Route To The Final
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 79 | 45 | 91 |
| 2. | Manchester City | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 40 | 89 |
| 3. | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 71 | 42 | 87 |
| 4. | Barnsley | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 88 | 67 | 82 |
Ipswich finished the regular 1999–2000 Football League season in third place in Division One, one place ahead of Barnsley. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic promotion places and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Ipswich were only two points behind Manchester City (who were promoted in second place) and league winners Charlton Athletic. Barnsley were in 4th place in the league table, a further five points behind Ipswich - they also finished as the highest scorers in the division with 88 goals.
On the final day of the league season Ipswich played Walsall, and won 2–0. At one point, second place Manchester City were trailing to Blackburn, meaning that Ipswich would qualify for promotion automatically. However, City eventually won the match and secured promotion, meaning Ipswich Town would be in the play-offs for the fourth consecutive year.
In the play-off semi-finals, Ipswich beat 6th-placed Bolton Wanderers 5–3 at Portman Road after a 2–2 draw in the first leg away at the Reebok Stadium, giving an aggregate score of 7–5. Barnsley won the first leg 4–0 away at St Andrew's and, despite losing the second leg 2–1 at Oakwell, reached the final 5–2 on aggregate.
| Barnsley | Round | Ipswich | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Result | Legs | Semi-finals | Opponent | Result | Legs |
| Birmingham City | 5–2 | 4–0 away; 1–2 home | Bolton Wanderers | 7–5 | 2–2 away; 5–3 (aet) home | |
Read more about this topic: 2000 Football League First Division Play-off Final
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