1998 Football League play-offs
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Charlton Athletic (First Division) Grimsby Town (Second Division) Colchester United (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 41 (2.73 per match) |
| Biggest home win |
Torquay 4–1 Scarborough (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win |
Scarborough 1–3 Torquay (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring |
Charlton 4–4 Sunderland (8 goals) |
| Highest attendance |
77,739 – Charlton v Sunderland (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance |
3,858 – Barnet v Colchester (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,402 |
|
← 1997 1999 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 1997–98 season were held in May 1998, with the finals taking place at the old Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion 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.
In the First Division, Sunderland, who are aiming to return to the top flight after relegation last season, finished 1 point behind second placed Middlesbrough, who in turn finished 3 points behind champions Nottingham Forest, who returned to the top flight after being relegated last season. Charlton Athletic, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 8 years outside the top division, finished in fourth place in the table. Ipswich Town, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 3 seasons outside the top division, finished in fifth place. Sheffield United, who are aiming to return to the top flight after a 4-year absence, finished 9 points behind Ipswich Town in sixth place. This means Sunderland and Sheffield United will play each other with Ipswich and Charlton playing each other just like in the 1987 playoffs only then Charlton were the First Division and Ipswich were in the Second Division.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 |
| 6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
Charlton Athletic won 2–0 on aggregate.
Sunderland won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
25 May 1998 15:00 |
| Charlton Athletic | 4–4 (a.e.t.) | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
Mendonca  23', 71', 103'Rufus 85' |
Report | Quinn 50', 73' Phillips 58'Summerbee 99' |
| Penalties | ||
Mendonca  Brown Jones Kinsella Bowen Robinson Newton |
7–6 | Summerbee Johnston Ball Makin Rae Quinn Gray |
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 |
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 |
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 70 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
10 May 1998 15:00 |
| Bristol Rovers | 3–1 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Beadle 30' (pen.) Bennett 37'Hayles 46' |
Gayle 74' |
- Second leg
Grimsby Town won 2–1 on aggregate.
Northampton Town won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 74 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 74 |
| 6 | Scarborough | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 72 |
| 7 | Barnet | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 70 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
13 May 1998 19:45 |
| Colchester United | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Barnet |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory 12' (pen.), 95' Greene 65' |
Goodhind 41' |
Colchester United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Torquay United won 7–2 on aggregate.