1995 Football League Second Division play-off final

1995 Football League Second Division play-off final
The match took place at Wembley Stadium.
Date28 May 1995
VenueWembley Stadium, London
RefereeClive Wilkes (Gloucester)
Attendance59,175
1994
1996

The 1995 Football League Second Division play-off final was an association football match which was played on 28 May 1995 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Huddersfield Town and Bristol Rovers. It was to determine the second team to gain promotion from the Football League Second Division to the First Division. Only Birmingham City, the champions of the 1994–95 Football League Second Division league, gained automatic promotion to the First Division due to the reduction of the Premier League from 22 to 20 teams. The sides placed from second to fifth place in the table took part in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 1995–96 season in the First Division. The losing semi-finalists were Brentford and Crewe Alexandra who had been defeated by Huddersfield and Bristol Rovers respectively.

The referee for the match, played in front of a Second Division play-off final record attendance of 59,175, was Clive Wilkes. In injury time in the first half, an overhead kick from Ronnie Jepson was eventually headed in by Andy Booth for his 30th goal of the season to give Huddersfield the lead. Just over a minute later, Marcus Stewart scored the equaliser for Bristol Rovers with a volley after Justin Channing headed on Worrell Sterling's throw-in. It was Stewart's 24th goal of the season. In the 80th minute, Iain Dunn came on as a substitute and his first touch of the match a minute later was to deliver a cross which Booth headed back across the goalmouth for Chris Billy to score to make it 2–1. In the final minute of the match, Stewart's shot from around 25 yards (23 m) hit the frame of the Huddersfield goal with the goalkeeper Steve Francis beaten. The match ended 2–1 and Huddersfield were promoted to the First Division.

Huddersfield's manager, Neil Warnock, left his newly promoted club days after the win at Wembley and soon after took up the managerial position at Plymouth Argyle who had been relegated to the Third Division after finishing in 21st position in the league. Huddersfield Town's next season saw them finish in eighth position in the First Division, two places below the play-offs. Bristol Rovers ended their following season in tenth place in the Second Division league table, four positions outside the play-offs.