2009 Football League Championship play-off final
The 2009 Football League Championship play-off final was an association football match which was played on 25 May 2009 at Wembley Stadium, London, between Burnley and Sheffield United. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League. The top two teams of the 2008–09 Football League Championship season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth place in the table partook in play-off semi-finals; Sheffield United ended the season in third position while Burnley finished fifth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2009–10 season in the Premier League.
The match was played at Wembley Stadium.
Mike Dean (pictured in 2014) was a controversial selection as match referee.
Wade Elliott (pictured in 2012) scored the only goal of the game.
Burnley Football Club are a football club in Burnley, Lancashire, England. They compete in the Premier League, the first tier of English football, but will compete in the 2024–25 EFL Championship following relegation. Founded in 1882, the club was one of the first to become professional and subsequently put pressure on the Football Association to permit payments to players. The club entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1885–86 and was one of the 12 founder members of the Football League in 1888–89. From the 1950s until the 1970s, under chairman Bob Lord, the club became renowned for its youth policy and scouting system, and was one of the first to set up a purpose-built training ground.
Team photograph of the Championship-winning side of the 1920–21 season
Gawthorpe (2017 photograph) was one of the first purpose-built training grounds.
Wade Elliott's goal earned Burnley a 1–0 victory over Sheffield United in the 2009 Championship play-off final.
Manager Sean Dyche guided Burnley to two promotions to the Premier League.