The 2016 Football League Two play-off Final was an association football match played on 30 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon. The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two, English football's fourth tier, to Football League One. The top three teams of the 2015–16 Football League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One, while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; the winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2016–17 season in League One. Plymouth Argyle finished in fifth place while Wimbledon ended the season in seventh position. Accrington Stanley and Portsmouth were the losing semi-finalists.
The final was played in front of 57,956 spectators and was refereed by Iain Williamson. The first half ended goalless, but in the 77th minute, substitute Adebayo Akinfenwa's first action was to help win a corner for Wimbledon, from which Lyle Taylor scored with a low shot past Luke McCormick. Ten minutes into stoppage time, Ade Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2–0 which was the final score. It was Wimbledon's sixth promotion since the club's formation in 2002.
Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table, while Plymouth finished the next season in second position to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017–18 season.
Wimbledon's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Accrington Stanley with the first match of the two-legged tie being played on 14 May 2016 at Kingsmeadow in Greater London. After a goalless first half in which no shots on target were made by either side, Tom Beere's low shot three minutes into injury time beat Neil Etheridge in the Accrington goal to ensure the match ended 1–0.[2] The second leg of the semi-final play-off took place four days later at the Crown Ground in Accrington. Josh Windass levelled the tie with a penalty six minutes before half-time after Scott Brown was fouled. Piero Mingoia then put Accrington ahead on aggregate with a strike in the 59th minute. Midway through the second half, a header from Adebayo Akinfenwa made it 2–1 and with no further change to the scoreline, the game went into extra time. Lyle Taylor then scored after Etheridge had saved an effort from Jake Reeves, and Wimbledon progressed to the final with a 3–2 aggregate victory.[3]
In the second play-off semi-final, Plymouth Argyle faced Portsmouth and the first leg was played at Fratton Park in Portsmouth on 12 May 2016. A strike from the edge of Plymouth's penalty area from Marc McNulty gave the home side a third-minute lead but Jamille Matt equalised six minutes later with a header. On 19 minutes, Matt put Plymouth ahead with an overhead kick. Six minutes after half-time, Peter Hartley fouled McNulty in the box, and Gary Roberts converted the subsequent penalty to make it 2–2.[4] The second leg was held at Home Park in Plymouth three days later. The home side dominated the game but did not score until injury time in the second half when Hartley converted Graham Carey's corner. The match ended 1–0 giving Plymouth a 3–2 aggregate win and progression to the play-off final at Wembley.[5]
Matchedit
Backgroundedit
Prior to the final, the teams had faced each other three times during the season. Plymouth had won the league match at Kingsmeadow in August 2015, followed by victory there in the EFL Trophy the following month. Wimbledon won the other league fixture between the sides, with a 2–1 victory in April 2016.[6] AFC Wimbledon fans were allocated the West End of Wembley, while Plymouth Argyle supporters were seated in the East End.[7] The referee for the match was Iain Williamson, assisted by Ron Ganfield and Paul Marsden. Tim Robinson was the fourth official and the reserve assistant referee was Tom Bramall.[7] The live match was broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK, with highlights of the match shown later on Channel 5.[7]
Wimbledon wore all-blue kit with yellow trim while Plymouth played in green-and-white striped shirts, green shorts and green-and-white socks.[8]
Summaryedit
Adebayo Akinfenwa (pictured in 2015) scored a penalty for Wimbledon ten minutes into second-half injury time.
Plymouth Argyle kicked off the match at around 3p.m. in front of 57,956 spectators. In the seventh minute, a header from a deep free-kick was flicked on by Taylor but his shot was saved, and soon after Carey's shot flew over the Wimbledon crossbar. Six minutes later, a Taylor shot was deflected out for a corner which was cleared to Reeves whose volley went wide of the Plymouth goal.[8] In the 25th minute, Kelvin Mellor almost scored an own goal after deflecting a Wimbledon cross but the ball went wide, and Plymouth cleared the subsequent corner. Five minutes before half-time, a long-range strike from Callum Kennedy was saved by Luke McCormick in the Plymouth goal. After a minute of injury time, the referee blew the whistle to bring the half to an end with the score goalless.[9]
The second half was kicked off by Wimbledon but the first chance fell to Plymouth on 47 minutes: a high cross intended for Jake Jervis was punched clear by Kelle Roos, the Wimbledon goalkeeper. Two minutes later, Carl McHugh's mis-hit pass almost beat his own goalkeeper but went wide for a corner. In the 56th minute, a shot from Andy Barcham was blocked before Tom Elliott headed over the bar from a Taylor cross. Gregg Wylde became the first player to be booked after being shown the yellow card for a foul on Wimbledon's Barry Fuller in the 63rd minute. Two minutes later, Carey's curling free kick from around 30 yards (27 m) was saved by Roos, then Darius Charles was booked for a foul on Matt. On 68 minutes, Plymouth made their first substitution of the afternoon with Jervis being replaced by Craig Tanner. Soon after, Jonathan Meades came on to replace Connor Smith for Wimbledon.[10] In the 77th minute, Elliott left the pitch to be replaced by Akinfenwa whose first action a minute later was to help win a corner for Wimbledon, from which Taylor scored with a low shot past McCormick. The Plymouth goalkeeper made another save four minutes later before Reid came on to replace Wylde in the 83rd minute. Hartley was then injured in a clash with Akinfenwa and was stretchered off the pitch, and replaced by Jordon Forster. In the 90th minute, McCormick tipped away Akinfenwa's header to keep the score at 1–0, and the game went into seven minutes of injury time. Tanner was brought down in the 95th minute but the referee ignored appeals for a penalty from Plymouth before Taylor's weak shot after a one-on-one with McCormick was easily saved by the goalkeeper.[11] Taylor was then replaced by Ade Azeez in Wimbledon's third substitution of the match. Ten minutes into stoppage time, Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2–0 which was the final score.[12]
The scorer of Wimbledon's second goal, Akinfenwa revealed shortly after the end of the game that he had been released and that he was looking for a new club.[13] It was Wimbledon's sixth promotion since the club's formation in 2002.[12]
Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table.[14] Plymouth finished the next season in second position in League Two to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017–18 season.[15]
Referencesedit
^ ab"League Two – 2015/2016 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Garry, Tom. "AFC Wimbledon 1–0 Accrington Stanley". BBC Sport. from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Mitchell, Brendon (18 May 2016). "Accrington Stanley 2–2 Wimbledon". BBC Sport. from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Williams, Adam. "Portsmouth 2–2 Plymouth Argyle". BBC Sport. from the original on 3 December 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Pilnick, Brent (15 May 2016). "Plymouth Argyle 1–0 Portsmouth". BBC Sport. from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^"Plymouth Argyle football club: record v AFC Wimbledon". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ abc"Sky Bet League 2 Play-Off Final – Key Information". English Football League. 26 May 2016. from the original on 29 September 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ abGarry, Tom (30 May 2016). "How AFC Wimbledon won promotion (5 of 7)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Garry, Tom (30 May 2016). "How AFC Wimbledon won promotion (4 of 7)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Garry, Tom (30 May 2016). "How AFC Wimbledon won promotion (3 of 7)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^Garry, Tom (30 May 2016). "How AFC Wimbledon won promotion (2 of 7)". BBC Sport. from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^ abGarry, Tom (30 May 2016). "How AFC Wimbledon won promotion (1 of 7)". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^"Adebayo Akinfenwa: AFC Wimbledon icon released after play-off final win". BBC Sport. 30 May 2016. from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
^"League One table at close of 2016–17 season". 11v11. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
^"League Two – 2016/2017 – Regular season". Soccerway. Perform Group. from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
October 28, 2023
2016, football, league, play, final, 2016, football, league, play, final, association, football, match, played, 2016, wembley, stadium, london, between, plymouth, argyle, wimbledon, match, determined, fourth, final, team, gain, promotion, from, football, leagu. The 2016 Football League Two play off Final was an association football match played on 30 May 2016 at Wembley Stadium London between Plymouth Argyle and AFC Wimbledon The match determined the fourth and final team to gain promotion from Football League Two English football s fourth tier to Football League One The top three teams of the 2015 16 Football League Two season gained automatic promotion to League One while those placed from fourth to seventh in the table took part in play off semi finals the winners of these semi finals competed for the final place for the 2016 17 season in League One Plymouth Argyle finished in fifth place while Wimbledon ended the season in seventh position Accrington Stanley and Portsmouth were the losing semi finalists 2016 Football League Two play off FinalThe match took place at Wembley Stadium Event2015 16 Football League TwoAFC Wimbledon Plymouth Argyle2 0Date30 May 2016VenueWembley Stadium LondonRefereeIain WilliamsonAttendance57 956 20152017 The final was played in front of 57 956 spectators and was refereed by Iain Williamson The first half ended goalless but in the 77th minute substitute Adebayo Akinfenwa s first action was to help win a corner for Wimbledon from which Lyle Taylor scored with a low shot past Luke McCormick Ten minutes into stoppage time Ade Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2 0 which was the final score It was Wimbledon s sixth promotion since the club s formation in 2002 Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table while Plymouth finished the next season in second position to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017 18 season Contents 1 Route to the final 2 Match 2 1 Background 2 2 Summary 2 3 Details 3 Post match 4 ReferencesRoute to the final editMain article 2015 16 Football League Two Football League Two final table leading positions 1 Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts1 Northampton Town 46 29 12 5 82 46 36 992 Oxford United 46 24 14 8 84 41 43 863 Bristol Rovers 46 26 7 13 77 46 31 854 Accrington Stanley 46 24 13 9 74 48 26 855 Plymouth Argyle 46 24 9 13 72 46 26 816 Portsmouth 46 21 15 10 75 44 31 787 AFC Wimbledon 46 21 12 13 64 50 14 75 Plymouth Argyle finished the regular 2015 16 season in fifth place in Football League Two the fourth tier of the English football league system two positions ahead of AFC Wimbledon Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to Football League One and instead took part in the play offs to determine the fourth promoted team Plymouth Argyle finished four points behind Bristol Rovers who were promoted in third place five behind Oxford United promoted in second and eighteen behind league winners Northampton Town Wimbledon ended the season two places and six points behind Plymouth Argyle 1 Wimbledon s opponents in their play off semi final were Accrington Stanley with the first match of the two legged tie being played on 14 May 2016 at Kingsmeadow in Greater London After a goalless first half in which no shots on target were made by either side Tom Beere s low shot three minutes into injury time beat Neil Etheridge in the Accrington goal to ensure the match ended 1 0 2 The second leg of the semi final play off took place four days later at the Crown Ground in Accrington Josh Windass levelled the tie with a penalty six minutes before half time after Scott Brown was fouled Piero Mingoia then put Accrington ahead on aggregate with a strike in the 59th minute Midway through the second half a header from Adebayo Akinfenwa made it 2 1 and with no further change to the scoreline the game went into extra time Lyle Taylor then scored after Etheridge had saved an effort from Jake Reeves and Wimbledon progressed to the final with a 3 2 aggregate victory 3 In the second play off semi final Plymouth Argyle faced Portsmouth and the first leg was played at Fratton Park in Portsmouth on 12 May 2016 A strike from the edge of Plymouth s penalty area from Marc McNulty gave the home side a third minute lead but Jamille Matt equalised six minutes later with a header On 19 minutes Matt put Plymouth ahead with an overhead kick Six minutes after half time Peter Hartley fouled McNulty in the box and Gary Roberts converted the subsequent penalty to make it 2 2 4 The second leg was held at Home Park in Plymouth three days later The home side dominated the game but did not score until injury time in the second half when Hartley converted Graham Carey s corner The match ended 1 0 giving Plymouth a 3 2 aggregate win and progression to the play off final at Wembley 5 Match editBackground edit Prior to the final the teams had faced each other three times during the season Plymouth had won the league match at Kingsmeadow in August 2015 followed by victory there in the EFL Trophy the following month Wimbledon won the other league fixture between the sides with a 2 1 victory in April 2016 6 AFC Wimbledon fans were allocated the West End of Wembley while Plymouth Argyle supporters were seated in the East End 7 The referee for the match was Iain Williamson assisted by Ron Ganfield and Paul Marsden Tim Robinson was the fourth official and the reserve assistant referee was Tom Bramall 7 The live match was broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK with highlights of the match shown later on Channel 5 7 Wimbledon wore all blue kit with yellow trim while Plymouth played in green and white striped shirts green shorts and green and white socks 8 Summary edit nbsp Adebayo Akinfenwa pictured in 2015 scored a penalty for Wimbledon ten minutes into second half injury time Plymouth Argyle kicked off the match at around 3 p m in front of 57 956 spectators In the seventh minute a header from a deep free kick was flicked on by Taylor but his shot was saved and soon after Carey s shot flew over the Wimbledon crossbar Six minutes later a Taylor shot was deflected out for a corner which was cleared to Reeves whose volley went wide of the Plymouth goal 8 In the 25th minute Kelvin Mellor almost scored an own goal after deflecting a Wimbledon cross but the ball went wide and Plymouth cleared the subsequent corner Five minutes before half time a long range strike from Callum Kennedy was saved by Luke McCormick in the Plymouth goal After a minute of injury time the referee blew the whistle to bring the half to an end with the score goalless 9 The second half was kicked off by Wimbledon but the first chance fell to Plymouth on 47 minutes a high cross intended for Jake Jervis was punched clear by Kelle Roos the Wimbledon goalkeeper Two minutes later Carl McHugh s mis hit pass almost beat his own goalkeeper but went wide for a corner In the 56th minute a shot from Andy Barcham was blocked before Tom Elliott headed over the bar from a Taylor cross Gregg Wylde became the first player to be booked after being shown the yellow card for a foul on Wimbledon s Barry Fuller in the 63rd minute Two minutes later Carey s curling free kick from around 30 yards 27 m was saved by Roos then Darius Charles was booked for a foul on Matt On 68 minutes Plymouth made their first substitution of the afternoon with Jervis being replaced by Craig Tanner Soon after Jonathan Meades came on to replace Connor Smith for Wimbledon 10 In the 77th minute Elliott left the pitch to be replaced by Akinfenwa whose first action a minute later was to help win a corner for Wimbledon from which Taylor scored with a low shot past McCormick The Plymouth goalkeeper made another save four minutes later before Reid came on to replace Wylde in the 83rd minute Hartley was then injured in a clash with Akinfenwa and was stretchered off the pitch and replaced by Jordon Forster In the 90th minute McCormick tipped away Akinfenwa s header to keep the score at 1 0 and the game went into seven minutes of injury time Tanner was brought down in the 95th minute but the referee ignored appeals for a penalty from Plymouth before Taylor s weak shot after a one on one with McCormick was easily saved by the goalkeeper 11 Taylor was then replaced by Ade Azeez in Wimbledon s third substitution of the match Ten minutes into stoppage time Azeez won a penalty which was scored by Akinfenwa to make it 2 0 which was the final score 12 Details edit 30 May 201615 00AFC Wimbledon2 0Plymouth ArgyleTaylor nbsp 78 Akinfenwa nbsp 90 10 pen ReportWembley Stadium LondonAttendance 57 956Referee Iain Williamson nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp AFC Wimbledon nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp Plymouth ArgyleGK 29 Kelle RoosRB 2 Barry Fuller c CB 20 Ryan SweeneyCB 32 Darius Charles nbsp 67 LB 3 Callum KennedyRM 18 Connor Smith nbsp 69 CM 4 Dannie BulmanCM 8 Jake ReevesLM 17 Andy BarchamCF 9 Tom Elliott nbsp 77 CF 33 Lyle Taylor nbsp 79 nbsp 90 7 Substitutes GK 1 James SheaDF 6 Paul RobinsonDF 12 Jonathan Meades nbsp 69 MF 11 Sean RiggFW 14 Ade Azeez nbsp 90 7 FW 39 Rhys MurphyFW 10 Adebayo Akinfenwa nbsp 90 11 nbsp 77 Manager Neal Ardley GK 23 Luke McCormickRB 2 Kelvin MellorCB 5 Curtis Nelson c CB 6 Peter Hartley nbsp 86 LB 3 Gary SawyerDM 4 Carl McHughDM 20 Hiram BoatengRW 14 Jake Jervis nbsp 68 AM 10 Graham CareyLW 11 Gregg Wylde nbsp 62 nbsp 82 CF 19 Jamille MattSubstitutes GK 31 Vincent DorelDF 28 Jordon Forster nbsp 86 DF 16 Ben PurringtonMF 32 Jordan HoughtonFW 27 Craig Tanner nbsp 68 FW 15 Tyler HarveyFW 9 Reuben Reid nbsp 82 Manager Derek AdamsPost match editThe scorer of Wimbledon s second goal Akinfenwa revealed shortly after the end of the game that he had been released and that he was looking for a new club 13 It was Wimbledon s sixth promotion since the club s formation in 2002 12 Wimbledon ended their following season in fifteenth place in the League One table 14 Plymouth finished the next season in second position in League Two to gain automatic promotion to League One for the 2017 18 season 15 References edit a b League Two 2015 2016 Regular season Soccerway Perform Group Retrieved 25 January 2021 Garry Tom AFC Wimbledon 1 0 Accrington Stanley BBC Sport Archived from the original on 4 December 2016 Retrieved 25 January 2021 Mitchell Brendon 18 May 2016 Accrington Stanley 2 2 Wimbledon BBC Sport Archived from the original on 8 November 2020 Retrieved 25 January 2021 Williams Adam Portsmouth 2 2 Plymouth Argyle BBC Sport Archived from the original on 3 December 2016 Retrieved 25 January 2021 Pilnick Brent 15 May 2016 Plymouth Argyle 1 0 Portsmouth BBC Sport Archived from the original on 4 December 2020 Retrieved 25 January 2021 Plymouth Argyle football club record v AFC Wimbledon 11v11 AFS Enterprises Archived from the original on 17 August 2015 Retrieved 25 January 2021 a b c Sky Bet League 2 Play Off Final Key Information English Football League 26 May 2016 Archived from the original on 29 September 2020 Retrieved 25 January 2021 a b Garry Tom 30 May 2016 How AFC Wimbledon won promotion 5 of 7 BBC Sport Retrieved 25 January 2021 Garry Tom 30 May 2016 How AFC Wimbledon won promotion 4 of 7 BBC Sport Retrieved 25 January 2021 Garry Tom 30 May 2016 How AFC Wimbledon won promotion 3 of 7 BBC Sport Retrieved 25 January 2021 Garry Tom 30 May 2016 How AFC Wimbledon won promotion 2 of 7 BBC Sport Archived from the original on 28 November 2019 Retrieved 25 January 2021 a b Garry Tom 30 May 2016 How AFC Wimbledon won promotion 1 of 7 BBC Sport Retrieved 25 January 2021 Adebayo Akinfenwa AFC Wimbledon icon released after play off final win BBC Sport 30 May 2016 Archived from the original on 30 May 2016 Retrieved 29 November 2017 League One table at close of 2016 17 season 11v11 AFS Enterprises Retrieved 25 January 2021 League Two 2016 2017 Regular season Soccerway Perform Group Archived from the original on 24 January 2021 Retrieved 25 January 2021 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 2016 Football League Two play off final amp oldid 1170272687, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
