1997–98 Bristol Rovers F.C. season
During the 1997–98 English football season, Bristol Rovers F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.
Season summary
The 1997–98 season saw Bristol Rovers reach the playoff places, finishing in 5th place and despite taking a first-leg advantage of 3–1 against Northampton Town, Rovers subsequently lost 3–0 in the second leg and went out 4–3 on aggregate in the semi-finals.Final league table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | F | A | GD | Pts | ||||
| 1 | Watford | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 36 | 22 | 11 | 9 | 3 | 31 | 19 | 67 | 41 | +26 | 88 | ||||
| 2 | Bristol City | 46 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 41 | 17 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 28 | 22 | 69 | 39 | +30 | 85 | ||||
| 3 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 30 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 25 | 23 | 55 | 37 | +18 | 72 | ||||
| 4 | Northampton Town | 46 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 20 | 52 | 37 | +15 | 71 | ||||
| 5 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 13 | 2 | 8 | 43 | 33 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 27 | 31 | 70 | 64 | +6 | 70 | ||||
| 6 | Fulham | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 31 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 29 | 29 | 60 | 43 | +17 | 70 | ||||
| 7 | Wrexham | 46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 31 | 23 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 24 | 28 | 55 | 51 | +4 | 70 | ||||
| 8 | Gillingham | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 22 | 29 | 52 | 47 | +5 | 70 | ||||
| 9 | Bournemouth | 46 | 11 | 8 | 4 | 28 | 15 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 29 | 37 | 57 | 52 | +5 | 66 | ||||
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 46 | 44 | +2 | 65 | ||||
| 11 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 41 | 31 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 23 | 35 | 64 | 66 | –2 | 62 | ||||
| 12 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 24 | 43 | 59 | 67 | –8 | 62 | ||||
| 13 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 43 | 23 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 19 | 31 | 62 | 54 | +8 | 61 | ||||
| 14 | Wycombe Wanderers | 46 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 32 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 33 | 51 | 53 | –2 | 60 | ||||
| 15 | Preston North End | 46 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 27 | 30 | 56 | 56 | ±0 | 59 | ||||
| 16 | York City | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 26 | 37 | 52 | 58 | –6 | 59 | ||||
| 17 | Luton Town | 46 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 25 | 26 | 60 | 64 | –4 | 57 | ||||
| 18 | Millwall | 46 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 23 | 23 | 7 | 5 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 43 | 54 | –11 | 55 | ||||
| 19 | Walsall | 46 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 26 | 16 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 17 | 36 | 43 | 52 | –9 | 54 | ||||
| 20 | Burnley | 46 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 34 | 23 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 42 | 55 | 65 | –10 | 52 | ||||
| 21 | Brentford | 46 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 33 | 29 | 2 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 42 | 50 | 71 | –21 | 50 | ||||
| 22 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 10 | 5 | 8 | 36 | 30 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 19 | 40 | 55 | 70 | –15 | 49 | ||||
| 23 | Carlisle United | 46 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 27 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 30 | 45 | 57 | 73 | –16 | 44 | ||||
| 24 | Southend United | 46 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 29 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 17 | 18 | 49 | 47 | 79 | –32 | 43 |
- 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
Bristol Rovers' score comes firstLegend
Football League Second Division
Second Division play-offs
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SF 1st Leg | 10 May 1998 | Northampton Town | H | 3–1 | 9,173 | Beadle, Bennett, Hayles |
| SF 2nd Leg | 13 May 1998 | Northampton Town | A | 0–3 | 7,501 |
FA Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 14 November 1997 | Gillingham | H | 2–2 | 4,825 | Alsop, Holloway |
| R1R | 25 November 1997 | Gillingham | A | 2–0 | 4,459 | Hayles, Penrice |
| R2 | 6 December 1997 | Wisbech Town | A | 2–0 | 3,593 | Beadle, Hayles |
| R3 | 3 January 1998 | Ipswich Town | H | 1–1 | 8,610 | Beadle |
| R3R | 13 January 1998 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | 11,362 |
League Cup
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 1st Leg | 12 August 1997 | Bristol City | A | 0–0 | 9,341 | |
| R1 2nd Leg | 26 August 1997 | Bristol City | H | 1–2 | 5,872 | Alsop |
Football League Trophy
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| SR1 | 8 December 1997 | Cambridge United | H | 1–0 | 2,386 | Cureton |
| SR2 | 6 January 1998 | Exeter City | A | 2–1 | 1,851 | Bennett, Tillson |
| SQF | 28 January 1998 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 4,165 |