1996–97 Fulham F.C. season
During the 1996–97 English football season, Fulham F.C. competed in the Division Three. It was their third season in the league's fourth tier, and they finished the season with their first promotion in 15 years.
Season summary
In his first full season as manager, Micky Adams guided them to automatic promotion and as a result won the Division Three Manager of the Season award. They finished level on points at the top of the division with Wigan Athletic.Fulham's previous promotion had been in 1982, when they were promoted from the old Third Division.
It was the first of three promotions in five seasons for the club, which saw them reach the FA Premier League in 2001 and end a 34-year exile from the top division of English football.
Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | - | ||||
| 1 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 53 | 21 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 31 | 30 | 84 | 51 | +33 | 87 | - | ||||
| 2 | Fulham | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 20 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 18 | 72 | 38 | +34 | 87 | - | ||||
| 3 | Carlisle United | 46 | 16 | 3 | 4 | 41 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 26 | 23 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 84 | - | ||||
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 24 | 27 | 67 | 44 | +23 | 72 | - | ||||
| 5 | Swansea City | 46 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 37 | 20 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 25 | 38 | 62 | 58 | +4 | 71 | - | ||||
| 6 | Chester City | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 30 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 27 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 70 | - | ||||
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 24 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 31 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 69 | - | ||||
| 8 | Colchester United | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 36 | 23 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 28 | 62 | 51 | +11 | 68 | - | ||||
| 9 | Lincoln City | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 11 | 35 | 44 | 70 | 69 | +1 | 66 | - | ||||
| 10 | Cambridge United | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 30 | 27 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 32 | 53 | 59 | –6 | 65 | - | ||||
| 11 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 21 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 26 | 28 | 47 | 45 | +2 | 64 | - | ||||
| 12 | Scarborough | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 36 | 31 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 30 | 38 | 65 | 68 | –3 | 63 | - | ||||
| 13 | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 36 | 33 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 29 | 59 | 62 | –3 | 63 | - | ||||
| 14 | Rochdale | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 34 | 24 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 24 | 34 | 58 | 58 | ±0 | 58 | - | ||||
| 15 | Barnet | 46 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 32 | 23 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 28 | 46 | 51 | –5 | 58 | - | ||||
| 16 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 28 | 20 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 22 | 38 | 50 | 58 | –8 | 57 | - | ||||
| 17 | Hull City | 46 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 29 | 26 | 4 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 44 | 50 | –6 | 57 | - | ||||
| 18 | Darlington | 46 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 37 | 28 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 27 | 50 | 64 | 78 | –14 | 52 | - | ||||
| 19 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 29 | 23 | 5 | 3 | 15 | 23 | 43 | 52 | 66 | –14 | 52 | - | ||||
| 20 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 33 | 32 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 20 | 34 | 53 | 66 | –13 | 51 | - | ||||
| 21 | Torquay United | 46 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 24 | 24 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 22 | 38 | 46 | 62 | –16 | 50 | - | ||||
| 22 | Exeter City | 46 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 25 | 30 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 23 | 43 | 48 | 73 | –25 | 48 | - | ||||
| 23 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 41 | 27 | 1 | 4 | 18 | 12 | 43 | 53 | 70 | –17 | 47 | |||||
| 24 | Hereford United | 46 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 26 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 40 | 50 | 65 | –15 | 47 | - |
- Pld = Matches ; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points
- NB: In the Football League goals scored takes precedence over goal difference.
| Key | |
| Division Champions, promoted | |
| Promoted | |
| Participated in play-offs | |
| Promoted through play-offs | |
| New club in the league | |
| Relegated to Conference |
Results
Fulham's score comes firstLegend
Football League Third Division
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Plymouth Argyle | A | 0–5 | 7,104 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Southend United | A | 2–0 | 3,084 | Conroy, Watson |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Southend United | H | 1–2 | 4,297 | Conroy |
| R2 1st Leg | 17 September 1996 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 6,947 | Morgan |
| R2 2nd Leg | 24 September 1996 | Ipswich Town | A | 2–4 | 6,825 | Sedgley, Brooker |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR1 | 17 December 1996 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 2–3 | 1,310 |