2003 Football Conference play-off final
2003 Football Conference play-off final
On 10 May 2003, the first Football Conference play-off final decided the league’s second promotion place to the Football League. Dagenham & Redbridge faced Doncaster Rovers at the Britannia Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent. Referee was Andre Marriner and the attendance was 13,092.
Doncaster dominated early, with Daggers keeper Tony Roberts making several fine saves, including from Paul Barnes. Doncaster went ahead when Tim Ryan’s cross was headed in by Paul Green. Ten minutes into the second half, Dave Morley headed a second for Doncaster, which took a deflection off a Dagenham defender and into the post.
Dagenham pulled one back through Mark Stein from a Steve West knock-down, then levelled the match when Tarkan Mustafa ran at the defence and scored into the far corner.
Extra time followed, and Doncaster won the match with a golden goal (the Promotion Goal). Paul Barnes crossed for Francis Tierney to side-foot home, sending Doncaster back to the Football League. This remains the only occasion in UK football where promotion was decided by a golden goal. The pitch was later invaded by Doncaster fans, including someone wearing an oversized jester’s hat.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 09:12 (CET).