1996–97 Football League
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bolton Wanderers |
| Promoted | Bolton Wanderers Barnsley Crystal Palace |
| Relegated | Hereford United |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
The 1996–97 Football League (known as the Nationwide Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 98th completed season of The Football League.
Bolton Wanderers returned to the Premiership in superb fashion, hitting 100 goals and taking 98 points. Barnsley were promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history, while Crystal Palace returned after a two-year absence by winning the play-offs.
The decline of Oldham Athletic continued, falling into the third tier for the first time in 23 years, and just three years after being in the Premiership. Grimsby Town and Southend United joined them in relegation to the Second Division.
Bury won their second consecutive promotion, taking the Second Division title, Stockport County joined them in automatic promotion, and play-off winners Crewe Alexandra completed the trio moving up.
Going down were Peterborough United, Shrewsbury Town, Rotherham United and Notts County. County had been in the top division just five years earlier.
Wigan Athletic won the Third Division title on goals scored from Fulham. Carlisle United and play-off winners Northampton Town also won promotion to the Second Division.
Hereford United were the first club for four years to be relegated to the Conference after finishing bottom. Conference champions Macclesfield Town replaced Hereford (two years after Town had been denied entry to the Third Division). In December, Brighton & Hove Albion were 11 points adrift at the bottom of the Third Division, having had 2 points deducted for a pitch invasion. However a draw in their final game at Hereford kept Brighton in the league, and sent United down.
Final league tables and results
The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website,[1] with home and away statistics separated. Play-off results are from the same website.
First Division
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bolton Wanderers (3rd second tier title) |
| Direct promotion to FA Premier League | Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley |
| Promoted to FA Premier League through play-offs | Crystal Palace |
| Relegated | Grimsby Town, Oldham Athletic, Southend United |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,476 (2.67 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | John McGinlay (Bolton Wanderers), 24 [2] |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
Template:1996–97 Football League First Division table
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg –May 10th; 2nd leg –May 14th, 1997 | Final at Wembley May 26th, 1997 | ||||||||
| 3rd | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1 | |||||||
| 6th | Crystal Palace | 3 | |||||||
| 5th | Sheffield United | 0 | |||||||
| 6th | Crystal Palace | 1 | |||||||
| 4th | Ipswich Town | 1 | |||||||
| 5th | Sheffield United (away goals) | 1 | |||||||
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  John McGinlay |
Bolton Wanderers | 24 |
| 2 |  Steve Bull |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | 23 |
| 3 | Trevor Morley |
Reading | 22 |
| 4 |  Nathan Blake |
Bolton Wanderers | 20 |
| 5 |  John Aldridge |
Tranmere Rovers | 18 |
| = | Nigel Jemson |
Oxford United | 18 |
| = | Mike Sheron |
Stoke City | 18 |
Results
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Locations
Locations of the First Division teams
Second Division
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Bury (2nd third tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Bury, Stockport County |
| Promoted through play-offs | Crewe Alexandra |
| Relegated | Notts County, Peterborough United, Rotherham United, Shrewsbury Town |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,257 (2.28 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Tony Thorpe (Luton Town), 28 [2] |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury | 46 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 31 | 62 | 38 | +24 | 84 | |||||
| 2 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 27 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 82 | |||||
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 38 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 31 | 71 | 45 | +26 | 78 | |||||
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 26 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 21 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 74 | |||||
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 33 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 73 | |||||
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 32 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 73 | |||||
| 7 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 41 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 60 | 47 | +13 | 69 | |||||
| 8 | Wrexham | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 38 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 22 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 69 | |||||
| 9 | Burnley | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 48 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 28 | 71 | 55 | +16 | 68 | |||||
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 21 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 68 | |||||
| 11 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 34 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 67 | |||||
| 12 | Walsall | 46 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 19 | 32 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 67 | |||||
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 67 | |||||
| 14 | Millwall | 46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 50 | 55 | –5 | 61 | |||||
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 36 | 49 | 55 | –6 | 61 | |||||
| 16 | Bournemouth | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 24 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 25 | 43 | 45 | –2 | 60 | |||||
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 28 | 47 | 50 | –3 | 56 | |||||
| 18 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 43 | 51 | 56 | –5 | 55 | |||||
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 40 | 47 | 58 | –11 | 54 | |||||
| 20 | York City | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 31 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 37 | 47 | 68 | –21 | 52 | |||||
| 21 | Peterborough United | 46 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 39 | 55 | 73 | –18 | 47 | |||||
| 22 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 42 | 49 | 74 | –25 | 46 | |||||
| 23 | Rotherham United | 46 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 41 | 39 | 70 | –31 | 35 | |||||
| 24 | Notts County | 46 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 34 | 33 | 59 | –26 | 35 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs | |
| Relegated |
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg –May 11th; 2nd leg –May 14th, 1997 | Final at Wembley Stadium May 5th, 1997 | ||||||||
| 3rd | Luton Town | 1 | |||||||
| 6th | Crewe Alexandra | 2 | |||||||
| 4th | Brentford | 0 | |||||||
| 6th | Crewe Alexandra | 1 | |||||||
| 4th | Brentford | 2 | |||||||
| 5th | Bristol City | 1 | |||||||
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tony Thorpe |
Luton Town | 28 |
| 2 | Paul Barnes |
Burnley | 24 |
| 3 | Carl Asaba |
Brentford | 23 |
| = |  Shaun Goater |
Bristol City | 23 |
| 5 | Iffy Onuora |
Gillingham | 21 |
| 6 | Kyle Lightbourne |
Walsall | 20 |
Results
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Locations
Locations of the Second Division teams
Third Division
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wigan Athletic (1st fourth tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Wigan Athletic, Carlisle United, Fulham |
| Promoted through play-offs | Northampton |
| Relegated to Conference | Hereford United |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,383 (2.51 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Graeme Jones (Wigan Athletic), 31 [2] |
← 1995–96 1997–98 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 31 | 30 | 84 | 51 | +33 | 87 | |||||
| 2 | Fulham | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 87 | |||||
| 3 | Carlisle United | 46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 23 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 84 | |||||
| 4 | Northampton | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 27 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 72 | |||||
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 38 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 71 | |||||
| 6 | Chester | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 27 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 | |||||
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 31 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 69 | |||||
| 8 | Colchester United | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 28 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 68 | |||||
| 9 | Lincoln City | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 44 | 70 | 69 | +1 | 66 | |||||
| 10 | Cambridge United | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 32 | 53 | 59 | –6 | 65 | |||||
| 11 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 21 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 28 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 64 | |||||
| 12 | Scarborough | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 36 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 38 | 65 | 68 | –3 | 63 | |||||
| 13 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 36 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 29 | 59 | 62 | –3 | 63 | |||||
| 14 | Rochdale | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 24 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 58 | ±0 | 58 | |||||
| 15 | Barnet | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 28 | 46 | 51 | –5 | 58 | |||||
| 16 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 38 | 50 | 58 | –8 | 57 | |||||
| 17 | Hull City | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 44 | 50 | –6 | 57 | |||||
| 18 | Darlington | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 37 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 27 | 50 | 64 | 78 | –14 | 52 | |||||
| 19 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 43 | 52 | 66 | –14 | 52 | |||||
| 20 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 32 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 53 | 66 | –13 | 51 | |||||
| 21 | Torquay United | 46 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 38 | 46 | 62 | –16 | 50 | |||||
| 22 | Exeter City | 46 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 43 | 48 | 73 | –25 | 48 | |||||
| 23 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 41 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 12 | 43 | 53 | 70 | –17 | 47 | [notes 1] | ||||
| 24 | Hereford United | 46 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 40 | 50 | 65 | –15 | 47 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
- ^ Brighton & Hove Albion had two points deducted for failure to control spectators.
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs | |
| New club in the league (none) | |
| Relegated to Conference |
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg –May 11th; 2nd leg –May 14th, 1997 | Final at Wembley Stadium May 24th, 1997 | ||||||||
| 4th | Northampton | 1 | |||||||
| 7th | Cardiff City | 0 | |||||||
| 4th | Northampton | 1 | |||||||
| 5th | Swansea City | 0 | |||||||
| 5th | Swansea City | 0 | |||||||
| 6th | Chester | 0 | |||||||
Top scorers
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graeme Jones |
Wigan Athletic | 31 |
| 2 | Gareth Ainsworth |
Lincoln City | 22 |
| 3 | Mike Conroy |
Fulham | 21 |
| 4 | Colin Cramb |
Doncaster Rovers | 18 |
| 5 | Adrian Foster |
Hereford United | 16 |
| = | Darren Roberts |
Darlington | 16 |
Locations
Locations of the Third Division teams
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-31.