1997–98 Football League First Division
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2011) |
Season | 1997–98 |
---|---|
Champions | Nottingham Forest 3rd First Division title |
Promoted | Nottingham Forest Middlesbrough Charlton Athletic |
Relegated | Manchester City Stoke City Reading |
Matches played | 552 |
Goals scored | 1,410 (2.55 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Kevin Phillips Pierre van Hooijdonk (29)[1] |
Biggest home win | Middlesbrough 6–0 Swindon Town (11 March 1998) |
Biggest away win | Stoke City 0–7 Birmingham City (10 January 1998) |
Highest scoring | Nottingham Forest 5–2 Charlton Athletic (22 November 1997) Stoke City 0–7 Birmingham City (10 January 1998) Ipswich Town 5–2 Oxford United (24 February 1998) |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → |
The 1997–98 Football League First Division (referred to as the Nationwide First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the sixth season of the league under its current league division format.
Changes from previous season[]
Team changes[]
From First Division[]
Promoted to Premier League
- Barnsley
- Bolton Wanderers
- Crystal Palace
Relegated to Second Division
- Grimsby Town
- Oldham Athletic
- Southend United
To First Division[]
Promoted from Second Division
- Bury
- Crewe Alexandra
- Stockport County
Relegated from Premier League
- Middlesbrough
- Nottingham Forest
- Sunderland
Teams[]
Stadium and locations[]
Birmingham
Bury
Charlton
Crewe Alexandra
Ipswich Town
Manchester City
Middlesbrough
Norwich City
Nottingham Forest
Oxford
Portsmouth
Port Vale
QPR
Reading
Sheffield United
Stockport
Stoke
Sunderland
Swindon
Tranmere
West Bromwich Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|---|
Birmingham City | Birmingham | St Andrew's | 25,877 |
Bradford City | Bradford | Valley Parade | 17,848 |
Bury | Bury | Gigg Lane | 11,840 |
Charlton Athletic | Charlton | The Valley | 15,815 |
Crewe Alexandra | Crewe | Gresty Road | 10,153 |
Huddersfield Town | Huddersfield | Alfred McAlpine Stadium | 24,500 |
Ipswich Town | Ipswich | Portman Road | 30,311 |
Manchester City | Manchester | Maine Road | 35,150 |
Middlesbrough | Middlesbrough | Riverside Stadium | 30,000 |
Norwich City | Norwich | Carrow Road | 24,663 |
Nottingham Forest | West Bridgford | City Ground | 30,576 |
Oxford United | Oxford | Manor Ground | 9,500 |
Port Vale | Burslem | Vale Park | 19,052 |
Portsmouth | Portsmouth | Fratton Park | 21,100 |
Queens Park Rangers | White City | Loftus Road | 18,439 |
Reading | Reading | Elm Park | 14,800 |
Sheffield United | Sheffield | Bramall Lane | 29,034 |
Stockport County | Stockport | Edgeley Park | 10,841 |
Stoke City | Stoke-on-Trent | Britannia Stadium | 27,743 |
Sunderland | Sunderland | Stadium of Light | 42,000 |
Swindon Town | Swindon | County Ground | 15,728 |
Tranmere Rovers | Birkenhead | Prenton Park | 16,567 |
West Bromwich Albion | West Bromwich | The Hawthorns | 22,986 |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | Wolverhampton | Molineux Stadium | 28,525 |
Personnel and kits[]
Team | Manager | Captain | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Birmingham City | Trevor Francis | Steve Bruce | Pony | Auto Windscreens |
Bradford City | Paul Jewell | Wayne Jacobs | Beaver | JCT600 |
Bury | Stan Ternent | Chris Lucketti | Super League | Birthdays |
Charlton Athletic | Alan Curbishley | Mark Kinsella | Quaser | Viglen |
Crewe Alexandra | Dario Gradi | Gareth Whalley | Adidas | Boldon James |
Huddersfield Town | Peter Jackson | Barry Horne | Pony | Panasonic |
Ipswich Town | George Burley | Jason Cundy | Punch | Greene King |
Manchester City | Joe Royle | Kit Symons | Kappa | Brother |
Middlesbrough | Bryan Robson | Nigel Pearson | Erreà | Cellnet |
Norwich City | John Faulkner (caretaker) | Matt Jackson | Pony | Colman's |
Nottingham Forest | Dave Bassett | Steve Chettle | Umbro | Pinnacle |
Oxford United | Malcolm Shotton | Phil Gilchrist | Own Brand | Unipart |
Port Vale | John Rudge | Allen Tankard | Mizuno | Tunstall Assurance |
Portsmouth | Alan Ball | Adrian Whitbread | Admiral | KJC |
Queens Park Rangers | Ray Harford | Steve Morrow | Le Coq Sportif | Ericsson |
Reading | Tommy Burns | Phil Parkinson | Mizuno | Auto Trader |
Sheffield United | Steve Thompson (caretaker) | David Holdsworth | Le Coq Sportif | Wards |
Stockport County | Gary Megson | Mike Flynn | Adidas | Robinsons |
Stoke City | Alan Durban (caretaker) | Lárus Sigurðsson | Asics | Britannia |
Sunderland | Peter Reid | Kevin Ball | Asics | Lambtons |
Swindon Town | Steve McMahon | Brian Borrows | Mizuno | Nationwide |
Tranmere Rovers | John Aldridge | Liam O'Brien | Mizuno | Wirral |
West Bromwich Albion | Denis Smith | Sean Flynn | Patrick | West Bromwich Building Society |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | Mark McGhee | Keith Curle | Puma | Goodyear |
Managerial changes[]
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Huddersfield Town | Brian Horton | Sacked | 6 October 1997 | 24th | Peter Jackson | 7 October 1997[2] |
Queens Park Rangers | Stewart Houston | Sacked | 10 November 1997 | 13th | Ray Harford | 5 December 1997 |
West Bromwich Albion | Ray Harford | Resigned | 4 December 1997 | 4th | Denis Smith | 24 December 1997 |
Oxford United | Denis Smith | Signed by West Bromwich Albion | 24 December 1997 | 16th | Malcolm Shotton | 24 January 1998 |
Bradford City | Chris Kamara | Sacked | 6 January 1998 | 11th | Paul Jewell | 6 January 1998 |
Portsmouth | Terry Fenwick | Sacked | 14 January 1998 | 24th | Alan Ball | 26 January 1998 |
Stoke City | Chic Bates | Mutual consent | 22 January 1998 | 20th | Chris Kamara | 22 January 1998[3] |
Manchester City | Frank Clark | Sacked | 17 February 1998 | 22nd | Joe Royle | 18 February 1998[4] |
Sheffield United | Nigel Spackman | Resigned | 2 March 1998 | 5th | Steve Bruce | 2 July 1998 |
Reading | Terry Bullivant | Resigned | 18 March 1998[5] | 23rd | Tommy Burns | 25 March 1998[6] |
Stoke City | Chris Kamara | Mutual consent | 8 April 1998[7] | 24th | Brian Little | 13 May 1998 |
Norwich City | Mike Walker | Resigned | 30 April 1998 | 16th | Bruce Rioch | 12 June 1998 |
League table[]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Nottingham Forest (C) | 46 | 28 | 10 | 8 | 82 | 42 | +40 | 94 | Promotion to 1998–99 FA Premier League |
2 | Middlesbrough (P) | 46 | 27 | 10 | 9 | 77 | 41 | +36 | 91 | |
3 | Sunderland | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 86 | 50 | +36 | 90 | Qualification for First Division play-offs |
4 | Charlton Athletic (P) | 46 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 80 | 49 | +31 | 88 | |
5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 77 | 43 | +34 | 83 | |
6 | Sheffield United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 69 | 54 | +15 | 74 | |
7 | Birmingham City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 60 | 35 | +25 | 74 | |
8 | Stockport County | 46 | 19 | 8 | 19 | 71 | 69 | +2 | 65 | |
9 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 57 | 53 | +4 | 65 | |
10 | West Bromwich Albion | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 61 | |
11 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 18 | 5 | 23 | 58 | 65 | −7 | 59 | |
12 | Oxford United | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 60 | 64 | −4 | 58 | |
13 | Bradford City | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 46 | 59 | −13 | 57 | |
14 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 54 | 57 | −3 | 56 | |
15 | Norwich City | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 52 | 69 | −17 | 55 | |
16 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 50 | 72 | −22 | 53 | |
17 | Bury | 46 | 11 | 19 | 16 | 42 | 58 | −16 | 52 | |
18 | Swindon Town | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 42 | 73 | −31 | 52 | |
19 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 56 | 66 | −10 | 49 | |
20 | Portsmouth | 46 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 49 | |
21 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 10 | 19 | 17 | 51 | 63 | −12 | 49 | |
22 | Manchester City (R) | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 56 | 57 | −1 | 48 | Relegation to 1998–99 Second Division |
23 | Stoke City (R) | 46 | 11 | 13 | 22 | 44 | 74 | −30 | 46 | |
24 | Reading (R) | 46 | 11 | 9 | 26 | 39 | 78 | −39 | 42 |
Updated to match(es) played on 3 May 1998. Source: Statto.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goal scored; 3) goal difference.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) number of goal scored; 3) goal difference.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Play-offs[]
Semi-finals First leg – 10 May; Second leg – 13 May 1998 | Final at Wembley 25 May 1998 | ||||||||||
3rd | Sunderland | 1 | 2 | 3 | |||||||
6th | Sheffield United | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||||||
3rd | Sunderland | 4 (6) | |||||||||
4th | Charlton Athletic (pen.) | 4 (7) | |||||||||
4th | Charlton Athletic | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||||||
5th | Ipswich Town | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Results[]
Season statistics[]
Top scorers[]
Rank | Player | Club | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Kevin Phillips | Sunderland | 29 |
Pierre van Hooijdonk | Nottingham Forest | ||
3 | Kevin Campbell | 23 | |
Clive Mendonca | Charlton Athletic | ||
5 | David Johnson | Ipswich Town | 20 |
6 | Brett Angell | Stockport County | 18 |
7 | Paul Furlong | Birmingham City | 15 |
Marcus Stewart | Huddersfield Town |
Hat-tricks[]
Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pierre van Hooijdonk | Nottingham Forest | Queens Park Rangers | 4–0 | 30 August 1997 |
Charlton Athletic | 5–2 | 22 November 1997 | ||
Kevin Campbell | Crewe Alexandra | 4–1 | 7 March 1998 | |
Clive Mendonca | Charlton Athletic | Norwich City | 4–0 | 17 September 1997 |
Jan Åge Fjørtoft | Sheffield United | Stockport County | 5–1 | 21 October 1997 |
Paul Furlong | Birmingham City | Stoke City | 7–0 | 10 January 1998 |
Stockport County | 4–1 | 27 January 1998 | ||
Dougie Freedman | Wolverhampton Wanderers | Norwich City | 5–0 | 10 January 1998 |
Alex Mathie | Ipswich Town | Norwich City | 5–0 | 21 February 1998 |
David Johnson | Oxford United | 5–2 | 24 February 1998 | |
Niall Quinn | Sunderland | Stockport County | 4–1 | 7 March 1998 |
Marco Branca | Middlesbrough | Bury | 4–0 | 11 April 1998 |
Colin Little | Crewe Alexandra | Bradford City | 5–0 | 25 April 1998 |
References[]
- ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 31 October 2010.
- ^ Edwards, John (7 October 1997). "Mystery man replaces Horton". The Mirror. The Free Library. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ Metcalf, Rupert (23 January 1998). "Kamara takes charge of Stoke as Bates steps down". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Nixon, Alan (18 February 1998). "Clark sacked, Royle in at City". The Mirror. The Free Library. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ Nixon, Alan (19 March 1998). "Bullivant ends Reading rule". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ "Burns takes the reins at Reading". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. 26 March 1998. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ Martin, Andrew (9 April 1998). "Kamara leaves struggling Stoke". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
Categories:
- 1997–98 Football League First Division
- 1997–98 in European second tier association football leagues
- Football League First Division seasons
- 1997–98 in English football leagues
- 1997–98 Football League