1989 Football League Second Division play-off Final

1989 Football League Second Division play-off Final

The match programme covers for each leg
Event	1988–89 Football League Second Division
Blackburn Rovers Crystal Palace 3 4
First leg
Blackburn Rovers Crystal Palace 3 1
Date	31 May 1989 (1989-05-31)
Venue	Ewood Park, Blackburn
Referee	Joe Worrall
Attendance	16,421
Second leg
Crystal Palace Blackburn Rovers 3 0
After extra time
Date	3 June 1989 (1989-06-03)
Venue	Selhurst Park, London
Referee	George Courtney
Attendance	30,000
← 1988 1990 →

The 1989 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match contested by Blackburn Rovers and Crystal Palace over two legs; the first at Ewood Park in Blackburn and the second at Selhurst Park in London. The matches were played to decide the third and final team to be promoted from the Football League Second Division to the Football League First Division for the 1989–90 season.

Blackburn Rovers won the first leg 3–1. After 90 minutes of the return leg Crystal Palace were winning 2–0, this forced the game to go to extra time where a further goal from Palace meant they won 4–3 on aggregate and were promoted to the top division of the English football league system after an eight-year absence. Blackburn remained in the Second Division for a tenth consecutive season.

The teams who finished first and second in the 1988–89 Football League Second Division were promoted automatically and the teams from third to sixth entered the play-offs to determine the third promoted team.

Blackburn Rovers finished fifth in the league and were drawn to play fourth-placed Watford. The first leg was at Ewood Park and ended in a scoreless draw. In the return leg at Vicarage Road Neil Redfearn scored for the hosts and Simon Garner for the visitors. A 1–1 draw was enough for Blackburn to progress to the final on the away goals rule.