At one point, after David Johnson scored his first goal, second place Manchester City were trailing to Blackburn, meaning that Ipswich would qualify for promotion automatically.

Dutchman Martijn Reuser was slated to replace him in the starting line-up, and John McGreal came back into the team following an ankle injury.

[11] Ipswich kicked off and immediately sought to press Barnsley, with David Johnson making a heavy challenge on goalkeeper Kevin Miller but injuring himself in the process.

Ipswich's first shot came on nine minutes from Mark Venus and gradually the East Anglian side regained confidence.

The teams exchanged challenges and chances until, in the twenty-second minute of the game, Johnson was replaced by substitute Richard Naylor.

Played to the far post by Jim Magilton, the ball was headed past Miller by Ipswich's 36-year-old defender Tony Mowbray to level the score.

Six minutes in, Ipswich's Marcus Stewart flicked a long ball on to Naylor who delayed his shot before passing it past Miller to make the score 2–1.

Further good work from Naylor saw his cross poorly cleared by Keith Brown, only for Jermaine Wright to miss the resulting chance to score.

Barnsley made their first substitution of the game on 60 minutes with South African Eric Tinkler being replaced by Geoff Thomas.

Ipswich narrowly missed extending their lead as Mowbray headed a Magilton cross wide, before Barnsley's second substitution, this time Macedonian international striker Georgi Hristov coming on to replace Dyer.

Mowbray was adjudged to have fouled Thomas as he moved through the box, and Hignett converted the penalty taking the score to 3–2 with just over ten minutes remaining.

[15] Match rules In a change from Barnsley's traditional kit of red top and white shorts, for the play-off final they wore an all-red strip.

"[18] Simon Barnes of The Times described the match as a "classic play-off final", noting that he had watched it at a hotel in Ipswich, adding "I didn't think such hysteria was legally permitted on licensed premises".