2006 Conference National play-off Final
| Event | Conference National 2005-06 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| After extra time | |||||||
| Date | 20 May 2006 | ||||||
| Venue | Walkers Stadium, Leicester | ||||||
| Referee | Dean Whitestone (Northumberland) | ||||||
| Attendance | 15,499 | ||||||
The 2005–06 Conference National Playoff Final took place on 20 May 2006 and was contested between Halifax Town and Hereford United. It was held at the Walkers Stadium, Leicester for the first time, the previous Playoff Finals having been held at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke. The result promoted Hereford to League Two while Halifax had to remain in the Conference.
Halifax went into the match having finished fourth in the 2005–06 Conference National with 75 points. They defeated Grays Athletic 5–4 on aggregate in the semi-final. Hereford went into the match having finished second for the third year in succession with 80 points. They had defeated Morecambe 4–3 on aggregate in the semi-final, although the second leg needed extra time to be decided.
Over 15,000 spectators attended the match, of which approximately 10,000 were Hereford fans. The match was televised live by Sky and then made available on DVD by Hereford United.
Both clubs no longer exist in the form that contested the final. Halifax Town AFC folded in 2008 and reformed as FC Halifax Town. Hereford United folded in 2014 and reformed as Hereford FC.
As early as the 6th minute there was controversy as Hereford captain Tamika Mkandawire handled the ball in his own penalty area, but the offence was not spotted by referee Dean Whitestone. Both teams had shots on target in the first 25 minutes before Halifax took the lead. Hereford had briefly been reduced to 10 men while Rob Purdie received treatment for a cut lip. While he was being treated, Greg Young's cross was not properly cleared and a lucky ricochet fell to Lewis Killeen, who curled a shot into the top corner from outside the area.
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