Football League Third Division 1997/98
| Football League Third Division 1997/98 | |
| master | Notts County |
| Climbers | Notts County Macclesfield Town Lincoln City Colchester United (as play-off winner) |
| Relegation ↑ | Colchester United Torquay United Scarborough FC Barnet FC |
| Relegated | Doncaster Rovers |
| Teams | 24 |
| Games | 552 |
| Gates | 1,431 (ø 2.59 per game) |
| Top scorer | Gary Jones (Notts County) |
| ← Football League Third Division 1996/97 | |
| ^ Football League Second Division 1997/98 | |
The Football League Third Division 1997/98 was the sixth season of the Football League Third Division as only the fourth highest English football league and 40th fourth division season overall.
The three best-placed clubs Notts County , Macclesfield Town and Lincoln City 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 the Colchester United prevailed.
Doncaster Rovers rose bottom of the table in the Football Conference and was replaced the following season by the champions of the Football Conference, Halifax Town .
Closing table
| Pl. | society | Sp. | S. | U | N | Gates | Diff. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Notts County (A) | 46 | 29 | 12 | 5 | 82:43 | +39 | 99 |
| 2. | Macclesfield Town (N) | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 63:44 | +19 | 82 |
| 3. | Lincoln City | 46 | 20th | 15th | 11 | 60:51 | +9 | 75 |
| 4th | Colchester United | 46 | 21st | 11 | 14th | 72:60 | +12 | 74 |
| 5. | Torquay United | 46 | 21st | 11 | 14th | 68:59 | +9 | 74 |
| 6th | Scarborough FC | 46 | 19th | 15th | 12 | 67:58 | +9 | 72 |
| 7th | Barnet FC | 46 | 19th | 13 | 14th | 61:51 | +10 | 70 |
| 8th. | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 19th | 12 | 15th | 56:52 | +4 | 69 |
| 9. | Rotherham United (A) | 46 | 16 | 19th | 11 | 67:61 | +6 | 67 |
| 10. | Peterborough United (A) | 46 | 18th | 13 | 15th | 63:51 | +12 | 67 |
| 11. | Leyton Orient 1 | 46 | 19th | 12 | 15th | 62:47 | +15 | 66 |
| 12. | Mansfield Town | 46 | 16 | 17th | 13 | 64:55 | +9 | 65 |
| 13. | Shrewsbury Town (A) | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17th | 61:62 | −1 | 61 |
| 14th | Chester City | 46 | 17th | 10 | 19th | 60:61 | −1 | 61 |
| 15th | Exeter City | 46 | 15th | 15th | 16 | 68:63 | +5 | 60 |
| 16. | Cambridge United | 46 | 14th | 18th | 14th | 63:57 | +6 | 60 |
| 17th | Hartlepool United | 46 | 12 | 23 | 11 | 61:53 | +8 | 59 |
| 18th | Rochdale AFC | 46 | 17th | 7th | 22nd | 56:55 | +1 | 58 |
| 19th | Darlington FC | 46 | 14th | 12 | 20th | 56:72 | −16 | 54 |
| 20th |
 Swansea City
|
46 | 13 | 11 | 22nd | 49:62 | −13 | 50 |
| 21st |
Cardiff City
|
46 | 9 | 23 | 14th | 48:52 | −4 | 50 |
| 22nd | Hull City | 46 | 11 | 8th | 27 | 56:83 | −27 | 41 |
| 23. | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 6th | 17th | 23 | 38:66 | −28 | 35 |
| 24. | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 4th | 8th | 34 | 30: 113 | −83 | 20th |
Placement criteria: 1st points - 2nd goals scored - 3rd goals conceded
1 Three points were deducted from Leyton Orient.
| (A) | Relegated from the Football League Second Division 1996/97 |
| (N) | Newcomers from the Football Conference |
Play-off round
| Semi-finals (first leg / second leg / total) | final | |||||||||
| 4th | Colchester United | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||||||
| 7th | Barnet FC | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
| 4th | Colchester United | 1 | ||||||||
| 5 | Torquay United | 0 | ||||||||
| 5 | Torquay United | 3 | 4th | 7th | ||||||
| 6th | Scarborough FC | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||