| Season | 1994–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Middlesbrough |
| Promoted | Middlesbrough Bolton Wanderers |
1995–96 → | |
The 1994–95 Football League season was the 96th completed season ofThe Football League. It was the third season of The Football League since the formation of thePremier League. For sponsorship reasons, the league was known as theEndsleigh League.
The reduction of the Premier League from 22 teams to 20, to take effect from the 1995–96 season, meant that just two teams would be promoted from the First Division in 1995: the champions and the play-off winners.Middlesbrough were the champions, in their first season underBryan Robson.Reading finished second but had to settle for the play-offs, losing in the final toBolton Wanderers – who achieved their second promotion in three years underBruce Rioch, as well as finishing runners-up toLiverpool in theLeague Cup.
1995 also saw four teams relegated from the First Division, withBurnley,Bristol City andNotts County being joined bySwindon Town, who suffered a second straight relegation.Sunderland narrowly avoided the drop following the arrival of enthusiastic new managerPeter Reid, who over the next few years would bring dramatic improvements to the fortunes of the Wearsiders.
The Second Division would also see only the champions and the play-off winners promoted, while five teams would be relegated.Birmingham City were the champions, returning to the First Division at the first time of asking; they also won theFootball League Trophy to complete a "lower-league Double".Huddersfield Town were the play-off winners, defeating second-placedBrentford on penalties before beatingBristol Rovers in the final. The five teams relegated wereCambridge United,Plymouth Argyle,Cardiff City,Chester City andLeyton Orient.
In the Third Division, three teams would be promoted instead of the usual four: the champions, the runners-up and the play-off winners.Carlisle United were the champions andWalsall the runners-up, whileChesterfield won the play-offs, defeatingBury in the final.Exeter City, in severe financial trouble, finished bottom, but held on to their league status asConference championsMacclesfield Town were unable to meet the league's stadium capacity requirements.
The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found atThe Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website.[1] Play-off results are from the same website.
| Season | 1994–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Middlesbrough |
| Promoted | Middlesbrough Bolton Wanderers |
| Relegated | Swindon Town Burnley Bristol City Notts County |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,389 (2.52 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | John Aldridge (24 goals)[2] |
1995–96 → | |
With the reduction of the Premier League from 22 to 20 clubs for the 1995–96 season, there would be just two promotion places from Division One in the 1994–95 season, as well as a fourth relegation place instead of the usual three.
Middlesbrough clinched the division's only automatic promotion place by finishing champions in their first season under player-managerBryan Robson, with promotion being clinched in the final game atAyresome Park at the end of April. After 92 years at their historic home, the club would be relocated to the new 30,000-seaterRiverside Stadium over the summer of 1995.
Runners-up Reading, another club planning to build a new stadium in the near future, would normally have won automatic promotion, but the latest restructuring of the league meant that they had to navigate a play-off semi-final with fifth-placed Tranmere Rovers. They easily overcame theWirral side, whose veteran strikerJohn Aldridge topped the Division One goal charts with 24 league strikes, but then had to take on Bolton Wanderers in a Wembley clash. The Royals were still 2–0 ahead and looking set to reach the top flight for the first time ever with more than hour left on the clock, but then Bolton pulled a goal back in the 75th minute and followed this with an equaliser to force extra time, and theBurnden Park side ended up winning a dramatic match 4–3 and ending their 15-year absence from the top flight. However, they were faced with having to fight for Premier League survival in 1995–96 without their managerBruce Rioch, who left to manageArsenal over the summer and was succeeded by joint managersRoy McFarland andColin Todd.
A number of Division One sides enjoyed memorable runs in the FA Cup and League Cup. Weeks before their dramatic playoff triumph, Bolton Wanderers had travelled to Wembley for their first major cup final in 37 years, to take onLiverpool in the final of the League Cup, but lost 2–1 to theMerseysiders. Wolves, who went on to lose to Bolton in the playoff semi-finals, had heldCrystal Palace to a 1–1 draw in their FA Cup quarter-final atSelhurst Park and had high hopes of a semi-final tie withManchester United, only to lose the replay 4–1 at home to theSouth London side.
At the other end of the table, Swindon Town quickly found themselves battling against a second successive relegation, having been relegated from the Premier League in 1993–94. Their managerJohn Gorman was sacked in November and replaced by 33-year-oldManchester City midfielderSteve McMahon as player-manager. TheWiltshire club's new manager was able to guide Swindon to the semi-finals of the League Cup, but he was unable to guide them to Division One survival, as they went down in the fourth and final relegation place along withBurnley,Bristol City, andNotts County.
During this season, a number of Division One clubs had a new stadium in the pipeline. Middlesbrough were preparing for their move from Ayresome Park to the new Riverside Stadium, while their local rivals Sunderland had identified a former colliery site on the banks of theRiver Wear as their preferred site for a new all-seater stadium after nearly 100 years atRoker Park. Bolton Wanderers, who went up alongside Middlesbrough, were aiming for a new 25,000-seater stadium atLostock to replaceBurnden Park. Beaten playoff finalists Reading had lined up a site on the southern side of the town as the site of a replacement for antiquatedElm Park, while Luton Town's new ownerSimon Kohler unveiled ambitious plans to build a new 20,000-seater indoor stadium, the latest in a string of proposals which had emerged over the last 40 years as possible replacements for the cramped stadium atKenilworth Road.
Derby County, who missed out on the playoffs, were planning to rebuild theBaseball Ground as a 26,000-seater stadium, after considering relocating to a new site atPride Park.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middlesbrough(C, P) | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 82 | Promotion to thePremier League |
| 2 | Reading | 46 | 23 | 10 | 13 | 58 | 44 | +14 | 79 | Qualification for theFirst Division play-offs |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers(O, P) | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 45 | +22 | 77 | |
| 4 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 77 | 61 | +16 | 76 | |
| 5 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 76 | |
| 6 | Barnsley | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 63 | 52 | +11 | 72 | |
| 7 | Watford | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 52 | 46 | +6 | 70 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 17 | 17 | 12 | 74 | 55 | +19 | 68 | |
| 9 | Derby County | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 66 | 51 | +15 | 66 | |
| 10 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 65 | |
| 11 | Stoke City | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 50 | 53 | −3 | 63 | |
| 12 | Millwall | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 62 | |
| 13 | Southend United | 46 | 18 | 8 | 20 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 62 | |
| 14 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 60 | 60 | 0 | 61 | |
| 15 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19 | 58 | 66 | −8 | 59 | |
| 16 | Luton Town | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 61 | 64 | −3 | 58 | |
| 17 | Port Vale | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 58 | 64 | −6 | 58 | |
| 18 | Portsmouth | 46 | 15 | 13 | 18 | 53 | 63 | −10 | 58 | |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 51 | 57 | −6 | 58 | |
| 20 | Sunderland | 46 | 12 | 18 | 16 | 41 | 45 | −4 | 54 | |
| 21 | Swindon Town(R) | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 54 | 73 | −19 | 48 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
| 22 | Burnley(R) | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 49 | 74 | −25 | 46 | |
| 23 | Bristol City(R) | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 42 | 63 | −21 | 45 | |
| 24 | Notts County(R) | 46 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 45 | 66 | −21 | 40 |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 14 May; 2nd leg – 17 May 1995 | Final atWembley 29 May 1995 | ||||||||||
| 2nd | Reading | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||||||
| 5th | Tranmere Rovers | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 2nd | Reading | 3 | |||||||||
| 3rd | Bolton Wanderers (a.e.t.) | 4 | |||||||||
| 3rd | Bolton Wanderers | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 4th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | BAR | BOL | BRI | BUR | CHA | DER | GRI | LUT | MID | MIL | NTC | OLD | POR | PTV | REA | SHU | STD | STK | SUN | SWI | TRA | WAT | WBA | WOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | |
| Bolton Wanderers | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 5–1 | |
| Bristol City | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–5 | |
| Burnley | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 4–3 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Charlton Athletic | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | |
| Derby County | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| Grimsby Town | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | |
| Luton Town | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–6 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| Middlesbrough | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | |
| Millwall | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Notts County | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | |
| Portsmouth | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 4–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | |
| Port Vale | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–4 | |
| Reading | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | |
| Sheffield United | 0–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | |
| Southend United | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–1 | |
| Stoke City | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | |
| Sunderland | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | |
| Swindon Town | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | 6–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| Watford | 3–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–5 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
Following relegation from Division One at the end of the 1993–94 season,Birmingham City earned an instant return as Second Division champions, also lifting theAuto Windscreens Shield. The latest restructuring of the league meant that runners-upBrentford missed out on automatic promotion and had to contest the play-offs, where they were beaten on penalties byHuddersfield Town after drawing both legs of their semi-final 1-1. The other semi-final sawBristol Rovers overcomeCrewe Alexandra, ending theCheshire club's chances of a second successive promotion. The Wembley showdown saw Huddersfield Town beat theWest Country side 2–1 to clinch a return to the second tier after seven seasons of trying, rounding off a fine first season at Huddersfield's impressive new all-seaterMcAlpine Stadium.
Wycombe Wanderers finished sixth in Division Two and missed out on the play-offs – and the chance of a third successive promotion – but this didn't deterNorwich City (just relegated from the Premier League) from recruitingMartin O'Neill as their new manager.
At the bottom of the table, Leyton Orient were relegated after six seasons in the third tier, having not won an away game in the league since before Christmas 1993. Just before the end of the season, theBrisbane Road club was taken over byBarry Hearn, who was swift to sack joint managersJohn Sitton andChris Turner, appointingPat Holland in their place.Chester City suffered an instant return to Division Three as they finished second from bottom.Cardiff City went down to Division Three just two seasons after winning promotion.Plymouth Argyle, promotion contenders a season earlier, went down in 21st place. The fifth and final relegation place went to aCambridge United side who had been on the brink of a place in the new Premier League just three years earlier.
As Huddersfield were settling into their new home after more than 80 years atLeeds Road, a number of other Division Two clubs were planning to follow the growing trend of moving to a completely new stadium. Just before Christmas, Bristol Rovers announced plans to build a new 20,000-seater stadium atAvonmouth as part of their ambitious plan to end their long search for a permanent new home which had started when they moved out of their home atEastville in 1986.Blackpool were also looking at possible sites to build a new all-seater stadium to replaceBloomfield Road. Shortly after the end of the season,Oxford United announced plans to build a new 16,000-seater stadium nearBlackbird Leys to replace the dilapidatedManor Ground.
| Season | 1994–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Birmingham City (1st third tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Birmingham City |
| Promoted through play-offs | Huddersfield Town |
| Relegated | Cambridge United, Cardiff City, Chester, Leyton Orient, Plymouth Argyle |
| Matches | 552 |
| Goals | 1,441 (2.61 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gary Bennett(Wrexham), 29[2] |
1995–96 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham City(C, P) | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 84 | 37 | +47 | 89 | Promotion to theFirst Division |
| 2 | Brentford | 46 | 25 | 10 | 11 | 81 | 39 | +42 | 85 | Qualification for theSecond Division play-offs |
| 3 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 25 | 8 | 13 | 80 | 68 | +12 | 83 | |
| 4 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 70 | 40 | +30 | 82 | |
| 5 | Huddersfield Town(O, P) | 46 | 22 | 15 | 9 | 79 | 49 | +30 | 81 | |
| 6 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 78 | |
| 7 | Oxford United | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 66 | 52 | +14 | 75 | |
| 8 | Hull City | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 70 | 57 | +13 | 74 | |
| 9 | York City | 46 | 21 | 9 | 16 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 72 | |
| 10 | Swansea City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 71 | |
| 11 | Stockport County | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 63 | 60 | +3 | 65 | |
| 12 | Blackpool | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 64 | 70 | −6 | 64 | |
| 13 | Wrexham | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 65 | 64 | +1 | 63 | Qualification for theCup Winners' Cup qualifying round |
| 14 | Bradford City | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 57 | 64 | −7 | 60 | |
| 15 | Peterborough United | 46 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 54 | 69 | −15 | 60 | |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 59 | |
| 17 | Rotherham United | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 57 | 61 | −4 | 56 | |
| 18 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 54 | 62 | −8 | 53 | |
| 19 | Bournemouth | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 49 | 69 | −20 | 50 | |
| 20 | Cambridge United(R) | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 48 | Relegation to theThird Division |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle(R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 45 | 83 | −38 | 46 | |
| 22 | Cardiff City(R) | 46 | 9 | 11 | 26 | 46 | 74 | −28 | 38 | |
| 23 | Chester City(R) | 46 | 6 | 11 | 29 | 37 | 84 | −47 | 29 | |
| 24 | Leyton Orient(R) | 46 | 6 | 8 | 32 | 30 | 75 | −45 | 26 |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 14 May; 2nd leg – 17 May 1995 | Final atWembley 28 May 1995 | ||||||||||
| 2nd | Brentford | 1 | 1 | 2 (3) | |||||||
| 5th | Huddersfield Town (pen.) | 1 | 1 | 2 (4) | |||||||
| 4th | Bristol Rovers | 1 | |||||||||
| 5th | Huddersfield Town | 2 | |||||||||
| 3rd | Crewe Alexandra | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 4th | Bristol Rovers (away goals) | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | BOU | BIR | BLP | BRA | BRE | B&HA | BRR | CAM | CAR | CHR | CRE | HUD | HUL | LEY | OXF | PET | PLY | ROT | SHR | STP | SWA | WRE | WYC | YOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–4 | |
| Birmingham City | 0–0 | 7–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 5–2 | 0–1 | 4–2 | |
| Blackpool | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 5–2 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–5 | |
| Bradford City | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–4 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |
| Brentford | 1–2 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 6–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 7–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| Cambridge United | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Cardiff City | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–4 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |
| Chester | 1–1 | 0–4 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–4 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–4 | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 2–1 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | |
| Hull City | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 7–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | |
| Leyton Orient | 3–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| Oxford United | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 4–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–2 | |
| Peterborough United | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–5 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–4 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | |
| Plymouth Argyle | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | |
| Rotherham United | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | |
| Shrewsbury Town | 3–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Stockport County | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–3 | |
| Swansea City | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | |
| Wrexham | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 4–3 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | |
| York City | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wrexham | 29 | |
| 2 | Huddersfield Town | 28 | |
| 3 | Brentford | 25 | |
| 4 | Brentford | 23 | |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 20 | |
| = | Oxford United | 20 |
Under the ambitious ownership ofMichael Knighton, the man who had unsuccessfully tried to take over Manchester United in 1989, Carlisle United clinched the Division Three title by a comfortable margin, ending their eight-year tenure in the league's basement division. Walsall, under new managerChris Nicholl, achieved promotion as runners-up after five seasons at this level. Chesterfield ended their six-year spell in the fourth tier by triumphing over Bury in the playoff final, while the previous season's finalists Preston North End were beaten by theGreater Manchester club in the semi-final, and Mansfield lost to theirEast Midlands rivals Chesterfield in the other semi-final.
At the bottom end of the table, Exeter City not only found their league status under threat, but also their very existence. TheDevon club, relegated from Division Two the previous season, went into liquidation in November and were only saved from going under when a takeover deal was approved. They still finished bottom of the league, level on points with Scarborough, but were saved from dropping into theConference by the fact thatMacclesfield Town'sMoss Rose ground did not meet Football League requirements.
Northampton Town, whose league status had been saved in similar fashion the previous season, were on the move to a new stadium in October when they bade farewell to theCounty Ground and moved into the newSixfields Stadium.
As the season ended, three Division Three clubs had their future secured by takeover deals. Preston North End were taken over by local heating firmBaxi, who were quick to replaceJohn Beck withGary Peters as manager. Debt-ridden Gillingham were saved from the threat of closure by new ownerPaul Scally, who appointedTony Pulis as manager ofKent's only current Football League club. Wigan Athletic were taken over byJJB tycoonDave Whelan, a formerBlackburn Rovers player, who appointedJohn Deehan as the club's new manager and had plans to build a new all-seater stadium to replace Wigan's current home atSpringfield Park.
| Season | 1994–95 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Carlisle United (1st fourth tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Carlisle United, Walsall |
| Promoted through play-offs | Chesterfield |
| Relegated toConference | None |
| Matches | 462 |
| Goals | 1,229 (2.66 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Dougie Freedman(Barnet), 24[2] |
1995–96 → | |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlisle United(C, P) | 42 | 27 | 10 | 5 | 67 | 31 | +36 | 91 | Promotion to theSecond Division |
| 2 | Walsall(P) | 42 | 24 | 11 | 7 | 75 | 40 | +35 | 83 | |
| 3 | Chesterfield(O, P) | 42 | 23 | 12 | 7 | 62 | 37 | +25 | 81 | Qualification for theThird Division play-offs |
| 4 | Bury | 42 | 23 | 11 | 8 | 73 | 36 | +37 | 80 | |
| 5 | Preston North End | 42 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 67 | |
| 6 | Mansfield Town | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 84 | 59 | +25 | 65 | |
| 7 | Scunthorpe United | 42 | 18 | 8 | 16 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 62 | |
| 8 | Fulham | 42 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 60 | 54 | +6 | 62 | |
| 9 | Doncaster Rovers | 42 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 58 | 43 | +15 | 61 | |
| 10 | Colchester United | 42 | 16 | 10 | 16 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 58 | |
| 11 | Barnet | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 56 | 63 | −7 | 56 | |
| 12 | Lincoln City | 42 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 54 | 55 | −1 | 56 | |
| 13 | Torquay United | 42 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 55 | |
| 14 | Wigan Athletic | 42 | 14 | 10 | 18 | 53 | 60 | −7 | 52 | |
| 15 | Rochdale | 42 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 44 | 67 | −23 | 50 | |
| 16 | Hereford United | 42 | 12 | 13 | 17 | 45 | 62 | −17 | 49 | |
| 17 | Northampton Town | 42 | 10 | 14 | 18 | 45 | 67 | −22 | 44 | |
| 18 | Hartlepool United | 42 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 43 | 69 | −26 | 43 | |
| 19 | Gillingham | 42 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 46 | 64 | −18 | 41 | |
| 20 | Darlington | 42 | 11 | 8 | 23 | 43 | 57 | −14 | 41 | |
| 21 | Scarborough | 42 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 49 | 70 | −21 | 34 | |
| 22 | Exeter City | 42 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 36 | 70 | −34 | 34 | Reprieved from relegation[a] |
| Semi-finals 1st leg – 14 May; 2nd leg – 17 May 1995 | Final atWembley 27 May 1995 | ||||||||||
| 3rd | Chesterfield (a.e.t.) | 1 | 5 | 6 | |||||||
| 6th | Mansfield Town | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| 3rd | Chesterfield | 2 | |||||||||
| 4th | Bury | 0 | |||||||||
| 4th | Bury | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 5th | Preston North End | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | BAR | BRY | CRL | CHF | COL | DAR | DON | EXE | FUL | GIL | HAR | HER | LIN | MAN | NOR | PNE | ROC | SCA | SCU | TOR | WAL | WIG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnet | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 6–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | |
| Bury | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 3–3 | |
| Carlisle United | 4–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Chesterfield | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | |
| Colchester United | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 5–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 0–1 | |
| Darlington | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 5–3 | |
| Exeter City | 1–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 5–2 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 | |
| Fulham | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 4–4 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Gillingham | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | |
| Hartlepool United | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–5 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 1–4 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Hereford United | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |
| Lincoln City | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | |
| Mansfield Town | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 7–1 | 6–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 4–3 | |
| Northampton Town | 1–1 | 0–5 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Preston North End | 1–0 | 5–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |
| Rochdale | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | |
| Scarborough | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–5 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |
| Scunthorpe United | 1–0 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 2–1 | 0–5 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | |
| Torquay United | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–0 | |
| Walsall | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 5–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | |
| Wigan Athletic | 1–2 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 3–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barnet | 24 | |
| 2 | Walsall | 23 | |
| = | Mansfield Town | 23 | |
| 4 | Carlisle United | 20 | |
| 5 | Bury | 17 | |
| 6 | Walsall | 16 |