The Football League play-offs for the 1987–88 season were held in May 1988, 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 and 5th place in the Football League Second Division and Football League Third Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th placed teams in the Football League Fourth Division table, along with a team from the league above. 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 | 1987–88 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Middlesbrough (Second Division) Walsall (Third Division) Swansea City (Fourth Division) |
| Matches played | 19 |
| Goals scored | 50 (2.63 per match) |
| Biggest home win | Walsall 4–0 Bristol City (Third Division) |
| Biggest away win | Notts County 1–3 Walsall (Third Division) Bristol City 1–3 Walsall (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring | Torquay 3–3 Swansea (6 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 40,550 – Chelsea v Middlesbrough (Second Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,602 – Torquay v Scunthorpe (Fourth Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 16,094 |
← 1987 1989 → | |
Background
editThe 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. Additionally, for the 1986–87 and 1987-88 play-offs the semi-finals included a team from the next league who had finished above the relegation positions up, e.g. one team from the first tier and three teams from the second tier. The team from the higher division would be relegated if they failed to win the play-offs, with the play-off winner being promoted in their place.
Second Division
edit- First Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Chelsea | 40 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 50 | 68 | –18 | 42 |
| 19 | Portsmouth | 40 | 7 | 14 | 19 | 36 | 66 | –30 | 35 |
| 20 | Watford | 40 | 7 | 11 | 22 | 27 | 51 | –24 | 32 |
| 21 | Oxford United | 40 | 6 | 13 | 21 | 44 | 80 | –36 | 31 |
- Second Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Middlesbrough | 44 | 22 | 12 | 10 | 63 | 36 | +27 | 78 |
| 4 | Bradford City | 44 | 22 | 11 | 11 | 74 | 54 | +20 | 77 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 44 | 21 | 14 | 9 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 77 |
Semi-finals
edit- First leg
| Bradford City | 2–1 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
Goddard  67'McCall |
Senior 68' |
| Blackburn Rovers | 0–2 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Durie 46' Nevin 68' |
- Second leg
Chelsea won 6–1 on aggregate.
| Middlesbrough | 2–0 (a.e.t.) | Bradford City |
|---|---|---|
| Slaven 35' Hamilton 91' |
Middlesbrough won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
edit- First leg
| Middlesbrough | 2–0 | Chelsea |
|---|---|---|
| Slaven 30' Senior 81' |
- Second leg
| Chelsea | 1–0 | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| Durie 18' |
Middlesbrough won 2–1 on aggregate and were promoted to the First Division. Chelsea was relegated to the Second Division.
Third Division
edit- Second Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Sheffield United | 44 | 13 | 7 | 24 | 45 | 74 | –29 | 46 |
| 22 | Reading | 44 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 44 | 70 | –26 | 42 |
| 23 | Huddersfield Town | 44 | 6 | 10 | 28 | 41 | 100 | –59 | 28 |
- Third Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Walsall | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 68 | 50 | +18 | 82 |
| 4 | Notts County | 46 | 23 | 12 | 11 | 82 | 49 | +33 | 81 |
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 77 | 62 | +15 | 75 |
Semi-finals
edit- First leg
| Notts County | 1–3 | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| Yates |
Kelly Shakespeare |
| Bristol City | 1–0 | Sheffield United |
|---|---|---|
| Walsh |
- Second leg
| Sheffield United | 1–1 | Bristol City |
|---|---|---|
| Morris 49' |
Shutt 17' |
Bristol City won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Walsall | 1–1 | Notts County |
|---|---|---|
| Christie 60' |
Yates 12' |
Walsall won 4–2 on aggregate.
Final
edit- First leg
| Bristol City | 1–3 | Walsall |
|---|---|---|
| Walsh 40' |
Christie 60' Kelly 78', 90' |
- Second leg
| Walsall | 0–2 | Bristol City |
|---|---|---|
| Newman 31' Shutt 64' |
Walsall 3–3 Bristol City on aggregate - Walsall won 4-2 on pens to decide who would host the replay.
- Replay
| Walsall | 4–0 | Bristol City |
|---|---|---|
| Kelly 12', 17', 63' Hawker 19' |
Fourth Division
edit- Third Division relegation places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Rotherham United | 46 | 12 | 16 | 18 | 50 | 66 | –16 | 52 |
| 22 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 48 | 58 | –10 | 50 |
| 23 | York City | 46 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 48 | 91 | –43 | 33 |
| 24 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 8 | 9 | 29 | 40 | 84 | –44 | 33 |
- Fourth Division play-off places
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 20 | 17 | 9 | 76 | 51 | +25 | 77 |
| 5 | Torquay United | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 66 | 41 | +25 | 77 |
| 6 | Swansea City | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 62 | 56 | +6 | 70 |
Semi-finals
edit- First leg
| Swansea City | 1–0 | Rotherham United |
|---|---|---|
| McCarthy 85' |
- Second leg
| Rotherham United | 1–1 | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
| Johnson 46' |
McCarthy 19' |
Swansea City won 2–1 on aggregate.
| Scunthorpe United | 1–1 | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
| Lister 81' (pen.) |
Loram |
Torquay United won 3–2 on aggregate.
Final
edit- First leg
| Swansea City | 2–1 | Torquay United |
|---|---|---|
| McCarthy Love 25' |
McNichol 90' |
- Second leg
Swansea City won 5–4 on aggregate.