 The crests of Bristol City and Hull City, prior to the match | |||||||
| |||||||
| Date | 24 May 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Dean Windass | ||||||
| Referee | Alan Wiley | ||||||
| Attendance | 86,703 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||||
The 2008 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 24 May 2008 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Hull City and Bristol City. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2007–08 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; Hull City ended the season in third position while Bristol City finished fourth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2008–09 season in the Premier League. Winning the game was estimated to be worth up to £60 million to the successful team.
The 2008 final, refereed by Alan Wiley, was watched by a crowd of more than 86,000 people, in sunny and bright conditions. The match was won by Hull City 1–0, with the only goal of the game coming from Dean Windass in the first half. It was the first time that Hull City would play in the top tier of English football in their club's 104-year history.
Hull City ended the next season in 17th place in the Premier League, one point above relegation. Bristol City finished the following season in 10th place, thirteen points outside the play-offs.