1996–97 Notts County F.C. season
During the 1996–97 English football season, Notts County F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.
Season summary
In the 1996-97 season, it was a disaster for Murphy and the club, with a series of heavy defeats that eventually led to his sacking on 23 December 1996. On 16 January 1997, Sam Allardyce made his return to football as manager but he arrived too late to save them from relegation.Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Bury | 46 | 18 | 5 | 0 | 39 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 31 | 62 | 38 | +24 | 84 | ||||
| 2 | Stockport County | 46 | 15 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 28 | 27 | 59 | 41 | +18 | 82 | ||||
| 3 | Luton Town | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 38 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 33 | 31 | 71 | 45 | +26 | 78 | ||||
| 4 | Brentford | 46 | 8 | 11 | 4 | 26 | 22 | 12 | 3 | 8 | 30 | 21 | 56 | 43 | +13 | 74 | ||||
| 5 | Bristol City | 46 | 14 | 4 | 5 | 43 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 26 | 33 | 69 | 51 | +18 | 73 | ||||
| 6 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 38 | 15 | 7 | 3 | 13 | 18 | 32 | 56 | 47 | +9 | 73 | ||||
| 7 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 41 | 21 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 60 | 47 | +13 | 69 | ||||
| 8 | Wrexham | 46 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 38 | 28 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 22 | 54 | 50 | +4 | 69 | ||||
| 9 | Burnley | 46 | 14 | 3 | 6 | 48 | 27 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 28 | 71 | 55 | +16 | 68 | ||||
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 21 | 42 | 39 | +3 | 68 | ||||
| 11 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 37 | 25 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 34 | 60 | 59 | +1 | 67 | ||||
| 12 | Walsall | 46 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 35 | 21 | 7 | 2 | 14 | 19 | 32 | 54 | 53 | +1 | 67 | ||||
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 21 | 24 | 45 | 38 | +7 | 67 | ||||
| 14 | Millwall | 46 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 22 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 50 | 55 | –5 | 61 | ||||
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 16 | 36 | 49 | 55 | –6 | 61 | ||||
| 16 | Bournemouth | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 24 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 19 | 25 | 43 | 45 | –2 | 60 | ||||
| 17 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 34 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 28 | 47 | 50 | –3 | 56 | ||||
| 18 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 20 | 43 | 51 | 56 | –5 | 55 | ||||
| 19 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 19 | 18 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 28 | 40 | 47 | 58 | –11 | 54 | ||||
| 20 | York City | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 31 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 37 | 47 | 68 | –21 | 52 | ||||
| 21 | Peterborough United | 46 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 38 | 34 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 39 | 55 | 73 | –18 | 47 | ||||
| 22 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 27 | 32 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 42 | 49 | 74 | –25 | 46 | ||||
| 23 | Rotherham United | 46 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 13 | 22 | 41 | 39 | 70 | –31 | 35 | ||||
| 24 | Notts County | 46 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 20 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 34 | 33 | 59 | –26 | 35 |
- 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 | |
| Relegated |
Results
Notts County's score comes firstLegend
Football League Second Division
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 17 November 1996 | Newcastle Town | A | 2–0 | 3,918 | Kennedy, Robinson |
| R2 | 7 December 1996 | Rochdale | H | 3–1 | 3,584 | Jones, Arkins, Agana |
| R3 | 14 January 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 0–0 | 13,315 | |
| R3R | 22 January 1997 | Aston Villa | A | 0–3 | 25,006 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Bury | H | 1–1 | 2,141 | Jones |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Bury | A | 0–1 | 2,571 |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| NR1 | 10 December 1996 | Scarborough | A | 1–0 | 952 | Martindale |
| NR2 | 28 January 1997 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1–1 | 1,076 | Hunt |