Having served on the board of directors since 1986, David Sheepshanks was appointed as club chairman in 1995. The next four seasons brought near-misses as the club flirted with promotion; in 1995–96, Ipswich fell one place short of the First Division play-off zone, and the ensuing three seasons brought successive semi-final play-off defeats. In 2000, Ipswich qualified for the Division One play-off final, the last such match at Wembley Stadium before the stadium was to be redeveloped. They beat Barnsley 4–2 securing their return to the Premiership after an absence of five years.