Football League First Division 1996/97

Football League First Division 1996/97
master	Bolton Wanderers
Climbers	Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley FC , Crystal Palace (as play-off winners)
Relegated	Grimsby Town , Oldham Athletic , Southend United
Teams	24
Games	552
Gates	1,474  (ø 2.67 per game)
Top scorer	John McGinlay ( Bolton Wanderers )
← Football League First Division 1995/96 Football League First Division 1997/98 →
^ Premier League 1996/97 Football League Second Division 1996/97 ↓

The Football League First Division 1996/97 was the fifth season of the Football League First Division as only the second highest English football league and 94th second division season overall. It began on August 16, 1996 and ended on May 4, 1997.

Second division champions were the Bolton Wanderers and also the second-placed FC Barnsley rose directly to the Premier League . In addition, Crystal Palace prevailed in the play-off games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and in the final against Sheffield United and thus became the third promoted team. From the Premier League in the following second division season 1997/98 the three in the table below AFC Sunderland , FC Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest took the free places. Grimsby Town , Oldham Athletic and Southend United had to relegate from the First Division to the third-tier Football League Second Division . Instead of the three clubs, the second division winner FC Bury and the Stockport County and play-off winners Crewe Alexandra, who ranked behind them, took the vacant positions in the following season 1997/98 .

Closing table

Pl.	society	Sp.	S.	U	N	Gates	Diff.	Points
1.	Bolton Wanderers (A)	46	28	14th	4th	100: 530	+47	98
2.	Barnsley FC	46	22nd	14th	10	076:550	+21	80
3.	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	22nd	10	14th	068:510	+17	76
4th	Ipswich Town	46	20th	14th	12	068:500	+18	74
5.	Sheffield United	46	20th	13	13	075:520	+23	73
6th	Crystal Palace	46	19th	14th	13	078:480	+30	71
7th	Portsmouth FC	46	20th	8th	18th	059:530	+6	68
8th.	Port Vale	46	17th	16	13	058:650	−7	67
9.	Queens Park Rangers (A)	46	18th	12	16	064:600	+4	66
10.	Birmingham City	46	17th	15th	14th	052:480	+4	66
11.	Tranmere Rovers	46	17th	14th	15th	062:560	+6	65
12.	Stoke City	46	18th	10	18th	051:570	−6	64
13.	Norwich City	46	17th	12	17th	063:680	−5	63
14th	Manchester City (A)	46	17th	10	19th	059:590	± 0	61
15th	Charlton Athletic	46	16	11	19th	052:660	−14	59
16.	West Bromwich Albion	46	14th	15th	17th	068:720	−4	57
17th	Oxford United (N)	46	16	9	21st	064:680	−4	57
18th	Reading FC	46	15th	12	19th	058:670	−9	57
19th	Swindon Town (N)	46	15th	9	22nd	052:710	−19	54
20th	Huddersfield Town	46	13	15th	18th	048:610	−13	54
21st	Bradford City (N)	46	12	12	22nd	047:720	−25	48
22nd	Grimsby Town	46	11	13	22nd	059:810	−22	46
23.	Oldham Athletic	46	10	13	23	051:660	−15	43
24.	Southend United	46	8th	15th	23	042:850	−43	39

Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goals scored - 3rd goals conceded

Second division champion and promoted to the Premier League 1997/98

Promoted to the Premier League 1997/98

defeated participants of the play-off round to participate in the Premier League

Winner of the play-off round and promoted to the Premier League in 1997/98

Relegation to the Football League Second Division 1997/98

(A)	Relegated from the Premier League in 1995/96
(N)	Newcomers from the Football League Second Division 1995/96

Results table

The home teams are listed in the left column.

1996/97	BAR	BIR	BOL	BRA	CHA	CRY	GRI	HUD	IPS	MNC	NOR	OLD	OXF	PVA	POR	QPR	REA	SHU	SEU	STO	SWI	TRA	WBA	WOL
Barnsley FC		0: 1	2: 2	2-0	4-0	0-0	1: 3	3: 1	1: 2	2-0	3: 1	2-0	0-0	1-0	3: 2	1: 3	3-0	2-0	3-0	3-0	1: 1	3-0	2-0	1: 3
Birmingham City	0-0		3: 1	3-0	0-0	1-0	0-0	1-0	1-0	2-0	2: 3	0-0	2-0	1: 2	0: 3	0-0	4: 1	1: 1	2: 1	3: 1	1-0	0-0	2: 3	1: 2
Bolton Wanderers	2: 2	2: 1		2: 1	4: 1	2: 2	6: 1	2-0	1: 2	1-0	3: 1	3: 1	4-0	4: 2	2-0	2: 1	2: 1	2: 2	3: 1	1: 1	7-0	1-0	1-0	3-0
Bradford City	2: 2	0: 2	2: 4		1-0	0: 4	3: 4	1: 1	2: 1	1: 3	0: 2	0: 3	2-0	1-0	3: 1	3-0	0-0	1: 2	0-0	1-0	2: 1	1-0	1: 1	2: 1
Charlton Athletic	2: 2	2: 1	3: 3	0: 2		2: 1	1: 3	2: 1	1: 1	1: 1	4: 4	1-0	2-0	1: 3	2: 1	2: 1	1-0	0-0	2-0	1: 2	2-0	3: 1	1: 1	0-0
Crystal Palace	1: 1	0: 1	1: 1	3: 1	1-0		3-0	1: 1	0-0	3: 1	2-0	3: 1	2: 2	1: 1	1: 2	3-0	3: 2	0: 1	6: 1	2-0	1: 2	0: 1	0-0	2: 3
Grimsby Town	2: 3	1: 2	1: 2	1: 1	2-0	2: 1		2: 2	2: 1	1: 1	1: 4	0: 3	0: 2	1: 1	0: 1	2-0	2-0	2: 4	4-0	1: 1	2: 1	0-0	1: 1	1: 3
Huddersfield Town	0-0	3-0	1: 2	3: 3	2-0	1: 1	2-0		2-0	1: 1	2-0	3: 2	1-0	0: 1	1: 3	1: 2	1-0	2: 1	0-0	2: 1	0-0	0: 1	0-0	0: 2
Ipswich Town	1: 1	1: 1	0: 1	3: 2	2: 1	3: 1	1: 1	1: 3		1-0	2-0	4-0	2: 1	2: 1	1: 1	2-0	5: 2	3: 1	1: 1	1: 1	3: 2	0: 2	5-0	0-0
Manchester City	1: 2	1-0	1: 2	3: 2	2: 1	1: 1	3: 1	0-0	1-0		2: 1	1-0	2: 3	0: 1	1: 1	0: 3	3: 2	0-0	3-0	2-0	3-0	1: 2	3: 2	0: 1
Norwich City	1: 1	0: 1	0: 1	2-0	1: 2	1: 1	2: 1	2-0	3: 1	0-0		2-0	1: 1	1: 1	1-0	1: 1	1: 1	1: 1	0-0	2-0	2-0	1: 1	2: 4	1-0
Oldham Athletic	0: 1	2: 2	0-0	1: 2	1: 1	0: 1	0: 3	1: 2	3: 3	2: 1	3-0		2: 1	3-0	0-0	0: 2	1: 1	0: 2	0-0	1: 2	5: 1	1: 2	1: 1	3: 2
Oxford United	5: 1	0-0	0-0	2-0	0: 2	1: 4	3: 2	1-0	3: 1	1: 4	0: 1	3: 1		0: 2	2-0	2: 3	2: 1	4: 1	5-0	4: 1	2-0	2: 1	1-0	1: 1
Port Vale	1: 3	3-0	1: 1	1: 1	2-0	0: 2	1: 1	0-0	2: 2	0: 2	6: 1	3: 2	2-0		0: 2	4: 4	1-0	0-0	2: 1	1: 1	1-0	2: 1	2: 2	1: 2
Portsmouth FC	4: 2	1: 1	0: 3	3: 1	2-0	2: 2	1-0	3: 1	0: 1	2: 1	0: 1	1-0	2: 1	1: 1		1: 2	1-0	1: 1	1-0	1-0	0: 1	1: 3	4-0	0: 2
Queens Park Rangers	3: 1	1: 1	1: 2	1-0	1: 2	0: 1	3-0	2-0	0: 1	2: 2	3: 2	0: 1	2: 1	1: 2	2: 1		0: 2	1-0	4-0	1: 1	1: 1	2-0	0: 2	2: 2
Reading FC	1: 2	0-0	3: 2	0-0	2: 2	1: 6	1: 1	4: 1	1-0	2-0	2: 1	2-0	2-0	0: 1	0-0	2: 1		1-0	3: 2	2: 2	2-0	2-0	2: 2	2: 1
Sheffield United	0: 1	4: 4	1: 1	3-0	3-0	3-0	3: 1	3: 1	1: 3	2-0	2: 3	2: 2	3: 1	3-0	1-0	1: 1	2-0		3-0	1-0	2-0	0-0	1: 2	2: 3
Southend United	1: 2	1: 1	5: 2	1: 1	0: 2	2: 1	1-0	1: 2	0-0	2: 3	1: 1	1: 1	2: 2	0-0	2: 1	0: 1	2: 1	3: 2		2: 1	1: 3	1: 1	2: 3	1: 1
Stoke City	1-0	1-0	1: 2	1-0	1-0	2: 2	3: 1	3: 2	0: 1	2: 1	1: 2	2: 1	2: 1	2-0	3: 1	0-0	1: 1	0: 4	1: 2		2-0	2-0	2: 1	1-0
Swindon Town	3-0	3: 1	2: 2	1: 1	1-0	0: 2	3: 3	6-0	0: 4	2-0	0: 3	1-0	1-0	1: 1	0: 1	1: 1	3: 1	2: 1	0-0	1-0		2: 1	2: 3	1: 2
Tranmere Rovers	1: 1	1-0	2: 2	3-0	4-0	1: 3	3: 2	1: 1	3-0	1: 1	3: 1	1: 1	0-0	2-0	4: 3	2: 3	2: 2	1: 1	3-0	0-0	2: 1		2: 3	0: 2
West Bromwich Albion	1: 2	2-0	2: 2	0-0	1: 2	1-0	2-0	1: 1	0-0	1: 3	5: 1	1: 1	3: 3	1: 1	0: 2	4: 1	3: 2	1: 2	4-0	0: 2	1: 2	1: 2		2: 4
Wolverhampton Wanderers	3: 3	1: 2	1: 2	1-0	1-0	0: 3	1: 1	0-0	0-0	3-0	3: 2	0: 1	3: 1	0: 1	0: 1	1: 1	0: 1	1: 2	4: 1	2-0	1-0	3: 2	2-0

Play-off games

	Semi-finals (first leg / second leg / total)							Final at Wembley Stadium
	3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1	2	3
	6th	Crystal Palace	3	1	4th
								6th	Crystal Palace	1
								5	Sheffield United	0
	4th	Ipswich Town	1	2	3
	5	Sheffield United	1	2	3

List of goalscorers

	player	society	Gates
1	John McGinlay	Bolton Wanderers	24

Web links

• England 1996-97 (RSSSF)

References and footnotes

1. ↑ English League Leading Goalscorers (RSSSF)
2. ↑ 1996/97 season. In: wildstat.com. Retrieved April 13, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Decision based on the away goal rule .