Football League Fourth Division 1988/89
| Football League Fourth Division 1988/89 | |
| master | Rotherham United |
| Climbers | Rotherham United Tranmere Rovers Crewe Alexandra Leyton Orient (as play-off winner) |
| Relegation ↑ |
Scunthorpe United FC Scarborough Leyton Orient AFC Wrexham |
| Relegated | Darlington FC |
| Teams | 24 |
| Games | 552 |
| Gates | 1,498 (ø 2.71 per game) |
| Top scorer | Phil Stant ( Hereford United ) |
| ← Football League Fourth Division 1987/88 | |
| ^ Football League Third Division 1988/89 | |
The Football League Fourth Division 1988/89 was the 31st season of the fourth highest English football league . The three best-placed clubs Rotherham United , Tranmere Rovers and Crewe Alexandra rose directly to the Football League Third Division. The clubs in places four to seven played in play-off mode for fourth promotion place. Leyton Orient secured this .
Relegated Darlington FC was replaced by Maidstone United the following season .
Closing table
| Pl. | society | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Rotherham United (A) | 46 | 22nd | 16 | 8th | 76:35 | +41 | 82 |
| 2. | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21st | 17th | 8th | 62:43 | +19 | 80 |
| 3. | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 21st | 15th | 10 | 67:48 | +19 | 78 |
| 4th | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 21st | 14th | 11 | 77:57 | +20 | 77 |
| 5. | Scarborough FC | 46 | 21st | 14th | 11 | 67:52 | +15 | 77 |
| 6th | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21st | 12 | 13 | 86:50 | +36 | 75 |
| 7th |
 Wrexham AFC
|
46 | 19th | 14th | 13 | 77:63 | +14 | 71 |
| 8th. | Cambridge United | 46 | 18th | 14th | 14th | 71:62 | +9 | 68 |
| 9. | Grimsby Town (A) | 46 | 17th | 15th | 14th | 65:59 | +6 | 66 |
| 10. | Lincoln City (N) | 46 | 18th | 10 | 18th | 64:60 | +4 | 64 |
| 11. | York City (A) | 46 | 17th | 13 | 16 | 62:63 | −1 | 64 |
| 12. | Carlisle United | 46 | 15th | 15th | 16 | 53:52 | +1 | 60 |
| 13. | Exeter City | 46 | 18th | 6th | 22nd | 65:68 | −3 | 60 |
| 14th | Torquay United | 46 | 17th | 8th | 21st | 45:60 | −15 | 59 |
| 15th | Hereford United | 46 | 14th | 16 | 16 | 66:72 | −6 | 58 |
| 16. | Burnley FC | 46 | 14th | 13 | 19th | 52:61 | −9 | 55 |
| 17th | Peterborough United | 46 | 14th | 12 | 20th | 52:74 | −22 | 54 |
| 18th | Rochdale AFC | 46 | 13 | 14th | 19th | 56:82 | −26 | 53 |
| 19th | Hartlepool United | 46 | 14th | 10 | 22nd | 50:78 | −28 | 52 |
| 20th | Stockport County | 46 | 10 | 21st | 15th | 54:52 | +2 | 51 |
| 21st | Halifax Town | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22nd | 69:75 | −6 | 50 |
| 22nd | Colchester United | 46 | 12 | 14th | 20th | 60:78 | −18 | 50 |
| 23. | Doncaster Rovers (A) | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 49:78 | −29 | 49 |
| 24. | Darlington FC | 46 | 8th | 18th | 20th | 53:76 | −23 | 42 |
Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goal difference - 3rd goals scored
| (A) | Relegated from the Football League Third Division 1987/88 |
| (N) | Newcomers from the Football Conference |
Play-off round
| Semi-finals (first leg / second leg / total) | final | |||||||||||
| 4th | Scunthorpe United | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 7th | Wrexham AFC | 3 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||
| 7th | Wrexham AFC | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| 6th | Leyton Orient | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 5 | Scarborough FC | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 6th | Leyton Orient | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||