.jpg) The match took place at Wembley Stadium. | |||||||
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| Date | 26 May 1997 | ||||||
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| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Referee | Neale Barry | ||||||
| Attendance | 64,383 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 91 °F (33 °C)[1] | ||||||
The 1997 Football League First Division play-off final was an association football match played between Crystal Palace and Sheffield United on 26 May 1997 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. The game was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the second tier Football League First Division to the Premier League, the highest tier of English league football. The top two teams of the 1996–97 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion, while clubs placed from third to sixth in the league table competed in play-offs. The winners of the play-off semi-finals played against each other for the final place in the Premier League for the 1997–98 season. Sheffield United ended the season in fifth position, one place ahead of Crystal Palace. Winning the final was estimated to be worth up to £10 million.
The game was played in front of a crowd of 64,383 and refereed by Neale Barry. Crystal Palace played with five midfielders in a 3–5–2 formation while their opponents played 4–4–2. Both goalkeepers were called into action in the first half with Crystal Palace's Carlo Nash clearing a Pyotr Kachura shot at goal, and Simon Tracey intercepting a cross from Bruce Dyer. Sheffield United made an early change when Kachura was replaced by Gareth Taylor midway through the first half. They were then forced to substitute Don Hutchison just before half-time after he seriously injured his shoulder. After a goalless first half, both sides had further chances to score in the second half. However, as the game appeared to be heading into extra time, the Crystal Palace captain David Hopkin scored the winning goal in the last minute of regular time with a curling strike from around 25 yards (23 m), described variously as "inspired", a "glorious Brazilian bender" and "one of the finest goals in Palace history."
Crystal Palace's victory was the first time a club from London had won a play-off final. However, in their following season, they finished bottom of the 1997–98 Premier League and were relegated back to the First Division. Sheffield United finished their next season in sixth place in the First Division, qualifying for the 1998 Football League play-offs where they lost to Sunderland in the semi-final.
- ^ CRY V SHU Play Off Final 1997, 01:24:27