Football League Third Division 1995/96
| Football League Third Division 1995/96 | |
| master | Preston North End |
| Climbers | Preston North End FC Gillingham FC Bury Plymouth Argyle (as play-off winner) |
| Relegation ↑ | Plymouth Argyle FC Darlington Hereford United Colchester United |
| Relegated | none |
| Teams | 24 |
| Games | 552 |
| Gates | 1,346 (ø 2.44 per game) |
| Top scorer | Steve White (Hereford United) / Andy Saville (Preston North End) |
| ← Football League Third Division 1994/95 | |
| ^ Football League Second Division 1995/96 | |
The Football League Third Division 1995/96 was the fourth season of the Football League Third Division as only the fourth highest English football league and 38th fourth division season overall.
The top three clubs Preston North End , Gillingham FC and Bury FC rose directly to the Football League Second Division. The clubs in places four to seven played the fourth promoted team in play-off mode. Here the Plymouth Argyle prevailed.
Torquay United was able to hold the league as bottom of the table, as the stadium of Stevenage Borough did not meet the requirements of the professional league.
Closing table
| Pl. | society | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Preston North End | 46 | 23 | 17th | 6th | 78:38 | +40 | 86 |
| 2. | Gillingham FC | 46 | 22nd | 17th | 7th | 49:20 | +29 | 83 |
| 3. | Bury FC | 46 | 22nd | 13 | 11 | 66:48 | +18 | 79 |
| 4th | Plymouth Argyle (A) | 46 | 22nd | 12 | 12 | 68:49 | +19 | 78 |
| 5. | Darlington FC | 46 | 20th | 18th | 8th | 60:42 | +18 | 78 |
| 6th | Hereford United | 46 | 20th | 14th | 12 | 65:47 | +18 | 74 |
| 7th | Colchester United | 46 | 18th | 18th | 10 | 61:51 | +10 | 72 |
| 8th. | Chester City (A) | 46 | 18th | 16 | 12 | 72:53 | +19 | 70 |
| 9. | Barnet FC | 46 | 18th | 16 | 12 | 65:45 | +20 | 70 |
| 10. | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 20th | 10 | 16 | 62:56 | +6 | 70 |
| 11. | Northampton Town | 46 | 18th | 13 | 15th | 51:44 | +7 | 67 |
| 12. | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 15th | 15th | 16 | 67:61 | +6 | 60 |
| 13. | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 16 | 11 | 19th | 49:60 | −11 | 59 |
| 14th | Exeter City | 46 | 13 | 18th | 15th | 46:53 | −7 | 57 |
| 15th | Rochdale AFC | 46 | 14th | 13 | 19th | 57:61 | −4 | 55 |
| 16. | Cambridge United (A) | 46 | 14th | 12 | 20th | 61:71 | −10 | 54 |
| 17th | Fulham FC | 46 | 12 | 17th | 17th | 57:63 | −6 | 53 |
| 18th | Lincoln City | 46 | 13 | 14th | 19th | 57:73 | −16 | 53 |
| 19th | Mansfield Town | 46 | 11 | 20th | 15th | 54:64 | −10 | 53 |
| 20th | Hartlepool United | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21st | 47:67 | −20 | 49 |
| 21st | Leyton Orient (A) | 46 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 44:63 | −19 | 47 |
| 22nd |
 Cardiff City (A)
|
46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 41:64 | −23 | 45 |
| 23. | Scarborough FC | 46 | 8th | 16 | 22nd | 39:69 | −30 | 40 |
| 24. | Torquay United | 46 | 5 | 14th | 27 | 30:84 | −54 | 29 |
Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goals scored - 3rd goals conceded
| (A) | Relegated from the Football League Second Division 1994/95 |
Play-off round
| Semi-finals (first leg / second leg / total) | final | |||||||||
| 4th | Plymouth Argyle | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 7th | Colchester United | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| 4th | Plymouth Argyle | 1 | ||||||||
| 5 | Darlington FC | 0 | ||||||||
| 5 | Darlington FC | 2 | 2 | 4th | ||||||
| 6th | Hereford United | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||