Football League Third Division 1996/97
| Football League Third Division 1996/97 | |
| master | Wigan Athletic |
| Climbers | Wigan Athletic Fulham Carlisle United Northampton Town (as play-off winner) |
| Relegation ↑ | Northampton Town Swansea Town Chester City Cardiff City |
| Relegated | Hereford United |
| Teams | 24 |
| Games | 552 |
| Gates | 1,346 (ø 2.44 per game) |
| Top scorer | Graeme Jones (Wigan Athletic) |
| ← Football League Third Division 1995/96 | |
| ^ Football League Second Division 1996/97 | |
The Football League Third Division 1996/97 was the fifth season of the Football League Third Division as only the fourth highest English football league and 39th fourth division season overall.
The top three clubs Wigan Athletic , Fulham FC and Carlisle United rose directly to the Football League Second Division. The clubs in places four to seven determined the fourth promoted team in play-off mode. Here Northampton Town prevailed.
Hereford United rose from bottom of the table in the Football Conference and was replaced the following season by the champions of the Football Conference, Macclesfield Town .
Closing table
| Pl. | society | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 26th | 9 | 11 | 84:51 | +33 | 87 |
| 2. | Fulham FC | 46 | 25th | 12 | 9 | 72:38 | +34 | 87 |
| 3. | Carlisle United (A) | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 67:44 | +23 | 84 |
| 4th | Northampton Town | 46 | 20th | 12 | 14th | 67:44 | +23 | 72 |
| 5. |
 Swansea City (A)
|
46 | 21st | 8th | 17th | 62:58 | +4 | 71 |
| 6th | Chester City | 46 | 18th | 16 | 12 | 55:43 | +12 | 70 |
| 7th |
Cardiff City
|
46 | 20th | 9 | 17th | 56:54 | +2 | 69 |
| 8th. | Colchester United | 46 | 17th | 17th | 12 | 62:51 | +11 | 68 |
| 9. | Lincoln City | 46 | 18th | 12 | 16 | 70:69 | +1 | 66 |
| 10. | Cambridge United | 46 | 18th | 11 | 17th | 53:59 | −6 | 65 |
| 11. | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14th | 47:45 | +2 | 64 |
| 12. | Scarborough FC | 46 | 16 | 15th | 15th | 65:68 | −3 | 63 |
| 13. | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 18th | 9 | 19th | 59:62 | −3 | 63 |
| 14th | Rochdale AFC | 46 | 14th | 16 | 16 | 58:58 | ± 0 | 58 |
| 15th | Barnet FC | 46 | 14th | 16 | 16 | 46:51 | −5 | 58 |
| 16. | Leyton Orient | 46 | 15th | 12 | 19th | 50:58 | −8 | 57 |
| 17th | Hull City (A) | 46 | 13 | 18th | 15th | 44:50 | −6 | 57 |
| 18th | Darlington FC | 46 | 14th | 10 | 22nd | 64:78 | −14 | 52 |
| 19th | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 14th | 10 | 22nd | 52:66 | −14 | 52 |
| 20th | Hartlepool United | 46 | 14th | 9 | 23 | 53:66 | −13 | 51 |
| 21st | Torquay United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22nd | 46:62 | −16 | 50 |
| 22nd | Exeter City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22nd | 48:73 | −25 | 48 |
| 23. | Brighton & Hove Albion (A) 1st | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 53:70 | −17 | 47 |
| 24. | Hereford United | 46 | 11 | 14th | 21st | 50:65 | −15 | 47 |
Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goals scored - 3rd goals conceded
1 Two points were deducted from Brighton & Hove Albion for failure to adequately control spectators.
| (A) | Relegated from the Football League Second Division 1995/96 |
Play-off round
| Semi-finals (first leg / second leg / total) | final | |||||||||
| 4th | Northampton Town | 1 | 3 | 4th | ||||||
| 7th | Cardiff City | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||||||
| 4th | Northampton Town | 1 | ||||||||
| 5 | Swansea City | 0 | ||||||||
| 5 | Swansea City | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 6th | Chester City | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||