The Football League play-offs for the 1997-98 season were held in May 1998, with the finals taking place at the old Wembley Stadium in London. 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 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 will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
Charlton Athletic and Sunderland contested the First Division play-off final, having defeated Ipswich Town and Sheffield United respectively in the semi-finals. Charlton Athletic secured promotion to the Premier League with a 7-6 penalties victory after the game finished 4-4 after extra time. In the Second Division final, Grimsby Town won 1-0 against Northampton Town; Fulham and Bristol Rovers were the other teams to reach the play-offs. In the Third Division, Colchester United won their semi-final against Barnet and then secured promotion with a 1-0 victory against Torquay United, who had beaten Scarborough 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.
In the First Division, Sunderland, who are aiming to return to the top flight after relegation last season, finished 1 point behind second placed Middlesbrough, who in turn finished 3 points behind champions Nottingham Forest, who returned to the top flight after being relegated last season. Charlton Athletic, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 8 years outside the top division, finished in fourth place in the table. Ipswich Town, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 3 seasons outside the top division, finished in fifth place. Sheffield United, who are aiming to return to the top flight after a 4 year absence, finished 9 points behind Ipswich Town in sixth place.
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 |
| 6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 |
| 10 May 1998 13:00 |
Sheffield United | 2 – 1 | Sunderland | Bramall Lane, Sheffield Attendance: 23,800 Referee: Clive Wilkes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marcelo 57' Borbokis 76' |
Report | Ball 17' |
| 10 May 1998 13:00 |
Ipswich Town | 0 – 1 | Charlton Athletic | Portman Road, Ipswich Attendance: 21,681 Referee: Mick Fletcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Clapham 12' (o.g.) |
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Sunderland | 2 – 0 | Sheffield United | Stadium of Light, Sunderland Attendance: 40,092 Referee: Mick Pierce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marker 21' (o.g.) Phillips 38' |
Statistics |
Sunderland won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Charlton Athletic | 1 – 0 | Ipswich Town | The Valley, London Attendance: 15,585 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newton 36' | Statistics |
Charlton Athletic won 2–0 on aggregate.
| 25 May 1998 15:00 |
Charlton Athletic | 4 – 4 (a.e.t.) |
Sunderland | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 77,739 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendonca 23', 71', 103' Rufus 85' |
Report | Quinn 50', 73' Phillips 58' Summerbee 99' |
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| Penalties | ||||
| Mendonca Brown Jones Kinsella Bowen Robinson Newton |
7 – 6 | Summerbee Johnston Ball Makin Rae Quinn Gray |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 |
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 |
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 70 |
| 9 May 1998 15:00 |
Fulham | 1 – 1 | Grimsby Town | Craven Cottage, London Attendance: 13,954 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beardsley 45' (pen.) | Smith 53' |
| 10 May 1998 15:00 |
Bristol Rovers | 3 – 1 | Northampton Town | Memorial Ground, Bristol Attendance: 9,173 Referee: Rob Harris |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beadle 30' (pen.) Bennett 37' Hayles 46' |
Gayle 74' |
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Grimsby Town | 1 – 0 | Fulham | Blundell Park, Cleethorpes Attendance: 8,689 Referee: Clive Wilkes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan 81' |
Grimsby Town won 2–1 on aggregate.
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Northampton Town | 3 – 0 | Bristol Rovers | Sixfields Stadium, Northampton Attendance: 7,501 Referee: Mick Fletcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heggs 34' Clarkson 61' Warburton 77' |
Northampton Town won 4–3 on aggregate.
| 24 May 1998 15:00 |
Grimsby Town | 1 – 0 | Northampton Town | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 62,988 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donovan 19' |
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 74 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 74 |
| 6 | Scarborough | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 72 |
| 7 | Barnet | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 70 |
| 10 May 1998 13:30 |
Barnet | 1 – 0 | Colchester United | Underhill, London Attendance: 3,858 Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heald 48' |
| 10 May 1998 15:00 |
Scarborough | 1 – 3 | Torquay United | McCain Stadium, Scarborough Attendance: 5,246 Referee: Mike Pierce |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockett 40' | Jack 22' Gittens 50' McFarlane 72' |
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Colchester United | 3 – 1 (a.e.t.) |
Barnet | Layer Road, Colchester Attendance: 5,863 Referee: Terry Heilbron |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory 12' (pen.), 95' Greene 65' |
Goodhind 41' |
Colchester United won 3–2 on aggregate.
| 13 May 1998 19:45 |
Torquay United | 4 – 1 | Scarborough | Plainmoor, Torquay Attendance: 5,386 Referee: Rob Harris |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack 6', 7' McCall 38' Gibbs 55' |
Rockett 22' |
Torquay United won 7–2 on aggregate.
| 22 May 1998 19:30 |
Torquay United | 0 – 1 | Colchester United | Wembley Stadium, London Attendance: 19,486 Referee: Mick Fletcher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregory 22' (pen.) |
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