1989 Football League Third Division play-off Final

Event

1988–89 Football League
Third Division

Bristol Rovers	Port Vale

1	2

First leg

Bristol Rovers	Port Vale
1	1

Date

31 July 1989

Venue

Twerton Park, Bath

Attendance

9,042

Second leg

Port Vale	Bristol Rovers
1	0

Date

3 June 1989

Venue

Vale Park, Stoke-on-Trent

Attendance

17,343

← 1988

1990 →

The 1989 Football League Third Division play-off final was a two-legged football match played at on 31 May and 3 June 1989, to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Third Division to the Second Division of The Football League in the 1988–89 season. Port Vale faced Bristol Rovers. It was the final Third Division play-off final to be decided on a two leg basis. From 1990 onwards, matches would be decided at Wembley – or an appropriate national stadium.

Rovers' rivals Bristol City had been defeated in last year's play-off finals after losing the replay 4–0. It was the first time either Rovers or Vale played a play-off final. Rovers had easily disposed of Fulham and Vale had brushed aside Preston North End to reach the final.

The first leg finished 1–1, with Vale's talisman Robbie Earle equalising in the 73rd minute after Gary Penrice had given Rovers the lead in the first half. In the second leg, Earle was the hero once again, scoring the only goal of the game with a 52nd-minute header.

Port Vale had finished the 1988–89 Football League season in third place in Division Three, two places ahead of Rovers. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic promotion places and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Vale had finished level on points with second place Sheffield United, but their inferior goal difference cost them automatic promotion. Fulham took 4th, nine points below Vale and Rovers finished 5th, ten points behind the Vale. Over the course of 46 games both clubs had only lost ten games, Vale's superior goal scoring helped them to win five games more than Rovers.

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