2001 Florida's 1st congressional district special election, General election, Campaign
Political commentators widely expected that Miller, who had previously represented parts of the 1st District in the state legislature, would easily triumph over Briese and John G. Ralls, Jr., a podiatrist running as an independent candidate, given the district's strong conservative lean. Nevertheless, to promote his campaign, Briese walked 100 miles across the district. He campaigned on his service in the military, which he argued was particularly important in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, which occurred a little more than a month before the election.


2001 Florida's 1st congressional district special election, General election, Campaign
Given the location of seven military installations in the district, including Pensacola Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base, Briese emphasized both his experience in the military and his time working as a contractor on repair projects for some of the bases. Miller, meanwhile, emphasized his support for then-President George W. Bush, saying, "Our president needs a partner in the 1st Congressional District. I am ready to be that partner." However, all three candidates announced their support for then-President George W. Bush's leadership in the War on Terror.


2001 Florida's 1st congressional district special election, General election, Campaign
Ultimately, owing to the conservative nature of the district, Miller defeated Briese and Ralls in a landslide, and won his first term in Congress.


2001 Food City 500
The 2001 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. It was held on March 25, 2001 at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. The 500-lap race was won by Elliott Sadler for the Wood Brothers Racing team; it was Sadler's first win in the Winston Cup Series and Wood Brothers Racing first since 1993. John Andretti finished second and Jeremy Mayfield came in third.


2001 Food City 500, Report, Background
The track, Bristol Motor Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. Its standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long. The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the back stretch are banked from six to ten degrees.


2001 Food City 500, Report, Background
Before the race Dale Jarrett led the Drivers' Championship with 756 points, with Sterling Marlin and Johnny Benson, Jr. tied for second place with 691 points each. Jeff Gordon and Steve Park rounded out the top five, and Ricky Rudd, Rusty Wallace, Michael Waltrip, Bill Elliott and Ken Schrader rounded out the top ten. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet led with 42 points; Ford was second with 31 points. Pontiac was third with 19 points, with Dodge a close fourth with 17 points. Wallace was the race's defending champion.


2001 Football League Cup Final
The 2001 Football League Cup Final was a football match played between Birmingham City and Liverpool on 25 February 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2000–01 Football League Cup, the 41st season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in the Premier League and The Football League. Liverpool were appearing in their eighth final; they had previously won six and lost two, while Birmingham were there for the second time. They had previously beaten Aston Villa in the 1963 final.


2001 Football League Cup Final
As Birmingham were in the Football League, they played two more rounds than Liverpool, who received a bye in the first and second round. Therefore, Birmingham progressed through six rounds to reach the final, whereas Liverpool progressed through four. The majority of Liverpool's matches were comfortable victories. They won all their ties by at least three goals except for their third round match with Chelsea, which they won 2–1. Birmingham matches ranged from comfortable victories to close affairs. They won their first round tie with Southend United 5–0, while their fourth round victory over Newcastle United was 2–1.


2001 Football League Cup Final
Liverpool won the match 5–4 on penalties after 90 minutes of normal time and 30 minutes of extra time could not split the two sides. Liverpool opened the scoring with a 25-yard long range shot from Robbie Fowler in the 30th minute and appeared to be heading for a win in normal time until Birmingham equalised in injury-time with a penalty from Darren Purse, after Martin O'Connor was brought down by Stéphane Henchoz. Birmingham thought they had a valid claim for a second penalty in extra time, only for referee David Elleray to turn it down, taking the game to a penalty shoot-out, the first such penalty shoot-out in a major English domestic cup final (excluding Charity Shield matches).


2001 Football League Cup Final
The victory was Liverpool's first major trophy in six years, since winning the same competition in 1995. The club would also go on to win the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup in a unique treble of trophies in 2001.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Birmingham City
As Birmingham were in the First Division, they entered the competition in the first round. They were drawn against Southend United. Birmingham won the first leg at Southend's home ground Roots Hall 5–0, courtesy of goals from Nicky Eaden, Marcelo, Michael Johnson, Dele Adebola and Bryan Hughes. The second leg at Birmingham's home ground, St Andrew's finished 0–0, with Birmingham progressing to the second round with a 5–0 aggregate victory. Second Division team Wycombe Wanderers were the opposition in the second round.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Birmingham City
Birmingham established a three-goal lead by the 24th minute, courtesy of an own goal by Paul McCarthy, with goals from Johnson and striker Geoff Horsfield. However, by the 86th minute Wycombe had levelled the match with goals from Andy Rammell, Andy Baird and Jamie Bates. Parity was short-lived, as Birmingham scored a minute later through striker Andrew Johnson to win the first leg 4–3. Birmingham won the second leg at St Andrew's 1–0, courtesy of a Peter Ndlovu goal to win the tie 5–3 on aggregate.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Birmingham City
Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur were the opposition in the third round. Birmingham took the lead in the match held at Tottenham's home ground, White Hart Lane, in the 15th minute when Adebola scored. He scored again in the 28th minute and a goal from Mark Burchill in the 45th minute gave Birmingham a 3–0 lead at half-time. Tottenham pulled a goal back through a penalty kick scored by Darren Anderton, but they were unable to level the match and Birmingham won 3–1.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Birmingham City
They faced Premier League team Newcastle United in the fourth round, with the match held at St Andrew's. Newcastle took the lead in the 14th minute when Kieron Dyer scored, but Birmingham equalised in the 31st minute when Adebola scored. The match remained level until the final minute when Michael Johnson scored to give Birmingham a 2–1 victory. Fellow First Division team Sheffield Wednesday were the opposition in the quarter-finals. Birmingham won the match 2–0, courtesy of goals from Danny Sonner and Adebola.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Birmingham City
Birmingham were drawn against Premier League team Ipswich Town in the semi-finals. The first leg held at Ipswich's home ground, Portman Road, was won by the home side. A Marcus Stewart penalty secured a 1–0 victory. Birmingham took the lead in the second leg at St Andrew's when Horsfield scored in the 43rd minute. He scored again in the 55th minute, but Ipswich striker James Scowcroft scored a minute later. No further goals were scored up to full-time with the score at 2–1, but with the tie level at 2–2, it went to extra-time. Goals from Martin Grainger and Andrew Johnson secured a 4–1 victory and a 4–2 aggregate win to send Birmingham into the final.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
As Liverpool were competing in the Premier League, they entered the competition in the third round and were drawn against fellow Premier League team Chelsea. Liverpool took the lead in the match held at their home ground, Anfield, when midfielder Danny Murphy scored. Chelsea striker Gianfranco Zola equalised soon afterwards. Neither side was able to score a winning goal before full-time and the match went to extra time. Despite striker Emile Heskey being sent off for a clash with Winston Bogarde, striker Robbie Fowler scored to give Liverpool a 2–1 victory.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
Liverpool were drawn against Second Division side Stoke City in the fourth round. The match held at Stoke's home ground, the Britannia Stadium resulted in an eight-goal victory for Liverpool. Fowler scored a hat-trick, with Murphy, Christian Ziege, Vladimir Smicer, Nick Barmby and Sami Hyypiä scoring in the victory. Liverpool's opponents in the quarter-finals were First Division team Fulham. The match remained goalless throughout 90 minutes, with no goals scored until extra-time when Michael Owen, Smicer and Barmby scored to secure a 3–0 victory.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Route to the final, Liverpool
First Division team Crystal Palace were Liverpool's opposition in the semi-finals. The first leg at Palace's home ground, Selhurst Park, was won 2–1 by the home side. Goals from Andrejs Rubins and Clinton Morrison, despite a late goal by Smicer secured the victory. Liverpool recovered in the second leg, winning 5–0. Two goals from Murphy, with goals for Smicer, Biscan and Fowler secured a 5–0 victory, which mean they won the tie 7–2 on aggregate to progress to the final.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
In October 2000, Wembley Stadium, the final's traditional venue, was closed in anticipation of major redevelopment. The decision was made to stage the final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The chief executive of the Football League, David Burns, stated: "The stadium was always our first choice. I am absolutely certain it will provide a first-class venue for our games."


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
Liverpool were appearing in their eighth final they had won five (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995) and lost two (1978, 1987). This was Birmingham's second appearance in the final. They beat local rivals Aston Villa 3–1 over two legs in the 1963 final. The sides had previously met three times in the competition, Liverpool won the first match in the 1980–81 Football League Cup 3–1, while their fourth round tie in the 1983–84 Football League Cup, resulted in a 3–0 victory for Liverpool in a replay after the original match finished 1–1. Both occasions resulted in Liverpool going on to win the competition. Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was hosting the final for the first time; it took over as the venue for the event while the new Wembley Stadium underwent a six-year renovation between 2001 and 2006.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
Liverpool's last match before the final was the second leg tie in the fourth round of the 2000–01 UEFA Cup against Italian team Roma. Liverpool lost the match 1–0, but progressed to the quarter-finals, as result of their 2–0 victory in the first leg. Birmingham faced Preston North End in the First Division before the final. They won the match 2–0 courtesy of goals from Grainger and Andrew Johnson.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
After the victory, Birmingham manager Trevor Francis stated that his main aim for the season was to win promotion to the Premier League: "By five o'clock on Sunday we will have either won or lost the final, but there will still be 45 points to play for in the Nationwide First Division."


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier was eager to win his first trophy at the club: "We always take each competition seriously, we have a duty to ourselves and to our supporters. I have made it clear throughout this run that when there is a place in Europe on offer it is important to try and get it. I have always stressed that we want to get into the Champions League this season. But I believe our chances of doing that will improve if we win the Worthington Cup.


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
If that were to happen, we would be able to concentrate on our remaining league games under less pressure, which would be a huge help." Striker Fowler was delighted to be in the final, despite not being held at Wembley: "It doesn't matter that it's not at Wembley, it could be in my mate's back garden. It's a long time since we qualified for a final, we're just pleased to have one after all this time. The result will be so important, hopefully it will be a starting point for us."


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
Francis was pleasantly surprised that Birmingham had reached the final: "It has always been my ambition to take this club to the Premiership, getting to a cup final is not something I ever thought would happen. When you enter a competition as a First Division team, you hope for a good run but you don't realistically think you can get to the final. So to actually succeed in getting this far, becoming only the second Birmingham manager to do so, has given me unbelievable pleasure, it really has."


2001 Football League Cup Final, Match, Background
Defender Grainger was delighted to have reached the final: "Some players never get through to a major final in their careers and you could see that a few of our lads were choked up immediately after the semi-final when they realised what we had achieved. For most of us the final will probably be the biggest game we will ever face. We've got a chance of winning a trophy and will give it our best shot."


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final
The 2001 Football League First Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 28 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Bolton Wanderers and Preston North End. The match was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League First Division, the second tier of English football, to the Premier League.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final
The top two teams of the 2000–01 Football League First Division season gained automatic promotion to the Premier League, while the clubs placed from third to sixth position in the table took part in play-off semi-finals; Bolton Wanderers ended the season in third position while Preston North End finished fourth. The winners of these semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2001–02 season in the Premier League. Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion were the losing semi-finalists. Winning the final was estimated by the UK media to be worth up to £30 million to the successful team.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final
Played in front of a crowd of 54,328, the 2001 final was refereed by Uriah Rennie. Bolton took an early lead through Gareth Farrelly with a shot from outside the Preston penalty area. Second-half substitute Michael Ricketts doubled their lead late in the second half before Ricardo Gardner scored a third when he ran from inside his own half and shot past David Lucas in the Preston goal. The match ended 3–0 and saw Bolton promoted to the Premier League after a three-year absence.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final
Despite being favourites for relegation in their following season, Bolton finished sixteenth in the Premier League, two places above the relegation zone. Preston ended their next campaign in eighth place in the First Division, two places below the 2002 Football League play-offs.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Bolton Wanderers finished the regular 2000–01 season in third place in the Football League First Division, the second tier of the English football league system, one place and nine points ahead of Preston North End. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the Premier League and instead took part in the play-offs, along with Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion, to determine the third promoted team. Bolton finished four points behind Blackburn Rovers (who were promoted in second place) and fourteen behind league winners Fulham.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Preston faced Birmingham City in their play-off semi-final, with the first match of the two-legged tie taking part at St Andrew's in Birmingham on 13 May 2001. After a goalless first half in which Birmingham's Marcelo hit the Preston crossbar, Nicky Eaden put the home side ahead in the 54th minute. David Healy's strike 20 minutes later was saved by Ian Bennett in Birmingham's goal, while Darren Purse's late header went wide from 6 yards (5.5 m) ensuring  the game ended 1–0 to Birmingham. The second leg of the semi-final was played four days later at Preston's Deepdale.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Midway through the first half, Healy's strike high into the Birmingham net levelled the aggregate score. Five minutes into the second half, Danny Sonner's header struck the home side's crossbar and in the 59th minute, Geoff Horsfield gave Birmingham the lead overall when he converted a cross from Stan Lazaridis at the far post. Preston were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute after a Sonner handball, but Graham Alexander's spot-kick hit the bar.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
A late shot from Lazaridis rolled along Preston's goal line before Birmingham conceded an injury-time goal from Mark Rankine to make it 2–2 on aggregate and send the match into extra time. No goals were scored during the additional period, so a penalty shootout decided the match:  Marcelo and Purse both missed their spot-kicks for Birmingham and although Preston's Rob Edwards saw his effort also go awry, Paul McKenna's converted shot ensured Preston won the shootout 4–2 to progress to the final.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Bolton's opponents were West Bromwich Albion and the first leg of their play-off semi-final was hosted at The Hawthorns in West Bromwich on 13 May 2001. West Bromwich Albion dominated most of the match but it was not until a minute before half time that they took the lead with a goal from Jason Roberts who ran onto a Richard Sneekes pass and struck the ball past Matt Clarke in the Bolton goal.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Ten minutes into the second half, Colin Hendry brought Roberts down and conceded a penalty which was converted by Lee Hughes to make it 2–0 to West Bromwich Albion. With less than ten minutes remaining, Guðni Bergsson scored with a header from Bo Hansen's corner to reduce the deficit. In the 88th minute, West Bromwich Albion's Tony Butler fouled Hansen to concede a penalty which was converted by Per Frandsen, and the match ended 2–2. The return leg of the semi-final was played four days later at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Bergsson opened the scoring for the home side after ten minutes, converting a free kick from Simon Charlton. In the 63rd minute, Ricardo Gardner doubled Bolton's lead on the day with a goal after running on to a pass from Anthony Barness. A last-minute goal from Michael Ricketts secured Bolton a 3–0 victory, and a 5–2 aggregate win and progression to the final.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
The 2001 Football League First Division play-off Final was Bolton's third appearance in the second tier play-off final: they had lost 2–0 in the 1999 final at Wembley Stadium against Watford and had defeated Reading 4–3 after extra time in the 1995 final. They had also lost to Ipswich Town 7–5 on aggregate in the previous season's play-offs. Preston were making their first appearance in the second tier play-off final, although they had lost 4–2 at Wembley against Wycombe Wanderers in the 1994 Third Division play-off Final.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Jon Macken was Preston's top scorer in the league throughout the regular season with 19 goals, while Ricketts was Bolton's leading marksman, also with 19. Bolton had last played in the top tier in the 1997–98 season when they were relegated on goal difference. Preston had not featured in the highest division in English football since their relegation in the 1960–61 season. This was the culmination of their first season back in the First Division, having been promoted from the Second Division the previous season. In the regular season, Bolton won both matches between the teams, with a 2–0 victory at home in August 2000 and a win by the same scoreline on New Year's Day in 2001.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
The referee for the match was Uriah Rennie representing the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association. Prior to the final, former Preston player Mark Lawrenson noted: "If we go up it will be a great boost. And even if we go straight down again, we'll still get half the Premiership TV money for two years afterwards". Eamonn McCann, writing in the Sunday Tribune, called the fixture "a victory for tradition", suggesting it would be a "rare and relaxed experience for faithful lovers of football".


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
The Bolton manager Sam Allardyce suggested his team's experience would stand them in good stead for the final: "I hope we can draw on our experience ... If we can do that then we have a fantastic chance of getting the victory we want". His side's supporters were allocated the Canton End of the Millennium Stadium which had hosted fans of every winning side during the period when the play-off finals were played there as a substitute location for Wembley Stadium between 2001 and 2006. Bolton's Paul Warhurst had recovered from a hamstring injury and was available for selection.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Preston's manager David Moyes was expecting the return of three injured players in Rankine, Michael Jackson and Richard Cresswell. According to the UK media, victory in the final was expected to be worth around £30 million to the winning team. The presidents of both clubs, Tom Finney and Nat Lofthouse, were in attendance to watch the match.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Bolton kicked off the match at 3 p.m. on 28 May 2001 in front of a Millennium Stadium crowd of 54,328. On five minutes, the first chance fell to Preston's Macken whose header from a Healy cross was straight at Clarke in the Bolton goal. Four minutes later, a Lee Cartwright cross found Healy at the near post but the opportunity was blocked by Hendry. Preston then had two successive corners, both cleared, before Bolton took the lead in the 16th minute.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
A long free kick was poorly cleared and allowed Gareth Farrelly to shoot from just outside the Preston penalty area, past David Lucas, to make it 1–0. Lucas then saved a Dean Holdsworth chance before a Bergsson header at the far post went over the goal. Bolton's domination of the game continued, and in the 32nd minute, Gardner's shot across goal was saved by Lucas. Eight minutes later, a low cross from Farrelly into the box was cleared by Preston's defence. With two minutes of the first half remaining, a mistake from Alexander allowed Hansen to take a snap shot which passed just over the Preston crossbar.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Neither side made any changes during the half-time interval and Preston kicked off the second half. Two minutes in, Holdsworth made a run down the right and passed to Barness whose shot was too high. A minute later, a weak effort from Rankine was easily saved by Clarke. Preston began to exert pressure on Bolton with Healy in particular causing problems. In the 62nd minute, Farrelly passed to Holdsworth whose shot into the bottom left-hand corner was saved by Lucas. Three minutes later, an effort from Rankine went wide of the Bolton goal.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Preston then made the first substitution of the game, with Iain Anderson coming on to replace Cartwright. In the 68th minute, Healy was denied by Clarke in the Bolton goal with a save low to his left. Bolton made their first change in the 70th minute, Hansen being substituted for Ricketts, with Allardyce changing his team's formation to a more defensive 4–4–2 from 4–3–3. Nine minutes later, Robbie Elliott came on in place of Frandsen for Bolton and in the 82nd minute, Preston made their second substitution, with Cresswell replacing McKenna.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Two minutes later Clarke punched away a Healy cross to concede a corner from which Cresswell failed to capitalise from close range on a missed clearance. On 86 minutes, Ricketts hit the side netting with a shot and Preston responded with Sean Gregan striking over the Bolton bar. In the 89th minute, Ricketts doubled Bolton's lead, taking the ball from Farrelly, rounding the goalkeeper and passing into an empty net. In the first minute of injury time, Mike Whitlow came on for Bolton to replace Holdsworth, before Gardner increased their lead. He dispossessed Alexander in the Bolton half, went past a tiring Colin Murdock, and scored, making it 3–0 and securing Bolton's promotion to the Premier League.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
Allardyce, the winning manager, was elated: "I can't quite put what I feel into words ... I feel like the world has come off my shoulders. It is a phenomenal achievement." Reflecting on his side's defensive competence, he continued: "I think that's our 20th clean sheet of the season and that's the secret of our success – soaking up the pressure and hitting them on the break". Moyes agreed with his counterpart's pre-match assessment: "The difference was experience ... I hope we'll learn from it and come back again".


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
He continued: "When you lose the last game of the season you think the season has been a failure – but it's been a wonderful season". He conceded that Bolton had deserved the victory, noting "I was happy to go in at the interval only one down ... I don't think it was stage fright, we just kept giving the ball away." The Guardian reported that Holdsworth was the man of the match. Farrelly, whose goal for Everton condemned Bolton to relegation three years prior, was relieved: "I was so delighted to see that goal go in.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
I got the goal that sent them down three years ago, and it is fair to say it has been mentioned since I signed". Lofthouse, described by the BBC as a "Bolton legend" said: "They played great, those lads, they were first class, every one of them ... It's the proudest moment – though there's one moment that beats it and that's when we won the FA Cup in '58." Bookmakers immediately made Bolton favourites to be relegated from the Premier League the following season. Bolton's Bergsson had intended to retire at the end of the season to follow a legal career in Iceland, but after securing promotion his postponed this decision, and went on to make 30 Premier League appearances the next season.


2001 Football League First Division play-off Final, Post-match
In their following season, Bolton finished sixteenth in the Premier League, two places and four points above the relegation zone. Moyes left Preston in March 2002 to join Premier League club Everton and was replaced on an interim basis by Kelham O'Hanlon before Craig Brown was appointed the following month. Preston ended their next campaign in eighth place in the First Division, two places and three points below the play-offs.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 27 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Walsall and Reading. It was to determine the third and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Second Division to the First Division. The top two teams of the 2000–01 Football League Second Division league, Millwall and Rotherham United, gained automatic promotion to the First Division, while the teams placed from third to sixth place in the table took part in play-offs.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2001–02 season in the First Division. The losing semi-finalists were Wigan Athletic and Stoke City who had been defeated by Reading and Walsall respectively. It was the first season that the play-off finals were contested at the Millennium Stadium during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The match was refereed by Eddie Wolstenholme in front of a crowd of 50,496. Reading took the lead through Jamie Cureton half an hour into the game with a volley that crept over the line having struck Jimmy Walker in the Walsall goal. The half ended with the score 1–0 to Reading. Three minutes into the second half, Walsall levelled the game after Don Goodman scored from an Andy Tillson header. With the score 1–1 after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
Less than a minute into the first half of extra time, Martin Butler's header from a James Harper throw-in put Reading 2–1 ahead. In the 107th minute, substitute Tony Rougier was credited with an own goal after a clearance from Barry Hunter deflected off him into the Reading goal. Two minutes later, Ian Brightwell passed to Darren Byfield who turned and scored with a low shot which beat Phil Whitehead in the Reading goal. The match ended 3–2 and Walsall were promoted to the First Division.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final
Walsall ended the following season in 18th place in the First Division table, four places and two points above the relegation zone, securing safety with three wins in their last four games. Reading's next season saw them gain automatic promotion to the First Division after finishing in second place.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Reading finished the regular 2000–01 season in third place in the Second Division, the third tier of the English football league system, one place ahead of Walsall. Both therefore missed out on the two automatic places for promotion to the First Division and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the third promoted team. Reading finished five points behind Rotherham United (who were promoted in second place) and seven behind league winners Millwall. Walsall ended the season five points behind Reading.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Walsall faced Stoke City in their play-off semi-final with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at the Britannia Stadium on 13 May 2001. Both sides had numerous chances to score, with Walsall's Don Goodman missing at least three opportunities. Stoke substitute Ben Petty who had come on as a substitute for Stoke was sent off in the 84th minute for a foul on Pedro Matías, and the game ended goalless. The second leg of the semi-final was played three days later at the Bescot Stadium in Walsall.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
In the 31st minute, Stoke's Graham Kavanagh scored with a volley from a Ríkharður Daðason header. Tom Bennett's inswinging corner was fumbled by Gavin Ward, the Stoke goalkeeper, and ended in the goal to level the scores. Two minutes after half time, Matías put Walsall ahead and three minutes later, a free kick from Dean Keates eluded Ward to make it 3–1. Matías scored his second of the match before a consolation goal from Peter Thorne ended the match 4–2 and Walsall progressed to the final.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Reading's opposition for their play-off semi-final was Wigan Athletic and the first leg was played at the JJB Stadium in Wigan on 13 May 2001. Andy Liddell missed a number of chances for the home side before Roy Carroll saved headers from Reading's Barry Hunter and Phil Parkinson within the space of a minute;  the match ended 0–0. The second leg of the semi-final took place at the Madejski Stadium in Reading three days later. Kevin Nicholls put Wigan ahead midway through the first half with a shot from 20 yards (18 m) after being set up by Scott Green.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Their side held the lead until the 86th minute when Martin Butler scored from close range after Carroll had deflected Nicky Forster's cross. In the last minute of the game, Forster was awarded a penalty after being fouled by Kevin Sharp. Jamie Cureton took the spot kick but his shot was saved by Carroll, and Forster scored, to make it 2–1 and ensured Reading qualified for the final.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Reading had played in the third tier of English football since they were relegated from the First Division in the 1997–98 season. They had featured in a play-off final on one previous occasion when they lost 4–3 to Bolton Wanderers in the 1995 Football League First Division play-off Final. Walsall had been relegated to the Second Division the previous season. They had also played in one play-off final, winning the 1988 Football League Third Division play-off Final against Bristol City after a replay.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Reading's top scorers during the regular season were Cureton with 28 goals (26 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup and 1 in the League Cup) and Butler with 26 (24 in the league and 2 in the FA Cup). For Walsall, Leitão had scored 21 (18 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup and 2 in the League Cup) while Angell had 13 (12 in the league and 1 in the FA Cup). During the regular season meetings between the sides, Walsall won the game at the Bescot Stadium 2–1 in November 2000 while the clubs played out a 2–2 draw at the Madejski Stadium the following April.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Background
According to Martin Thorpe writing in The Guardian, Walsall had spent £185,000 on players compared to £3.1 million by Reading. The referee for the match was Eddie Wolstenholme. Both teams adopted a 4–4–2 formation. As a result of the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium, it was the first time the English Football League play-offs had taken place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
The match kicked off around 3 p.m. on 27 May 2001 in front of a crowd of 50,496. The game was goalless for the first half-hour and then Reading took the lead through Cureton. James Harper crossed the ball into Walsall's six-yard area, and it was headed on by Jim McIntyre. It fell to Cureton 8 yards (7.3 m) out and he volleyed it straight at Jimmy Walker in the Walsall goal. Walker parried the ball but it rolled into the goal to make it 1–0.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Soon after, McIntyre's header from Sammy Igoe's cross hit the Walsall crossbar with Walker beaten. The half ended with the score 1–0 to Reading. No personnel changes were made by either side during the interval. In the 45th minute, Walsall's Tony Barras was shown the first yellow card of the match.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Three minutes into the second half, Walsall levelled the game. Matías' cross was headed back across goal by Andy Tillson and Goodman sidefooted it into the Reading goal. In the 65th minute, Reading made their first substitution of the game with Igoe being replaced by Forster. Sixteen minutes later Tony Rougier came on in place of Reading's McIntyre. With five minutes of regular time remaining, Parkinson became the first Reading player to be booked. With the score 1–1 after 90 minutes, the match went into extra time.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Less than a minute into the first half of extra time, Butler's header from a Harper throw-in found the back of the Walsall net to put Reading 2–1 ahead. Midway through the half, Walsall made a triple substitution, Paul Hall, Leitão and Bennett being replaced by Matt Gadsby, Darren Byfield and Gábor Bukrán respectively. In the 107th minute, Rougier was credited with an own goal after a clearance from Hunter deflected off him into the Reading goal. Two minutes later, Ian Brightwell passed to Byfield who was 25 yards (23 m) away from goal. He turned and advanced on goal, and struck a low shot which beat Phil Whitehead in the Reading goal. The match ended 3–2 and Walsall were promoted to the First Division.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Post-match
The Walsall manager Ray Graydon said: "it was not a classic game but it was a fantastic day." His opposite number Alan Pardew suggested his team should "come through it stronger". Graydon left Walsall in January 2002 with the club in 22nd place in the First Division table. The club's owner Jeff Bonser described the victory at the Millennium Stadium as the greatest day in the history of Walsall F.C.


2001 Football League Second Division play-off Final, Post-match
Walsall ended the following season in 18th place in the First Division table, four places and two points above the relegation zone, securing safety with three wins in their last four games of the season. Reading's next season saw them gain automatic promotion to the First Division after finishing in second place.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The 2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final was an association football match which was played on 26 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, between Blackpool and Leyton Orient. It was to determine the fourth and final team to gain promotion from the Football League Third Division to the Second Division. The top three teams of the 2000–01 Football League Third Division, Brighton & Hove Albion, Cardiff City and Chesterfield, gained automatic promotion to the Second Division, while those placed from fourth to seventh place in the table took part in play-offs.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The winners of the play-off semi-finals competed for the final place for the 2001–02 season in the Second Division. The losing semi-finalists were Hartlepool United and Hull City who had been defeated by Blackpool and Leyton Orient respectively. It was the first season that the play-off finals were contested at the Millennium Stadium during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
The match was refereed by David Pugh in front of a crowd of 23,600. After 27 seconds, an error from Blackpool's goalkeeper Phil Barnes following a backpass from Brian Reid allowed Chris Tate to score, putting Leyton Orient into an early lead. In the 35th minute, the scores were level as Ian Hughes headed in Paul Simpson's corner to make it 1–1. Two minutes later, Houghton restored Leyton Orient's lead with a strike from around 20 yards (18 m) which beat Barnes.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
A minute before half-time, Blackpool equalised once again as Reid converted Gary Parkinson's cross, and the half ended 2–2. With 13 minutes of the match remaining, Blackpool took the lead for the first time, after Simpson scored following Brett Ormerod's through ball. In the 88th minute Omerod converted a cross from John Hills from around 6 yards (5.5 m) to make it 4–2 to Blackpool who secured promotion to the Second Division.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final
Blackpool ended their following season in sixteenth position in the Second Division, five places and twelve points ahead of the relegation zone. Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in eighteenth place in the Third Division.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Leyton Orient finished the regular 2000–01 season in fifth position in the Third Division, the fourth tier of the English football league system, two places and three points ahead of Blackpool. Both therefore missed out on the three automatic places for promotion to the Second Division and instead took part in the play-offs to determine the fourth promoted team. Leyton Orient finished three points behind Chesterfield (who were promoted in third place, despite having been deducted nine points for financial irregularities), fourteen behind Cardiff City and twenty-four behind league winners Brighton & Hove Albion. Blackpool were in fifteenth position in the league in mid-November and secured their play-off place on the final day of the season. Leyton Orient lost just one of their final eleven league matches prior to the play-offs.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Route to the final
Blackpool's opponents in their play-off semi-final were Hartlepool United with the first match of the two-legged tie taking place at Bloomfield Road in Blackpool on 13 May 2001. After a goalless first half, the home side took the lead on the hour mark when Brett Ormerod received a pass from Gary Parkinson and struck the ball past Hartlepool goalkeeper Anthony Williams. Seventeen minutes later Ormerod scored his and Blackpool's second goal to secure a 2–0 victory. The return leg was held three days later at Victoria Park in Hartlepool.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Route to the final
The visitors took the lead in the 21st minute when Ormerod headed a free kick from Parkinson past Williams. Three minutes into the second half, Hartlepool made it 1–1 when Kevin Henderson scored with a volley from Paul Stephenson's pass. John Hills restored Blackpool's lead a minute later when he headed Ormerod's cross in before Jermaine Easter, a second-half substitute for Hartlepool, was sent off for a foul on Brian Reid. In the 67th minute, Richie Wellens passed to Hills whose cross was converted by Ormerod  to make it 3–1. Blackpool secured a 5–1 aggregate victory and progressed to the final.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Route to the final
In the second semi-final, Leyton Orient faced Hull City and the first match was played at Boothferry Park, Hull's home ground, on 13 May 2001. The first half ended goalless with the best chance coming when a flick-on from Kevin Francis found Mark Greaves whose shot struck the Leyton Orient crossbar. John Eyer came on as a substitute for Francis midway through the second half and within minutes had put Hull ahead. Leyton Orient failed to clear a Hull corner and Eyre's shot from the edge of the penalty area beat Ashley Bayes to make it 1–0.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Route to the final
The second leg took place three days later at Brisbane Road in Leyton. The home side took the lead a minute before half-time when Steve Watts headed in a cross from Scott Houghton from around 10 yards (9.1 m). Leyton Orient dominated the game and doubled their lead midway through the second half when Matt Lockwood scored from 30 yards (27 m) direct from a free kick. It gave them a 2–1 aggregate victory and saw them progress to the final.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Background
This was Blackpool's fourth appearance in the play-offs and their third final: they lost to Torquay United on penalties in the 1991 Football League Fourth Division play-off Final at the old Wembley Stadium and defeated Scunthorpe United in a penalty shootout in the following season's final. Blackpool had been relegated to the fourth tier of English football the previous season and were aiming for an immediate return to the Second Division.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Background
Leyton Orient were making their third appearance in the final of the play-offs, and had won just once, in the 1989 Football League Fourth Division play-off Final which was played over two legs against Wrexham. Orient's defeat came in the 1999 Football League Third Division play-off Final against Scunthorpe United at the old Wembley Stadium. Leyton Orient had played in the fourth tier of English football since being relegated in the 1994–95 season.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Background
In the matches between the sides during the regular season, the first ended in a 2–2 at Bloomfield Road in August 2000 while Leyton Orient won their home game 1–0 the following March. Carl Griffiths was the leading scorer for Leyton Orient with 19 goals in the regular season (15 in the league and 4 in the FA Cup) followed by Watts on 9 (8 in the league and 1 in the League Cup).


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Background
John Murphy led the scoring for Blackpool with 23 goals (18 in the league, 1 in the FA Cup and 4 in the League Cup) followed by Ormerod with 22 (18 in the league, 2 in the FA Cup, 1 in the League Cup and 1 in the Football League Trophy).


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Background
The referee for the match was David Pugh. Both sides adopted a 4–4–2 formation for the final. Blackpool were considered favourites to win the match by the Racing Post. As a result of the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium, it was the first time the English Football League play-offs had taken place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
The match kicked off around 3 p.m. on 26 May 2001 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in front of 23,600 spectators. After 27 seconds, an error from Blackpool's goalkeeper Phil Barnes following a backpass from Reid allowed Chris Tate to score, putting Leyton Orient into an early lead. In the sixth minute, Tate's header from an Andy Harris cross went over the Blackpool crossbar. Three minutes later Bayes saved Danny Coid's attempt to score from close range, before diving to keep out a 25-yard (23 m) strike from Coid in the 13th minute.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Parkinson's free kick from 35 yards (32 m) went high over the Leyton Orient bar in the 19th minute before Barnes tipped over a diving header from David McGhee. Another McGhee header was saved by Barnes in the 27th minute. Seven minutes later the scores were level as Ian Hughes headed in Paul Simpson's corner to make it 1–1. Two minutes later, Houghton restored Leyton Orient's lead with a strike from around 20 yards (18 m) which beat Barnes. A minute before half-time, Blackpool equalised once again as Reid converted Parkinson's cross, and the half ended 2–2.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
Neither side made any change to their personnel during the interval and three minutes into the second half, Jabo Ibehre's strike from inside the Blackpool penalty area struck the goalpost. In the 58th minute, Murphy's shot from around 20 yards (18 m) cleared the Leyton Orient crossbar. Seven minutes later, Leyton Orient made their first substitutions of the game, with Tate and Wim Walschaerts being replaced by Ahmet Brković and Steve Castle. With 13 minutes of the match remaining, Blackpool took the lead for the first time, after Simpson scored following Ormerod's through ball.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Match, Summary
In the 82nd minute, Houghton was then substituted for John Martin. Six minutes later Omerod converted a cross from Hills from around 6 yards (5.5 m) to make it 4–2 to Blackpool. With a minute to go, Mike Milligan and Jamie Milligan were brought on for Ormerod and Simpson and after three minutes of injury time, the final whistle was blown, with Blackpool securing promotion to the Second Division with a 4–2 victory.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Post-match
The Blackpool manager Steve McMahon "was in total disbelief when the first goal went in" but suggested although his side "didn't play brilliantly but I think we were the best team." His counterpart Tommy Taylor said that his opponents were "the better side in the second half" and that they "deserved to win it." The opening goal, timed at 27 seconds, was the fastest ever scored in a play-off final.


2001 Football League Third Division play-off Final, Post-match
Blackpool ended their following season in sixteenth position in the Second Division, five places and twelve points ahead of the relegation zone. Leyton Orient's next season saw them finish in eighteenth place in the Third Division.


2001 Football League Trophy Final
The 2001 Football League Trophy Final was a football match between Port Vale and Brentford on 22 April 2001 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was the final match of the 2000–01 Football League Trophy, which was in its 18th season, a cup competition for teams from the Second Division and Third Division of the Football League (the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system). The match was played at the Millennium Stadium, due to the ongoing reconstruction of its usual venue, Wembley Stadium. Each club had one previous appearance in the final of the Football League Trophy, Port Vale winning the competition in 1993 and Brentford beaten finalists in 1985.


2001 Football League Trophy Final
Both clubs had to survive five knock-out rounds to reach the final, Port Vale making it through the northern section and Brentford the only team remaining from the southern section. Port Vale easily advanced past Notts County, Chester City and Darlington, before overcoming Potteries derby rivals Stoke City 2–1 with a golden goal at the Britannia Stadium in the area semi-finals, and then beating Lincoln City 2–0 on aggregate in the two legged area finals.


2001 Football League Trophy Final
Meanwhile Brentford easily beat Oxford United, before relying on penalties to overcome Brighton and Hove Albion and then beating Barnet, Swansea City and finally Southend United (4–2 on aggregate). The two teams had finished within three places on each other in the Second Division and had drawn both their league matches 1–1.


2001 Football League Trophy Final
Brentford took the lead through Michael Dobson on three minutes and it took until 76 minutes for Vale to equalise, when Marc Bridge-Wilkinson converted a penalty which was awarded following a foul from Darren Powell on Tony Naylor. Steve Brooker then put the Vale into the lead seven minutes later and they went on to win the match 2–1. Dave Brammer was named as man of the match.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final
The Football League Trophy is a football competition for clubs in the third and fourth tier of the English Football League. Due to the creation of the Premier League in 1992, the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system were called the Second Division and Third Division. The final was scheduled a week before the play-off finals and only three days after the play-off semi-finals. The tournament was split into two sections: North and South, with Port Vale coming through the northern section and Brentford through the southern section. All five rounds were knock-out games and the area finals were two legged games, home and away, with the winners of each section going into the overall final.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Port Vale
The first round saw Port Vale breeze past a second-string Notts County team 3–0 at Vale Park, ending a 300 minute goal drought in the process. Alex Smith gave Vale an eighth minute lead with a drilled effort from long-range, Tony Naylor then provided an assist for Steve Brooker to double the advantage before putting the game beyond County on 59 minutes; Smith later won a penalty, which was missed by Tommy Widdrington.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Port Vale
Vale then had a home tie with Conference club Chester City – who had suffered relegation from the Football League the previous season – and made the two division gap show with a confident performance; Chester defender Matt Doughty put a Smith cross into his own net on the 21st-minute and only some excellent goalkeeping from Wayne Brown kept the score down, he conceded just one further goal after Naylor struck the net from a Dave Brammer cross. Third Division strugglers Darlington failed to provide much stiffer competition in the area quarter-finals, as Onandi Lowe netted on his debut, followed by a headed goal from Allen Tankard and a brace from Naylor, giving the Vale a 4–0 victory.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Port Vale
Port Vale found their challenge in the area semi-finals, facing their rivals and Football League trophy holders Stoke City; despite it being a home tie the fixture was actually played at the Britannia Stadium due to the poor state of the Vale Park pitch. It took extra-time to separate the teams, Micky Cummins put the Vale ahead on 64 minutes before Nicky Mohan scored a late equaliser. However Mohan gave away a penalty in the 105th-minute and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson converted, ending the game with a golden goal, to give the Burslem club a night of celebration.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Port Vale
The area finals were two-legged fixtures, Port Vale against Lincoln City, with the first leg at Sincil Bank. Lincoln were the better side in the first half, but Vale came into the game and it was Bridge-Wilkinson who broke the deadlock after scoring direct from a free-kick in the 53rd-minute; Naylor added a second with five minutes to go to give the "Valiants" a big advantage for the return fixture. Vale then put in a "professional display" in the second leg seven days later, hitting the woodwork three times with Brammer, Smith and Naylor and forcing saves out of Alan Marriott from Brooker and Bridge-Wilkinson; the game finished goalless though and Vale won the tie 2–0 on aggregate.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
Brentford eased to victory over Second Division strugglers Oxford United in the first round at Griffin Park, with Jay Lovett scoring his first Football League goal with a header from Michael Dobson's ninth minute cross; Scott Partridge bagged a brace and despite Steve Anthrobus pulling one back for Oxford, Scott Marshall wrapped up the scoring with Brentford's fourth goal of a 4–1 victory. Eventual Third Division champions Brighton & Hove Albion would prove to be a much sterner test in the second round, although the venue was changed from the Withdean Stadium to Griffin Park.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
Brighton's Bobby Zamora provided an assist for Paul Brooker's opener before doubling the home side's advantage himself; Brentford came back though, Marshall halving the deficit on the 35th-minute, before their cause was aided by a red card for former Brentford defender Danny Cullip early in the second half.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
"Bees" striker Mark McCammon equalised with 12 minutes to go and no golden goal was scored in extra-time, leaving the game to be decided with a penalty shootout; it was a night where errors from ex-Brentford players cost Brighton, with Darren Freeman and Paul Watson both missing their penalties to allow Brentford to win the shootout 3–2.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
Brentford's area quarter-finals opponents were Barnet on a freezing cold night at the Underhill Stadium. Barnet went down to ten men shortly after the half hour mark after a poor challenge from Greg Heald on Partridge. Brentford took control of the game and Martin Rowlands put them ahead in injury time of the first half; Paul Evans doubled their advantage on 75 minutes, and though Mark Gower grabbed Barnet a consolation and Rowlands was sent off for dissent in injury-time, the visitors went on finish the match 2–1 ahead.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
They had to then overcome Swansea City at Vetch Field and again found themselves a man up after Swansea goalkeeper Roger Freestone was shown a straight red for bringing down Lloyd Owusu in the penalty area, with Evans converting from the spot to put the "Bees" in a commanding position. Damien Lacey levelled the scores on 56 minutes, though McCammon restored Brentford's lead just two minutes later. The "Swans" again equalised after an impressive strike from Jason Price, though Owusu's late header gave Brentford a 3–2 win without resorting to extra-time.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
Their opponents in the two-legged area finals were Southend United, managed by former Brentford boss David Webb, with the first leg played at Roots Hall. David Theobald cleared off the line to deny David Lee a goal in the first half. Dobson then fired Brentford ahead on the 56th-minute, only for a header from Spencer Whelan to bring the game level just a minute later. Dobson struck the net with a shot deflected off the post on 64 minutes and the game ended with Brentford ahead two goals to one.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Route to the final, Brentford
The return fixture took place at Griffin Park a week later. Ívar Ingimarsson gave Brentford an early lead on 13 minutes, but Searle equalised when his free-kick went in off Theobald. Brentford goalkeeper Ólafur Gottskálksson left the game injured early in the second half, though young goalkeeper Paul Smith performed excellently in Gottskálksson's absence, denying Scott Forbes and blocking another strike with his legs. Owusu secured the win with a goal on the 78th-minute, assisted by Paul Gibbs. Darren Powell was sent off after receiving two yellow cards late on, but Brentford managed to hold on to their 2–1 lead on the night to win the tie 4–2 on aggregate.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Pre-match
Both clubs each had one previous appearance in a Football League trophy final. Port Vale had defeated Stockport County 2–1 in 1993 and Brentford had lost 3–1 to Wigan Athletic in 1985. The year previous to Vale's original first title, rivals Stoke City had taken home the trophy. Stoke were the winners of the 2000 final Port Vale, based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent and London based Brentford had previously been restricted to league encounters and the final was the first cup fixture between the two clubs.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Pre-match
Earlier in the 2000–01 season both games had finished as 1–1 draws; Widdrington and Owusu scoring at Vale Park, Paul Evans and Bridge-Wilkinson the scorers at Griffin Park. Both clubs finished the season in mid-table; Vale in 11th and Brentford in 14th, just three points separating them after 46 games. Port vale stayed at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel before the game.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, First-half
Brentford got off to a flying start; young Dobson out-jumping Neil Brisco to head home a corner beyond the helpless Mark Goodlad for a 3rd-minute lead. The tone of the game was set by Vale's dominant five-man midfield, with Brammer the engine that drove the "Valiants" search for an equaliser as Brentford struggled to keep pace. It was Brammer who made the Vale's intentions clear; sending a long-range strike goal ward, only for it to be deflected wide. Whereas Sagi Burton made the Brentford defence nervous from set pieces, misers Naylor, Brooker and Bridge-Wilkinson presented the danger from open play. On the 20 minute mark, Naylor pulled back a ball which Bridge-Wilkinson hooked wide. This was to prove their most dangerous movement of the half.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Second-half
Not long after the restart Naylor's persistence in front of goal seemed to have paid off, yet he was deemed to be offside – whether the linesman made the right call was a topic of debate. However Brentford could not rely on help from the officials for long and on the 76th-minute, when Powell brought down Naylor on the edge of the area, the referee signalled for a penalty. Bridge-Wilkinson converted, sending Gottskalksson the wrong way.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Second-half
Seven minutes later and the Vale had the lead; Naylor won the ball from Gavin Mahon deep in the Brentford half, then squared the ball to Brooker, who struck his shot sweetly, leaving Vale 2–1 up on 83 minutes. Brentford piled on the pressure and had numerous late chances; the first falling to substitute McCammon, whose first touch of the game was a poor header that could have found the net if it was well placed. The last kick of the game could have taken it to extra time, however Owusu headed wide from Gottskálksson's overhead kick – the Brentford goalkeeper doing more than making up the numbers in the Vale box during the last seconds of injury time.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Post-match
Port Vale manager Brian Horton said that: "The supporters have had a hard season, but have had a great day – as have all the players and staff. Keeping Vale up in my first season as manager here was enjoyable, but as a one off this would have to be the best moment." Brentford manager Ray Lewington added "fair credit to Port Vale who deserved it – we were disappointing and we didn't play well".


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Post-match
With nothing to play for in the league, Horton offered to play the youth-team in the club's next league fixture four days later so the cup winning squad could rest, but the players refused as they wanted to play. The game was one rare glimpse of glory for Port Vale, instead of signalling a return to the happy days they enjoyed under John Rudge it was a rare high point before relegation to League Two at the end of the 2007–08 season. Brentford finished bottom of League One at the end of the 2006–07 campaign, before being crowned 2008–09 League Two champions. They reached the final of the Football League Trophy again in 2011, only to lose to Carlisle United.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Post-match
The trophy was Brian Horton's only honour at Port Vale, his five-year reign ended with his resignation in February 2004 after disagreements with the board over both his contract and the playing budget. After an unsuccessful two years as manager of Macclesfield Town he joined the staff at Hull City, who soon found themselves playing top-flight football. The match was Ray Lewington last in charge at Brentford, he left for Watford, becoming their manager the next year. After being sacked from Watford in March 2005 he joined the staff at Fulham, and went on to join the England coaching staff.


2001 Football League Trophy Final, Match summary, Post-match
The young Marc Bridge-Wilkinson continued to impress at Vale Park and since leaving in June 2004 continued to be a player in demand, following the final he spent the next seven seasons in League One. Steve Brooker departed in September 2004 and became a top performer in League One at Bristol City. Brentford's Michael Dobson stayed at Griffin Park until June 2006, then spent two years at Walsall before leaving the game at the age of 27 to set up his own business. Man of the Match Dave Brammer was voted Port Vale Player of the Year for 2001, and retired in May 2009 at the end of a second spell at the club.


2001 Football League play-offs
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by Hugo999 (talk | contribs) at 01:10, 15 December 2019 (removed Category:May 2001 sports events in Europe; added Category:May 2001 sports events in the United Kingdom using HotCat). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2001 Football League play-offs
The Football League play-offs for the 2000–01 season were held in May 2001, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.


2001 Football League play-offs, Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.


2001 Football League play-offs, Background
In the First Division, Bolton Wanderers, who are aiming to return to the top flight after nearly 3 seasons outside the top flight, finished 4 points behind second placed Blackburn Rovers, who in turn finished 10 points behind champions Fulham, who returned to the top flight for the first time since 1968. Preston North End who are aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1961, finished in fourth place in the table. Birmingham City, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 15 years outside the top division, finished in fifth place. West Bromwich Albion, who are also aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1986, finished 4 points behind Birmingham City and Preston North End in sixth place.


2001 Football League play-offs, First Division, Semi-finals
Preston North End 2–2 Birmingham City on aggregate. Preston North End won 4–2 on penalties.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
The 2001 Fordham Rams football team was an American football team that represented Fordham University during the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season. Fordham finished third in the Patriot League.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
In their third year under head coach Dave Clawson, the Rams compiled a 7–4 record. Chris Breen, Maurice Briscoe, Tony Downs, Mark Manno and Joe Wyda were the team captains. This was Fordham's first season with an overall winning record since joining the Patriot League in 1990.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
The Rams outscored opponents 329 to 243. Their 5–2 conference record placed third in the Patriot League standings, half a game behind second place. The 5–1 Colgate Raiders played fewer league games because they did not match up against the newest member of the conference, Georgetown, while Fordham did.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
When the September 11 attacks disrupted the following weekend's college football games, Fordham was the last Patriot League member to cancel its scheduled game, making the announcement on Friday afternoon just 24 hours before kickoff. The Rams and crosstown rival Columbia Lions had initially hoped to play the game as a sign of New York City resiliency.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
Unlike the other Patriot League teams, which played a 10-game schedule in 2001, Fordham chose to reschedule and play the Columbia matchup at the end of the year, on Thursday, November 22. This was the first time since the "Seven Blocks of Granite" era that Fordham had played a game on Thanksgiving Day; that 1936 season-ender was also against a local opponent, New York University.


2001 Fordham Rams football team
Fordham played its home games at Jack Coffey Field on the university campus in The Bronx, in New York City.


2001 Formula Chrysler Euroseries
The 2001 Formula Chrysler Euroseries season was the inaugural and only Formula Chrysler Euroseries season. It featured seven races at four European racing circuits during the latter half of 2001. Dutchman Ricardo van der Ende was crowned champion of the series, taking four wins in all and beating Mexican Roberto González to the title.


2001 Formula Nippon Championship
The 2001 Formula Nippon Championship was  contested over 10 rounds. 11 different teams, 23 different drivers, 2 different chassis and only 1 engine competed.


2001 Formula Nippon Championship, Calendar
Race 8 originally fastest lap set by Juichi Wakisaka, but he was disqualified.


2001 Formula One World Championship
The 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship was the 55th season of FIA Formula One racing. It commenced on 4 March 2001 and ended on 14 October after seventeen races. Michael Schumacher won the Drivers' title with a record margin of 58 points, after achieving nine victories and five-second places and Ferrari won the Constructors' award. The season also marked the reintroduction of several electronic driver aid systems; including traction control, launch control, and fully-automatic transmissions, with the FIA permitting their use starting at the Spanish Grand Prix. Electronic driver aids had previously been banned since 1994. Schumacher also broke the all-time Formula One Grand Prix wins record during the season, his victory at the Belgian Grand Prix marking his 52nd career win.


2001 Formula One World Championship
Future world champions Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen made their Grand Prix debuts in Melbourne, for Minardi and Sauber respectively. Colombian former CART champion Juan Pablo Montoya also made his F1 debut, with Williams.


2001 Formula One World Championship
There were new beginnings for French companies Renault and Michelin. After four years out of the sport since 1997, Renault returned to supply engines to the Benetton team, while Michelin's comeback as a tyre supplier provided Bridgestone with competition for the first time since Goodyear left the sport at the end of the 1998 season. At the other end of the spectrum fellow French company Peugeot withdrew from the sport after seven years since 1994 following a disastrous season in 2000 as an engine supplier to Prost. The assets of Peugeot's Formula One programme were purchased by Asia Motor Technologies France and the 2000-spec powerplants were rebadged as Asiatechs and supplied to Arrows free of charge.


2001 Formula One World Championship
At the end of the season, double world champion Mika Häkkinen announced his intention to take a one-year sabbatical in 2002; eventually this became full-time retirement. Also racing for the last time in 2001 was Jean Alesi, who passed the 200 race mark shortly before his final Grand Prix in Japan. Veteran British commentator Murray Walker gave his final commentary at the United States Grand Prix (which would also turn out to be Mika Häkkinen's last victory in the sport).


2001 Formula One World Championship
The Prost and Benetton names disappeared from the sport at the end of 2001; Prost folded due to a lack of finances while Benetton was re-branded as Renault after the French manufacturer bought the team outright.


2001 Formula One World Championship
The Drivers' Championship was won with ease by Michael Schumacher, who finished 58 points clear of David Coulthard in second place. It was Schumacher's fourth world championship, equalling Alain Prost's total. With Michael Schumacher's teammate, Rubens Barrichello, tallying 10 podiums throughout the season, Ferrari also won the Constructors' Championship by a substantial margin. Unlike the previous title-winning season, Schumacher was very consistent throughout the campaign and scored his nine wins more spread evenly out through the season. His title was sealed with four races remaining after a commanding win in Hungary.


2001 Formula One World Championship
Coulthard's title challenge looked strong early on, winning two of the first six races and being neck and neck with Schumacher for the title lead. He also qualified on pole position in Monaco, only to stall on the grid. With Schumacher winning the race and Coulthard recovering only to fifth, it was a turning point of the season. Coulthard would not win again for the rest of the year and had dropped off massively by mid-season as Schumacher kept either winning or finishing second with few exceptions all season.


2001 Formula One World Championship
Williams drivers Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya both scored their maiden wins in the sport, at San Marino and Italy respectively. The younger Schumacher added victories in Canada and Germany, giving the team four wins in total, marking a return to success for the Oxfordshire team after three years without a victory since 1997. The Schumacher brothers also scored historic family 1–2 finishes in Canada and France.


2001 Formula One World Championship
McLaren secured four wins during the season. These were shared equally among their drivers: Häkkinen winning in Britain and the United States, Coulthard winning in Brazil and Austria.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers competed in the 2001 FIA Formula One World Championship.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Michael Schumacher started the new season where he had left off the year before, with a dominant win from pole position in the first race in Australia. Arch-rival Mika Häkkinen lost second after a suspension failure, giving second to his teammate David Coulthard, with Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello completing the podium. Kimi Räikkönen finished his first F1 race in the points with sixth place. The race was marred by the death of Graham Beveridge, a track marshal who was hit by debris after a collision between Ralf Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Schumacher and Ferrari teammate Barrichello started 1–2 in Malaysia and maintained their positions at the first corner, but there was a massive rain shower on the second lap, during which both Ferraris went off the track. After everyone pitted to change tyres, the Ferraris were down in 10th and 11th, but they changed to intermediates while all others had changed to wets. This masterstroke meant that the Ferraris were able to charge back up the order and get back first and second. Schumacher won, with Barrichello completing a Ferrari 1–2, and Coulthard was third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Schumacher was on pole in Brazil, but a collision on the first lap brought out the safety car. As the race restarted, Williams rookie Juan Pablo Montoya shocked Schumacher by coming up the inside of him and taking the lead. Montoya was well set for a stunning maiden win until he got hit from behind by Jos Verstappen while lapping him.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
It began to rain, and after everyone changed the tyres, Schumacher was leading but then Coulthard passed him on the first turn when they were lapping Tarso Marques in a move reminiscent of the one made by Mika Häkkinen on Schumacher in Belgium last year. Coulthard went on to win, with Schumacher and Nick Heidfeld second and third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
In Ferrari's first 'home' race in San Marino, their chief rivals McLaren stunned them by qualifying 1–2, with Coulthard on pole. Schumacher was fourth behind his brother Ralf Schumacher. Ralf shot to the lead at the start, passing both McLarens before the first corner, and was never headed. Coulthard ran him close, and finished second, with Barrichello jumping Häkkinen in the stops to take third. Michael Schumacher had a miserable afternoon suffering a gearbox glitch early on and then having to retire after a puncture that damaged the wheel rim and a brake duct.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
After 4 races, Schumacher and Coulthard were level on the standings with 26 points, Barrichello and Ralf were third with 14 and 12 points respectively. Häkkinen had only 4 and was only seventh in the standings. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari led with 40, with McLaren second with 30. Williams was third with 12.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The next round in Spain was the first with the reintroduction of traction control, launch control, and fully automatic gearbox systems, for the first time since 1993. The driving aids were brought back to ensure no teams were cheating but questions were raised over the reliability. Its first victim was David Coulthard who stalled on the grid and had to start from the back. The race was a battle between Schumacher and Häkkinen, with the former winning pole and leading the first two parts of the race.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
During the second pit stop, Schumacher had a problem and lost a lot of time, giving the lead to Häkkinen, who then stretched it to half a minute, as Schumacher was struggling with a suspension problem. Ironically, it was Häkkinen's car that gave out first, on the last lap with a clutch failure, giving the win to Schumacher. Montoya finished second, and Jacques Villeneuve completed the podium. Coulthard recovered to fifth after his start line problems.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The sixth round was in Austria and the two Williams cars out-dragged polesitter Schumacher into the first corner. Ralf retired with a brake problem, and this left Montoya under attack from Schumacher. Schumacher tried to pass, but instead, both went into the gravel and rejoined sixth and seventh. Coulthard took the lead by jumping Rubens Barrichello in the second round of stops, and won, while Barrichello had to yield second to a recovering Schumacher on the final lap.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Round 7 was in Monaco, and Coulthard took pole but stalled on the grid after again suffering problems with the launch control system. This left the two Ferraris and Häkkinen to battle for the win, and when Häkkinen's engine failed early on, the Ferraris cruised to a 1–2 finish, with Schumacher winning ahead of Barrichello. The demise of the McLarens allowed Eddie Irvine to get a podium, while Coulthard recovered to fifth despite spending the majority of the race stuck behind Enrique Bernoldi.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The round in Canada was a battle between the Schumacher brothers, with Michael taking pole and maintaining his lead at the first corner. Ralf, however, kept up with him, and when his brother pitted, upped the pace with a string of quick laps, and came out five seconds ahead. Ralf cruised to victory, with his brother making it the first time ever that brothers have finished 1–2 in a race, and Häkkinen finished third, his first podium of the season. Coulthard was set for third but retired when his engine failed 15 laps from the finish.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
With nearly half the season complete, Schumacher had 58 points and leads Coulthard by 18 points, mostly courtesy of the seventh and eighth rounds. Coulthard had a further 16 points over Barrichello who had 24 points, and 18 over Ralf, who had 22. Häkkinen was fifth with 8. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari with 82 points had a huge lead over McLaren, who had 48. Williams was third with 28.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The next race, the European Grand Prix was again all about the Schumacher brothers, and Michael took his seventh pole of the season, ahead of his brother. The brothers maintained their positions at the start, and Ralf was able to keep up in second during the first stint. However, he passed the white line after his first stop and received a stop-go penalty which dropped him out of contention. This left Michael Schumacher to cruise to another victory, with Montoya in second, and Coulthard third. Ralf, even with his penalty was able to get fourth ahead of Barrichello and Häkkinen.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
In the French Grand Prix, the Schumacher brothers started 1–2 again, but it was Ralf who took pole, his first-ever career pole. Ralf maintained his lead at the start but his brother jumped him at the first round of stops and then pulled away. Coulthard, who had started third was in contention until he went over the white line while coming out of the pit lane and received a stop-go penalty. Montoya was running quickly and could have challenged his teammate for a second had his engine not blown up. Schumacher won comfortably from brother Ralf, with Barrichello holding off Coulthard for third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Schumacher took pole for the British GP and maintained his position at the first corner, but Häkkinen, who was on a two-stopper passed him on the fifth lap. Häkkinen never looked back and dominated to take his first win of the year. Schumacher, whose one-stop strategy didn't work out well, was over half a minute back in second, and Barrichello completed the podium.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The weekend of the German GP was dominated by the Williams team, and their drivers locked out the front row, and Montoya took his first career pole. Montoya converted his pole to a lead at the start and was looking well set to win until his engine blew up. This left Ralf to cruise to victory, and Barrichello took second and Jacques Villeneuve got his second podium of the season in third, both capitalising on Schumacher's retirement with a fuel pressure problem, and both McLarens retiring with engine failures.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Schumacher now had no less than 84 points, and it seemed inevitable that he would win the championship. A win in the next round in Hungary would be enough. Coulthard was a distant second with 47 and was looking anxiously over his shoulders, as Ralf with 41 and Barrichello with 37 were hot on his heels. Häkkinen and Montoya were fifth and sixth with 19 and 15 points respectively. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari led with 121 compared to McLaren's 66, and a 1–2 in Hungary would wrap up the title. Williams were third with 56, within touching distance of McLaren.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Schumacher took another step to winning the title by taking pole in the Hungarian GP, ahead of Coulthard and Barrichello. Schumacher kept first at the start, but Coulthard was passed by Barrichello. Schumacher pulled away, while Barrichello kept Coulthard at bay. Coulthard jumped Barrichello at the first round of stops, only for the Brazilian to return the favour at the second. Schumacher won the race and the championship, and Barrichello made it a Ferrari 1–2 which gave Ferrari the Constructors' Championship. A disappointed Coulthard finished third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The two Williams cars of Montoya and Ralf qualified 1–2 for the Belgian GP, but that soon came to nothing for the former when he stalled on the grid and started at the back. Ralf was quickly passed by world champion Michael Schumacher into the first corner. After a few laps, there was a collision between Eddie Irvine and Luciano Burti, and the latter ran head-on into the tyres. The race was stopped, while Burti was treated for his injuries. While the injuries were not serious, Burti was never to race in F1 again.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
A new race, shortened to 36 laps was started, and the top 3 in the new grid were: Michael Schumacher, his brother Ralf and Barrichello. Ralf's car was on its jacks when the warmup started, and he too had to start at the back. Michael kept first at the start, and pulled away, while Barrichello lost out to Giancarlo Fisichella. Barrichello lost further time when he ran over a bollard at the Bus Stop chicane and damaging his front wing, and he had to around for an entire lap before pitting to change the wing. This left the two McLarens behind Fisichella. Coulthard was able to pass him with 10 laps left. Schumacher took his 52nd career win, breaking Alain Prost's record of most wins ever, with Coulthard and a superb Fisichella completing the podium.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The next round was in Italy, the first race after the September 11 attacks, and before the race, Michael Schumacher wanted all the drivers to go slowly at the first corner, due to 9/11, and a horrific accident in ChampCar the day before in which former F1 driver Alessandro Zanardi suffered serious injuries but this plan did not work out because Jacques Villeneuve and Benetton boss Flavio Briatore did not accept it. The Ferrari team ran without sponsors' logos in deference to sponsor Philip Morris and a black tip on their nose, as respect for 9/11.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Montoya took pole, ahead of the two Ferraris of Barrichello and Schumacher. The top 3 maintained their positions at the start, but Montoya was soon passed by a two-stopping Barrichello. Montoya and Barrichello battled it out with different plans, and Montoya came out on top after Barrichello suffered problems during his first stop which cost him 7 seconds. A jubilant Montoya took his first career win, with Barrichello and Ralf second and third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The US GP was the host of the penultimate round, and Schumacher took pole ahead of his brother and Montoya. Schumacher led into the first corner, while Ralf lost out to both Montoya and Barrichello. A two-stopping Barrichello soon took the lead and pitted. Montoya passes Schumacher before the round of stops, but retired two laps after his stop when his engine failed. With everyone stopping once, Barrichello was leading from Häkkinen, Schumacher, and Coulthard. Barrichello rejoined second behind Häkkinen after his stop and started to close in until his engine failed on the penultimate lap. Häkkinen took a superb win (which turned out to be his last), and Barrichello's demise left Schumacher and Coulthard to take second and third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
Going into the final race, this was the championship standings: Schumacher the champion with 113 points, Coulthard second with 61, Barrichello third with 54, Ralf fourth with 48, Häkkinen fifth with 34, and Montoya sixth with 25. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari was a winner with 167 points, McLaren with 95 was confirmed in second, and Williams with 73 was confirmed in third.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
The last round was in Japan, and Schumacher took pole again, ahead of Montoya and Ralf. The top 3 kept their places into the first corner, even though Ralf was soon passed by a three-stopping Barrichello. Barrichello was unable to pass Montoya, and this ruined his strategy. Ralf was given a stop-go penalty for cutting the chicane at the last corner too frequently. This left Häkkinen running third in his last race in F1, but he gave the position to teammate Coulthard as a token of gratitude for all the support Coulthard gave him during the previous seasons. Schumacher capped off the season with a victory ahead of Montoya and Coulthard. Häkkinen was fourth in his last ever race, ahead of Barrichello and Ralf.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Report
At the end of the season, Schumacher was a dominant champion with 123 points. Coulthard with 65 was a distant second, 58 points behind. Barrichello was third with 56, Ralf fourth with 49, Häkkinen fifth with 37, and Montoya sixth with 31. This meant that Schumacher had collected more than second and third-placed drivers' (Coulthard's and Barichello's) totals put together. In the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari was a winner with 179 points, a massive 77 ahead of second-placed McLaren with 102, and Williams was third with 80 points.


2001 Formula One World Championship, New safety car
For this season, Mercedes-Benz provided a new safety car in the shape of the SL55 AMG, which also performed this duty during 2002 and replaced the previous CL55 AMG. It was first deployed during the German Grand Prix.


2001 Formula One World Championship, Results and standings, Scoring system
Points were awarded to the top six finishers in each race as follows:


2001 Formula One World Championship, Results and standings, World Drivers' Championship standings
† Driver did not finish the Grand Prix but was classified as he completed over 90% of the race distance.


2001 Formula Rally Championship
The 2001 Formula Rally Championship was a one off series for rally cars running to Super 1600 regulations. The championship was run as a replacement for the cancelled 2001 British Rally Championship. Technical regulations stated that cars must not cost more than $100,000 and only 4 mechanics were allowed to work on a single car in services to control costs. Rallies in the series also counted as point scoring rounds for the one make Ford Puma, Ford Ka, Volkswagen Polo and Peugeot 106 championships.


2001 Formula Rally Championship
The series was won by 1998 British Rally Champion Martin Rowe after Justin Dale and the Peugeot Works Team were excluded from the championship due to a homologation issue at the final round. The same homologation issues also led to the exclusion of the Works Proton team and its driver Mats Andersson. Ford were the manufacturers champions.


2001 Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup
The 2001 Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup season was the eleventh Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season. The season began at Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 30 March and finished at the Autódromo do Estoril on 4 November, after ten races. RC Motorsport driver Augusto Farfus claimed the championship title, taking four victories at Monza, Brno, Magny-Cours and Hungaroring. Marc Benz won one race at Nürburgring. César Campaniço who missed Zolder and Spielberg rounds finished season on third place. Fourth-placed Ryan Briscoe scored two wins at the end of the season on Iberian circuits Jarama and Estoril. Other wins were scored by Bruno Spengler, Ronnie Quintarelli and Eric Salignon.


2001 Formula Volkswagen Germany season
The 2001 Formula Volkswagen Germany supported by ZF Sachs was the inaugural season of the Formula Volkswagen Germany. All drivers competed in Volkswagen powered, Dunlop shod Reynard chassis.


2001 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships
The  2001 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships (4CC) is an annual figure skating competition. It was held at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, USA on February 7–10. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was the official site-testing competition before the 2002 Winter Olympics, which would be held in that arena.


2001 Four Nations Tournament
The 2001 Samsung Four Nations Tournament (Chinese: 三星杯四国足球邀请赛) was the third and the final edition of the Four Nations Tournament which was held from 3 to 5 August 2001 in Shanghai, China. The tournament was planned to host by the Chinese Football Association and International Sport and Leisure (ISL). However, after the bankrupt of the ISL, Chinese Football Association took over the whole tournament.


2001 Four Nations Tournament, Participants
North Korea, Kuwait, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Belarus and Turkmenistan were invited to the tournament. On 26 June 2001, the participants were announced.


2001 Frankfurt Galaxy season
The 2001 Frankfurt Galaxy season was the ninth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Doug Graber in his first year, and played its home games at Waldstadion in Frankfurt, Germany. They finished the regular season in sixth place with a record of three wins and seven losses.


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic
The 2001 Franklin Templeton Classic was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts in Scottsdale, Arizona in the United States that was part of the International Series of the 2001 ATP Tour. It was the 14th edition of the tournament and was held from March 5 through March 11, 2001. Unseeded Francisco Clavet won the singles title.


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic, Finals, Doubles
Donald Johnson /  Jared Palmer defeated  Marcelo Ríos /  Sjeng Schalken 7–6(7–3), 6–2


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic – Doubles
Jared Palmer and Richey Reneberg were the defending champions but only Palmer competed that year with Donald Johnson.


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic – Doubles
Johnson and Palmer won in the final 7–6(7–3), 6–2 against Marcelo Ríos and Sjeng Schalken.


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic – Singles
Lleyton Hewitt was the defending champion but lost in the semifinals to Francisco Clavet.


2001 Franklin Templeton Classic – Singles
Clavet won in the final 6–4, 6–2 against Magnus Norman.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200
The 2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 was a Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) motor race held on June 24, 2001, at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, USA. It was the 8th round of the 2001 CART season. The race was won from the pole in severe wet conditions by Max Papis for Team Rahal. Roberto Moreno finished second, and Christian Fittipaldi clinched third.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200
It was Papis' second career CART win and his first of the 2001 season. It was also his second career pole in the series, as well as his last. For Moreno, it was his second consecutive runner-up at Portland and his second consecutive podium that season after finishing third at Detroit. It would also be Fittipaldi's only podium finish that season.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200
The race was marred by heavy rain the night before the race, which created a wet track with multiple areas of standing water. This proved to be a challenge to many drivers, with the majority of them spinning at least once during the race, resulting in multiple caution periods in the first half of the race. Originally scheduled for 98 laps, the race reached the two-hour time limit after 76 laps.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Background
Coming into Portland after a dominant race in Detroit, Team Penske was the favorite to control Round 8 of the 2001 season. In particular, Gil de Ferran, defending series champion and two-time defending Portland winner, was tipped to be a strong contender and perhaps even take his first win of the season. His teammate Hélio Castroneves on the other hand, having climbed the fence in Detroit after his latest victory, was also considered to be in the hunt for the win.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Background
Going into the race, Castroneves had closed the gap to points leader Kenny Bräck in the standings, and the margin between first and second was only five points. Meanwhile, Michael Andretti had put together a streak of top-six finishes in the last four races to put himself in third in the standings. Defending champion de Ferran was sitting in a cool fifth place in the standings. Meanwhile, "Super Sub" Memo Gidley was called up to replace Nicolas Minassian in the Chip Ganassi #12 car for the rest of the season after Minassian was released by the team. Gidley had previously raced for both Forsythe Racing and Della Penna Motorsports during the 2000 CART season.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Practice and Qualifying
Practice 1 saw Kenny Bräck top the time sheets with a 58.606. Castroneves and Cristiano da Matta were the only other two drivers that session that broke into the fifty-eight second range. Other drivers, including Bräck, also used the first session to record times in their backup cars; notably, Bräck was five seconds off his session time in the backup car, whereas Alex Zanardi was able to improve his time in his backup car.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Practice and Qualifying
Castroneves improved on his time in previous session and led the field in Practice 2 with a time of 58.318, followed by fellow Brazilians Christian Fittipaldi and Maurício Gugelmin. This time, a total of ten drivers were able to break into the fifty-eight second range.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Practice and Qualifying
In the third practice session, Castroneves again led the rest of the drivers and improved his time to record a lap of 58.073, with Max Papis and da Matta closely behind. At the end of the day, the field was relatively bunched together, as nineteen drivers were able to break into the fifty-eight second range.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Practice and Qualifying
In qualifying, Castroneves could not convert his practice pace into a pole-winning lap, and instead Papis recorded a time of 57.785 to earn his second and final pole position in  his CART career. Da Matta slotted into second behind him, with Castroneves having to settle for third. Notably, rookie Scott Dixon was able to put his backup car in fourth place despite only running mid-field in each practice session. Dario Franchitti rounded out the top 5. Defending race winner de Ferran could only muster 15th place, less than a second behind the leader.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Practice and Qualifying
On the other hand, qualifying proved to be a disaster for points leader Kenny Bräck, as an exhaust system failure ignited his car and brought out the red flag to stop the session. As a result, he was given an eight-minute penalty by CART officials and could only run four laps in the backup car. When qualifying ended, Bräck only qualified 22nd out of 26 while his teammate took the pole.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Race
On raceday, rain had soaked the track for the first time since the CART teams arrived in Portland, meaning that drivers and teams alike could not rely on their practice and qualifying setups during the race itself. To make matters more difficult, the rain had continued as a light drizzle all throughout the morning warm-up and heading into the race, and CART officials decided that it was light enough to continue with the event. Portland International Raceway was already notorious for its first-turn chicane and difficulty to overtake; now drivers had to contend with a wet racetrack that nobody had practiced on all weekend.


2001 Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200, Report, Race
On the pace lap, de Ferran became the first of what would ultimately be many drivers to spin off-course during the race. Going through Turn 7, de Ferran lost traction and slid into the grass, damaging his front wing and forcing him to make a pit stop.