Football League Third Division 1988/89
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 96 | 49 | +47 | 92 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Sheffield United | 46 | 25 | 9 | 12 | 93 | 54 | +39 | 84 | ▲Runners Up |
| 3rd | Port Vale | 46 | 24 | 12 | 10 | 78 | 48 | +30 | 84 | ♦▲PO Winners |
| 4th | Fulham | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 69 | 67 | +2 | 75 | ♦Playoffs |
| 5th | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 67 | 51 | +16 | 74 | ♦Playoffs |
| 6th | Preston North End | 46 | 19 | 15 | 12 | 79 | 60 | +19 | 72 | ♦Playoffs |
| 7th | Brentford | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 66 | 61 | +5 | 68 | - |
| 8th | Chester City | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 64 | 61 | +3 | 68 | - |
| 9th | Notts County | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 64 | 54 | +10 | 67 | - |
| 10th | Bolton Wanderers | 46 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 58 | 54 | +4 | 64 | - |
| 11th | Bristol City | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 53 | 55 | -2 | 63 | - |
| 12th | Swansea City | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 51 | 53 | -2 | 61 | - |
| 13th | Bury | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 55 | 67 | -12 | 61 | - |
| 14th | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 63 | 73 | -10 | 60 | - |
| 15th | Mansfield Town | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 48 | 52 | -4 | 59 | - |
| 16th | Cardiff City | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 44 | 56 | -12 | 57 | - |
| 17th | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 14 | 14 | 18 | 55 | 53 | +2 | 56 | - |
| 18th | Reading | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 68 | 72 | -4 | 56 | - |
| 19th | Blackpool | 46 | 14 | 13 | 19 | 56 | 59 | -3 | 55 | - |
| 20th | Northampton Town | 46 | 16 | 6 | 24 | 66 | 76 | -10 | 54 | - |
| 21st | Southend United | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 56 | 75 | -19 | 54 | ▼Relegated |
| 22nd | Chesterfield | 46 | 14 | 7 | 25 | 51 | 86 | -35 | 49 | ▼Relegated |
| 23rd | Gillingham | 46 | 12 | 4 | 30 | 47 | 81 | -34 | 40 | ▼Relegated |
| 24th | Aldershot | 46 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 48 | 78 | -30 | 37 | ▼Relegated |
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Football League Third Division - The Playoffs |
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Semi Finals 1st Leg |
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| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| Sun May 21 | Bristol Rovers | 1-0 | Fulham |
| Mon May 22 | Preston North End | 1-1 | Port Vale |
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Semi Finals 2nd Leg |
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| Thu May 25 | Fulham | 0-4 | Bristol Rovers |
| Bristol Rovers Won 5-0 on aggregate | |||
| Thu May 25 | Port Vale | 3-1 | Preston North End |
| Port Vale Won 4-2 on aggregate | |||
| Final 1st Leg | |||
| Wed May 31 | Bristol Rovers | 1-1 | Port Vale |
| Final 2nd Leg | |||
| Sat June 3 | Port Vale | 1-0 | Bristol Rovers |
| Port Vale Won 2-1 on aggregate | |||
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End of Season Notes |
| ▼Shrewsbury Town were Relegated from the Second Division |
| ▼Birmingham City were Relegated from the Second Division |
| ▼Walsall Relegated from the Second Division |
| ▲Wolverhampton Wanderers were Promoted to the Second Division |
| ▲Sheffield United were Promoted to the Second Division |
| ♦ Port Vale Qualified for Playoffs |
| ♦ Fulham Qualified for Playoffs |
| ♦ Bristol Rovers Qualified for Playoffs |
| ♦ Preston North End Qualified for Playoffs |
| ▲Port Vale were Promoted to the Second Division via the Playoffs |
| ▼Southend Unjted were Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| ▼Chesterfield were Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| ▼Gillingham were Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| ▼Aldershot Relegated to the Fourth Division |
| ▲Rotherham United were Promoted from the Fourth Division |
| ▲Tranmere Rovers were Promoted from the Fourth Division |
| ▲Crewe Alexandra were Promoted from the Fourth Division |
| ▲Leyton Orient were Promoted from the Fourth Division via the Playoffs |