1987–88 Football League

The 1987–88 season was the 89th completed season of The Football League.

The Football League
Season1987–88
ChampionsLiverpool
RelegatedNewport County
New club in LeagueScarborough

Final league tables and results

The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website,[1] with home and away statistics separated.

First Division
First Division
Season1987–88
ChampionsLiverpool
17th English title
RelegatedChelsea
Portsmouth
Watford
Oxford United
Matches played420
Goals scored1,049 (2.5 per match)
Top goalscorerJohn Aldridge
(26 goals)[2]

Liverpool won the league title by nine points, and with only two defeats all season. Second in the league were Manchester United.

The automatically relegated sides were Watford, Oxford United and Portsmouth. Chelsea were subsequently relegated as well after losing to Middlesbrough in the playoff final.

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Liverpool (C) 40 26 12 2 87 24 +63 90 Disqualified from European Cup[3]
2 Manchester United 40 23 12 5 71 38 +33 81 Disqualified from UEFA Cup[4]
3 Nottingham Forest 40 20 13 7 67 39 +28 73
4 Everton 40 19 13 8 53 27 +26 70
5 Queens Park Rangers 40 19 10 11 48 38 +10 67
6 Arsenal 40 18 12 10 58 39 +19 66
7 Wimbledon[lower-alpha 1] 40 14 15 11 58 47 +11 57 Disqualified from European Cup Winners' Cup[5]
8 Newcastle United 40 14 14 12 55 53 +2 56
9 Luton Town[lower-alpha 2] 40 14 11 15 57 58 −1 53 Disqualified from UEFA Cup[6]
10 Coventry City 40 13 14 13 46 53 −7 53
11 Sheffield Wednesday 40 15 8 17 52 66 −14 53
12 Southampton 40 12 14 14 49 53 −4 50
13 Tottenham Hotspur 40 12 11 17 38 48 −10 47
14 Norwich City 40 12 9 19 40 52 −12 45
15 Derby County 40 10 13 17 35 45 −10 43
16 West Ham United 40 9 15 16 40 52 −12 42
17 Charlton Athletic 40 9 15 16 38 52 −14 42
18 Chelsea (R) 40 9 15 16 50 68 −18 42 Qualified for Second Division play-offs
19 Portsmouth (R) 40 7 14 19 36 66 −30 35 Relegated to Second Division
20 Watford (R) 40 7 11 22 27 51 −24 32
21 Oxford United (R) 40 6 13 21 44 80 −36 31
Source: World Football
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. Wimbledon would have qualified as FA Cup winners.
  2. Luton Town would have qualified as League Cup winners.

First Division results
Home \ Away ARS CHA CHE COV DER EVE LIV LUT MUN NEW NWC NOT OXF POR QPR SHW SOU TOT WAT WHU WDN
Arsenal 4–0 3–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–0 0–2 2–0 6–0 0–0 3–1 0–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 3–0
Charlton Athletic 0–3 2–2 2–2 0–1 0–0 0–2 1–0 1–3 2–0 2–0 1–2 0–0 2–1 0–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 3–0 1–1
Chelsea 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–0 1–2 2–2 1–0 4–3 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–1
Coventry City 0–0 0–0 3–3 0–3 1–2 1–4 4–0 0–0 1–3 0–0 0–3 1–0 1–0 0–0 3–0 2–3 2–1 1–0 0–0 3–3
Derby County 0–0 1–1 2–0 2–0 0–0 1–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–2 0–1 0–1 0–0 0–2 2–2 2–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–1
Everton 1–2 1–1 4–1 1–2 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 2–1 2–0 4–0 1–0 0–0 2–0 3–1 2–2
Liverpool 2–0 3–2 2–1 4–0 4–0 2–0 1–1 3–3 4–0 0–0 5–0 2–0 4–0 4–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 4–0 0–0 2–1
Luton Town 1–1 1–0 3–0 0–1 1–0 2–1 0–1 1–1 4–0 1–2 1–1 7–4 4–1 2–1 2–2 2–2 2–0 2–1 2–2 2–0
Manchester United 0–0 0–0 3–1 1–0 4–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–2 2–1 2–2 3–1 4–1 2–1 4–1 0–2 1–0 2–0 3–1 2–1
Newcastle United 0–1 2–1 3–1 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–4 4–0 1–0 1–3 0–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 3–0 2–1 1–2
Norwich City 2–4 2–0 3–0 3–1 1–2 0–3 0–0 2–2 1–0 1–1 0–2 4–2 0–1 1–1 0–3 0–1 2–1 0–0 4–1 0–1
Nottingham Forest 0–1 2–2 3–2 4–1 2–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 2–0 5–3 5–0 4–0 3–0 3–3 3–0 1–0 0–0 0–0
Oxford United 0–0 2–1 4–4 1–0 0–0 1–1 0–3 2–5 0–2 1–3 3–0 0–2 4–2 2–0 0–3 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 2–5
Portsmouth 1–1 1–1 0–3 0–0 2–1 0–1 0–2 3–1 1–2 1–2 2–2 0–1 2–2 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 2–1 2–1
Queens Park Rangers 2–0 2–0 3–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–0 0–2 1–1 3–0 2–1 3–2 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–0 0–0 0–1 1–0
Sheffield Wednesday 3–3 2–0 3–0 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–5 0–2 2–4 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 3–1 2–1 0–3 2–3 2–1 1–0
Southampton 4–2 0–1 3–0 1–2 1–2 0–4 2–2 1–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–1 3–0 0–2 0–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–2
Tottenham Hotspur 1–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–1 3–1 1–3 1–1 3–0 0–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 2–1 2–1 0–3
Watford 2–0 2–1 0–3 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–4 0–1 0–1 1–1 0–1 0–0 3–0 0–0 0–1 1–3 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–0
West Ham United 0–1 1–1 4–1 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 2–0 3–2 1–1 1–1 0–3 0–1 2–1 0–1 1–0 1–2
Wimbledon 3–1 4–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 2–0 3–0 1–2 1–1
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Managerial changes
Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment
Watford England Graham Taylor Signed by Aston Villa 27 May 1987 Pre-season England Dave Bassett 18 June 1987
Everton England Howard Kendall Signed by Athletic Bilbao 18 June 1987 England Colin Harvey 18 June 1987
Wimbledon England Dave Bassett Signed by Watford 18 June 1987 England Bobby Gould 25 June 1987
Luton Town Scotland John Moore Resigned 20 June 1987 England Ray Harford 22 June 1987
Tottenham Hotspur England David Pleat 23 October 1987 7th England Terry Venables 28 November 1987
Norwich City England Ken Brown Sacked 9 November 1987 19th England Dave Stringer 9 November 1987
Watford England Dave Bassett 11 January 1988 21st England Steve Harrison 15 January 1988
Chelsea England John Hollins 6 March 1988 16th England Bobby Campbell 6 March 1988
Oxford United England Maurice Evans Resigned 18 March 1988 20th Republic of Ireland Mark Lawrenson 19 March 1988

First Division maps
Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1987–1988
Locations of the Football League First Division 1987–1988 teams

Second Division
Second Division
Season1987–88
ChampionsMillwall
PromotedMillwall
Aston Villa
Middlesbrough
RelegatedSheffield United
Reading
Huddersfield Town
Matches played506
Goals scored1,389 (2.75 per match)
Biggest home winManchester City 10–1 Huddersfield Town
(7 November 1987)
Biggest away winSheffield United 0–5 Oldham Athletic
(2 January 1988)
Highest scoringManchester City 10–1 Huddersfield Town
(7 November 1987)

Millwall lifted the Second Division championship trophy and gained promotion to the First Division for the first time in their history. Runners-up were Aston Villa, and Middlesbrough won promotion via play-offs.

Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United were relegated.

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Millwall (C, P) 44 25 7 12 72 52 +20 82 Promotion to the First Division
2 Aston Villa (P) 44 22 12 10 68 41 +27 78
3 Middlesbrough (O, P) 44 22 12 10 63 36 +27 78 Qualification for the Second Division play-offs
4 Bradford City 44 22 11 11 74 54 +20 77
5 Blackburn Rovers 44 21 14 9 68 52 +16 77
6 Crystal Palace 44 22 9 13 86 59 +27 75
7 Leeds United 44 19 12 13 61 51 +10 69
8 Ipswich Town 44 19 9 16 61 52 +9 66
9 Manchester City 44 19 8 17 80 60 +20 65
10 Oldham Athletic 44 18 11 15 72 64 +8 65
11 Stoke City 44 17 11 16 50 57 −7 62
12 Swindon Town 44 16 11 17 73 60 +13 59
13 Leicester City 44 16 11 17 62 61 +1 59
14 Barnsley 44 15 12 17 61 62 −1 57
15 Hull City 44 14 15 15 54 60 −6 57
16 Plymouth Argyle 44 16 8 20 65 67 −2 56
17 Bournemouth 44 13 10 21 56 68 −12 49
18 Shrewsbury Town 44 11 16 17 42 54 −12 49
19 Birmingham City 44 11 15 18 41 66 −25 48
20 West Bromwich Albion 44 12 11 21 50 69 −19 47
21 Sheffield United (R) 44 13 7 24 45 74 −29 46 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs
22 Reading (R) 44 10 12 22 44 70 −26 42 Relegation to the Third Division
23 Huddersfield Town (R) 44 6 10 28 41 100 −59 28
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Second Division play-offs

The team fourth from bottom of the First Division played off for one place in that division with the teams finishing third, fourth and fifth in the Second Division. In the semi-final, Chelsea of the First Division beat fifth-placed Blackburn Rovers 6–1 on aggregate, and third-placed Middlesbrough beat Bradford City 3–2 on aggregate. The final was also played over two legs. Playing at their Ayresome Park ground in front of a crowd of 25,531, Middlesbrough duly won the first leg 2–0 with goals from Bernie Slaven and Trevor Senior. In the second leg at Stamford Bridge, which was marred by violence perpetrated by some of the 40,550 spectators, Chelsea's Gordon Durie scored the only goal. Thus Middlesbrough won 2–1 on aggregate and were promoted to the First Division for 1988–89, while Chelsea were relegated to the Second.[7][8][9]

Semi-finals
1st leg – 15 May; 2nd leg – 18 May 1988 		Final
1st leg – 25 May; 2nd leg – 28 May 1988
          
5 Blackburn Rovers 0 1 1
1D Chelsea 2 4 6
1D Chelsea 0 1 1
3 Middlesbrough 2 0 2
4 Bradford City 2 0 2
3 Middlesbrough 1 2 3

Source:[10]

Second Division results
Home \ Away AST BAR BIR BLB BOU BRA CRY HUD HUL IPS LEE LEI MCI MID MIL OLD PLY REA SHU SHR STK SWI WBA
Aston Villa 0–0 0–2 1–1 1–1 1–0 4–1 1–1 5–0 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–2 1–2 5–2 2–1 1–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–0
Barnsley 1–3 2–2 0–1 2–1 3–0 2–1 1–0 1–3 2–3 1–1 1–1 3–1 0–3 4–1 1–1 2–1 5–2 1–2 2–1 5–2 0–1 3–1
Birmingham City 1–2 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–6 2–0 1–1 1–0 0–0 2–2 0–3 0–0 1–0 1–3 0–1 2–2 1–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 0–1
Blackburn Rovers 3–2 0–1 2–0 3–1 1–1 2–0 2–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 3–3 2–1 0–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–1 4–1 2–2 2–0 0–0 3–1
Bournemouth 1–2 1–2 4–2 1–1 2–0 2–3 0–2 6–2 1–1 0–0 2–3 0–2 0–0 1–2 2–2 2–2 3–0 1–2 2–0 0–0 2–0 3–2
Bradford City 2–4 1–1 4–0 2–1 2–0 2–0 0–1 2–0 2–3 0–0 4–1 2–4 2–0 3–1 5–3 3–1 3–0 2–0 1–1 1–4 2–0 4–1
Crystal Palace 1–1 3–2 3–0 2–0 3–0 1–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 3–0 2–1 2–0 3–1 1–0 3–1 5–1 2–3 2–1 1–2 2–0 2–1 4–1
Huddersfield Town 0–1 2–2 2–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 2–2 0–2 1–2 0–0 1–0 1–0 1–4 2–1 2–2 2–1 0–2 0–2 0–0 0–3 0–3 1–3
Hull City 2–1 1–2 2–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 2–1 4–0 1–0 3–1 2–2 3–1 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–4 1–0
Ipswich Town 1–1 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–2 4–0 2–3 3–0 2–0 1–0 0–2 3–0 4–0 1–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 3–2 1–1
Leeds United 1–3 0–2 4–1 2–2 3–2 2–0 1–0 3–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 1–2 1–1 1–0 0–0 5–0 2–1 0–0 4–2 1–0
Leicester City 0–2 0–0 2–0 1–2 0–1 0–2 4–4 3–0 2–1 1–1 3–2 1–0 0–0 1–0 4–1 4–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 3–2 3–0
Manchester City 0–2 1–1 3–0 1–2 2–0 2–2 1–3 10–1 2–0 2–0 1–2 4–2 1–1 4–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 2–3 1–3 3–0 1–1 4–2
Middlesbrough 2–1 2–0 1–1 1–1 3–0 1–2 2–1 2–0 1–0 3–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–0 3–1 0–0 6–0 4–0 2–0 2–3 2–1
Millwall 2–1 3–1 3–1 1–4 1–2 0–1 1–1 4–1 2–0 2–1 3–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 1–1 3–2 3–0 3–1 4–1 2–0 2–2 2–0
Oldham Athletic 0–1 1–0 1–2 4–2 2–0 0–2 1–0 3–2 1–2 3–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–0 0–1 4–2 3–2 2–2 5–1 4–3 2–1
Plymouth Argyle 1–3 0–0 1–1 3–0 1–2 2–1 1–3 6–1 3–1 0–0 6–3 4–0 3–2 0–1 1–2 1–0 1–3 1–0 2–0 3–0 1–0 3–3
Reading 0–2 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 2–3 3–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 0–2 0–0 2–3 3–0 0–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 0–1 1–2
Sheffield United 1–1 1–0 0–2 3–1 0–1 1–2 1–1 2–2 2–1 4–1 2–2 2–1 1–2 0–2 1–2 0–5 1–0 4–1 0–1 0–0 1–0 0–0
Shrewsbury Town 1–2 1–1 0–0 1–2 2–1 2–2 2–0 3–1 2–2 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 2–3 2–1 0–1 2–0 0–3 2–1 0–1
Stoke City 0–0 3–1 3–1 2–1 1–0 1–2 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 2–1 2–1 1–3 1–0 1–2 2–2 1–0 4–2 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–0
Swindon Town 0–0 3–0 0–2 1–2 4–2 2–2 2–2 4–1 0–0 4–2 1–2 3–2 3–4 1–1 0–1 2–0 1–1 4–0 2–0 1–1 3–0 2–0
West Bromwich Albion 0–2 2–2 3–1 0–1 3–0 0–1 1–0 3–2 1–1 2–2 1–4 1–1 1–1 0–0 1–4 0–0 1–0 0–1 4–0 2–1 2–0 1–2
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Third Division
Third Division
Season1987–88
ChampionsSunderland
PromotedSunderland
Brighton & Hove Albion
Walsall
RelegatedRotherham United
Grimsby Town
York City
Doncaster Rovers
Matches played552

Sunderland won the Third Division and went back up to the Second Division. They were joined by runners-up Brighton & Hove Albion and playoff winners Walsall. The automatic relegation places were occupied by Grimsby Town, York City and Doncaster Rovers, with Rotherham United relegated after play-offs.[11]

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Relegation
1 Sunderland (C, P) 46 27 12 7 92 48 +44 93 Promotion to the Second Division
2 Brighton & Hove Albion (P) 46 23 15 8 69 47 +22 84
3 Walsall (O, P) 46 23 13 10 68 50 +18 82 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs
4 Notts County 46 23 12 11 82 49 +33 81
5 Bristol City 46 21 12 13 77 62 +15 75
6 Northampton Town 46 18 19 9 70 51 +19 73
7 Wigan Athletic 46 20 12 14 70 61 +9 72
8 Bristol Rovers 46 18 12 16 68 56 +12 66
9 Fulham 46 19 9 18 69 60 +9 66
10 Blackpool 46 17 14 15 71 62 +9 65
11 Port Vale 46 18 11 17 58 56 +2 65
12 Brentford 46 16 14 16 53 59 −6 62
13 Gillingham 46 14 17 15 77 61 +16 59
14 Bury 46 15 14 17 58 57 +1 59
15 Chester City 46 14 16 16 51 62 −11 58
16 Preston North End 46 15 13 18 48 59 −11 58
17 Southend United 46 14 13 19 65 83 −18 55
18 Chesterfield 46 15 10 21 41 70 −29 55
19 Mansfield Town 46 14 12 20 48 59 −11 54
20 Aldershot 46 15 8 23 64 74 −10 53
21 Rotherham United (R) 46 12 16 18 50 66 −16 52 Qualification for the Fourth Division play-offs
22 Grimsby Town (R) 46 12 14 20 48 58 −10 50 Relegation to the Fourth Division
23 York City (R) 46 8 9 29 48 91 −43 33
24 Doncaster Rovers (R) 46 8 9 29 40 84 −44 33
Source:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Third Division play-offs
Semi-finals
1st leg – 15 May; 2nd leg – 18 May 1988 		Final
1st leg – 25 May; 2nd leg – 28 May 1988
          
21st Sheffield United (Div 2) 0 1 1
5th Bristol City 1 1 2
3rd Walsall 3 0 3
5th Bristol City 1 2 3
3rd Walsall 3 1 4
4th Notts County 1 1 2
Replay
Walsall4–0Bristol City
Report/Soccerbase
Attendance: 13,007

Third Division results
Home \ Away ALD BLP BRE B&HA BRC BRR BRY CHE CHF DON FUL GIL GRI MAN NOR NTC PTV PNE ROT STD SUN WAL WIG YOR
Aldershot 0–0 4–1 1–4 2–1 3–0 0–2 4–1 2–0 2–1 0–3 6–0 3–2 3–0 4–4 0–2 3–0 0–0 1–3 0–1 3–2 1–1 3–2 1–2
Blackpool 3–2 0–1 1–3 4–2 2–1 5–1 0–1 1–0 4–2 2–1 3–3 3–0 2–0 3–1 1–1 1–2 3–0 3–0 1–1 0–2 1–2 0–0 2–1
Brentford 3–0 2–1 1–1 0–2 1–1 0–3 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–2 0–2 2–2 0–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 2–1 1–2
Brighton & Hove Albion 1–1 1–3 2–1 3–2 2–1 2–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–0 2–0 0–0 3–1 3–0 1–1 2–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 1–0
Bristol City 2–0 2–1 2–3 5–2 3–3 3–2 2–2 2–1 1–0 4–0 3–3 1–1 1–2 2–2 2–1 1–0 3–1 2–0 3–2 0–1 0–0 4–1 3–2
Bristol Rovers 3–1 2–0 0–0 1–2 1–0 0–0 2–2 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 4–2 2–1 0–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 3–1 0–0 4–0 3–0 2–3 2–1
Bury 1–0 3–1 2–2 2–1 1–1 4–1 0–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 2–1 0–2 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–1 4–0 2–2 2–2 2–3 2–2 0–2 0–1
Chester City 4–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 1–0 0–3 4–4 1–1 1–1 1–2 3–1 1–0 0–2 0–5 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–0
Chesterfield 1–0 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–4 0–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 1–4 0–3 3–1 0–2 2–0 1–3 0–0 3–2 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–1
Doncaster Rovers 0–0 2–1 0–1 0–2 1–2 0–1 1–2 2–2 1–0 2–2 4–2 1–0 0–2 0–2 0–1 1–1 3–2 2–2 0–1 0–2 0–4 3–4 2–0
Fulham 1–2 3–1 2–2 1–2 0–0 3–1 0–1 1–0 1–3 4–0 0–2 5–0 0–0 0–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 3–1 3–1 0–2 2–0 3–2 3–1
Gillingham 2–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 3–3 0–1 10–0 3–1 2–2 1–1 0–0 1–2 3–1 0–0 4–0 0–2 8–1 0–0 0–1 0–1 3–1
Grimsby Town 1–1 1–1 0–1 0–1 1–4 0–0 2–0 2–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 2–0 2–3 2–2 0–0 3–1 0–1 2–1 1–3 0–1 0–2 0–2 5–1
Mansfield Town 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 2–0 0–2 2–2 1–0 3–1 2–2 4–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 0–4 1–3 0–1 2–1
Northampton Town 1–1 3–3 2–1 1–1 3–0 2–1 0–0 2–0 4–0 1–0 3–2 2–1 2–1 2–0 0–1 1–0 0–1 0–0 4–0 0–2 2–2 1–1 0–0
Notts County 2–1 2–3 3–0 1–2 0–1 1–1 3–0 1–0 2–0 2–0 5–1 0–1 0–0 1–1 3–1 1–2 4–2 4–0 6–2 2–1 3–1 4–4 3–0
Port Vale 4–2 0–0 1–0 2–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 5–0 0–0 0–0 2–0 1–1 1–1 1–3 3–2 0–0 4–1 0–1 2–1 2–1 2–1
Preston North End 0–2 2–1 1–2 3–0 2–0 3–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–3 1–0 0–0 1–2 3–2 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–0 0–1 3–0
Rotherham United 1–0 0–1 2–0 1–0 4–1 1–1 0–1 5–2 1–1 1–0 0–2 1–2 0–0 2–1 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–4 0–1 1–1 0–1
Southend United 0–1 4–0 2–3 2–1 2–0 4–2 1–0 2–2 3–0 4–1 0–2 0–0 1–3 2–1 1–1 1–2 3–3 1–2 1–1 1–4 1–1 3–2 3–1
Sunderland 3–1 2–2 2–0 1–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 3–2 3–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 4–1 3–1 1–1 2–1 1–1 3–0 7–0 1–1 4–1 4–2
Walsall 2–0 3–2 4–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 3–2 2–1 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 5–2 2–1 2–2 1–2 2–1
Wigan Athletic 4–0 0–0 1–1 3–3 1–1 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–2 2–1 1–3 1–1 0–1 2–1 2–2 2–1 2–0 2–0 3–0 1–0 2–2 3–1 1–1
York City 2–2 1–3 1–1 0–2 0–1 0–4 1–1 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–3 0–2 0–2 2–2 2–2 3–5 2–3 1–1 1–2 0–3 2–1 1–3 3–1
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Fourth Division

Wolves ended their two-year tenure in the Fourth Division by finishing top of the table and winning promotion to the Third Division. They also won the Sherpa Van Trophy final by defeating Burnley at Wembley.

Bolton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Swansea City were also promoted.

Newport County were relegated for the second successive season. They were replaced in the Football League by Lincoln City.

Football League, Fourth Division
Season1987–88
ChampionsWolverhampton Wanderers
PromotedCardiff City,
Bolton Wanderers,
Swansea City
RelegatedNewport County
New team in LeagueScarborough
Matches played552

Pos Team Pld HW HD HL HGF HGA AW AD AL AGF AGA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 15 3 5 47 19 12 6 5 35 24 +39 90 Champions - automatically promoted to Third Division
2 Cardiff City 46 15 6 2 39 14 9 7 7 27 27 +25 85 Automatically promoted to Third Division; Welsh Cup Winners - qualified for Cup Winners' Cup
3 Bolton Wanderers 46 15 6 2 42 12 7 6 10 24 30 +24 78 Automatically promoted to Third Division
4 Scunthorpe United 46 14 5 4 42 20 6 12 5 34 31 +25 77 Participated in Fourth Division play-offs
5 Torquay United 46 10 7 6 34 16 11 7 5 32 25 +25 77
6 Swansea City 46 9 7 7 35 28 11 3 9 27 28 +6 70 Promoted via the Fourth Division play-offs[lower-alpha 1]
7 Peterborough United 46 10 5 8 28 26 10 5 8 24 27 −1 70
8 Leyton Orient 46 13 4 6 55 27 6 8 9 30 36 +22 69
9 Colchester United 46 10 5 8 23 22 9 5 9 24 29 −4 67
10 Burnley 46 12 5 6 31 22 8 2 13 26 40 −5 67
11 Wrexham 46 13 3 7 46 26 7 3 13 23 32 +11 66
12 Scarborough[lower-alpha 2] 46 12 8 3 38 19 5 6 12 18 29 +8 65
13 Darlington 46 13 6 4 39 25 5 5 13 32 44 +2 65
14 Tranmere Rovers 46 14 2 7 43 20 5 7 11 18 33 +8 64[lower-alpha 3]
15 Cambridge United 46 10 6 7 32 24 6 7 10 18 28 −2 61
16 Hartlepool United 46 9 7 7 25 25 6 7 10 25 32 −7 59
17 Crewe Alexandra 46 7 11 5 25 19 6 8 9 32 34 +4 58
18 Halifax Town 46 11 7 5 37 25 3 7 13 17 34 −5 55[lower-alpha 4]
19 Hereford United 46 8 7 8 25 27 6 5 12 16 32 −18 54
20 Stockport County 46 7 7 9 26 26 5 8 10 18 32 −14 51
21 Rochdale 46 5 9 9 28 34 6 6 11 19 42 −29 48
22 Exeter City 46 8 6 9 33 29 3 7 13 20 39 −15 46
23 Carlisle United 46 9 5 9 38 33 3 3 17 19 53 −29 44
24 Newport County 46 4 5 14 19 36 2 2 19 16 69 −70 25 Automatically relegated to the Football Conference
Source:
Notes:
  1. Swansea City won the play-offs and were thus promoted.
  2. Newly promoted from the Football Conference
  3. Tranmere Rovers were deducted two points.
  4. Halifax Town were deducted one point.

Fourth Division play-offs
Main article: Football League Two play-offs § 1988
Semi-finals
1st leg – 15 May; 2nd leg – 18 May 1988 		Finals
1st leg – 25 May; 2nd leg – 28 May 1988
          
21st Rotherham United (Div 3) 0 1 1
6th Swansea City 1 1 2
6th Swansea City 2 3 5
5th Torquay United 1 3 4
4th Scunthorpe United 1 1 2
5th Torquay United 2 1 3

Fourth Division results
Home \ Away BOL BUR CAM CAR CRL COL CRE DAR EXE HAL HAR HER LEY NPC PET ROC SCA SCU STP SWA TOR TRA WOL WRE
Bolton Wanderers 2–1 2–2 1–0 5–0 4–0 1–1 1–1 1–0 2–0 1–2 1–0 1–0 6–0 2–0 0–0 3–1 0–0 2–1 1–1 1–2 2–0 1–0 2–0
Burnley 2–1 0–2 1–2 4–3 0–3 0–0 2–1 3–0 3–1 1–0 0–0 2–0 2–0 1–2 4–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–3 1–0
Cambridge United 2–2 2–0 0–0 1–2 0–1 4–1 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–1 0–1 2–0 4–0 1–3 1–2 1–0 3–3 2–0 0–3 1–0 1–1 1–1 0–1
Cardiff City 1–0 2–1 4–0 4–2 1–0 2–0 3–1 3–2 0–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 4–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 0–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 3–0 3–2 1–1
Carlisle United 0–2 3–4 2–1 0–0 4–0 0–1 3–3 0–0 1–1 1–3 3–1 1–2 3–1 0–2 2–0 4–0 3–1 2–0 0–1 3–3 3–2 0–1 0–4
Colchester United 3–0 0–1 0–0 2–1 1–0 1–4 2–1 0–2 2–1 0–0 1–0 0–0 0–0 4–1 1–0 1–3 0–3 2–0 2–1 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–2
Crewe Alexandra 2–1 0–1 0–0 0–0 4–1 0–0 3–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 0–0 3–3 2–1 0–1 0–1 1–0 2–2 3–1 2–2 0–1 0–0 0–2 2–0
Darlington 1–0 4–2 0–1 0–0 2–1 2–0 1–0 4–1 4–1 1–1 3–1 2–2 0–2 2–1 2–1 2–1 1–4 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–0 2–2 2–1
Exeter City 1–1 1–2 3–0 0–2 1–1 0–2 3–1 4–1 1–2 1–0 2–2 2–3 3–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 3–1 0–1 0–1 2–4 1–1
Halifax Town 0–0 2–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 2–2 2–0 3–1 2–1 1–0 3–1 0–0 1–2 2–2 2–2 2–0 3–1 2–3 2–1 2–1 2–0
Hartlepool United 0–0 2–1 2–1 0–1 0–0 3–1 2–1 2–5 3–1 2–1 1–2 2–2 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–0 1–0 1–3 0–2 0–0 1–2 0–0 1–0
Hereford United 0–3 2–1 1–0 1–2 2–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–1 4–2 0–3 4–2 0–1 0–0 1–1 2–3 0–1 0–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 0–2
Leyton Orient 1–2 4–1 0–2 4–1 4–1 0–0 1–1 4–3 2–3 4–1 0–2 4–0 4–1 2–0 8–0 3–1 1–1 1–1 3–0 0–2 3–1 0–2 2–1
Newport County 0–1 0–1 0–0 1–2 1–2 1–2 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–0 2–3 0–0 0–0 0–4 0–1 0–4 1–1 1–2 1–2 3–1 0–3 1–3 2–0
Peterborough United 0–4 5–0 1–0 4–3 1–0 2–0 0–4 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–1 1–2 1–2 3–0 1–1 0–0 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–2 2–1 1–1 1–0
Rochdale 2–2 2–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 1–4 2–2 1–3 0–0 0–0 0–2 3–1 1–3 3–0 1–1 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 1–2
Scarborough 4–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 3–1 3–1 2–0 0–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–2 2–0 2–2 0–2
Scunthorpe United 1–1 1–1 3–2 2–1 1–0 2–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 3–0 3–0 3–2 3–1 5–0 1–0 0–1 0–0 1–2 2–3 3–0 0–1 3–1
Stockport County 1–2 2–0 0–2 0–1 3–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–0 1–0 0–2 1–2 5–1 0–1 1–1 1–1 1–1 0–2 2–1 1–2 0–2 1–1
Swansea City 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 3–1 1–2 2–4 3–0 0–2 1–1 2–1 3–0 3–0 1–2 2–1 0–3 3–0 1–1 1–1 1–1 1–2 1–2 2–1
Torquay United 2–1 1–3 0–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 0–0 1–1 1–2 1–1 1–0 1–1 6–1 0–0 5–0 0–1 1–2 3–0 0–1 1–0 0–0 6–1
Tranmere Rovers 2–0 0–1 0–1 0–1 3–0 0–2 2–2 2–1 2–1 2–0 3–1 0–1 2–1 4–0 3–1 6–1 1–0 1–3 4–0 1–2 1–1 3–0 1–0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–0 3–0 3–0 1–4 3–1 2–0 2–2 5–3 3–0 0–1 2–0 2–0 2–0 2–1 0–1 2–0 0–0 4–1 1–1 2–0 1–2 3–0 0–2
Wrexham 0–1 1–3 3–0 3–0 4–0 0–1 2–1 0–1 3–0 2–2 2–1 0–0 2–2 4–1 3–1 2–3 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–2 2–3 3–0 4–2
Source:
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Goalscorers

The top goalscorers in each division were:

See also

References
  1. "England 1987–88". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Archived from the original on 27 January 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  2. "English League Leading Goalscorers". RSSSF. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
  3. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
  4. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
  5. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
  6. English teams were banned by UEFA from its competitions from season 1985–86 until 1990–91 because of the Heysel Disaster.
  7. Felton, Paul. "Season 1987–88". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Archived from the original on 2 May 2001. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  8. "Chelsea Football Club Match Results Season 1987–1988". bounder.friardale.co.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  9. Barley, Sophie (3 August 2015). "'The Battle of Stamford Bridge': Violent scenes on a victorious day for Boro". The Gazette. Middlesbrough. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  10. "English Division One–Two (old) Play-Offs 1987–1988". Statto. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
  11. Edward Ackers. "Season 1987-88". English Football League Tables. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  12. James M Ross (15 July 2011). "Football League Div 1 & 2 Leading Goalscorers 1947-92". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
  13. James M Ross (15 July 2011). "Football League Div 3 & 4 Leading Goalscorers 1947-92". RSSSF. Retrieved 21 January 2012.
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