1996 Football League play-offs
Football league season
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The Football League play-offs for the 1995–96 season were held in May 1996, with the finals taking place at Wembley Stadium in London. The play-off semi-finals were played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished 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 progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches gaining promotion for the following season.
(First Division)
Bradford City
(Second Division)
Plymouth Argyle
(Third Division)
| Season | 1995–96 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Leicester City (First Division) Bradford City (Second Division) Plymouth Argyle (Third Division) |
| Matches | 15 |
| Goals | 32 (2.13 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Plymouth 3–1 Colchester (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Blackpool 0–3 Bradford (Second Division) |
| Highest scoring | Crewe 2–2 Notts County Plymouth 3–1 Colchester (4 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 73,573 – Crystal Palace v Leicester (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,931 – Crewe v Notts County (Second Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 20,567 |
← 1995 1997 → | |
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.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 20 | 15 | 11 | 67 | 48 | +19 | 75 |
| 4 | Stoke City | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 73 |
| 5 | Leicester City | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 66 | 60 | +6 | 71 |
| 6 | Charlton Athletic | 46 | 17 | 20 | 9 | 57 | 45 | +12 | 71 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Charlton Athletic | 1–2 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
Newton  1' |
Report | Brown 65' Veart 71' |
- Second leg
Crystal Palace won 3–1 on aggregate.
| Stoke City | 0–1 | Leicester City |
|---|---|---|
| Parker 46' |
Leicester City won 1–0 on aggregate.
Final
| Crystal Palace | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Leicester City |
|---|---|---|
| Roberts 14' |
Parker 76' (pen.) Claridge 120' |
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Blackpool | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 67 | 40 | +27 | 82 |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 78 |
| 5 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 77 | 60 | +17 | 73 |
| 6 | Bradford City | 46 | 22 | 7 | 17 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 73 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Bradford City | 0–2 | Blackpool |
|---|---|---|
| Bonner 72' Ellis 78' |
| Crewe Alexandra | 2–2 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Little 3' Rivers 17' |
Finnan 55' Martindale 90' |
- Second leg
| Blackpool | 0–3 | Bradford City |
|---|---|---|
| Shutt 39' Hamilton 68'Stallard 78' |
Bradford City won 3–2 on aggregate.
Notts County won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Bradford City | 2–0 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton 8' Stallard 75' |
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 68 | 49 | +19 | 78 |
| 5 | Darlington | 46 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 60 | 42 | +18 | 78 |
| 6 | Hereford United | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 65 | 47 | +18 | 74 |
| 7 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 61 | 51 | +10 | 72 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Hereford United | 1–2 | Darlington |
|---|---|---|
| Smith 2' |
Gregan 27' Blake 37' |
- Second leg
| Plymouth Argyle | 3–1 | Colchester United |
|---|---|---|
| Evans 3' Leadbitter 41'Williams 85' |
Kinsella 66' |
Plymouth Argyle won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Darlington | 2–1 | Hereford United |
|---|---|---|
| Painter 17' Appleby 47' (pen.) |
White 65' |
Darlington won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final
| Darlington | 0–1 | Plymouth Argyle |
|---|---|---|
| Mauge 65' |