| Season | 2008–09 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Promoted | Wolverhampton Wanderers Birmingham City Burnley |
| Relegated | Chester City Luton Town |
| New Clubs in League | Aldershot Town Exeter City |
2009–10 → | |
The 2008–09 Football League (known as theCoca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 110th completed season ofthe Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals.
The Football League is contested through three Divisions: theChampionship,League One andLeague Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship are automatically promoted to thePremier League and they will are joined by the winner of the Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to theConference Premier.
As a consequence of results in the2008–09 English football season, the following promotions and relegations involving teams within, or entering or exiting the Football League occurred. These changes take effect forthe 2009–10 season.
Relegated to Championship
Promoted to Premier League
Relegated to League One
Promoted to Championship
Relegated to League Two
Promoted to League One
Relegated to Conference Premier
Promoted to League Two
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers(C, P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 52 | +28 | 90 | Promotion to thePremier League |
| 2 | Birmingham City(P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 83 | |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 | Qualification forChampionship play-offs |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 | |
| 5 | Burnley(O, P) | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 | |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 74 | |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 74 | |
| 8 | Swansea City | 46 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 68 | |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 66 | |
| 10 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 61 | |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 61 | |
| 12 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 58 | −7 | 61 | |
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 68 | 72 | −4 | 58 | |
| 14 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 58 | |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 56[a] | |
| 16 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 56 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 54 | |
| 18 | Derby County | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 55 | 67 | −12 | 54 | |
| 19 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 53 | |
| 20 | Barnsley | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 52 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 51 | |
| 22 | Norwich City(R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 46 | Relegation toFootball League One |
| 23 | Southampton(R) | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 45[b] | |
| 24 | Charlton Athletic(R) | 46 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 52 | 74 | −22 | 39 |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| 3 | Sheffield United | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 6 | Preston North End | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Sheffield United | 0 | |||||||||
| 5 | Burnley | 1 | |||||||||
| 4 | Reading | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Burnley | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | BAR | BIR | BLP | BRI | BUR | CAR | CHA | COV | CRY | DER | DON | IPS | NWC | NOT | PLY | PNE | QPR | REA | SHU | SHW | SOU | SWA | WAT | WOL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnsley | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Birmingham City | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 | |
| Blackpool | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | |
| Bristol City | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | |
| Burnley | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 | |
| Cardiff City | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 | |
| Coventry City | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | |
| Crystal Palace | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | |
| Derby County | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | |
| Doncaster Rovers | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |
| Ipswich Town | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | |
| Norwich City | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 5–2 | |
| Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | |
| Preston North End | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Reading | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 6–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | |
| Sheffield United | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| Southampton | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 | |
| Swansea City | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
| Watford | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–3 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queens Park Rangers | Iain Dowie | Contract terminated | 24 October 2008[3] | Paulo Sousa | 19 November 2008[4] | 9th |
| Watford | Aidy Boothroyd | Mutual consent | 3 November 2008[5] | Brendan Rodgers | 24 November 2008[6] | 21st |
| Charlton Athletic | Alan Pardew | Mutual Consent | 22 November 2008[3] | Phil Parkinson | 31 December 2008[7] | 22nd |
| Blackpool | Simon Grayson | Signed byLeeds United (Mutual Consent) | 23 December 2008[8] | Ian Holloway | 21 May 2009[9] | 16th |
| Nottingham Forest | Colin Calderwood | Contract terminated | 26 December 2008[10] | Billy Davies | 1 January 2009[11] | 22nd |
| Derby County | Paul Jewell | Resigned | 28 December 2008[12] | Nigel Clough | 6 January 2009[13] | 18th |
| Norwich City | Glenn Roeder | Contract terminated | 14 January 2009[14] | Bryan Gunn | 21 January 2009[15] | 21st |
| Southampton | Jan Poortvliet | Resigned | 23 January 2009[16] | Mark Wotte | 23 January 2009[16] | 23rd |
| Queens Park Rangers | Paulo Sousa | Contract terminated | 9 April 2009[17] | 10th | ||
| Ipswich Town | Jim Magilton | Contract terminated | 22 April 2009[18] | Roy Keane | 23 April 2009[19] | 9th |
| Reading | Steve Coppell | Resigned | 13 May 2009[20] | 4th |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leicester City(C, P) | 46 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 84 | 39 | +45 | 96 | Promotion toFootball League Championship |
| 2 | Peterborough United(P) | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 54 | +24 | 89 | |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 83 | 47 | +36 | 87 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Leeds United | 46 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 77 | 49 | +28 | 84 | |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 82 | |
| 6 | Scunthorpe United(O, P) | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 63 | +19 | 76 | |
| 7 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 74 | |
| 8 | Southend United | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 58 | 61 | −3 | 71 | |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 62 | 65 | −3 | 68 | |
| 10 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 66 | 65 | +1 | 65 | |
| 11 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 79 | 61 | +18 | 63 | |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 63 | |
| 13 | Walsall | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 61 | 66 | −5 | 61 | |
| 14 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 56 | |
| 15 | Swindon Town | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 68 | 71 | −3 | 53 | |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 55 | 70 | −15 | 52 | |
| 17 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 41 | 66 | −25 | 51 | |
| 18 | Stockport County | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 50[a] | |
| 19 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 66 | 79 | −13 | 50 | |
| 20 | Carlisle United | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 56 | 69 | −13 | 50 | |
| 21 | Northampton Town(R) | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 49 | Relegation toFootball League Two |
| 22 | Crewe Alexandra(R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 59 | 82 | −23 | 46 | |
| 23 | Cheltenham Town(R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 51 | 91 | −40 | 39 | |
| 24 | Hereford United(R) | 46 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 42 | 79 | −37 | 34 |
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| 6 | Scunthorpe United | 1 | 0 (7) | 1 | |||||||
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 0 (6) | 1 | |||||||
| 6 | Scunthorpe United | 3 | |||||||||
| 5 | Millwall | 2 | |||||||||
| 5 | Millwall | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| 4 | Leeds United | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | B&HA | BRR | CRL | CHL | COL | CRE | HAR | HER | HUD | LEE | LEI | LEY | MIL | MKD | NOR | OLD | PET | SCU | STD | STP | SWI | TRA | WAL | YEO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 5–0 | |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 6–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 | |
| Carlisle United | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 | |
| Cheltenham Town | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–5 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–6 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Colchester United | 0–1 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| Hartlepool United | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 1–4 | 4–2 | 5–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | |
| Hereford United | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | |
| Huddersfield Town | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |
| Leeds United | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 5–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 | |
| Leicester City | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | |
| Leyton Orient | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| Millwall | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 6–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | |
| Northampton Town | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | |
| Peterborough United | 0–0 | 5–4 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | |
| Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–4 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Southend United | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | |
| Stockport County | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Swindon Town | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 | |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Walsall | 3–0 | 0–5 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | |
| Yeovil Town | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Keynes Dons | Paul Ince | Signed byBlackburn Rovers (Mutual Consent) | 22 June 2008[22] | Roberto Di Matteo | 2 July 2008[23] | Pre-season |
| Cheltenham Town | Keith Downing | Mutual consent | 13 September 2008[24] | Martin Allen | 15 September 2008[25] | 24th |
| Colchester United | Geraint Williams | Mutual consent | 22 September 2008[26] | Paul Lambert | 9 October 2008[27] | 23rd |
| Carlisle United | John Ward | Mutual consent | 3 November 2008[28] | Greg Abbott | 5 December 2008[29] | 20th |
| Huddersfield Town | Stan Ternent | Contract terminated | 4 November 2008[30] | Lee Clark | 11 December 2008[31] | 16th |
| Swindon Town | Maurice Malpas | Mutual consent | 14 November 2008[32] | Danny Wilson | 26 December 2008[33] | 17th |
| Crewe Alexandra | Steve Holland | 18 November 2008[34] | Guðjón Thórðarson | 24 December 2008[35] | 24th | |
| Hartlepool United | Danny Wilson | Contract terminated | 15 December 2008[36] | 13th | ||
| Leeds United | Gary McAllister | Contract terminated | 21 December 2008[37] | Simon Grayson | 23 December 2008[8] | 9th |
| Walsall | Jimmy Mullen | Contract terminated | 10 January 2009[38] | Chris Hutchings | 20 January 2009[39] | 12th |
| Leyton Orient | Martin Ling | Mutual Consent | 18 January 2009[40] | Geraint Williams | 5 February 2009[41] | 21st |
| Yeovil Town | Russell Slade | Mutual Consent | 16 February 2009[42] | Terry Skiverton | 18 February 2009[43] | 16th |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Micky Adams | Mutual Consent | 21 February 2009[44] | Russell Slade | 6 March 2009[45] | 21st |
| Oldham Athletic | John Sheridan | Mutual Consent | 15 March 2009[46] | Joe Royle | 15 March 2009[47] | 8th |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brentford(C, P) | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 65 | 36 | +29 | 85 | Promotion toFootball League One |
| 2 | Exeter City(P) | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 65 | 50 | +15 | 79 | |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers(P) | 46 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 78 | |
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 78 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 5 | Gillingham(O, P) | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 75 | |
| 6 | Rochdale | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 70 | 59 | +11 | 70 | |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 69 | |
| 8 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 77 | 53 | +24 | 68 | |
| 9 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 66 | 55 | +11 | 67 | |
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 63 | |
| 11 | Morecambe | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 53 | 56 | −3 | 63 | |
| 12 | Darlington | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 62[a] | |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 59 | |
| 14 | Rotherham United | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 58[b] | |
| 15 | Aldershot Town | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 80 | −21 | 54 | |
| 16 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 50 | |
| 17 | Barnet | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 56 | 74 | −18 | 48 | |
| 18 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 44 | 66 | −22 | 48 | |
| 19 | Notts County | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 49 | 69 | −20 | 47 | |
| 20 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 45 | 77 | −32 | 47 | |
| 21 | Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 46[c] | |
| 22 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 51 | 69 | −18 | 41 | |
| 23 | Chester City(R) | 46 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 43 | 81 | −38 | 37 | Relegated toConference National |
| 24 | Luton Town(R) | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 58 | 65 | −7 | 26[d] |
| Semifinals | Final atWembley | ||||||||||
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 0 | 1 (4) | 1 | |||||||
| 4 | Bury | 1 | 0 (3) | 1 | |||||||
| Shrewsbury Town | 0 | ||||||||||
| Gillingham | 1 | ||||||||||
| 6 | Rochdale | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 5 | Gillingham | 0 | 2 | 2 | |||||||
| Home \ Away | ACC | ALD | BAR | BOU | BRA | BRE | BRY | CHE | CHF | D&R | DAR | EXE | GIL | GRI | LIN | LUT | MAC | MOR | NTC | PTV | ROC | ROT | SHR | WYC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accrington Stanley | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | |
| Aldershot Town | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | |
| Barnet | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |
| Bournemouth | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | |
| Bradford City | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Brentford | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 | |
| Bury | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |
| Chester City | 2–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 | |
| Chesterfield | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 6–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |
| Darlington | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | |
| Exeter City | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–6 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | |
| Gillingham | 1–0 | 4–4 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | |
| Grimsby Town | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 5–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |
| Lincoln City | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |
| Luton Town | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 0–1 | |
| Macclesfield Town | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–6 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | |
| Morecambe | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 | |
| Notts County | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 | |
| Port Vale | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Rochdale | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | |
| Rotherham United | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFC Bournemouth | Kevin Bond | Contract terminated | 1 September 2008[52] | Jimmy Quinn | 2 September 2008[53] | 23rd |
| Grimsby Town | Alan Buckley | Contract terminated | 15 September 2008[54] | Mike Newell | 6 October 2008[55] | 20th |
| Port Vale | Lee Sinnott | Mutual consent | 22 September 2008[56] | Dean Glover | 6 October 2008[57] | 16th |
| Chester City | Simon Davies | Contract terminated | 11 November 2008[58] | Mark Wright | 14 November 2008[59] | 19th |
| Barnet | Paul Fairclough | Resigned | 28 December 2008[60] | 21st | ||
| AFC Bournemouth | Jimmy Quinn | Contract terminated | 31 December 2008[61] | Eddie Howe | 31 December 2008[62] | 23rd |