Football League Fourth Division 1986/87
| Pos | Club | Pld | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Notes |
| 1st | Northampton Town | 46 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 103 | 53 | +50 | 99 | ▲Champions |
| 2nd | Preston North End | 46 | 26 | 12 | 8 | 72 | 47 | +25 | 90 | ▲Runners Up |
| 3rd | Southend United | 46 | 25 | 5 | 16 | 68 | 55 | +13 | 80 | ▲Promoted |
| 4th | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 24 | 7 | 15 | 69 | 50 | +19 | 79 | ♦Playoffs |
| 5th | Colchester United | 46 | 21 | 7 | 18 | 64 | 56 | +8 | 70 | ♦Playoffs |
| 6th | Aldershot | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 64 | 57 | +7 | 70 | ♦▲PO Winners |
| 7th | Orient | 46 | 20 | 9 | 17 | 64 | 61 | +3 | 69 | - |
| 8th | Scunthorpe United | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 73 | 57 | +16 | 66 | - |
| 9th | Wrexham | 46 | 15 | 20 | 11 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 65 | - |
| 10th | Peterborough United | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 57 | 50 | +7 | 65 | - |
| 11th | Cambridge United | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 60 | 62 | -2 | 62 | - |
| 12th | Swansea City | 46 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 56 | 61 | -5 | 62 | - |
| 13th | Cardiff City | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 48 | 50 | -2 | 61 | - |
| 14th | Exeter City | 46 | 11 | 23 | 12 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 56 | - |
| 15th | Halifax Town | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 59 | 74 | -15 | 55 | - |
| 16th | Hereford United | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 60 | 61 | -1 | 53 | - |
| 17th | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 70 | 72 | -2 | 53 | - |
| 18th | Hartlepool United | 46 | 11 | 18 | 17 | 44 | 65 | -21 | 51 | - |
| 19th | Stockport County | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 40 | 69 | -29 | 51 | - |
| 20th | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 54 | 72 | -18 | 50 | - |
| 21st | Rochdale | 46 | 11 | 17 | 18 | 54 | 73 | -19 | 50 | - |
| 22nd | Burnley | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 53 | 74 | -21 | 49 | - |
| 23rd | Torquay United | 46 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 56 | 72 | -16 | 48 | - |
| 24th | Lincoln City | 46 | 12 | 12 | 22 | 45 | 65 | -20 | 48 | ▼Relegated |
|
Football League Third Division/Fourth Division - The Playoffs |
|||
|
Semi Finals 1st Leg |
|||
| Date | Home | Score | Away |
| Thu May 14 | Aldershot | 1-0 | Bolton Wanderers |
| Thu May 14 | Colchester United | 0-2 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
|
Semi Finals 2nd Leg |
|||
| Sun May 17 | Bolton Wanderers | 2-2 | Aldershot |
| Aldershot Won 3-2 on aggregate | |||
| Sun May 17 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0-0 | Colchester United |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers Won 2-0 on aggregate | |||
| Final 1st Leg | |||
| Fri May 22 | Aldershot | 2-0 | Wolverhampton Wanderers |
| Final 2nd Leg | |||
| Mon May 25 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0-1 | Aldershot |
| Aldershot Won 3-0 on aggregate | |||
|
End of Season Notes |
| ▼Carlisle United were Relegated from the Third Division |
| ▼Darlington were Relegated from the Third Division |
| ▼Hereford United were Relegated from the Third Division |
| ▲Northampton Town were Promoted to the Third Division |
| ▲Preston North End were Promoted to the Third Division |
| ▲Southend United were Promoted to the Third Division |
| ♦ Bolton Wanderers (Third Division) Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Wolverhampton Wanderers Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Colchester United Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ♦ Aldershot Qualified for the Playoffs |
| ▼Bolton Wanderers were Relegated from the Third Division after the conclusion of the Third Division/Fourth Division Playoffs |
| ▲Aldershot were Promoted to the Third Division via the Playoffs |
| ▼Lincoln City were automatically Relegated to the Conference after finishing bottom of the Football League |
| ▲Scarborough were Promoted from the Football Conference |
| ♦ Orient reverted back to their previous name Leyton Orient before the start of the next season |