The referee for the final was Mike Dean and the game was played in front of 33,383 spectators on a very wet surface after persistent rain throughout the day.

Jason Lee gave the visitors the lead in the fifth minute with a header and missed two other chances to score before being stretchered off the pitch with a knee injury.

Mark Arber equalised for Barnet midway through the first half before Peterborough United had a goal disallowed: Andy Clarke's shot was goalbound but Dave Farrell applied the last touch from an offside position.

In the 68th minute, Clarke won the ball from Barnet defender Mike Basham and scored with a low left-footed strike, and the match ended 2–1 to Peterborough United.

Farrell gave the home side the lead in the 28th minute when he received the ball from Richard Scott and struck it into the Barnet net from around 25 yards (23 m).

He scored his and Peterborough United's second goal in the 70th minute in similar circumstances, shooting from distance past the Barnet goalkeeper Lee Harrison.

Hartlepool United's Craig Midgley went close after taking the ball round Darlington's goalkeeper Andy Collett but his shot was wide.

In front of their largest crowd for nine years, the home side took the lead in the ninth minute when Hartlepool defender Gary Strodder headed a cross from Darlington's Phil Brumwell into his own net for an own goal.

[9] Both matches between the sides during the regular season ended in home victories: Peterborough United won 4–2 at London Road in August 1999 while Darlington were 2–0 winners at Feethams the following February.

Four minutes after the interval, a slip from Neil Aspin allowed Clarke to shoot but the ball passed narrowly wide of the Darlington goalpost.

Gabbiadini then saw his shot saved by Peterborough United goalkeeper Mark Tyler in the 71st minute and then Liddle made a goal-saving tackle on Clarke who had taken the ball round Collett in the Darlington goal.

A minute later, the ball fell to Clarke from a header inside the Darlington penalty area and he scored on the rebound to make it 1–0 to Peterborough United.