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1997 Football League play-offs
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| competition | Football League play-offs |
| season | 1996–97 |
| winners | Crystal Palace |
| (First Division) | |
| Crewe Alexandra | |
| (Second Division) | |
| Northampton Town | |
| (Third Division) | |
| biggest home win | Swansea 3–0 Chester |
| (Third Division) | |
| biggest away win | Bristol City 1–2 Brentford |
| (Second Division) | |
| highest scoring | Northampton 3–2 Cardiff |
| (5 goals) | |
| matches | 15 |
| total goals | 38 |
| highest attendance | 64,383 – Crystal Palace v Sheffield United |
| (First Division final) | |
| lowest attendance | 5,104 – Chester v Swansea |
| (Third Division semi-final) | |
| average attendance | 21,403 |
| prevseason | [1996](1996-football-league-play-offs) |
| nextseason | [1998](1998-football-league-play-offs) |
(First Division) Crewe Alexandra (Second Division) Northampton Town (Third Division) (Third Division) (Second Division) (5 goals) (First Division final) (Third Division semi-final) The Football League play-offs for the 1996–97 season were held in May 1997, with the finals taking place at the old Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
First Division
Main article: 1996–97 Football League First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 68 | 51 | +17 | 76 |
| 4 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 74 |
| 5 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 75 | 52 | +23 | 73 |
| **6** | **Crystal Palace** | **46** | **19** | **14** | **13** | **78** | **48** | **+30** | **71** |
Semi-finals
;First leg Freedman
;Second leg Gudmundsson Walker Ipswich Town 3–3 Sheffield United on aggregate. Sheffield United won on away goals.
Williams Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Main article: 1997 Football League First Division play-off final
Second Division
Main article: 1996–97 Football League Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 78 |
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 74 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 73 |
| **6** | **Crewe Alexandra** | **46** | **22** | **7** | **17** | **56** | **47** | **+9** | **73** |
Semi-finals
;First leg Taylor
Little
;Second leg Bent Brentford won 4–2 on aggregate.
Smith Crewe Alexandra won 4–3 on aggregate.
Final
Main article: 1997 Football League Second Division play-off final
Third Division
Main article: 1996–97 Football League Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| **4** | **Northampton Town** | **46** | **20** | **12** | **14** | **67** | **44** | **+23** | **72** |
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 71 |
| 6 | Chester City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 69 |
Semi-finals
;First leg
;Second leg Torpey Heggs Swansea City won 3–0 on aggregate.
Warburton Gayle Haworth Northampton Town won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final
Main article: 1997 Football League Third Division play-off final
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