1998 Football League play-offs
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2010) |
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Charlton Athletic (First Division) Grimsby Town (Second Division) Colchester United (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 41 (2.73 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Torquay 4–1 Scarborough (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Scarborough 1–3 Torquay (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring | Charlton 4–4 Sunderland (8 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 77,739 – Charlton v Sunderland (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 3,858 – Barnet v Colchester (Third Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 21,402 |
← 1997 → | |
The
Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.
In the First Division, Sunderland, who are aiming to return to the top flight after relegation last season, finished 1 point behind second placed Middlesbrough, who in turn finished 3 points behind champions Nottingham Forest, who returned to the top flight after being relegated last season. Charlton Athletic, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 8 years outside the top division, finished in fourth place in the table. Ipswich Town, who are aiming to return to the top flight after 3 seasons outside the top division, finished in fifth place. Sheffield United, who are aiming to return to the top flight after a 4-year absence, finished 9 points behind Ipswich Town in sixth place. This means Sunderland and Sheffield United will play each other with Ipswich and Charlton playing each other just like in the 1987 playoffs only then Charlton were the First Division and Ipswich were in the Second Division.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 |
| 4 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 |
| 6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Ipswich Town | 0–1 | Charlton Athletic |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Clapham  12' (o.g.) |
| Sheffield United | 2–1 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
Borbokis 76' |
Report | Ball 17' |
- Second leg
| Charlton Athletic | 1–0 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
| Newton 36' |
Charlton Athletic won 2–0 on aggregate.
| Sunderland | 2–0 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
Phillips 38' |
Sunderland won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Charlton Athletic | 4–4 (a.e.t.) | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
| Mendonca 23', 71', 103' Rufus 85' |
Report | 99' |
| Penalties | ||
 |
7–6 | |
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 |
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 |
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 70 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Fulham | 1–1 | Grimsby Town |
|---|---|---|
| Beardsley 45' (pen.) |
Smith 53' |
| Bristol Rovers | 3–1 | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Beadle 30' (pen.) Bennett 37'Hayles 46' |
Gayle 74' |
- Second leg
| Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Donovan 81' |
Grimsby Town won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Northampton Town | 3–0 | Bristol Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Heggs 34' Clarkson 61'Warburton 77' |
Northampton Town won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 74 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 74 |
| 6 | Scarborough | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 67 | 58 | +9 | 72 |
| 7 | Barnet | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 70 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Barnet | 1–0 | Colchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Heald 48' |
| Scarborough | 1–3 | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
| Rockett 40' |
Jack 22' Gittens 50'McFarlane 72' |
- Second leg
| Colchester United | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Barnet |
|---|---|---|
| 65' |
Goodhind 41' |
Colchester United won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Torquay United | 4–1 | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| Jack 6', 7' McCall 38'Gibbs 55' |
Rockett 22' |
Torquay United won 7–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Colchester United | 1–0 | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
Gregory ) 22' (pen. |