1996–97 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season
| 1996–97 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Dan McCauley | |
| Manager | Neil Warnock (until 3 February) Mick Jones (from 3 February) | |
| Stadium | Home Park | |
| Second Division | 19th | |
| FA Cup | Third round | |
| League Cup | First round | |
| Auto Windscreens Shield | Quarter finals | |
| Top goalscorer | League: Evans (12) All: Evans (15) | |
| Average home league attendance | 6,494 | |
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During the 1996–97 English football season, Plymouth Argyle F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.
Season summary
In the 1996-97 season, Plymouth manager Warnock was sacked within a year as the club narrowly avoided being relegated back to the basement division. Warnock's assistant Mick Jones became his successor and in February 1997, Plymouth participated in 'The Battle of Saltergate' – in a 2–1 win at Chesterfield, an 88th minute fight broke out, involving all 20 outfield players. Chesterfield's Darren Carr and Kevin Davies and Plymouth's Tony James and Richard Logan were all sent-off. To make matters even worse, Argyle's Wembley hero Ronnie Mauge had already been sent-off in the 36th minute. It was the first time in Football League history that five players were sent-off in one game.[1]
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 47 | 50 | −3 | 56 | |
| 18 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 55 | |
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 54 | |
| 20 | York City | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 47 | 68 | −21 | 52 | |
| 21 | Peterborough United (R) | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 55 | 73 | −18 | 47 | Relegation to the Third Division |
Source: [2]
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
(R) Relegated
Rules for classification: In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
(R) Relegated
Results
Plymouth Argyle's score comes first[3]
Legend
| Win | Draw | Loss |
Football League Second Division
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1996 | York City | H | 2–1 | 9,035 | Corazzin, Heathcote |
| 24 August 1996 | Wrexham | A | 4–4 | 3,920 | Evans, Littlejohn (2), Logan |
| 27 August 1996 | Watford | A | 2–0 | 7,349 | Billy, Littlejohn |
| 30 August 1996 | Preston North End | H | 2–1 | 9,209 | Evans, Logan |
| 7 September 1996 | Notts County | H | 0–0 | 8,109 | |
| 10 September 1996 | Brentford | A | 2–3 | 5,377 | Mauge, Corazzin |
| 14 September 1996 | Stockport County | A | 1–3 | 5,087 | Evans (pen) |
| 21 September 1996 | Bristol Rovers | H | 0–1 | 8,879 | |
| 28 September 1996 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–3 | 3,797 | |
| 1 October 1996 | Peterborough United | H | 1–1 | 4,929 | James |
| 5 October 1996 | Millwall | H | 0–0 | 7,507 | |
| 12 October 1996 | Walsall | A | 1–0 | 3,720 | Littlejohn |
| 15 October 1996 | Bournemouth | A | 0–1 | 3,818 | |
| 19 October 1996 | Bristol City | H | 0–0 | 9,645 | |
| 26 October 1996 | Burnley | A | 1–2 | 9,602 | Evans |
| 29 October 1996 | Gillingham | H | 2–0 | 4,787 | Evans, Illman |
| 2 November 1996 | Luton Town | H | 3–3 | 7,134 | Mauge, Evans (2, 1 pen) |
| 9 November 1996 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 1–2 | 5,456 | Williams |
| 19 November 1996 | Chesterfield | H | 0–3 | 4,237 | |
| 23 November 1996 | Bury | A | 0–1 | 3,582 | |
| 30 November 1996 | Burnley | H | 0–0 | 6,289 | |
| 3 December 1996 | Blackpool | A | 2–2 | 2,690 | Wotton, Littlejohn |
| 14 December 1996 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–2 | 5,075 | Mauge, Evans |
| 21 December 1996 | Rotherham United | A | 2–1 | 2,269 | Illman, Evans |
| 26 December 1996 | Brentford | H | 1–4 | 9,525 | Illman |
| 11 January 1997 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 1–0 | 4,767 | Logan |
| 18 January 1997 | Peterborough United | A | 0–0 | 6,288 | |
| 25 January 1997 | Gillingham | A | 1–4 | 5,465 | Evans |
| 1 February 1997 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 0–0 | 5,024 | |
| 8 February 1997 | Luton Town | A | 2–2 | 6,439 | Littlejohn, Evans |
| 15 February 1997 | Bury | H | 2–0 | 5,486 | Logan, Corazzin |
| 22 February 1997 | Chesterfield | A | 2–1 | 5,833 | Evans, Saunders |
| 25 February 1997 | Bristol Rovers | A | 0–2 | 6,005 | |
| 1 March 1997 | Blackpool | H | 0–1 | 5,585 | |
| 8 March 1997 | Rotherham United | H | 1–0 | 4,717 | Corazzin (pen) |
| 15 March 1997 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 3–2 | 3,414 | Billy (2), Illman |
| 22 March 1997 | Wrexham | H | 0–1 | 5,468 | |
| 29 March 1997 | York City | A | 1–1 | 3,917 | Corazzin |
| 31 March 1997 | Watford | H | 0–0 | 6,836 | |
| 5 April 1997 | Preston North End | A | 1–1 | 8,503 | Saunders |
| 8 April 1997 | Stockport County | H | 0–0 | 5,089 | |
| 12 April 1997 | Millwall | A | 0–0 | 5,702 | |
| 15 April 1997 | Notts County | A | 1–2 | 2,423 | Collins |
| 19 April 1997 | Walsall | H | 2–0 | 5,535 | Saunders, Barlow |
| 26 April 1997 | Bristol City | A | 1–3 | 15,368 | Williams |
| 3 May 1997 | Bournemouth | H | 0–0 | 6,507 |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Fulham | H | 5–0 | 7,104 | Mauge, Evans (2, 1 pen), Littlejohn, Corazzin |
| R2 | 6 December 1996 | Exeter City | H | 4–1 | 12,911 | Evans, Mauge, Billy, Littlejohn |
| R3 | 4 January 1997 | Peterborough United | H | 0–1 | 7,299 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Brentford | A | 0–1 | 3,034 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Brentford | H | 0–0 (lost 0-1 on agg) | 5,180 |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR1 | 10 December 1996 | Bournemouth | H | 2–0 | 944 | Illman, Wotton |
| SR2 | 14 January 1997 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | 1,295 | Wotton |
| SQF | 11 February 1997 | Northampton Town | H | 0–2 | 1,499 |
Squad
[4] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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References
- ^ Culley, Jon (24 February 1997). "THAT WAS THE WEEKEND THAT WAS : Battle of Saltergate: the aftermath". independent.co.uk. The Independent. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "England 1996–97". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-27. Retrieved 2015-06-23.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ http://www.11v11.com/teams/plymouth-argyle/tab/players/season/1997