1998–99 Football League

100th season of the Football League The Football League 1998–99 Sunderland Bradford CityWatford Scarborough New Club in League Halifax Town 1997–98 1999–2000 The 1998–99 Football League (known as the Nationwide Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 100th completed season of The Football League. Sunderland were crowned First Division champions with 105 points, then a record, having lost just three games all season, to prove right the many pundits who tipped them for promotion. The two other promotion places were secured by two of the division's least fancied sides—runners-up Bradford City (back in the top division for the first time in 77 years) and playoff winners Watford (who had won their second successive promotion during Graham Taylor's second spell as manager). Bury, Oxford United and Bristol City occupied the three relegation places in the First Division. Oxford's dismal season was mainly down to £10 million debts which were putting the club in real danger of closure, and had also resulted in the suspension of construction of their new stadium near the Blackbird Leys estate. Kevin Keegan completed his spell as Fulham manager before taking the England job by guiding the Cottagers to the Second Division championship with a staggering 101 points. Following them up were runners-up Walsall and playoff winners Manchester City. Going down were York City, Northampton Town, Lincoln City and Macclesfield Town. Narrowly avoiding the drop to the Third Division were Oldham Athletic, who just five years earlier had been a Premiership side who came within a whisker of reaching the FA Cup final. Brentford, Cambridge United, Cardiff City and Scunthorpe United occupied the four promotion places in the Third Division. Carlisle United kept their league status in remarkable fashion. They entered the final game of the season in bottom place, and with 90 minutes on the clock in their home game against Plymouth Argyle they were drawing 1–1 and needed a win to stay up. The referee then allowed 4 minutes of stoppage time and with just seconds to go, goalkeeper Jimmy Glass came upfield and scored from a rebounded corner to preserve his club's place in the league which had been held since 1928. Scarborough, who had only joined the league in 1987, were relegated instead. Glass, 25, had been signed on loan from Swindon Town after the transfer line because an injury crisis had left Carlisle without a goalkeeper for the final few games of the season. First Division First Division 1998–99 Sunderland SunderlandBradford CityWatford BuryOxford UnitedBristol City Lee Hughes(31 goals)https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers RSSSF 2010-10-31 552 1455 1997–98 1999–2000 One season after missing out on promotion in a dramatic playoff final defeat, Sunderland clinched a place in the Premier League after a brilliant season which saw them achieve an English league record of 105 points and clinch the Division One title for the second time in four seasons. Bradford City, in their first full season under the management of Paul Jewell, were the surprise package in Division One this season, finishing runners-up to reach the Premier League and return to the top flight of English football for the first time since 1922. In the playoffs, Watford won at Wembley for the first time in their history, beating Bolton Wanderers 2-0 to secure a second successive promotion and end their 11-year absence from the top flight. Birmingham City and Ipswich Town were the beaten semi-finalists in the playoffs. Wolves manager Mark McGhee was sacked in early November after a disappointing first three months of the season, with his assistant Colin Lee being appointed manager after a successful interim spell in charge, but Wolves were beaten to a playoff place on the last day of the season. Their local rivals West Bromwich Albion finished 12th but their striker Lee Hughes, in only his second season in league football, finished as the highest scorer in all four divisions with 31 Division One strikes. New Crystal Palace owner Mark Goldberg's dream to turn the Selhurst Park club into a major force quickly turned into a nightmare as he found himself unable to prevent the club from being crippled by debt, and the team failed to deliver the goods on the pitch. Terry Venables stood down as manager in January, handing over the reins to director of football Steve Coppell, who took charge as manager for the fourth time in 15 years. Coppell guided the Eagles to a 14th place finish in the final table. Bristol City's return to Division One ended in relegation after just one season as they finished bottom of the table, joined on the final day by Oxford United and Bury. main WDL First Division complete SUN, BRA, IPS, BIR, WAT, BOL, WOL, SHU, NOR, HUD, GRI, WBA, BAR, CRY, TRA, SPC, SWI, CRE, POR, QPR, PVL, BRY, OXF, BRC PRO PRO PPO PPO PPO PPO REL REL REL 14 17 15 59 56 23 12 11 66 37 20 16 10 78 59 26 9 11 82 47 9 15 22 57 80 10 17 19 35 60 12 12 22 54 78 14 16 16 58 71 17 10 19 40 52 15 16 15 62 71 26 8 12 69 32 15 17 14 62 61 10 14 22 48 71 11 14 21 57 73 13 8 25 45 75 12 11 23 52 61 18 13 15 71 66 12 17 17 49 60 31 12 3 91 28 13 11 22 59 81 12 20 14 63 61 21 14 11 65 56 16 11 19 69 76 19 16 11 64 43 C, P P O, P R R R Barnsley Birmingham City Bolton Wanderers Bradford City Bristol City Bury Crewe Alexandra Crystal Palace Grimsby Town Huddersfield Town Ipswich Town Norwich City Oxford United Portsmouth Port Vale Queens Park Rangers Sheffield United Stockport County Sunderland Swindon Town Tranmere Rovers Watford West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers 5 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference QR green1 Promotion to the Premier League yellow1 Qualification for the First Division play-offs red1 Relegation to the Second Division Play-offs Football League Championship play-offs#1999 2/1 y Semifinals1st leg – May 16; 2nd leg – May 19/20, 1999 Final at Wembley May 31, 1999 3rd Ipswich Town 0 4 4 6th Bolton WanderersBolton Wanderers the first round of the play-offs against Ipswich Town on away goals after extra time. 1 3 4 4th Birmingham City 0 1 1 (6) 5th Watford (pen.) 1 0 1 (7) 5th Watford 2 6th Bolton Wanderers 0 https://www.rsssf.org/engpaul/FLA/1998-99.html England 1998–99 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2010-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20100329161434/http://www.rsssf.com/engpaul/FLA/1998-99.html 29 March 2010 live First Division results main FBR grey BAR BIR BOL BRA BRI BRY CRE CRY GRI HUD IPS NWC OXF PTV POR QPR SHU STP SUN SWI TRA WAT WBA WOL Barnsley 0–0 2–2 0–1 2–0 1–1 2–2 4–0 0–0 7–1 0–1 1–3 1–0 0–2 2–1 1–0 2–1 1–1 1–3 1–3 1–1 2–2 2–2 2–3 Birmingham City 0–0 0–0 2–1 4–2 1–0 3–1 3–1 0–1 1–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 4–1 1–0 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 4–0 0–1 Bolton Wanderers 3–3 3–1 0–0 1–0 4–0 1–3 3–0 2–0 3–0 2–0 2–0 1–1 3–1 3–1 2–1 2–2 1–2 0–3 2–1 2–2 1–2 2–1 1–1 Bradford City 2–1 2–1 2–2 5–0 3–0 4–1 2–1 3–0 2–3 0–0 4–1 0–0 4–0 2–1 0–3 2–2 1–2 0–1 3–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 2–1 Bristol City 1–1 1–2 2–1 2–3 1–1 5–2 1–1 4–1 1–2 0–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 2–2 0–0 2–0 1–1 0–1 3–1 1–1 1–4 1–3 1–6 Bury 0–0 2–4 2–1 0–2 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–0 1–0 0–3 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 3–3 1–1 2–5 3–0 0–0 1–3 2–0 0–0 Crewe Alexandra 3–1 0–0 4–4 2–1 1–0 3–1 0–1 0–0 1–2 0–3 3–2 3–1 0–0 3–1 0–2 1–2 0–2 1–4 0–2 1–4 0–1 1–1 0–0 Crystal Palace 1–0 1–1 2–2 1–0 2–1 4–2 1–1 3–1 2–2 3–2 5–1 2–0 0–1 4–1 1–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 0–1 1–1 2–2 1–1 3–2 Grimsby Town 1–2 0–3 0–1 2–0 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–0 0–0 0–1 1–0 2–2 1–1 1–0 1–2 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 2–1 5–1 0–0 Huddersfield Town 0–1 1–1 3–2 2–1 2–2 2–2 0–0 4–0 2–0 2–2 1–1 2–0 2–1 3–3 2–0 1–0 3–0 1–1 1–2 0–0 2–0 0–3 2–1 Ipswich Town 0–2 1–0 0–1 3–0 3–1 0–0 1–2 3–0 0–1 3–0 0–1 2–1 1–0 3–0 3–1 4–1 1–0 0–2 1–0 1–0 3–2 2–0 2–0 Norwich City 0–0 2–0 2–2 2–2 2–1 0–0 2–1 0–1 3–1 4–1 0–0 1–3 3–4 0–0 4–2 1–1 0–2 2–2 2–1 2–2 1–1 1–1 0–0 Oxford United 1–0 1–7 0–0 0–1 0–0 0–1 1–1 1–3 0–0 2–2 3–3 2–4 2–1 3–0 4–1 0–2 5–0 0–0 2–0 1–2 0–0 3–0 0–2 Port Vale 1–0 0–2 0–2 1–1 3–2 1–0 1–0 1–0 0–1 2–0 0–3 1–0 1–0 0–2 2–0 2–3 1–1 0–2 0–1 2–2 1–2 0–3 2–1 Portsmouth 1–3 0–1 0–2 2–4 0–1 2–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–2 2–2 4–0 3–0 1–0 3–1 1–1 5–2 1–1 1–2 2–1 1–0 Queens Park Rangers 2–1 0–1 2–0 1–3 1–1 0–0 0–1 6–0 1–2 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–0 3–2 1–1 1–2 2–0 2–2 4–0 0–0 1–2 2–1 0–1 Sheffield United 1–1 0–2 1–2 2–2 3–1 3–1 3–1 1–1 3–2 2–1 1–2 2–1 1–2 3–0 2–1 2–0 1–1 0–4 2–1 2–2 3–0 3–0 1–1 Stockport County 0–1 1–0 0–1 1–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 1–1 0–1 0–2 2–0 4–2 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–0 1–1 2–2 1–2 Sunderland 2–3 2–1 3–1 0–0 1–1 1–0 2–0 2–0 3–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 7–0 2–0 2–0 1–0 0–0 1–0 2–0 5–0 4–1 3–0 2–1 Swindon Town 1–3 0–1 3–3 1–4 3–2 1–1 1–2 2–0 2–0 3–0 0–6 1–1 4–1 1–1 3–3 3–1 2–2 2–3 1–1 2–3 1–4 2–2 1–0 Tranmere Rovers 3–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 1–1 4–0 3–0 3–1 1–2 2–3 0–2 1–3 2–2 1–1 1–1 3–2 2–3 1–1 1–0 0–0 3–2 3–1 1–2 Watford 0–0 1–1 2–0 1–0 1–0 0–0 4–2 2–1 1–0 1–1 1–0 1–1 2–0 2–2 0–0 2–1 1–1 4–2 2–1 0–1 2–1 0–2 0–2 West Bromwich Albion 2–0 1–3 2–3 0–2 2–2 1–0 1–5 3–2 1–1 3–1 0–1 2–0 2–0 3–2 2–2 2–0 4–1 3–1 2–3 1–1 0–2 4–1 2–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–3 3–0 1–0 3–0 0–0 2–0 2–2 1–0 2–2 1–1 3–1 2–0 1–2 2–1 2–2 1–1 1–0 2–0 0–0 1–1 complete First Division maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 1998–99 Greater London 51.398 -0.085 right Greater London 51.509 -0.232 right Greater London 51.650 -0.401 right Crystal Palace Queens Park Rangers Watford England none 400 Locations of the Football League First Division 1998–1999 teams England 53.55 -1.48 right England 52.48 -1.89 right England 53.59 -2.56 right England 53.82 -1.73 right England 51.42 -2.59 right England 53.58 -2.295 right England 53.10 -2.44 right England 51.40 -0.085 right England 53.56 -0.068 right England 53.64 -1.78 right England 52.06 1.14 right England 52.63 1.30 right England 51.72 -1.21 right England 50.80 -1.06 right England 53.06 -2.21 right England 51.54 -0.26 right England 53.37 -1.47 right England 53.41 -2.16 right England 51.56 -1.77 right England 54.91 -1.39 right England 53.37 -3.04 right England 51.65 -0.40 right England 52.52 -1.97 right England 52.59 -2.13 right Barnsley Birmingham Bolton Bradford City Bristol City Bury Crewe Alexandra Crystal Palace Grimsby Town Huddersfield Ipswich Town Norwich City Oxford Portsmouth Port Vale QPR Sheffield United Stockport Sunderland Swindon Tranmere Watford West Bromwich Albion Wolverhampton Wanderers Attendances # Club Average 1 Sunderland 38,745 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 22,620 3 Birmingham City 20,794 4 Bolton Wanderers 18,196 5 Crystal Palace 17,123 6 Ipswich Town 16,963 7 Barnsley 16,269 8 Sheffield United 16,258 9 Norwich City 15,761 10 West Bromwich Albion 14,582 11 Bradford City 14,299 12 Huddersfield Town 12,980 13 Bristol City 12,840 14 Portsmouth 11,956 15 Watford 11,822 16 Queens Park Rangers 11,793 17 Swindon Town 8,651 18 Stockport County 7,898 19 Oxford United 7,040 20 Port Vale 6,991 21 Tranmere Rovers 6,930 22 Grimsby Town 6,698 23 Bury 5,475 24 Crewe Alexandra 5,269https://www.european-football-statistics.co.uk/attn/archive/eng/aveeng1902.htm Historical attendances European-football-statistics.co.uk 26 June 2026 Second Division Second Division 1998–99 Fulham FulhamWalsallManchester City York CityNorthampton TownLincoln CityMacclesfield Town Jamie Cureton(25 goals) 552 1358 1997–98 1999–2000 One season after falling in the Division Two playoffs, Fulham established themselves as the pace-setters in the division this season and finished as runaway champions with 101 points. Manager Kevin Keegan accepted the FA's offer to take charge of the England team in February, but remained in charge at Craven Cottage until the end of the season before handing over the reins to Paul Bracewell, leaving Fulham with just one more promotion to win before achieving their goal of a place in the Premier League. The final promotion place was secured by Manchester City, playing in the third tier for the first time in their history. A frustrating first few months of the season mounted the pressure on manager Joe Royle, but the Maine Road board kept faith in him and were rewarded by an upturn in form which saw them finish third in the final table. After overcoming another Greater Manchester club, Wigan Athletic, in the playoff semi-finals, City took on Gillingham in the Wembley final but looked to have surrendered promotion to the Kent side who were still 2–0 up with 90 minutes on the clock. Then came two goals in added time which forced extra time, with City winning on penalties and sealing an instant return to Division One. In their final season at Springfield Park, the one time home of the long-defunct Wigan Borough and their own home since formation in 1932, Wigan Athletic clinched the Football League Trophy, some compensation for their subsequent failure in the Division Two playoffs. The other losing semi-finalists in the playoffs were Preston North End, who managed to retain the services of their highly-rated new manager David Moyes despite interest from Manchester United, who were looking to appoint a new assistant manager halfway through the season. Stoke City, who had frequently led Division Two in the first half of the season, looked all set to return to Division One at the first time of asking, before a slump in the second half of the season dragged them down to seventh in the final table - not even enough for a playoff place. Manager Brian Little left after just one season in charge and was succeeded by Gary Megson. There was similar disappointment for Reading, also newly relegated from Division One, who could only manage a 10th place finish in their first season at the new Madejski Stadium. Newly promoted Macclesfield Town and Lincoln City went straight back down to Division Three, and were joined by Northampton Town (playoff finalists the previous season) and a York City side who had rarely been out of the relegation battle during the previous three seasons and finally ran out of luck following the sale of top scorer Richard Cresswell to Sheffield Wednesday in March. Relegation also brought about the end of Alan Little's reign at Bootham Crescent after more than six years at the helm. Oldham Athletic had a lucky escape from relegation in their first season under player-manager Andy Ritchie, with the man whose goals had helped them reach the top flight eight years earlier was faced with the challenge of keeping them out of the league's fourth tier. main WDL Second Division FUL, WAL, MCI, GIL, PNE, WIG, BOU, STK, CHF, MIL, REA, LUT, BRV, BLP, BUR, NTC, WRE, COL, WYC, OLD, YOR, NHT, LIN, MAC PRO PRO PPO PPO PPO PPO REL REL REL REL complete 14 14 18 44 54 21 13 12 63 41 13 17 16 65 56 13 16 17 54 73 17 13 16 46 44 12 16 18 52 70 31 8 7 79 32 22 14 10 75 44 13 7 26 42 74 16 10 20 51 60 11 10 25 43 63 22 16 8 69 33 17 11 18 52 59 10 18 18 43 57 14 12 20 52 61 14 9 23 48 66 22 13 11 78 50 16 13 17 54 63 21 6 19 59 63 26 9 11 63 47 22 10 14 75 48 13 14 19 43 62 13 12 21 52 58 13 11 22 56 80 C, P P O, P R R R R Blackpool Bournemouth Bristol Rovers Burnley Chesterfield Colchester United Fulham Gillingham Lincoln City Luton Town Macclesfield Town Manchester City Millwall Northampton Town Notts County Oldham Athletic Preston North End Reading Stoke City Walsall Wigan Athletic Wrexham Wycombe Wanderers York City 5 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference QR green1 Promotion to the First Division yellow1 Qualification for the Second Division play-offs red1 Relegation to the Third Division Play-offs Football League One play-offs#1999 2/1 y Semifinals1st leg – May 15th/16th; 2nd leg – May 19th, 1999 Final at Wembley Stadium May 30th, 1999 3rd Manchester City 1 1 2 6th Wigan Athletic 1 0 1 4th Gillingham 1 1 2 5th Preston North End 1 0 1 3rd Manchester City (pen.) 2 (3) 4th Gillingham 2 (1) Second Division maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 1998–1999 Greater London 51.475 -0.222 right Greater London 51.481 -0.048 right Fulham Millwall England none 400 Locations of the Football League Second Division 1998–1999 teams England 53.81 -3.05 right England 50.73 -1.84 right England 51.47 -2.53 right England 53.79 -2.25 right England 53.24 -1.43 right England 51.89 0.90 right England 51.45 -0.24 right England 51.38 0.55 right England 53.23 -0.54 right England 51.9 -0.433 right England 53.24 -2.13 right England 53.47 -2.30 right England 51.48 -0.048 right England 52.24 -0.90 right England 52.94 -1.137 right England 53.54 -2.12 right England 53.75 -2.7 right England 51.41 -0.97 right England 53.00 -2.18 right England 52.58 -1.98 right England 53.55 -2.65 right England 53.03 -2.98 right England 51.63 -0.80 right England 53.96 -1.08 right Blackpool Bournemouth Bristol Rovers Burnley Chesterfield Colchester Fulham Gillingham Lincoln City Luton Town Macclesfield Manchester City Millwall Northampton Town Notts County Oldham Preston North End Reading Stoke Walsall Wigan Athletic Wrexham Wycombe York City Third Division Brentford achieved an instant return to Division Two under new chairman-manager Ron Noades, who took them to the Division Three title with 85 points. Cambridge United finally won promotion from Division Three at the fourth time of asking, clinching promotion as runners-up after three successive mid table finishes. The final automatic promotion place was sealed by Cardiff City, who enjoyed a big improvement in form to finish third just 12 months after finishing 21st. Scunthorpe United triumphed over Leyton Orient 1-0 in the playoff final to clinch the fourth and final promotion place, and ending their lengthy spell in the league's fourth tier. A dramatic final day brought one of the most memorable moments of the season in the battle to stay in the Football League. An injury crisis had forced Carlisle United to bring in Swindon Town goalkeeper Jimmy Glass on loan after the transfer deadline. They went into their final game of the season needing to beat Plymouth Argyle at Brunton Park to stay in the Football League, but the score was still 1–1 with 90 minutes showing on the clock. With only seconds of extra time remaining, Glass ran the full length of the pitch when Carlisle won a corner to fire in a late winner to keep Carlisle in the league and relegate Scarborough. Football League, Third Division 1998–99 Brentford (2nd fourth tier title) Direct promotion Brentford,Cambridge United,Cardiff City Promoted through play-offs Scunthorpe United Relegated to Conference Scarborough New club in the league None Marco Gabbiadini (Darlington), 23 552 1395 1997–98 1999–2000 main WDL Third Division PR 5 green1 Promotion to the Second Division yellow1 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs red1 Relegation to Football Conference PRO PRO PRO PPO PPO PPO PPO REL BRE Brentford CAM Cambridge United CAR Cardiff City SCU Scunthorpe United ROT Rotherham United LEY Leyton Orient SWA Swansea City MAN Mansfield Town PET Peterborough United HAL Halifax Town DAR Darlington EXE Exeter City PLY Plymouth Argyle CHE Chester City SHR Shrewsbury Town BAR Barnet B&HA Brighton & Hove Albion STD Southend United ROC Rochdale TOR Torquay United HUL Hull City HAR Hartlepool United CRL Carlisle United SCA Scarborough 26 7 13 79 56 C,P 23 12 11 78 48 P 22 14 10 60 39 P 22 8 16 69 58 O,P 20 13 13 79 61 19 15 12 68 59 19 14 13 56 48 19 10 17 60 58 18 12 16 72 56 17 15 14 58 56 18 11 17 69 58 17 12 17 47 50 17 10 19 58 54 13 18 15 57 66 14 14 18 52 63 14 13 19 54 71 16 7 23 49 66 14 12 20 52 58 13 15 18 42 55 12 17 17 47 58 14 11 21 44 62 13 12 21 52 65 11 16 19 43 53 14 6 26 50 77 R 1) Points; 2) Goals scored; 3) Goal difference complete Play-offs Football League Two play-offs#1999 2/1 y Semifinals1st leg – May 16; 2nd leg – May 19, 1999 Final at Wembley StadiumMay 29th, 1999 4th Scunthorpe United 0 3 3 7th Swansea City 1 1 2 5th Rotherham United 0 0 0 (2) 6th Leyton Orient (pen.) 0 0 0 (4) 4th Scunthorpe United 1 6th Leyton Orient 0 Third Division maps Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 1998–1999 Greater London 51.65 -0.19 right Greater London 51.486 -0.31 right Greater London 51.570 -0.058 right Barnet Brentford Leyton Orient England none 400 Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 1998–1999 England 51.65 -0.19 right England 51.486 -0.32 right England 50.83 -0.15 right England 52.21 0.12 right England 51.47 -3.20 right England 54.90 -2.91 right England 53.19 -2.89 right England 54.53 -1.55 right England 50.72 -3.53 right England 53.72 -1.86 right England 54.69 -1.21 right England 53.74 -0.33 right England 51.57 -0.01 right England 53.14 -1.20 right England 52.58 -0.25 right England 50.39 -4.15 right England 53.61 -2.16 right England 53.43 -1.36 right England 54.27 -0.42 right England 53.58 -0.65 right England 52.71 -2.75 right England 51.55 0.70 right England 51.62 -3.95 right England 50.48 -3.52 right Barnet Brentford Brighton & Hove Cambridge Utd Cardiff City Carlisle United Chester Darlington Exeter City Halifax Town Hartlepool Hull Leyton Orient Mansfield Town Peterborough Plymouth Argyle Rochdale Rotherham Scarborough Scunthorpe United Southend Shrewsbury Swansea City Torquay See also 1998-99 in English football 1998 in association football 1999 in association football References The tables above are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website, with home and away statistics separated. Play-off results are from the same website. 1998–99 2–4