1995–96 Football League

The Football League
Season1995–96
ChampionsSunderland
PromotedSunderland
Derby County
Leicester City

The 1995–96 Football League season was the 97th completed season of The Football League. It was contested through three divisions, the First Division, Second Division and Third Division.[1]

First Division

[edit]
First Division
Season1995–96
ChampionsSunderland
PromotedSunderland
Derby County
Leicester City
RelegatedMillwall
Watford
Luton Town
Matches played552
Goals scored1,417 (2.57 per match)
Top goalscorerJohn Aldridge
(27 goals)[2]
Biggest home winSunderland 6–0 Millwall
(9 December 1995)
Biggest away winBarnsley 0–5 Birmingham City
(2 September 1995)
Highest scoringWatford 6–3 Grimsby Town
(23 April 1996)

The Division One promotion race was one of the most dramatic seen at this level in many years.

Sunderland, who frequently topped the table after overcoming the previous leaders Millwall 6-0 at Roker Park in early December, clinched the Division One title in their first full season under the management of Peter Reid, five years after last playing among the elite in the old First Division. Derby County, who had been relegated alongside them that year, followed the Wearsiders into the Premier League as Division One runners-up, giving their new manager Jim Smith the fifth promotion of his managerial career. Crystal Palace finished third in the final table a season after relegation and a mere three months after their new manager Dave Bassett had taken over the club when they were in 16th place. Stoke City finished fourth as they mounted their first serious attempt to regain the top flight place which they had last held in 1985. Leicester City finished fifth after an erratic season, which had seen manager Mark McGhee defect to Wolves before Christmas to be succeeded by Martin O'Neill, who had been manager of Norwich City for just six months when he accepted the offer to take charge at Filbert Street. The final playoff place was occupied by Charlton Athletic, whose manager Alan Curbishley was now in sole charge after being joint manager alongside Steve Gritt for his first four seasons. The playoff final saw Crystal Palace take the lead in the first half before Garry Parker equalised for Leicester, and the game went into extra time. With just seconds remaining, new signing Steve Claridge clinched the winner for Leicester, who secured the third and final promotion place.

Things turned out very differently during the second half of the season for a number of clubs who had looked like promotion contenders in the first half of the campaign. West Bromwich Albion had been near the top of the table in October, before going on a 14-match winless run from which they picked up one point out of a possible 42 and dropped into the relegation zone. Improved form after ending their winless run in February lifted them up to a secure mid-table finish, but it was scant consolation for what might have been. Their local rivals Birmingham City had looked like promotion contenders halfway through the season, but faded away to finish 15th - a slump which cost manager Barry Fry his job after three seasons in charge, and sparked the return of legendary former player Trevor Francis to the club as manager. Norwich City had been in the promotion race when they lost manager Martin O'Neill to Leicester just before Christmas, but they were unable to sustain their promotion challenge under new manager Gary Megson, who was replaced at the end of the season by Mike Walker - the man who had turned them into Premier League title contenders and UEFA Cup competitors a few seasons earlier. Millwall had been top of Division One in early December when they were knocked off the top by a Sunderland side who beat them 6-0 at Roker Park. Manager Mick McCarthy left to take charge of the Republic of Ireland in February, and the slide down the table continued under his successor Jimmy Nicholl, culminating in relegation on the final day of the season.

Joining Millwall in Division Two for 1996-97 were Luton Town and Watford, who had both spent most of the season in the bottom three despite mid-season managerial changes. Following the departure of David Pleat to Sheffield Wednesday in the summer of 1995, Luton had appointed coach Terry Westley as manager, only to replace him with the Bradford City manager Lennie Lawrence just before Christmas. Watford were bottom of the table when they sacked Glenn Roeder as manager in February, and then turned to Graham Taylor for his second spell in charge at Vicarage Road, three months after his resignation at Wolves.

Wolves, one of the pre-season promotion favourites, failed to deliver the goods in the league and were heading towards the relegation zone when manager Graham Taylor resigned in November. The month-long search for a new manager ended with the appointment of Leicester City's Mark McGhee, who turned his back on a promotion challenge to help ensure that Wolves avoided relegation and prepared for a promotion push in 1996-97.

As well as managerial changes, relocation was another key theme of the 1995-96 campaign in Division One. Sunderland moved ahead with plans to leave Roker Park in favour of a new all-seater stadium at Monkwearmouth, due for completion in the summer of 1997. Having previously settled on revamping the Baseball Ground, Derby County chairman Lionel Pickering announced in February that the club would be relocating to Pride Park, with work beginning on the new stadium over the coming months and that the new stadium would be ready in time for the 1997-98 season. Stoke City, who had played at the Victoria Ground for almost 120 years, announced that they would be moving to a new 28,000-seater stadium at Trentham Lakes at the same time. Reading were pressing on with plans to relocate to a new 25,000-seater stadium by the end of the decade.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Sunderland (C, P) 46 22 17 7 59 33 +26 83 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Derby County (P) 46 21 16 9 71 51 +20 79
3 Crystal Palace 46 20 15 11 67 48 +19 75 Qualification for the First Division play-offs
4 Stoke City 46 20 13 13 60 49 +11 73
5 Leicester City (O, P) 46 19 14 13 66 60 +6 71
6 Charlton Athletic 46 17 20 9 57 45 +12 71
7 Ipswich Town 46 19 12 15 79 69 +10 69
8 Huddersfield Town 46 17 12 17 61 58 +3 63
9 Sheffield United 46 16 14 16 57 54 +3 62
10 Barnsley 46 14 18 14 60 66 −6 60
11 West Bromwich Albion 46 16 12 18 60 68 −8 60
12 Port Vale 46 15 15 16 59 66 −7 60
13 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 17 15 64 60 +4 59
14 Southend United 46 15 14 17 52 61 −9 59
15 Birmingham City 46 15 13 18 61 64 −3 58
16 Norwich City 46 14 15 17 59 55 +4 57
17 Grimsby Town 46 14 14 18 55 69 −14 56
18 Oldham Athletic 46 14 14 18 54 50 +4 56
19 Reading 46 13 17 16 54 63 −9 56
20 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 13 16 17 56 62 −6 55
21 Portsmouth 46 13 13 20 61 69 −8 52
22 Millwall (R) 46 13 13 20 43 63 −20 52 Relegation to the Second Division
23 Watford (R) 46 10 18 18 62 70 −8 48
24 Luton Town (R) 46 11 12 23 40 64 −24 45
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Play-offs

[edit]
Main article: 1996 Football League play-offs § First Division
Semifinals
1st leg – May 12th; 2nd leg – May 15th, 1996 		Final at Wembley
May 27th, 1996
        
3rd Crystal Palace 2 1 3
6th Charlton Athletic 1 0 1
3rd Crystal Palace 1
5th Leicester City (a.e.t.) 2
4th Stoke City 0 0 0
5th Leicester City 0 1 1

[1]

Results

[edit]
Home \ Away BAR BIR CHA CRY DER GRI HUD IPS LEI LUT MIL NWC OLD PTV POR REA SHU STD STK SUN TRA WAT WBA WOL
Barnsley 0–5 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–0 3–3 2–2 1–0 3–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–1 2–2 1–1 3–1 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–0
Birmingham City 0–0 3–4 0–0 1–4 3–1 2–0 3–1 2–2 4–0 2–2 3–1 0–0 3–1 2–0 1–2 0–1 2–0 1–1 0–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–0
Charlton Athletic 1–1 3–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 1–1 0–3 2–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 4–1 1–1
Crystal Palace 4–3 3–2 1–1 0–0 5–0 0–0 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–2 0–1 2–2 2–2 0–0 0–2 0–0 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–1 4–0 1–0 3–2
Derby County 4–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 3–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–1 0–0 3–2 3–0 4–2 1–0 3–1 3–1 6–2 1–1 3–0 0–0
Grimsby Town 3–1 2–1 1–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 0–0 1–2 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 0–2 1–1 1–0 0–4 1–1 0–0 1–0 3–0
Huddersfield Town 3–0 4–2 2–2 3–0 0–1 1–3 2–1 3–1 1–0 3–0 3–2 0–0 0–2 0–1 3–1 1–2 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 4–1 2–1
Ipswich Town 2–2 2–0 1–5 1–0 1–0 2–2 2–1 4–2 0–1 0–0 2–1 2–1 5–1 3–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 4–1 3–0 1–2 4–2 2–1 1–2
Leicester City 2–2 3–0 1–1 2–3 0–0 2–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 2–1 3–2 2–0 1–1 4–2 1–1 0–2 1–3 2–3 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–2 1–0
Luton Town 1–3 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 3–2 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–3 1–1 3–2 3–1 1–2 1–0 3–1 1–2 0–2 3–2 0–0 1–2 2–3
Millwall 0–1 2–0 0–2 1–4 0–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–3 1–2 2–2 1–2 2–1 0–1
Norwich City 3–1 1–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–1 0–1 0–1 0–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–3 0–0 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 2–2 2–3
Oldham Athletic 0–1 4–0 1–1 3–1 0–1 1–0 3–0 1–1 3–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 1–2 1–2 0–0 1–2 0–0
Port Vale 3–0 1–2 1–3 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 0–2 1–0 0–1 1–0 1–3 0–2 3–2 2–3 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–2
Portsmouth 0–0 0–1 2–1 2–3 2–2 3–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 4–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 1–2 0–0 1–2 4–2 3–3 2–2 0–2 4–2 0–2 0–2
Reading 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–2 3–2 0–2 3–1 1–4 1–1 3–1 1–2 0–3 2–0 2–2 0–1 0–3 3–3 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 3–1 3–0
Sheffield United 1–0 1–1 2–0 2–3 0–2 1–2 0–2 2–2 1–3 1–0 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 4–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–0 0–2 1–1 1–2 2–1
Southend United 0–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–0 0–0 2–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 2–4 0–2 2–0 1–1 2–1 2–1
Stoke City 2–0 1–0 1–0 1–2 1–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 1–0 5–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 0–1 2–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 2–1 2–0
Sunderland 2–1 3–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–0 3–2 1–0 1–2 1–0 6–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–0
Tranmere Rovers 1–3 2–2 0–0 2–3 5–1 0–1 3–1 5–2 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–1 3–0 0–0 2–0 2–3 2–2 2–2
Watford 2–3 1–1 1–2 0–0 0–0 6–3 0–1 2–3 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–2 2–1 5–2 1–2 4–2 2–1 2–2 3–0 3–3 3–0 1–1 1–1
West Bromwich Albion 2–1 1–0 1–0 2–3 3–2 3–1 1–2 0–0 2–3 0–2 1–0 1–4 1–0 1–1 2–1 2–0 3–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 4–4 0–0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 3–2 0–0 0–2 3–0 4–1 0–0 2–2 2–3 0–0 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–1 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–4 3–0 2–1 3–0 1–1
Source: [citation needed]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

[edit]
Rank Player Club Goals
1 Republic of Ireland John Aldridge Tranmere Rovers 27
2 Scotland Dougie Freedman Crystal Palace 20
= England Dean Sturridge Derby County 20
4 England Ian Marshall Ipswich Town 19
= Wales Iwan Roberts Leicester City 19
6 Scotland Alex Mathie Ipswich Town 18
7 England Andy Payton Barnsley 17
= England Bob Taylor West Bromwich Albion 17

Locations

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the First Division teams
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Locations of the First Division London teams

Second Division

[edit]

Following back-to-back relegations, Swindon Town took a turn in the right direction by sealing the Division Two title with 92 points and securing a return to Division One in their first full season under manager Steve McMahon. They were joined in promotion by their local rivals Oxford United, who finished runners-up. The final promotion place was won by Bradford City, who won at Wembley for the first time in their history with a 2-0 triumph over Notts County in the playoff final. Crewe Alexandra were beaten in the semi-finals for a second successive season. Blackpool finished third and were also beaten in the playoff semi-finals, which was quickly followed by the dismissal of manager Sam Allardyce despite having come closer than any other Blackpool manager to regaining the second tier place which Blackpool had last held in 1978.

Down at the bottom end of the table, Hull City dropped into the fourth tier for the first time in more than a decade, having won just five league games all season. Debt-ridden Brighton, whose chairman Bill Archer came under fire from fans over his plans to sell the Goldstone Ground and groundshare with another club, went down in 23rd place. Swansea City went down after being managed by four different men in the same season, with Liverpool legend Jan Molby taking over as player-manager before relegation was confirmed in hope of bringing some long-awaited success to the South Wales side. Carlisle United's disappointing return to the third tier of the English league ended in instant relegation as they occupied the fourth and final relegation place.

York City, who beat the drop at Carlisle's expense, made the headlines in the autumn with a shock 3-0 win over a Manchester United side, who finished the season as Premier League champions and FA Cup winners, in the first leg of the League Cup second round. This would prove to be the only time that the double winners lost a competitive game at home all season. York went on to eliminate their illustrious opponents from the competition, as a 3-1 United win at Bootham Crescent in the return leg was not enough to save Alex Ferguson's team from suffering a humiliating exit from the competition.

Football League, Second Division
Season1995–96
ChampionsSwindon Town (1st third tier title)
Direct promotionSwindon Town,
Oxford United
Promoted through play-offsBradford City
RelegatedBrighton & Hove Albion,
Carlisle United,
Hull City,
Swansea City
Matches played552
Goals scored1,414 (2.56 per match)
Top goalscorerMarcus Stewart (Bristol Rovers), 21;
Gary Martindale (Peterborough United/ Notts County), 21 [2]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Swindon Town (C, P) 46 25 17 4 71 34 +37 92 Promotion to the First Division
2 Oxford United (P) 46 24 11 11 76 39 +37 83
3 Blackpool 46 23 13 10 67 40 +27 82 Qualification for the Second Division play-offs
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 (O, P) 46 22 7 17 71 69 +2 73
7 Chesterfield 46 20 12 14 56 51 +5 72
8 Wrexham 46 18 16 12 76 55 +21 70
9 Stockport County 46 19 13 14 61 47 +14 70
10 Bristol Rovers 46 20 10 16 57 60 −3 70
11 Walsall 46 19 12 15 60 45 +15 69
12 Wycombe Wanderers 46 15 15 16 63 59 +4 60
13 Bristol City 46 15 15 16 55 60 −5 60
14 Bournemouth 46 16 10 20 51 70 −19 58
15 Brentford 46 15 13 18 43 49 −6 58
16 Rotherham United 46 14 14 18 54 62 −8 56
17 Burnley 46 14 13 19 56 68 −12 55
18 Shrewsbury Town 46 13 14 19 58 70 −12 53
19 Peterborough United 46 13 13 20 59 66 −7 52
20 York City 46 13 13 20 58 73 −15 52
21 Carlisle United (R) 46 12 13 21 57 72 −15 49 Relegation to the Third Division
22 Swansea City (R) 46 11 14 21 43 79 −36 47
23 Brighton & Hove Albion (R) 46 10 10 26 46 69 −23 40
24 Hull City (R) 46 5 16 25 36 78 −42 31
Source: [citation needed]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Play-offs

[edit]
Main article: 1996 Football League play-offs § Second Division
Semifinals
1st leg –May 12th; 2nd leg –May 15th, 1996 		Final at Wembley Stadium
May 26th, 1996
        
3rd Blackpool 2 0 2
6th Bradford City 0 3 3
4th Notts County 0
6th Bradford City 2
4th Notts County 2 1 3
5th Crewe Alexandra 2 0 2

[1]

Results

[edit]
Home \ Away BOU BLP BRA BRE B&HA BRI BRR BUR CRL CHF CRE HUL NTC OXF PET ROT SHR STP SWA SWI WAL WRE WYC YOR
AFC Bournemouth 1–0 3–1 1–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 2–0 2–0 0–4 2–0 0–2 0–1 3–0 2–1 0–2 3–2 3–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 2–3 2–2
Blackpool 2–1 4–1 1–0 2–1 3–0 3–0 3–1 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–1 0–1 4–0 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 1–3
Bradford City 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–3 3–0 2–3 2–2 3–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 2–1 2–0 3–1 0–1 5–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–4 2–2
Brentford 2–0 1–2 2–1 0–1 2–2 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 0–2 1–0 0–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–0
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–0 1–2 0–0 0–0 0–2 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–2 2–2 4–0 1–0 1–2 1–2 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–2 1–3 0–3 2–2 1–2 1–3
Bristol City 3–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–1 3–2 4–0 0–2 0–2 0–1 4–3 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 0–2 3–1 0–0 1–1
Bristol Rovers 0–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–4 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 0–3 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–3 2–2 1–4 2–0 1–2 2–1 1–0
Burnley 0–0 0–1 2–3 1–0 3–0 0–0 0–1 2–0 2–2 0–1 2–1 3–4 0–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 4–3 3–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 3–3
Carlisle United 4–0 1–2 2–2 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–2 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 3–0 0–1 1–1 1–2 4–2 2–0
Chesterfield 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 4–2 3–0 1–2 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–2 3–2 1–3 1–1 1–1 3–1 2–1
Crewe Alexandra 2–0 1–2 1–2 3–1 3–1 4–2 1–2 3–1 2–1 3–0 1–0 2–2 1–2 2–1 0–2 3–0 0–1 4–1 0–2 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–1
Hull City 1–1 2–1 2–3 0–1 0–0 2–3 1–3 3–0 2–5 0–0 1–2 0–0 0–0 2–3 1–4 2–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–1 4–2 0–3
Notts County 2–0 1–1 0–2 4–0 2–1 2–2 4–2 1–1 3–1 4–1 0–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–0 4–0 1–3 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–2
Oxford United 2–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–2 5–0 4–0 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 4–0 1–1 6–0 2–1 5–1 3–0 3–2 0–0 1–4 2–0
Peterborough United 4–5 0–0 3–1 0–1 3–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 6–1 0–1 3–1 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 2–2 0–1 1–1 0–2 2–3 1–0 3–0 6–1
Rotherham United 1–0 2–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–3 1–0 1–0 2–2 0–1 2–2 1–1 2–0 1–0 5–1 2–2 2–0 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–1 0–0 2–2
Shrewsbury Town 1–2 0–2 1–1 2–1 2–1 4–1 1–1 3–0 1–1 0–0 2–3 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 1–2 1–2 1–2 0–2 2–2 1–1 2–1
Stockport County 3–1 1–1 1–2 1–1 3–1 0–0 2–0 0–0 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–0 2–0 4–2 0–1 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–1 0–1 2–3 1–1 3–0
Swansea City 1–1 0–2 2–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 2–2 2–4 1–1 3–2 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 0–0 3–1 0–3 0–1 2–1 1–3 1–2 0–1
Swindon Town 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–2 3–2 2–0 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 3–0 1–0 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 3–0 1–1 1–1 0–0 3–0
Walsall 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 3–1 2–1 3–0 3–2 3–0 0–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 3–0 0–2 4–1 0–0 1–2 0–1 2–0
Wrexham 5–0 1–1 1–2 2–2 1–1 0–0 3–2 0–2 3–2 3–0 2–3 5–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 7–0 1–1 2–3 1–0 4–3 3–0 1–0 2–3
Wycombe Wanderers 1–2 0–1 5–2 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–1 4–0 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–3 1–1 1–1 2–0 4–1 0–1 1–2 1–0 1–1 2–1
York City 3–1 0–2 0–3 2–2 3–1 0–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 2–3 0–1 1–3 1–0 3–1 2–2 1–2 2–2 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–0 2–1
Source: [citation needed]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

[edit]
Rank Player Club(s) Goals
1 England Marcus Stewart Bristol Rovers 21
= England Gary Martindale Peterborough United
Notts County 		21

Locations

[edit]
class=notpageimage|
Locations of the Second Division teams

Third Division

[edit]

Under a new owner and a new manager, Preston North End sealed promotion from Division Three as champions following two successive playoff failures. Gillingham, another club with a new owner and a new manager, sealed promotion as runners-up after seven seasons in the league's basement division. Bury clinched the final automatic promotion place following a mid-season change of manager from Mike Walsh to Stan Ternent. In the playoffs, Neil Warnock clinched his fourth promotion in seven seasons as manager, guiding Plymouth Argyle to promotion in his first full season in charge at Home Park with a 1-0 win over Darlington at Wembley. Hereford United and Colchester United were the losing semi-finalists in the playoffs.

A disastrous season for Torquay United saw the Devon club finish well adrift of 23rd placed Scarborough at the foot of the Division Three table, being confined to the bottom place with several games to spare, but their Football League status was saved when Stevenage Borough - whose Broadhall Way stadium did not meet Football League requirements - were crowned Conference champions. The club's future was then secured with a takeover by new chairman Mike Bateson, who replaced Eddie May with Kevin Hodges as the manager at Plainmoor. May's old club Cardiff City finished 22nd in the table - the lowest final position in the Ninian Park side's history. Fulham, another side once more familiar with the higher divisions of the league, finished a lowly 17th in the table, and prepared from a better campaign in 1996-97 by appointing veteran defender Micky Adams as player-manager following Ian Branfoot's move to the role of general manager.

As with a number of clubs in the higher divisions, relocation was on the cards at a number of Division Three clubs by this season. New Wigan Athletic owner Dave Whelan was looking to move the club away from their outdated home at Springfield Park to an all-seater stadium elsewhere, while Plymouth Argyle were considering leaving Home Park for a new 25,000-seat stadium at nearby Central Park.

Two Division Three clubs were hit by major tragedy in the 1995-96 season. Wigan Athletic defender Mike Millett, who had just broken into the first team, was killed in a car crash the day before his 18th birthday. Alan Nicholls, the 22-year-old former Plymouth Argyle and England under-21 goalkeeper who was on loan with Conference side Stalybridge Celtic from Gillingham, was killed in a motorbike crash near Peterborough in November, along with the brother of former Gillingham player Scott Lindsey.

Football League, Third Division
Season1995–96
ChampionsPreston North End (1st fourth tier title)
Direct promotionPreston North End,
Bury,
Gillingham
Promoted through play-offsPlymouth Argyle
Relegated to ConferenceNone
Matches played552
Goals scored1,346 (2.44 per match)
Top goalscorerSteve White (Hereford United), 29
Andy Saville (Preston North End), 29 [2]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion
1 Preston North End (C, P) 46 23 17 6 78 38 +40 86 Promotion to the Second Division
2 Gillingham (P) 46 22 17 7 49 20 +29 83
3 Bury (P) 46 22 13 11 66 48 +18 79
4 Plymouth Argyle (O, P) 46 22 12 12 68 49 +19 78 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs
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
8 Barnet 46 18 16 12 65 45 +20 70
9 Chester City 46 18 16 12 72 53 +19 70
10 Wigan Athletic 46 20 10 16 62 56 +6 70
11 Northampton Town 46 18 13 15 51 44 +7 67
12 Scunthorpe United 46 15 15 16 67 61 +6 60
13 Doncaster Rovers 46 16 11 19 49 60 −11 59
14 Exeter City 46 13 18 15 46 53 −7 57
15 Rochdale 46 14 13 19 57 61 −4 55
16 Cambridge United 46 14 12 20 61 71 −10 54
17 Fulham 46 12 17 17 57 63 −6 53
18 Mansfield Town 46 11 20 15 54 64 −10 53
19 Lincoln City 46 13 14 19 57 73 −16 53
20 Hartlepool United 46 12 13 21 47 67 −20 49
21 Leyton Orient 46 12 11 23 44 63 −19 47
22 Cardiff City 46 11 12 23 41 64 −23 45
23 Scarborough 46 8 16 22 39 69 −30 40
24 Torquay United 46 5 14 27 30 84 −54 29 Reprived from relegation
Source: [citation needed]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Play-offs

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Main article: 1996 Football League play-offs § Third Division
Semifinals
1st leg – May 12th; 2nd leg – May 15th, 1996 		Final at Wembley Stadium
May 25th, 1996
        
4th Plymouth Argyle 0 3 3
7th Colchester United 1 1 2
4th Plymouth Argyle 1
5th Darlington 0
5th Darlington 2 2 4
6th Hereford United 1 1 2

[1]

Results

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Home \ Away BAR BRY CAM CAR CHE COL DAR DON EXE FUL GIL HAR HER LEY LIN MAN NOR PLY PNE ROC SCA SCU TOR WIG
Barnet 0–0 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 3–2 3–0 0–2 5–1 1–3 3–0 3–1 0–0 2–0 1–2 1–0 0–4 1–0 1–0 4–0 5–0
Bury 0–0 1–2 3–0 1–1 0–0 0–0 4–1 2–0 3–0 1–0 0–3 2–0 2–1 7–1 0–2 0–1 0–5 0–0 1–1 0–2 3–0 1–0 2–1
Cambridge United 1–1 2–4 4–2 1–1 3–1 0–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 0–0 0–1 2–2 2–0 2–1 0–2 0–1 2–3 2–1 2–1 4–1 1–2 1–1 2–1
Cardiff City 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 1–2 0–2 3–2 0–1 1–4 2–0 2–0 3–2 0–0 1–1 3–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 3–0
Chester City 0–2 1–1 1–1 4–0 1–1 4–1 0–3 2–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 5–1 2–1 1–0 3–1 1–1 1–2 5–0 3–0 4–1 0–0
Colchester United 3–2 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–1 4–1 2–0 0–0 3–0 1–3 1–0 2–1 2–2 1–0 1–1 2–1 3–1 1–2
Darlington 1–1 4–0 0–0 0–1 3–1 2–2 1–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–2 0–1 1–2 0–0 1–2 2–1
Doncaster Rovers 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–0 1–2 3–2 1–2 2–0 0–2 0–1 1–0 0–0 4–1 1–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 2–2 0–3 1–0 2–0 1–0 2–1
Exeter City 1–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–2 2–2 0–1 1–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 0–2 2–2 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 0–4
Fulham 1–1 0–0 0–2 4–2 2–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 2–1 0–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–2 4–2 1–3 4–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 1–3 4–0 1–0
Gillingham 1–0 3–0 3–0 1–0 3–1 0–1 0–0 4–0 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 2–1
Hartlepool United 0–0 1–2 1–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 0–1 4–1 3–0 1–1 2–1 2–2 0–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 1–2
Hereford United 4–1 3–4 5–2 1–3 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 2–2 1–0 0–0 4–1 3–2 1–0 0–1 1–0 3–0 0–1 2–0 0–0 3–0 2–1 2–2
Leyton Orient 3–3 0–2 3–1 4–1 0–2 0–1 1–1 3–1 0–3 1–0 0–1 4–1 0–1 2–0 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–1
Lincoln City 1–2 2–2 1–3 0–1 0–0 0–0 0–2 4–0 0–1 4–0 0–3 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 3–1 2–2 5–0 2–4
Mansfield Town 2–1 1–5 2–1 1–1 3–4 1–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–3 1–2 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–1 0–0 2–2 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–0
Northampton Town 0–2 4–1 3–0 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 3–3 0–0 2–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 3–3 1–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 1–2 1–1 0–0
Plymouth Argyle 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–2 1–1 0–1 3–1 2–2 3–0 1–0 3–0 0–1 1–1 3–0 1–0 1–0 0–2 2–0 5–1 1–3 4–3 3–1
Preston North End 0–1 0–0 3–3 5–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–1 0–0 3–0 2–2 4–0 1–2 6–0 0–3 3–2 1–2 3–2 2–2 1–0 1–1
Rochdale 0–4 1–1 3–1 3–3 1–3 1–1 1–2 1–0 4–2 1–1 2–0 4–0 0–0 1–0 3–3 1–1 1–2 0–1 0–3 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2
Scarborough 1–1 0–2 2–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–2 0–0 2–2 0–2 1–2 2–2 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 1–4 2–1 0–0
Scunthorpe United 2–0 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–2 1–0 3–3 2–2 4–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–0 2–3 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–3 3–3 1–0 3–1
Torquay United 1–1 0–2 0–3 0–0 1–1 2–3 0–1 1–2 0–2 2–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–1 3–0 0–2 0–4 1–0 0–0 1–8 1–1
Wigan Athletic 1–0 1–2 3–1 3–1 2–1 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 2–6 1–2 0–1 0–1 2–0 2–0 2–1 3–0
Source: [citation needed]
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Top scorers

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Rank Player Club Goals
1 England Steve White Hereford United 29
= England Andy Saville Preston North End 29

Locations

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Locations of the Third Division teams
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Locations of the Third Division London teams

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "England 1995–96". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
  2. ^ a b c "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-10-31.
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