The
2011 FA Trophy Final was the 42nd final of
the Football Association
The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...
's cup competition for levels 5–8 of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...
. The match was contested by
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
and
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
. Neither team had ever reached the FA trophy final before, and had only recently become eligible for the FA trophy after
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
were relegated from
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
and
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
were relegated from
League Two
The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...
in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
defeated
Worksop Town
Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop.
History First clu ...
,
Newport County,
Alfreton Town
Alfreton Town Football Club is a football club based in Alfreton, Derbyshire, England. The club are currently members of and play at North Street.
History
The club was formed in 1959 following the merger of Alfreton Miners Welfare and Alfr ...
,
Chasetown
Chasetown is a village in the town of Burntwood in Staffordshire, England. It is split between the civil parishes of Burntwood and Hammerwich.
History
Chasetown developed in the mid 19th century as a coal mining village. At first the village wa ...
, and
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
en route to the Final.
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
defeated
Tamworth,
Bath City
Bath City Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Bath, Somerset, England. The club is affiliated to the Somerset FA and currently competes in the National League South, the sixth tier of English football. The club have ...
,
A.F.C. Telford United
AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, the ...
,
Salisbury City, and
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...
en route to the final.
[Darlington Football Club & FL Interactive Ltd., 2011. Available at]
Access date 1 March 2011/ref>
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
won 1–0 in extra time
Overtime or extra time is an additional period of play specified under the rules of a sport to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played onl ...
, after the match had ended in a 0–0 draw
Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to:
Common uses
* Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them
* Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
. The goal was scored by Chris Senior in the 119th minute, seconds before the match was due to end in a penalty shoot-out
The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...
.
Route to the final
Mansfield Town
Darlington
Match
Summary
The final was played on 7 May 2011 at London's Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...
. Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
defeated Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they ...
1–0 after extra time, thanks to a goal from striker Chris Senior. This was the first time that Darlington had scored at Wembley in three visits to the national stadium.
The game was a particularly even affair with both sides carving out early chances. Darlington goalkeeper Sam Russell had to be alert early on to clear an Adam Murray
Adam David Murray (born 30 September 1981) is an English football manager and former professional footballer who is now manager of club AFC Fylde. A creative midfielder, he made over 500 appearances in a 17-year playing career in the Premier ...
pass which had sent Duncan Russell clean through on goal. At the other end, Alan Marriott did well to punch away a corner from Aaron Brown before Liam Hatch could get his head on it. In the 18th minute, a Mansfield corner was met by the head of former Darlington captain Steve Foster, but the ball sailed well over the bar. On 32 minutes, Gary Smith broke into the Mansfield, where he appeared to be brought down by Louis Briscoe
Louis Andrew Briscoe (born 2 April 1988) is an English professional footballer who plays for side Gresley Rovers. His playing position is primarily on the right wing, although he can play as a striker or on the left wing.
He started his car ...
. Referee Stuart Attwell, who was well placed, waved away the penalty appeals. Darlington suffered a blow on 38 minutes when Smith, who had been lively in midfield, limped off to be replaced by Aman Verma. The first half of the match concluded with the score at 0–0.
Despite Darlington dominating the opening exchanges of the second half, Mansfield created an excellent chance when Briscoe took on two players from the right and his cross-shot was deflected just over the bar by his team-mate Paul Connor.
After 58 minutes Darlington had an excellent chance to take the lead. John Campbell broke clear down the left hand side of the pitch and crossed low for Tommy Wright; the striker took too long, however, and Mansfield were able to clear for a corner. Both sides traded attacks, none of which came to much, before Darlington were awarded an 89th minute free-kick 25 yards out, following an unfair challenge on Verma. Marc Bridge-Wilkinson
Marc Bridge-Wilkinson (born 16 March 1979) is an English football coach and former player.
A left-sided midfielder and also a winger, he was known for his goal-scoring ability. He started his career at Derby County in 1998, but instead made hi ...
took the free-kick, which clattered against Marriott's right hand post, with the Mansfield 'keeper well beaten.
In the dying seconds of normal time, Bridge-Wilkinson crossed into the box where Wright headed wide with a diving attempt. When the whistle blew for the end of normal time, the match remained at 0–0.
Both teams created chances, during an extra time period marked by both teams increasing fatigue. During extra-time, Darlington replaced Bridge-Wilkinson with Paul Terry, while Mansfield brought on Danny Mitchley
Daniel Mitchley (born 7 October 1989) is an English footballer who plays as a forward for Skelmersdale United.
Career From youth team to first team at Blackpool
Born in Liverpool, Mitchley played at Skelmersdale United until he was 15 years o ...
for Murray. During a fraught final period of extra time Mansfield threatened when Ashley Cain's cross reached the far post where Connor headed narrowly over the bar. Then, eight minutes from time, Chris Moore forced a Darlington corner. Brown took it and Wright headed against the post, before Ian Miller Ian Miller may refer to:
*Ian Miller (Australian footballer) (born 1949), Australian rules footballer
* Ian Miller (footballer, born 1983), English footballer
*Ian Miller (footballer, born 1955), Scottish footballer
*Ian Miller (illustrator) (born ...
forced a fine save from Marriott.
As a penalty shoot-out loomed over the match, Darlington created one last chance. In the 119th minute, an Aaron Brown long throw was flicked on by Miller and found Wright, who got to the ball ahead of Marriott to send a looping header towards the Mansfield goal. The ball hit the bar before falling to Chris Senior who headed into the roof of the net to send the Darlington fans into raptures and secure an FA Trophy final victory for Darlington.
Details
See also
2011 FA Trophy: Match Highlights
References
{{Darlington F.C.
FA Trophy Finals
FA Trophy Final
Fa Trophy Final
Fa Trophy Final 2011
Fa Trophy Final 2011
Events at Wembley Stadium