 | |||||||
| Event | 2009–10 Football League Championship | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| Date | 22 May 2010 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Keith Southern (Blackpool) | ||||||
| Referee | Andre Marriner (Birmingham) | ||||||
| Attendance | 82,244 | ||||||
| Weather | Sunny, 28 °C (82 °F) | ||||||
The 2010 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match played at Wembley Stadium, London, on 22 May 2010 between Blackpool and Cardiff City. The match was to determine the third and final team to win promotion from the Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League for the 2010–11 season. The culmination of the 2010 Football League Championship play-offs, the match saw Blackpool beat Cardiff City to earn promotion alongside the division champions Newcastle United and runners-up West Bromwich Albion. The match, and subsequent promotion, was estimated to be worth around £90 million to the winning team.
Blackpool entered the play-offs having finished sixth in the 2009–10 Football League Championship, securing the last of the play-off places on the final day of the regular season, while Cardiff finished two places above them in fourth. Blackpool reached the play-off final with a 6–4 aggregate semi-final victory over third-place finishers Nottingham Forest. In their semi-final, Cardiff beat fifth-placed Leicester City by virtue of a penalty shoot-out following a 3–3 aggregate draw over two legs.
The play-off final was played in front of 82,244 spectators and was refereed by Andre Marriner. In the game, Cardiff twice took the lead through goals by Michael Chopra and Joe Ledley. On both occasions, Blackpool equalised within four minutes, first through Charlie Adam and later Gary Taylor-Fletcher. Blackpool took the lead shortly before half-time following a goal from striker Brett Ormerod. With no score from either team in the second half, the final result was a 3–2 victory to Blackpool.
As a consequence of winning promotion, Blackpool's Bloomfield Road stadium, which had a capacity of 16,750, became one of the smallest stadiums to host Premier League football. It also meant Blackpool returned to the top flight of English League football for the first time since the 1970–71 season, when they spent one season in the old First Division, finishing bottom. In the season following their 2010 play-off final victory, they were relegated back to the Championship. Cardiff reached the play-offs again the following season but were defeated in the semi-finals.