1997 Football League play-offs
| Season | 1996–97 |
|---|---|
| Champions |
Crystal Palace (First Division) Crewe Alexandra (Second Division) Northampton Town (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.53 per match) |
| Biggest home win |
Swansea 3–0 Chester (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win |
Bristol City 1–2 Brentford (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring |
Northampton 3–2 Cardiff (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance |
64,383 – Crystal Palace v Sheffield United (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance |
5,104 – Chester v Swansea (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,403 |
|
← 1996 1998 → | |
The Football League play-offs for the 1996–97 season were held in May 1997, 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.
First Division
| 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 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
10 May 1997 15:00 |
| Crystal Palace | 3–1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
Shipperley  68'Freedman 89', 90' |
Smith 90' |
- Second leg
14 May 1997 19:45 |
| 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.
Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Second Division
| 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 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
11 May 1997 13:00 |
| Bristol City | 1–2 | Brentford |
|---|---|---|
| Owers 28' |
Smith 13' Taylor 30' |
Ashton Gate, Bristol Attendance: 15,581 |
11 May 1997 15:00 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–1 | Luton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers 53' Little 68' |
Oldfield 3' |
Gresty Road, Crewe Attendance: 5,467 |
- Second leg
Brentford won 4–2 on aggregate.
Crewe Alexandra won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| 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 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
11 May 1997 12:00 |
| Cardiff City | 0–1 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Parrish 77' |
Ninian Park, Cardiff Attendance: 11,369 |
- Second leg
14 May 1997 19:30 |
| Swansea City | 3–0 | Chester City |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas 39' Torpey 43'Heggs 64' |
Vetch Field, Swansea Attendance: 10,027 |
Swansea City won 3–0 on aggregate.
14 May 1997 19:45 |
| Northampton Town | 3–2 | Cardiff City |
|---|---|---|
| Sampson 23' Warburton 68'Gayle 77' |
Fowler 36' Haworth 90' |
Sixfields, Northampton Attendance: 7,302 |
Northampton Town won 4–2 on aggregate.