# 2008–09 Football League

The 2008–09 Football League (known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 110th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals.
The Football League is contested through three Divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. The winner and the runner up of the League Championship are automatically promoted to the Premier League and they will are joined by the winner of the Championship playoff. The bottom two teams in League Two are relegated to the Conference Premier.

## Promotion and relegation

As a consequence of results in the 2008–09 English football season, the following promotions and relegations involving teams within, or entering or exiting the Football League occurred. These changes take effect for the 2009–10 season.

### From Premier League

Relegated to Championship
* West Bromwich Albion
* Middlesbrough
* Newcastle United

### From Championship

Promoted to Premier League
* Wolverhampton Wanderers
* Birmingham City
* Burnley
Relegated to League One
* Norwich City
* Southampton
* Charlton Athletic

### From Football League One

Promoted to Championship
* Leicester City
* Peterborough United
* Scunthorpe United
Relegated to League Two
* Northampton Town
* Crewe Alexandra
* Cheltenham Town
* Hereford United

### From Football League Two

Promoted to League One
* Brentford
* Exeter City
* Wycombe Wanderers
* Gillingham
Relegated to Conference Premier
* Chester City
* Luton Town

### From Conference Premier

Promoted to League Two
* Burton Albion
* Torquay United

## Championship
### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 9 | 10 | 80 | 52 | +28 | 90 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Birmingham City (P) | 46 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 54 | 37 | +17 | 83 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 22 | 14 | 10 | 64 | 39 | +25 | 80 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 4 | Reading | 46 | 21 | 14 | 11 | 72 | 40 | +32 | 77 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 5 | Burnley (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 72 | 60 | +12 | 76 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 6 | Preston North End | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 66 | 54 | +12 | 74 | Qualification for Championship play-offs |
| 7 | Cardiff City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 65 | 53 | +12 | 74 | |
| 8 | Swansea City | 46 | 16 | 20 | 10 | 63 | 50 | +13 | 68 | |
| 9 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 62 | 53 | +9 | 66 | |
| 10 | Bristol City | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 54 | 54 | 0 | 61 | |
| 11 | Queens Park Rangers | 46 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 42 | 44 | −2 | 61 | |
| 12 | Sheffield Wednesday | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 51 | 58 | −7 | 61 | |
| 13 | Watford | 46 | 16 | 10 | 20 | 68 | 72 | −4 | 58 | |
| 14 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 17 | 7 | 22 | 42 | 53 | −11 | 58 | |
| 15 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 15 | 12 | 19 | 52 | 55 | −3 | 56 | |
| 16 | Blackpool | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 56 | |
| 17 | Coventry City | 46 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 47 | 58 | −11 | 54 | |
| 18 | Derby County | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 55 | 67 | −12 | 54 | |
| 19 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 50 | 65 | −15 | 53 | |
| 20 | Barnsley | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 45 | 58 | −13 | 52 | |
| 21 | Plymouth Argyle | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 44 | 57 | −13 | 51 | |
| 22 | Norwich City (R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 57 | 70 | −13 | 46 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 23 | Southampton (R) | 46 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 46 | 69 | −23 | 45 | Relegation to Football League One |
| 24 | Charlton Athletic (R) | 46 | 8 | 15 | 23 | 52 | 74 | −22 | 39 | Relegation to Football League One |
* ↑ Crystal Palace were give a one-point deduction for using an ineligible player during a match against Sheffield United on 3 May 2009.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000009-QINU`"'
* ↑ Southampton were given a ten-point deduction for breaching insolvency regulations, regarding their holding company. As they finished in the bottom three in the 2008–09 season, the points deduction was applied during the 2009–10 season in League One.'"`UNIQ--ref-0000000B-QINU`"'

### Play-offs

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 3 | Sheffield United | 1 | 1 | 2 | | | |
| 6 | Preston North End | 1 | 0 | 1 | | | |
| 6 | Preston North End | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | Sheffield United | 0 |
| | | | | | 5 | Burnley | 1 |
| 4 | Reading | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | Burnley | 1 |
| 5 | Burnley | 1 | 2 | 3 | | | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | BAR | BIR | BLP | BRI | BUR | CAR | CHA | COV | CRY | DER | DON | IPS | NWC | NOT | PLY | PNE | QPR | REA | SHU | SHW | SOU | SWA | WAT | WOL |
| Barnsley | | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Birmingham City | 2–0 | | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 2–0 |
| Blackpool | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 |
| Bristol City | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–4 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 |
| Burnley | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 4–0 | | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 1–0 |
| Cardiff City | 3–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 |
| Charlton Athletic | 1–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 2–2 | | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 2–5 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–3 |
| Coventry City | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 0–2 | 0–0 | | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 |
| Crystal Palace | 3–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–1 |
| Derby County | 0–0 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Ipswich Town | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | | 3–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–2 |
| Norwich City | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 5–2 |
| Nottingham Forest | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 |
| Preston North End | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 6–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 | | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Reading | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | | 0–1 | 6–0 | 1–2 | 4–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 |
| Sheffield United | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–3 |
| Sheffield Wednesday | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | | 2–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Southampton | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–2 |
| Swansea City | 2–2 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | | 3–1 | 3–1 |
| Watford | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–4 | 2–4 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | | 2–3 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Queens Park Rangers | Iain Dowie | Contract terminated | 24 October 2008 | Paulo Sousa | 19 November 2008 | 9th |
| Watford | Aidy Boothroyd | Mutual consent | 3 November 2008 | Brendan Rodgers | 24 November 2008 | 21st |
| Charlton Athletic | Alan Pardew | Mutual Consent | 22 November 2008 | Phil Parkinson | 31 December 2008 | 22nd |
| Blackpool | Simon Grayson | Signed by Leeds United (Mutual Consent) | 23 December 2008 | Ian Holloway | 21 May 2009 | 16th |
| Nottingham Forest | Colin Calderwood | Contract terminated | 26 December 2008 | Billy Davies | 1 January 2009 | 22nd |
| Derby County | Paul Jewell | Resigned | 28 December 2008 | Nigel Clough | 6 January 2009 | 18th |
| Norwich City | Glenn Roeder | Contract terminated | 14 January 2009 | Bryan Gunn | 21 January 2009 | 21st |
| Southampton | Jan Poortvliet | Resigned | 23 January 2009 | Mark Wotte | 23 January 2009 | 23rd |
| Queens Park Rangers | Paulo Sousa | Contract terminated | 9 April 2009 | | | 10th |
| Ipswich Town | Jim Magilton | Contract terminated | 22 April 2009 | Roy Keane | 23 April 2009 | 9th |
| Reading | Steve Coppell | Resigned | 13 May 2009 | | | 4th |

### Top scorers

| Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Sylvan Ebanks-Blake | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 25 |
| 2 | Jason Scotland | Swansea City | 21 |
| 2 | Ross McCormack | Cardiff City | 21 |
| 4 | Kevin Doyle | Reading | 18 |
| 5 | Tommy Smith | Watford | 17 |
| 6 | Rob Hulse | Derby County | 15 |
| 7 | Chris Iwelumo | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 14 |
| 7 | Kevin Phillips | Birmingham City | 14 |
| 7 | Marcus Tudgay | Sheffield Wednesday | 14 |
| 10 | Dexter Blackstock | Nottingham Forest | 13 |
| 10 | Nicky Bailey | Charlton Athletic | 13 |
| 10 | Paul Gallagher | Plymouth Argyle | 13 |

## League One
### Table

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
| 1 | Leicester City (C, P) | 46 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 84 | 39 | +45 | 96 | Promotion to Football League Championship |
| 2 | Peterborough United (P) | 46 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 78 | 54 | +24 | 89 | Promotion to Football League Championship |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 46 | 26 | 9 | 11 | 83 | 47 | +36 | 87 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 4 | Leeds United | 46 | 26 | 6 | 14 | 77 | 49 | +28 | 84 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 5 | Millwall | 46 | 25 | 7 | 14 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 82 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 6 | Scunthorpe United (O, P) | 46 | 22 | 10 | 14 | 82 | 63 | +19 | 76 | Qualification for League One play-offs |
| 7 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 21 | 11 | 14 | 62 | 49 | +13 | 74 | |
| 8 | Southend United | 46 | 21 | 8 | 17 | 58 | 61 | −3 | 71 | |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 62 | 65 | −3 | 68 | |
| 10 | Oldham Athletic | 46 | 16 | 17 | 13 | 66 | 65 | +1 | 65 | |
| 11 | Bristol Rovers | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 79 | 61 | +18 | 63 | |
| 12 | Colchester United | 46 | 18 | 9 | 19 | 58 | 58 | 0 | 63 | |
| 13 | Walsall | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 61 | 66 | −5 | 61 | |
| 14 | Leyton Orient | 46 | 15 | 11 | 20 | 45 | 57 | −12 | 56 | |
| 15 | Swindon Town | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 68 | 71 | −3 | 53 | |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 55 | 70 | −15 | 52 | |
| 17 | Yeovil Town | 46 | 12 | 15 | 19 | 41 | 66 | −25 | 51 | |
| 18 | Stockport County | 46 | 16 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 57 | +2 | 50 | |
| 19 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 66 | 79 | −13 | 50 | |
| 20 | Carlisle United | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 56 | 69 | −13 | 50 | |
| 21 | Northampton Town (R) | 46 | 12 | 13 | 21 | 61 | 65 | −4 | 49 | Relegation to Football League Two |
| 22 | Crewe Alexandra (R) | 46 | 12 | 10 | 24 | 59 | 82 | −23 | 46 | Relegation to Football League Two |
| 23 | Cheltenham Town (R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 51 | 91 | −40 | 39 | Relegation to Football League Two |
| 24 | Hereford United (R) | 46 | 9 | 7 | 30 | 42 | 79 | −37 | 34 | Relegation to Football League Two |
* ↑ Stockport County deducted 10 points for entering administration.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000040-QINU`"'

### Play-offs

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Final | Final | Final |
| 6 | Scunthorpe United | 1 | 0 (7) | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 0 (6) | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Milton Keynes Dons | 1 | 0 (6) | 1 | 6 | Scunthorpe United | 3 |
| | | | | | 5 | Millwall | 2 |
| 5 | Millwall | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | Millwall | 2 |
| 4 | Leeds United | 0 | 1 | 1 | | | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | B&HA | BRR | CRL | CHL | COL | CRE | HAR | HER | HUD | LEE | LEI | LEY | MIL | MKD | NOR | OLD | PET | SCU | STD | STP | SWI | TRA | WAL | YEO |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–4 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–4 | 1–4 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 5–0 |
| Bristol Rovers | 1–2 | | 2–3 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 6–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 3–0 |
| Carlisle United | 3–1 | 1–1 | | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| Cheltenham Town | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | | 4–3 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 3–5 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–6 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Colchester United | 0–1 | 0–1 | 5–0 | 3–1 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 |
| Crewe Alexandra | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–3 | 0–3 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 3–4 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 |
| Hartlepool United | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 4–2 | 1–4 | | 4–2 | 5–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–3 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 2–3 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 |
| Hereford United | 1–2 | 0–3 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 5–0 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 |
| Huddersfield Town | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | | 1–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Leeds United | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 5–2 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 4–0 |
| Leicester City | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–0 | | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 |
| Leyton Orient | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 |
| Millwall | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | | 0–4 | 1–0 | 2–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Milton Keynes Dons | 2–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | | 1–0 | 6–2 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| Northampton Town | 2–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 5–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–3 | 4–0 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 |
| Oldham Athletic | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | | 1–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 |
| Peterborough United | 0–0 | 5–4 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–3 |
| Scunthorpe United | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 4–4 | 2–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 |
| Southend United | 0–2 | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 |
| Stockport County | 2–0 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–3 | 3–1 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Swindon Town | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 1–1 | | 3–1 | 3–2 | 2–3 |
| Tranmere Rovers | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 3–4 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| Walsall | 3–0 | 0–5 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 5–2 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | | 2–0 |
| Yeovil Town | 1–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 2–4 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| Milton Keynes Dons | Paul Ince | Signed by Blackburn Rovers (Mutual Consent) | 22 June 2008 | Roberto Di Matteo | 2 July 2008 | Pre-season |
| Cheltenham Town | Keith Downing | Mutual consent | 13 September 2008 | Martin Allen | 15 September 2008 | 24th |
| Colchester United | Geraint Williams | Mutual consent | 22 September 2008 | Paul Lambert | 9 October 2008 | 23rd |
| Carlisle United | John Ward | Mutual consent | 3 November 2008 | Greg Abbott | 5 December 2008 | 20th |
| Huddersfield Town | Stan Ternent | Contract terminated | 4 November 2008 | Lee Clark | 11 December 2008 | 16th |
| Swindon Town | Maurice Malpas | Mutual consent | 14 November 2008 | Danny Wilson | 26 December 2008 | 17th |
| Crewe Alexandra | Steve Holland | | 18 November 2008 | Guðjón Thórðarson | 24 December 2008 | 24th |
| Hartlepool United | Danny Wilson | Contract terminated | 15 December 2008 | | | 13th |
| Leeds United | Gary McAllister | Contract terminated | 21 December 2008 | Simon Grayson | 23 December 2008 | 9th |
| Walsall | Jimmy Mullen | Contract terminated | 10 January 2009 | Chris Hutchings | 20 January 2009 | 12th |
| Leyton Orient | Martin Ling | Mutual Consent | 18 January 2009 | Geraint Williams | 5 February 2009 | 21st |
| Yeovil Town | Russell Slade | Mutual Consent | 16 February 2009 | Terry Skiverton | 18 February 2009 | 16th |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Micky Adams | Mutual Consent | 21 February 2009 | Russell Slade | 6 March 2009 | 21st |
| Oldham Athletic | John Sheridan | Mutual Consent | 15 March 2009 | Joe Royle | 15 March 2009 | 8th |

### Top scorers

| Pos | Player | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Rickie Lambert | Bristol Rovers | 29 |
| 1 | Simon Cox | Swindon Town | 29 |
| 3 | Jermaine Beckford | Leeds United | 27 |
| 3 | Matty Fryatt | Leicester City | 27 |
| 5 | Gary Hooper | Scunthorpe United | 24 |
| 6 | Craig Mackail-Smith | Peterborough United | 23 |
| 7 | Aaron McLean | Peterborough United | 18 |
| 7 | Joel Porter | Hartlepool United | 18 |
| 9 | Paul Hayes | Scunthorpe United | 17 |
| 10 | Aaron Wilbraham | Milton Keynes Dons | 16 |

## League Two
### Table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Brentford (C, P) | 46 | 23 | 16 | 7 | 65 | 36 | +29 | 85 | Promotion to Football League One |
| 2 | Exeter City (P) | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 65 | 50 | +15 | 79 | Promotion to Football League One |
| 3 | Wycombe Wanderers (P) | 46 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 54 | 33 | +21 | 78 | Promotion to Football League One |
| 4 | Bury | 46 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 63 | 43 | +20 | 78 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 5 | Gillingham (O, P) | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 75 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 6 | Rochdale | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 70 | 59 | +11 | 70 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 46 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 69 | Qualification for League Two play-offs |
| 8 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 77 | 53 | +24 | 68 | |
| 9 | Bradford City | 46 | 18 | 13 | 15 | 66 | 55 | +11 | 67 | |
| 10 | Chesterfield | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 62 | 57 | +5 | 63 | |
| 11 | Morecambe | 46 | 15 | 18 | 13 | 53 | 56 | −3 | 63 | |
| 12 | Darlington | 46 | 20 | 12 | 14 | 61 | 44 | +17 | 62 | |
| 13 | Lincoln City | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 53 | 52 | +1 | 59 | |
| 14 | Rotherham United | 46 | 21 | 12 | 13 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 58 | |
| 15 | Aldershot Town | 46 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 59 | 80 | −21 | 54 | |
| 16 | Accrington Stanley | 46 | 13 | 11 | 22 | 42 | 59 | −17 | 50 | |
| 17 | Barnet | 46 | 11 | 15 | 20 | 56 | 74 | −18 | 48 | |
| 18 | Port Vale | 46 | 13 | 9 | 24 | 44 | 66 | −22 | 48 | |
| 19 | Notts County | 46 | 11 | 14 | 21 | 49 | 69 | −20 | 47 | |
| 20 | Macclesfield Town | 46 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 45 | 77 | −32 | 47 | |
| 21 | Bournemouth | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 59 | 51 | +8 | 46 | |
| 22 | Grimsby Town | 46 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 51 | 69 | −18 | 41 | |
| 23 | Chester City (R) | 46 | 8 | 13 | 25 | 43 | 81 | −38 | 37 | Relegated to Conference National |
| 24 | Luton Town (R) | 46 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 58 | 65 | −7 | 26 | Relegated to Conference National |
* ↑ Darlington deducted 10 points for entering administration.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000081-QINU`"'
* ↑ Rotherham United deducted 17 points for leaving administration without a Company Voluntary Agreement.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000083-QINU`"'
* ↑ Bournemouth deducted 17 points for leaving administration without a Company Voluntary Agreement.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000085-QINU`"'
* ↑ Luton Town deducted 30 points; 20 points for leaving administration without a Company Voluntary Agreement, and 10 points for making illegal payments to agents.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000087-QINU`"'

### Play-offs

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Final at Wembley | Final at Wembley | Final at Wembley |
| 7 | Shrewsbury Town | 0 | 1 (4) | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Bury | 1 | 0 (3) | 1 | | | |
| 4 | Bury | 1 | 0 (3) | 1 | Shrewsbury Town | Shrewsbury Town | 0 |
| | | | | | Gillingham | Gillingham | 1 |
| 6 | Rochdale | 0 | 1 | 1 | Gillingham | Gillingham | 1 |
| 5 | Gillingham | 0 | 2 | 2 | | | |

### Results

| Home \ Away | ACC | ALD | BAR | BOU | BRA | BRE | BRY | CHE | CHF | D&R | DAR | EXE | GIL | GRI | LIN | LUT | MAC | MOR | NTC | PTV | ROC | ROT | SHR | WYC |
| Accrington Stanley | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Aldershot Town | 3–1 | | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 3–3 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 2–4 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 3–2 |
| Barnet | 2–1 | 0–3 | | 1–0 | 4–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–3 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Bournemouth | 1–0 | 2–0 | 0–2 | | 4–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 |
| Bradford City | 1–1 | 5–0 | 3–3 | 1–3 | | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Brentford | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–3 |
| Bury | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 0–2 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Chester City | 2–0 | 0–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 1–5 | 1–1 | 0–2 |
| Chesterfield | 1–1 | 5–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–4 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 6–0 | 3–0 | | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–0 | 4–0 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 6–1 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Darlington | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 3–0 | | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 5–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 |
| Exeter City | 2–1 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–6 | 2–1 | 2–0 | | 3–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 |
| Gillingham | 1–0 | 4–4 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | | 3–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 5–0 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Grimsby Town | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 3–0 | | 5–1 | 2–2 | 0–0 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 |
| Lincoln City | 5–1 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 |
| Luton Town | 1–2 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 3–2 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 0–1 |
| Macclesfield Town | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–4 | 0–6 | 1–4 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 2–1 | | 0–1 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 0–0 |
| Morecambe | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 0–4 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–1 | | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Notts County | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 4–2 | 1–2 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 0–2 |
| Port Vale | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–4 | 2–1 | 1–2 | | 2–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Rochdale | 3–1 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 6–1 | 2–1 | 0–2 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 1–0 | | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 |
| Rotherham United | 0–0 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–2 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–2 | | 1–2 | 0–0 |
| Shrewsbury Town | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 7–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | | 0–1 |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 2–1 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | |

### Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment | Position in table |
| AFC Bournemouth | Kevin Bond | Contract terminated | 1 September 2008 | Jimmy Quinn | 2 September 2008 | 23rd |
| Grimsby Town | Alan Buckley | Contract terminated | 15 September 2008 | Mike Newell | 6 October 2008 | 20th |
| Port Vale | Lee Sinnott | Mutual consent | 22 September 2008 | Dean Glover | 6 October 2008 | 16th |
| Chester City | Simon Davies | Contract terminated | 11 November 2008 | Mark Wright | 14 November 2008 | 19th |
| Barnet | Paul Fairclough | Resigned | 28 December 2008 | | | 21st |
| AFC Bournemouth | Jimmy Quinn | Contract terminated | 31 December 2008 | Eddie Howe | 31 December 2008 | 23rd |

### Top scorers

| Pos | Player | Team | Goals |
| 1 | Simeon Jackson | Gillingham | 21 |
| 2 | Grant Holt | Shrewsbury Town | 20 |
| 2 | Jack Lester | Chesterfield | 20 |
| 4 | Reuben Reid | Rotherham United | 18 |
| 5 | Paul Benson | Dagenham & Redbridge | 17 |
| 5 | John O'Flynn | Barnet | 17 |
| 5 | Adam Le Fondre | Rochdale | 17 |
| 5 | Peter Thorne | Bradford City | 17 |
| 5 | Brett Pitman | AFC Bournemouth | 17 |
| 10 | Andy Bishop | Bury | 16 |
| 10 | Ryan Lowe | Chester City | 16 |
| 10 | Charlie MacDonald | Brentford | 16 |