1997–98 Football League
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Nottingham Forest |
| Promoted | Nottingham Forest Middlesbrough Charlton Athletic |
| Relegated | Doncaster Rovers |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
The 1997–98 Football League (known as the Nationwide Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 99th completed season of The Football League.
Champions Nottingham Forest and runners-up Middlesbrough won promotion back to the Premiership at the first time of asking. Charlton Athletic won the play-offs to end an eight-year absence from the top flight.
Reading were relegated in bottom place. They were joined on the last day of the season by Manchester City and Stoke City. The blue half of Manchester endured relegation to the third tier of the English league for the first time in its history, despite beating also doomed Stoke 5–2 away on the last day of the season, but neither fans took lightly to relegation, as mass football violence outside outshone the match. QPR, Portsmouth and Port Vale all won their games to avoid the drop.
Graham Taylor’s second spell as manager brought instant success as Watford won the Division Two championship. They were joined by runners-up Bristol City and playoff winners Grimsby Town.
Going down to Division Three were Brentford, Plymouth Argyle, Carlisle United and Southend United. Brentford had been losing playoff finalists just 12 months earlier, Plymouth had been promoted to Division Two just two seasons earlier, Carlisle were newly promoted and Southend had endured their second successive relegation.
Macclesfield Town finished runners-up in Division Three to gain their second successive promotion, a year after winning the Conference. They were joined by champions Notts County, who won the title by 17 points and became the first team since World War II to secure promotion in March, third-placed Lincoln City and playoff winners Colchester United.
Doncaster Rovers suffered an English league record of 34 defeats and won just four games to lose their league status. They were replaced by Conference champions Halifax Town, who regained their league status five years after losing it.
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Nottingham Forest (3rd second tier title) |
| Direct promotion to FA Premier League | Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough |
| Promoted through play-offs | Charlton Athletic |
| Relegated | Manchester City, Reading, Stoke City |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,410 (2.55 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Pierre van Hooijdonk (Nottingham Forest), 29 Kevin Phillips (Sunderland), 29 [1] |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
First Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 20 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 30 | 22 | 82 | 42 | +40 | 94 | |||||
| 2 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 26 | 29 | 77 | 41 | +36 | 91 | |||||
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 49 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 37 | 28 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 | |||||
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 17 | 5 | 1 | 48 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 32 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 | |||||
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 47 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 30 | 23 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 | |||||
| 6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 44 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 34 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 | |||||
| 7 | Birmingham City | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 27 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 33 | 20 | 60 | 35 | +25 | 74 | |||||
| 8 | Stockport County | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 46 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 25 | 48 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 65 | |||||
| 9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 42 | 25 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 65 | |||||
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 27 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 23 | 30 | 50 | 56 | –6 | 61 | |||||
| 11 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 10 | 2 | 11 | 30 | 34 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 28 | 31 | 58 | 65 | –7 | 59 | |||||
| 12 | Oxford United | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 36 | 20 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 24 | 44 | 60 | 64 | –4 | 58 | |||||
| 13 | Bradford City | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 26 | 23 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 36 | 46 | 59 | –13 | 57 | |||||
| 14 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 34 | 26 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 20 | 31 | 54 | 57 | –3 | 56 | |||||
| 15 | Norwich City | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 32 | 27 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 42 | 52 | 69 | –17 | 55 | |||||
| 16 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 22 | 44 | 50 | 72 | –22 | 53 | |||||
| 17 | Bury | 46 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 22 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 36 | 42 | 58 | –16 | 52 | |||||
| 18 | Swindon Town | 46 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 28 | 25 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 14 | 48 | 42 | 73 | –31 | 52 | |||||
| 19 | Port Vale | 46 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 25 | 24 | 6 | 4 | 13 | 31 | 42 | 56 | 66 | –10 | 49 | |||||
| 20 | Portsmouth | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 28 | 30 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 23 | 33 | 51 | 63 | –12 | 49 | |||||
| 21 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 28 | 21 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 23 | 42 | 51 | 63 | –12 | 49 | |||||
| 22 | Manchester City | 46 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 28 | 31 | 56 | 57 | –1 | 48 | |||||
| 23 | Stoke City | 46 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 40 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 14 | 34 | 44 | 74 | –30 | 46 | |||||
| 24 | Reading | 46 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 27 | 31 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 12 | 47 | 39 | 78 | –39 | 42 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Football League Champions, promoted to FA Premier League 1998-99 | |
| Promoted to FA Premier League | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted to Premier League through play-offs | |
| Relegated |
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 13 May 1998 | Final at Wembley 25 May 1998 | ||||||||
| 3rd | Sunderland | 1 | |||||||
| 6th | Sheffield United | 2 | |||||||
| 3rd | Sunderland | 4 (6) | |||||||
| 4th | Charlton Athletic (pen.) | 4 (7) | |||||||
| 4th | Charlton Athletic | 1 | |||||||
| 5th | Ipswich Town | 0 | |||||||
First Division results
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First Division maps
Locations of the Football League First Division 1997–1998 teams
Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1997–1998
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Watford (2nd third tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Watford, Bristol City |
| Promoted through play-offs | Grimsby Town |
| Relegated | Brentford, Carlisle United, Plymouth Argyle, Southend United |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,337 (2.42 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Barry Hayles (Bristol Rovers), 23 [1] |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
Second Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watford | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 31 | 19 | 67 | 41 | +26 | 88 | |||||
| 2 | Bristol City | 46 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 41 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 22 | 69 | 39 | +30 | 85 | |||||
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 23 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 | |||||
| 4 | Northampton | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 20 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 | |||||
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 43 | 33 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 31 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 | |||||
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 29 | 29 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 70 | |||||
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 28 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 70 | |||||
| 8 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 29 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 70 | |||||
| 9 | Bournemouth | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 29 | 37 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 66 | |||||
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 65 | |||||
| 11 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 64 | 66 | –2 | 62 | |||||
| 12 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 43 | 59 | 67 | –8 | 62 | |||||
| 13 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 61 | |||||
| 14 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 51 | 53 | –2 | 60 | |||||
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 30 | 56 | 56 | ±0 | 59 | |||||
| 16 | York City | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 58 | –6 | 59 | |||||
| 17 | Luton Town | 46 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 26 | 60 | 64 | –4 | 57 | |||||
| 18 | Millwall | 46 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 43 | 54 | –11 | 55 | |||||
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 36 | 43 | 52 | –9 | 54 | |||||
| 20 | Burnley | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 42 | 55 | 65 | –10 | 52 | |||||
| 21 | Brentford | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 42 | 50 | 71 | –21 | 50 | |||||
| 22 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 40 | 55 | 70 | –15 | 49 | |||||
| 23 | Carlisle United | 46 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 30 | 45 | 57 | 73 | –16 | 44 | |||||
| 24 | Southend United | 46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 49 | 47 | 79 | –32 | 43 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs | |
| Relegated |
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg – 9/10 May; 2nd leg – 13 May 1998 | Final at Wembley Stadium 24 May 1998 | ||||||||
| 3rd | Grimsby Town | 1 | |||||||
| 6th | Fulham | 1 | |||||||
| 3rd | Grimsby Town | 1 | |||||||
| 4th | Northampton | 0 | |||||||
| 4th | Northampton | 1 | |||||||
| 5th | Bristol Rovers | 3 | |||||||
Second Division maps
Locations of the Football League Second Division 1997–1998 teams
Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1997–1998
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Notts County (2nd fourth tier title) |
| Direct promotion | Notts County, Lincoln City, Macclesfield Town |
| Promoted through play-offs | Colchester United |
| Relegated to Conference | Doncaster Rovers |
| Matches played | 552 |
| Goals scored | 1,431 (2.59 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Gary Jones (Notts County), 28 [1] |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
Third Division table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Notts County | 46 | 14 | 7 | 2 | 41 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 41 | 23 | 82 | 43 | +39 | 99 | |||||
| 2 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 19 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 63 | 44 | +19 | 82 | |||||
| 3 | Lincoln City | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 32 | 24 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 27 | 60 | 51 | +9 | 75 | |||||
| 4 | Colchester United | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 41 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 36 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 74 | |||||
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 39 | 22 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 37 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 74 | |||||
| 6 | Scarborough | 46 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 44 | 23 | 5 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 35 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 72 | |||||
| 7 | Barnet | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 22 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 29 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 70 | |||||
| 8 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 28 | 56 | 52 | +4 | 69 | |||||
| 9 | Rotherham United | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 41 | 30 | 6 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 31 | 67 | 61 | +6 | 67 | |||||
| 10 | Peterborough United | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 37 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 26 | 35 | 63 | 51 | +12 | 67 | |||||
| 11 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 40 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 27 | 62 | 47 | +15 | 66 | [notes 1] | ||||
| 12 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 42 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 22 | 29 | 64 | 55 | +9 | 65 | |||||
| 13 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 35 | 28 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 26 | 34 | 61 | 62 | –1 | 61 | |||||
| 14 | Chester | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 34 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 26 | 46 | 60 | 61 | –1 | 61 | |||||
| 15 | Exeter City | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 39 | 25 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 29 | 38 | 68 | 63 | +5 | 60 | |||||
| 16 | Cambridge United | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 39 | 27 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 30 | 63 | 57 | +6 | 60 | |||||
| 17 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 10 | 12 | 1 | 40 | 22 | 2 | 11 | 10 | 21 | 31 | 61 | 53 | +8 | 59 | |||||
| 18 | Rochdale | 46 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 43 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 13 | 40 | 56 | 55 | +1 | 58 | |||||
| 19 | Darlington | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 43 | 28 | 1 | 6 | 16 | 13 | 44 | 56 | 72 | –16 | 54 | |||||
| 20 | Swansea City | 46 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 25 | 46 | 49 | 62 | –13 | 50 | |||||
| 21 | Cardiff City | 46 | 5 | 13 | 5 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 21 | 30 | 48 | 52 | –4 | 50 | |||||
| 22 | Hull City | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 36 | 32 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 51 | 56 | 83 | –27 | 41 | |||||
| 23 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 34 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 17 | 32 | 38 | 66 | –28 | 35 | |||||
| 24 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 14 | 48 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 16 | 65 | 30 | 113 | –83 | 20 |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored (F) takes precedence over goal difference (GD).
- ^ Leyton Orient had 3 points deducted.
| Key | |
|---|---|
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs | |
| New club in the league (see Macclesfield Town) | |
| Relegated to Conference |
Play-offs
| Semifinals 1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 13 May 1998 | Final at Wembley Stadium 22 May 1998 | ||||||||
| 4th | Colchester United | 0 | |||||||
| 7th | Barnet | 1 | |||||||
| 4th | Colchester United | 1 | |||||||
| 5th | Torquay United | 0 | |||||||
| 5th | Torquay United | 3 | |||||||
| 6th | Scarborough | 1 | |||||||
Third Division maps
Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1997–1998
Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1997–1998
Topscorers
First Division
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kevin Phillips |
Sunderland | 29 |
| = |  Pierre Van Hooijdonk |
Nottingham Forest | 29 |
| 3 | Kevin Campbell |
Nottingham Forest | 23 |
| = | Clive Mendonca |
Charlton Athletic | 23 |
| 5 | David Johnson |
Ipswich Town | 20 |
| 6 | Brett Angell |
Stockport County | 18 |
| 7 | Paul Furlong |
Birmingham City | 15 |
| = | Marcus Stewart |
Huddersfield Town | 15 |
Second Division
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Barry Hayles |
Bristol Rovers | 23 |
| 2 |  Carlo Corazzin |
Plymouth Argyle | 17 |
| = | Kevin Donovan |
Grimsby Town | 17 |
| = | Mark Stallard |
Wycombe Wanderers | 17 |
| = | Ian Stevens |
Carlisle United | 17 |
| 6 | Andy Cooke |
Burnley | 16 |
| = | David Lowe |
Wigan Athletic | 16 |
| 8 | Peter Beadle |
Bristol Rovers | 15 |
| = | Paul Moody |
Fulham | 15 |
| 10 | Lee Ashcroft |
Preston North End | 14 |
| = | Jeroen Boere |
Southend United | 14 |
Third Division
| Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Jones |
Notts County | 28 |
| 2 | Steve Whitehall |
Mansfield Town | 24 |
| 3 |  Darran Rowbotham |
Exeter City | 21 |
| 4 |  Jimmy Quinn |
Peterborough United | 20 |
| 5 | Carl Griffiths |
Leyton Orient | 18 |
See also
References
The tables below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website,[2] with home and away statistics separated. Play-off results are from the same website.
- ^ a b c "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ a b c d "England 1997–98". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 24 February 2010.