| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (Second Division) Port Vale (Third Division) Leyton Orient (Fourth Division) |
| Matches | 18 |
| Goals | 38 (2.11 per match) |
| Biggest home win | C. Palace 3–0Blackburn (Second Division) |
| Biggest away win | Fulham 0–4Bristol Rovers (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring | Blackburn 3–1C. Palace Fulham 0–4Bristol Rovers Port Vale 3–1Preston Wrexham 3–1Scunthorpe (4 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 30,000 –Crystal Palace vBlackburn (Second Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,377 –Scarborough vLeyton Orient (Fourth Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 12,994 |
←1988 1990 → | |
TheFootball League play-offs for the1988–89 season were held in May 1989, 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, 5th and 6th place in theFootball League Second Division andFootball League Third Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in theFootball League Fourth Division table. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches either gaining promotion or avoiding relegation for thefollowing season.
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 atWembley Stadium from 1990.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 71 | 49 | +22 | 81 |
| 4 | Watford | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 78 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 74 | 49 | +15 | 77 |
| 6 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 68 | 53 | +15 | 76 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 0–0 | Watford |
|---|---|---|
| Swindon Town | 1–0 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
Hopkins (o.g.) |
| Watford | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Redfearn | Garner |
Watford 1–1 Blackburn Rovers on aggregate. Blackburn Rovers won on away goals.
| Crystal Palace | 2–0 | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| Bright Wright |
Crystal Palace won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Blackburn Rovers | 3–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Gayle 21',27' Garner 90' | McGoldrick 86' |
| Crystal Palace | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Wright 17',117' Madden 47' (pen.) |
Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Port Vale | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 84 |
| 4 | Fulham | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 75 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 74 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 72 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Penrice |
Bristol Rovers won 5–0 on aggregate.
| Port Vale | 3–1 | Preston North End |
|---|---|---|
| Beckford | Patterson |
Port Vale won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Port Vale | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Earle 52' |
Port Vale won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 77 | 57 | +20 | 77 |
| 5 | Scarborough | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 77 |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 75 |
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 77 | 63 | +14 | 71 |
| Leyton Orient | 2–0 | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper |
| Wrexham | 3–1 | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Wright Kearns | Cowling |
| Scarborough | 1–0 | Leyton Orient |
|---|---|---|
| Russell |
Leyton Orient won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Scunthorpe United | 0–2 | Wrexham |
|---|---|---|
| Russell |
Wrexham won 5–1 on aggregate.
| Leyton Orient | 2–1 | Wrexham |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey 45' Cooper | Bowden 47' |
Leyton Orient won 2–1 on aggregate.