profiles: EFL Select Group 2 referees". English Football League. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  17. Childs, Dan (18 May 2013). "Wembley showdown looks too close to call; Bradford v Northampton". Racing Post. p. 142. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  18. Mellor, Jason (18 May 2013). "Bradford seek successful end to the journey". The Times. p. 10. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  19. Prentki, Tom (18 May 2013). "Bradford City 3 Northampton Town 0: match report". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  20. "League 2 Play-Off final ticket information". English Football League. 7 May 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  21. Doyle, Paul (20 May 2013). "Football: npower League Two play-off final: Bradford rise again as a cut-price success in more ways than one: Northampton T 0 Bradford City 3". The Guardian. p. 7. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  22. "League Two play-off final". Sky Sports. 18 May 2013. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  23. "Bradford finally take to Wembley". Liverpool Echo. 20 May 2013. p. 10. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021 – via Gale.
  24. "League One – 2013/2014 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  25. "League Two – 2013/2014 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  26. "Aidy Boothroyd: Northampton Town sack manager". BBC Sport. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  • Foster, Richard (2015). The Agony & The Ecstasy. Ockley Books. ISBN 978-1-910906-00-2.
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