1999 Football League play-offs
| Season | 1998–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Watford (First Division) Manchester City (Second Division) Scunthorpe United (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 28 (1.87 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Scunthorpe 3–1 Swansea (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | None |
| Highest scoring | Ipswich 4–3 Bolton (7 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 76,935 – Gillingham v Manchester City (Second Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 6,762 – Wigan v Manchester City (Second Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 24,837 |
← 1998 → | |
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, Ipswich Town, who were aiming to return to the top flight after a 4-year absence, finished one point behind second placed Bradford City, who in turn finished 18 points behind champions Sunderland, who returned to the top flight after being relegated two seasons previously. Birmingham City, who were aiming to return to the top flight after 13 years outside the top division, finished in fourth place in the table. Watford, who were aiming to return to the top flight for the first time since 1988, finished in fifth place. Bolton Wanderers, who were aiming to return to the top flight after relegation the previous season, finished one point behind Watford in sixth place.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 71 | 42 | +29 | 87 |
| 4 | Birmingham City | 46 | 24 | 10 | 12 | 88 | 67 | +21 | 82 |
| 5 | Watford | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 65 | 44 | +21 | 77 |
| 6 | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 76 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Bolton Wanderers | 1–0 | Ipswich Town |
|---|---|---|
Johansen  84' |
| Watford | 1–0 | Birmingham City |
|---|---|---|
| Ngonge 5' |
- Second leg
| Ipswich Town | 4–3 (a.e.t.) | Bolton Wanderers |
|---|---|---|
| Holland 14', 116' Dyer 52', 90' |
Taylor 51', 96' Frandsen 84' |
Ipswich Town 4–4 Bolton Wanderers on aggregate. Bolton Wanderers won on away goals.
| Birmingham City | 1–0 (a.e.t.) | Watford |
|---|---|---|
| Adebola 2' |
Report | |
| Penalties | ||
Furlong  Grainger  Rowett Bradbury Hughes Purse Poole Holland |
6–7 | |
Birmingham City 1–1 Watford on aggregate. Watford won 7–6 on penalties.
Final
| Bolton Wanderers | 0–2 | Watford |
|---|---|---|
| Report | 89' |
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Manchester City | 46 | 22 | 16 | 8 | 69 | 33 | +36 | 82 |
| 4 | Gillingham | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 75 | 44 | +31 | 80 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 78 | 50 | +28 | 79 |
| 6 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 75 | 48 | +27 | 76 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Wigan Athletic | 1–1 | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Barlow 1' |
Dickov 76' |
| Preston North End | 1–1 | Gillingham |
|---|---|---|
| Eyres 54' |
Taylor 79' |
- Second leg
Gillingham won 2–1 on aggregate.
Manchester City won 2–1 on aggregate.
Final
| Gillingham | 2–2 (a.e.t.) | Manchester City |
|---|---|---|
| Asaba 82' Taylor 87' |
Report | Horlock 90' Dickov 90+5' |
| Penalties | ||
| |
1–3 | Horlock Dickov Cooke Edghill |
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 22 | 8 | 16 | 69 | 58 | +11 | 74 |
| 5 | Rotherham United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 79 | 61 | +18 | 73 |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 68 | 59 | +9 | 72 |
| 7 | Swansea City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 56 | 48 | +8 | 71 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
| Rotherham United | 0–0 (a.e.t.) | Leyton Orient |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| |
2–4 | Lockwood |
Rotherham United 0–0 Leyton Orient on aggregate. Leyton Orient won 4–2 on penalties.
| Scunthorpe United | 3–1 (a.e.t.) | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
| Dawson 2' Sheldon 92', 102' |
Bird 98' |
Scunthorpe United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Leyton Orient | 0–1 | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Calvo García 6' |