1997–98 Football League Trophy
The Football League Trophy 1997–98, known as the Auto Windscreens Shield 1997–98 for sponsorship reasons, was the 15th staging of the Football League Trophy, a knock-out competition for English football clubs in Second and Third Division. The winners were Grimsby Town and the runners-up were Bournemouth.
The competition began on 6 December 1997 and ended with the final on 19 April 1998 at the Wembley Stadium.
In the first round, there were two sections: North and South. In the following rounds each section gradually eliminates teams in knock-out fashion until each has a winning finalist. At this point, the two winning finalists face each other in the combined final for the honour of the trophy.First round
, Burnley, Macclesfield, Mansfield Town, Notts County, Rotherham United, Wrexham and York City from the North section all received byes.
Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol City, Exeter City, Luton Town, Swansea City and Torquay United from the South section all received byes.Northern Section
Southern Section
Second round
Northern Section
Southern Section
Quarter-finals
Northern Section
Southern Section
Area semi-finals
Northern Section
Southern Section
Area finals
Grimsby Town beat Burnley 3–1 on aggregate.Southern Area final
Bournemouth beat Walsall 4–3 on aggregate.Final
