The Football League play-offs for the 1995-96 season were held in May 1996, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.
Leicester City and Crystal Palace contested the First Division play-off final, having defeated Stoke City and Charlton Athletic respectively in the semi-finals. Leicester City secured promotion to the Premier League with a 2-1 victory. In the Second Division final, Bradford City won 2–0 against Notts County; Blackpool and Crewe Alexandra were the other teams to reach the play-offs. In the Third Division, Plymouth Argyle won their semi-final against Colchester United and then secured promotion with a 1-0 victory against Darlington, who had beaten Hereford United in their semi-final.
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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.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 75 |
| 4 | Stoke City | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 73 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 66 | 60 | +6 | 71 |
| 6 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 17 | 20 | 9 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 71 |
| 12 May 1996 |
Charlton Athletic | 1 – 2 | Crystal Palace | The Valley, London Attendance: 14,618 Referee: John Kirkby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton 1' | Brown 65' Veart 71' |
| 12 May 1996 |
Leicester City | 0 – 0 | Stoke City | Filbert Street, Leicester Referee: William Burns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May 1996 |
Crystal Palace | 1 – 0 | Charlton Athletic | Selhurst Park, London Attendance: 22,880 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton 4' |
Crystal Palace won 3–1 on aggregate.
| 15 May 1996 |
Stoke City | 0 – 1 | Leicester City | Victoria Ground, Stoke-on-Trent Referee: Gurnam Singh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker 46' |
Leicester City won 1–0 on aggregate.
| 27 May 1996 15:00 |
Leicester City | 2 – 1 (a.e.t.) |
Crystal Palace | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 73,573 Referee: David Allison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker 76' (pen.) Claridge 120' |
Roberts 14' |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Blackpool | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 82 |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 78 |
| 5 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 77 | 60 | +17 | 73 |
| 6 | Bradford City | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 73 |
| 12 May 1996 |
Bradford City | 0 – 2 | Blackpool | Valley Parade, Bradford Referee: Terry Heilbron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner 72' Ellis 78' |
| 12 May 1996 |
Crewe Alexandra | 2 – 2 | Notts County | Gresty Road, Crewe Referee: David Allison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little 3' Rivers 17' |
Finnan 55' Martindale 90' |
| 15 May 1996 |
Blackpool | 0 – 3 | Bradford City | Bloomfield Road, Blackpool Referee: William Burns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shutt 39' Hamilton 68' Stallard 78' |
Bradford City won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 15 May 1996 |
Notts County | 1 – 0 | Crewe Alexandra | Meadow Lane, Nottingham Referee: Kevin Lynch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martindale 61' |
Notts County won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 26 May 1996 15:00 |
Bradford City | 2 – 0 | Notts County | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 39,972 Referee: Gurnam Singh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton 8' Stallard 75' |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 68 | 49 | +19 | 78 |
| 5 | Darlington | 46 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 78 |
| 6 | Hereford United | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 74 |
| 7 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 72 |
| 12 May 1996 |
Hereford United | 1 – 2 | Darlington | Edgar Street, Hereford Attendance: 6,622 Referee: Kevin Lynch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith 2' | Gregan 27' Blake 37' |
| 12 May 1996 |
Colchester United | 1 – 0 | Plymouth Argyle | Layer Road, Colchester Attendance: 6,511 Referee: Mick Pierce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsella 45' |
| 15 May 1996 |
Plymouth Argyle | 3 – 1 | Colchester United | Home Park, Plymouth Attendance: 14,525 Referee: John Kirkby |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evans 3' Leadbitter 41' Williams 85' |
Kinsella 66' |
Plymouth Argyle won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 15 May 1996 |
Darlington | 2 – 1 | Hereford United | Feethams, Darlington Attendance: 6,584 Referee: David Allison |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Painter 17' Appleby 47' (pen.) |
White 65' |
Darlington won 4–2 on aggregate.
| 25 May 1996 |
Plymouth Argyle | 1 – 0 | Darlington | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 43,431 Referee: William Burns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauge 65' |
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