Northampton Town finished the season in fourth place in the Third Division table with 72 points, fourteen points short of the automatic promotion places.[2] In the play-off semi-final they faced seventh placed Cardiff City, with the first leg away at Ninian Park on 11 May 1997 finishing 1–0 to Northampton.[3] In the second match at Sixfields Stadium three days later, John Gayle scored the winning goal as Northampton won 3–2 to reach the final.[4]
Swansea City finished the season in fifth place; one place and one point behind Northampton.[2] Swansea faced sixth placed Chester City in the play-off semi-final, who they played away from home at the Deva Stadium in the first leg, and drew 0–0.[5] Their progression to the final was confirmed with a 3–0 victory at the Vetch Field, which ended the tie with an aggregate score of 3–0.[6]