1997 Football League Trophy final
The 1997 Football League Trophy Final, known as the 1997 Auto Windscreens Shield Final for sponsorship reasons, was the final match of the 1996–97 Football League Trophy. It was the 14th season of the competition for teams from the Second and Third Divisions of the Football League. The match was held on 20 April 1997 at Wembley Stadium, London, and was contested by Carlisle United, featuring in their second final in the competition and looking for their first win, and Colchester United, who were appearing in the final for the first time.
| 1997 Auto Windscreens Shield Final | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Event | 1996–97 Football League Trophy | ||||||
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| Carlisle United won 4–3 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 20 April 1997 | ||||||
| Venue | Wembley Stadium, London | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Stéphane Pounewatchy (Carlisle United) | ||||||
| Referee | J Kirkby (Sheffield) | ||||||
| Attendance | 45,077 | ||||||
Each club needed to progress through five rounds to reach the final, which included a two-legged area final. Carlisle's progress to the final saw them concede just one goal in their six games, scoring twelve in the process. This included a 0–0 draw in the second leg of their area final against Stockport County. Colchester, however, scored ten goals and conceded five, twice requiring extra time to defeat their opponents. Their run included a 2–0 defeat against Peterborough United in their area final first-leg before overcoming them 3–0 in the home encounter after extra-time.
After a goalless 90 minutes in the final, the match went to extra time, which also finished without a goal. Carlisle won the game following a penalty shoot-out, with a score of 4–3.