1988 Football League play-offs
| Season | 1987–88 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Middlesbrough (Second Division) Walsall (Third Division) Swansea City (Fourth Division) |
| Matches played | 19 |
| Goals scored | 50 (2.63 per match) |
| Biggest home win |
Walsall 4–0 Bristol City (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win |
Notts County 1–3 Walsall (Third Division) Bristol City 1–3 Walsall (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring |
Torquay 3–3 Swansea (6 goals) |
| Highest attendance |
40,550 – Chelsea v Middlesbrough (Second Division final) |
| Lowest attendance |
4,602 – Torquay v Scunthorpe (Fourth Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 16,094 |
|
← 1987 1989 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 1987–88 season were held in May 1988, with the two-legged finals taking place at the finalists home stadiums. The play-off semi-finals were also played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th and 5th place in the Football League Second Division and Football League Third Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th placed teams in the Football League Fourth Division table, along with a team from the league above. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches either gaining promotion or avoiding relegation for the following season.
Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places. For the first three seasons the final was played over two legs but this was changed to a single match at Wembley Stadium from 1990. Additionally, for the 1986-87 and 1987-88 play-offs the semi-finals included a team from the next league who had finished above the relegation positions up, e.g. one team from the first tier and three teams from the second tier. The team from the higher division would be relegated if they failed to win the play-offs, with the play-off winner being promoted in their place.
Second Division
- First Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Chelsea | 40 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 50 | 68 | –18 | 42 |
| 19 | Portsmouth | 40 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 66 | –30 | 35 |
| 20 | Watford | 40 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 27 | 51 | –24 | 32 |
| 21 | Oxford United | 40 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 44 | 80 | –36 | 31 |
- Second Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Middlesbrough | 44 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 78 |
| 4 | Bradford City | 44 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 74 | 54 | +20 | 77 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 77 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Chelsea won 6–1 on aggregate.
Middlesbrough won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
- First leg
- Second leg
Middlesbrough won 2–1 on aggregate.
Third Division
- Second Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Sheffield United | 44 | 13 | 7 | 24 | 45 | 74 | –29 | 46 |
| 22 | Reading | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 44 | 70 | –26 | 42 |
| 23 | Huddersfield Town | 44 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 41 | 100 | –59 | 28 |
- Third Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Walsall | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 82 |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 82 | 49 | +33 | 81 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 77 | 62 | +15 | 75 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
15 May 1988 15:30 |
| Notts County | 1–3 | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
Yates  |
Kelly Shakespeare |
Meadow Lane, Nottingham Attendance: 11,522 |
- Second leg
Bristol City won 2–1 on aggregate.
18 May 1988 19:30 |
| Walsall | 1–1 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Christie 60' |
Yates 12' |
Fellows Park, Walsall Attendance: 8,901 |
Walsall won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final
- First leg
- Second leg
Walsall 3–3 Bristol City on aggregate - Walsall won 4-2 on pens to decide who would host the replay.
- Replay
Fourth Division
- Third Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Rotherham United | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 50 | 66 | –16 | 52 |
| 22 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 48 | 58 | –10 | 50 |
| 23 | York City | 46 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 48 | 91 | –43 | 33 |
| 24 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 40 | 84 | –44 | 33 |
- Fourth Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 76 | 51 | +25 | 77 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 77 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 70 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
15 May 1988 15:00 |
| Swansea City | 1–0 | Rotherham United |
|---|---|---|
| McCarthy 85' |
Vetch Field, Swansea Attendance: 9,148 |
- Second leg
Swansea City won 2–1 on aggregate.
18 May 1988 19:30 |
| Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
| Lister 81' (pen.) |
Loram |
Old Showground, Scunthorpe Attendance: 6,483 |
Torquay United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
- First leg
- Second leg
Swansea City won 5–4 on aggregate.