1996–97 Plymouth Argyle F.C. season
During the 1996–97 English football season, Plymouth Argyle F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.
Season summary
In the 1996-97 season, Plymouth manager Warnock was sacked within a year as the club narrowly avoided being relegated back to the basement division. Warnock's assistant Mick Jones became his successor and in February 1997, Plymouth participated in 'The Battle of Saltergate' – in a 2–1 win at Chesterfield, an 88th minute fight broke out, involving all 20 outfield players. Chesterfield's Darren Carr and Kevin Davies and Plymouth's Tony James and Richard Logan were all sent-off. To make matters even worse, Argyle's Wembley hero Ronnie Mauge had already been sent-off in the 36th minute. It was the first time in Football League history that five players were sent-off in one game.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
Plymouth Argyle's score comes firstLegend
Football League Second Division
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Fulham | H | 5–0 | 7,104 | Mauge, Evans, Littlejohn, Corazzin |
| R2 | 6 December 1996 | Exeter City | H | 4–1 | 12,911 | Evans, Mauge, Billy, Littlejohn |
| R3 | 4 January 1997 | Peterborough United | H | 0–1 | 7,299 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Brentford | A | 0–1 | 3,034 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Brentford | H | 0–0 | 5,180 |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR1 | 10 December 1996 | Bournemouth | H | 2–0 | 944 | Illman, Wotton |
| SR2 | 14 January 1997 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1–0 | 1,295 | Wotton |
| SQF | 11 February 1997 | Northampton Town | H | 0–2 | 1,499 |