James Coppinger – Doncaster 5 – 1 Southend (16/5/08)
Play-off matches are normally known for their tight, cagey football as neither team can afford to lose and players are usually scared to make mistakes. James Coppinger obviously didn’t get the memo as he showed sublime class and skill to make his way onto the list.
In May 2008 Doncaster faced Southend in the second leg of their League 1 playoff semi-final. The first match had finished goalless but when the teams played again at the Keepmoat it was a completely different story. The home side went two goals up when Brian Stock scored a penalty and Adam Barrett put past his own goalkeeper, and then that’s when the Coppinger show started.
Five minutes before the break the attacking midfielder cut in from the right, with the ball seemingly glued at his feet. His feign to shoot and subsequent turn took out three defenders before squirming the ball into the corner for the start of his three goal show. The second was equally as mesmerizing as he weaved his way through a number of players, this time sticking with his left, and firing another low drive into the corner. If it was possible to pick a best goal out of the three, it may just have to be his third and final effort; from a free kick to the far right of the penalty area, where even a left-footer would struggle to score. The Donny ace made the task look easy as stroked the ball over the head of Darryl Flahavan into the top left corner of the goal.
There may not have been a header involved, but in many ways it was the perfect hat trick. His teammate, a certain Mr J Hayter, may have thought the goals were a little too far apart, but what he lacked in speed he more than made up for in trickery and skill. Donny then went on to beat Leeds in the playoff final to gain promotion to the Championship.
