1993 Football League play-offs


The Football League play-offs for the 1992–93 season were held in May 1993, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished 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 progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.

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.

First Division

Team
3Portsmouth462610108046+3488
4Tranmere Rovers462310137256+1679
5Swindon Town462113127459+1576
6Leicester City462210147164+776

Portsmouth, whose top scorer Guy Whittingham had found the net 42 times in Division One, only missed out on automatic promotion on goal difference. Fourth placed Tranmere Rovers had recorded the highest finish of their history and had yet to play in the top flight of English football. Swindon Town, who finished fifth, had won the playoff final three years earlier but promotion was then withdrawn due to financial irregularities. The last playoff place went to the previous season's beaten finalists, Leicester City.
In the end, it was Leicester and Swindon who went through to the final. Swindon took a 3-0 lead before Leicester clawed back to make it 3-3, only for Paul Bodin to score the winner and deliver top flight football to Swindon for the first time in their history.
Glenn Hoddle's impressive two-year spell as player-manager of Swindon attracted attention of bigger clubs, and soon after this famous victory he was appointed player-manager of Chelsea, while losers Leicester had now been beaten in all of their six appearances at Wembley.

Semi-finals

;First leg
----
;Second leg
Swindon Town won 5–4 on aggregate.
----
Leicester City won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

Second Division

Team
3Port Vale46261197944+3589
4West Bromwich Albion462510118854+3485
5Swansea City462013136547+1873
6Stockport County461915128157+2472

Semi-finals

;First leg
----
;Second leg
Port Vale won 2–1 on aggregate.
----
West Bromwich Albion won 3–2 on aggregate.

Final

Third Division

Team
4York City46211297245+2775
5Walsall46227137661+1573
6Crewe Alexandra46217137556+1970
7Bury46189156355+863

Semi-finals

;First leg
----
;Second leg
Crewe Alexandra won 9–3 on aggregate.
----
York City won 1–0 on aggregate.

Final