| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (First Division) Crewe Alexandra (Second Division) Northampton Town (Third Division) |
| Matches | 15 |
| Goals | 38 (2.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Swansea 3–0Chester (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Bristol City 1–2Brentford (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring | Northampton 3–2Cardiff (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 64,383 –Crystal Palace vSheffield United (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 5,104 –Chester vSwansea (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,403 |
←1996 1998 → | |
TheFootball League play-offs for the1996–97 season were held in May 1997, with the finals taking place at the oldWembley Stadium inLondon. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in theFootball League First Division andFootball League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in theFootball 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 thefollowing season.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 68 | 51 | +17 | 76 |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 74 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 75 | 52 | +23 | 73 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 71 |
| Crystal Palace | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
Shipperley 68'Freedman 89',90' | Smith 90' |
| Ipswich Town | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Scowcroft 32' Gudmundsson 73' | Kachura 9' Walker 77' |
Ipswich Town 3–3 Sheffield United on aggregate. Sheffield United won on away goals.
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Atkins 30' Williams 85' | Hopkin 66' |
Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 78 |
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 74 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 73 |
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 73 |
| Bristol City | 1–2 | Brentford |
|---|---|---|
| Owers 28' | Smith 13' Taylor 30' |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–1 | Luton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers 53' Little 68' | Oldfield 3' |
| Brentford | 2–1 | Bristol City |
|---|---|---|
| Taylor 67' Bent 79' | Barnard 49' |
Brentford won 4–2 on aggregate.
| Luton Town | 2–2 | Crewe Alexandra |
|---|---|---|
| Oldfield 20',31' | Little 32' Smith 62' |
Crewe Alexandra won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 72 |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 71 |
| 6 | Chester City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 69 |
| Cardiff City | 0–1 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Parrish 77' |
| Chester City | 0–0 | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
| Swansea City | 3–0 | Chester City |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas 39' Torpey 43'Heggs 64' |
Swansea City won 3–0 on aggregate.
| Northampton Town | 3–2 | Cardiff City |
|---|---|---|
| Sampson 23' Warburton 68'Gayle 77' | Fowler 36' Haworth 90' |
Northampton Town won 4–2 on aggregate.