1996–97 Wigan Athletic F.C. season
During the 1996–97 English football season, Wigan Athletic F.C. competed in the Football League Third Division.
Season summary
In the 1996-97 season, Wigan Athletic became Third Division champions on the last day of the campaign, Graeme Jones scoring a club record 31 league goals in the process. In most seasons they would have been runners-up, but a temporary rule change which saw goals scored take precedence over goal difference allowed them to finish above runners-up Fulham, who had the same number of points and a better goal difference.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
Wigan Athletic's score comes firstLegend
Football League Third Division
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 16 November 1996 | Blackpool | A | 0–1 | 5,465 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 20 August 1996 | Preston North End | H | 2–3 | 3,713 | Lancashire, Jones |
| R1 2nd Leg | 3 September 1996 | Preston North End | A | 4–4 | 5,767 | Lancashire, Greenall |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| NR2 | 14 January 1997 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 2–3 | 1,639 | Martínez, Jones |
Squad
Note: Numbers in brackets are appearances as a substitute.Source: