The Football League play-offs for the 1988–89 season were held in May 1989, with the two-legged finals taking place at the finalists home stadiums. The play-off semi-finals were also played over two legs and were contested by the teams who finished in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League Second Division and Football League Third Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Fourth Division table. The winners of the semi-finals progressed through to the finals, with the winner of these matches either gaining promotion or avoiding relegation for the following season.
| Season | 1988–89 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (Second Division) Port Vale (Third Division) Leyton Orient (Fourth Division) |
| Matches played | 18 |
| Goals scored | 38 (2.11 per match) |
| Biggest home win | C. Palace 3–0 Blackburn (Second Division) |
| Biggest away win | Fulham 0–4 Bristol Rovers (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring | Blackburn 3–1 C. Palace Fulham 0–4 Bristol Rovers Port Vale 3–1 Preston Wrexham 3–1 Scunthorpe (4 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 30,000 – Crystal Palace v Blackburn (Second Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,377 – Scarborough v Leyton Orient (Fourth Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 12,994 |
← 1988 1990 → | |
Background edit
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. For the first three seasons the final was played over two legs but this was changed to a single match at Wembley Stadium from 1990.
Second Division edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 71 | 49 | +22 | 81 |
| 4 | Watford | 46 | 22 | 12 | 12 | 74 | 48 | +26 | 78 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 74 | 49 | +15 | 77 |
| 6 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 68 | 53 | +15 | 76 |
Semi-finals edit
- First leg
| Blackburn Rovers | 0–0 | Watford |
|---|---|---|
| Swindon Town | 1–0 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
Hopkins  (o.g.) |
- Second leg
| Watford | 1–1 (a.e.t.) | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Redfearn |
Garner |
Watford 1–1 Blackburn Rovers on aggregate. Blackburn Rovers won on away goals.
| Crystal Palace | 2–0 | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| Bright Wright |
Crystal Palace won 2–1 on aggregate.
Final edit
- First leg
| Blackburn Rovers | 3–1 | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Gayle 21', 27' Garner 90' |
McGoldrick 86' |
- Second leg
| Crystal Palace | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Blackburn Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Wright 17', 117' Madden 47' (pen.) |
Crystal Palace won 4–3 on aggregate.
Third Division edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Port Vale | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 84 |
| 4 | Fulham | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 75 |
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 74 |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 72 |
Semi-finals edit
- First leg
| Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Fulham |
|---|---|---|
| Penrice |
- Second leg
Bristol Rovers won 5–0 on aggregate.
| Port Vale | 3–1 | Preston North End |
|---|---|---|
| Beckford |
Patterson |
Port Vale won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final edit
- First leg
| Bristol Rovers | 1–1 | Port Vale |
|---|---|---|
| Penrice |
Earle 73' |
- Second leg
| Port Vale | 1–0 | Bristol Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Earle 52' |
Port Vale won 2–1 on aggregate.
Fourth Division edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 77 | 57 | +20 | 77 |
| 5 | Scarborough | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 67 | 52 | +15 | 77 |
| 6 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 75 |
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 19 | 14 | 13 | 77 | 63 | +14 | 71 |
Semi-finals edit
- First leg
| Leyton Orient | 2–0 | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| Cooper |
| Wrexham | 3–1 | Scunthorpe United |
|---|---|---|
| Wright Kearns |
Cowling |
- Second leg
| Scarborough | 1–0 | Leyton Orient |
|---|---|---|
| Russell |
Leyton Orient won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Scunthorpe United | 0–2 | Wrexham |
|---|---|---|
| Russell |
Wrexham won 5–1 on aggregate.
Final edit
- First leg
- Second leg
| Leyton Orient | 2–1 | Wrexham |
|---|---|---|
| Harvey 45' Cooper |
Bowden 47' |
Leyton Orient won 2–1 on aggregate.