Football League Trophy 1987–88

The Football League Trophy 1987–88, known as the Sherpa Van Trophy 1987–88 for sponsorship reasons (although the competition began under its previous title of the Freight Rover Trophy), was the 5th staging of the Football League Trophy, a knockout competition for English football clubs in the Third and Fourth Divisions (now known as League One and Two).

The winners were Wolverhampton Wanderers, who defeated Burnley 2–0 in the final. This marked the only time two previous English champions have met in the final of this competition, and made Wolves the only former champions to have won the trophy.

The competition began on 13 October 1987 and ended with the final on 29 May 1988.The tournament begins with clubs divided into a Northern and a Southern section, and teams entering a preliminary group stage. Each section then gradually eliminates the qualifying 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.

Preliminary round

Northern Section

Group 10Oct 130000Scunthorpe United 2–0 Grimsby Town 0Oct 270000Grimsby Town 2–1 Halifax Town 0Nov 240000Halifax Town 3–0 Scunthorpe United 0Play-off to determine second place: 0Dec 150000Grimsby Town 1–2 Scunthorpe United Group 20Oct 130000Doncaster Rovers 0–1 Mansfield Town 0Oct 270000Mansfield Town 3–2 Hartlepool United 0Nov 240000Hartlepool United 1–0 Doncaster Rovers Group 30Oct 130000Notts County 1–0 Northampton Town 0Oct 280000Northampton Town 1–0 Brentford 0Nov 240000Brentford 3–2 Notts County Group 40Oct 130000Cardiff City 3–2 Wrexham 0Oct 270000Wrexham 2–2 Walsall 0Nov 240000Walsall 3–1 Cardiff City Group 50Oct 130000Aldershot 3–1 Gillingham 0Oct 270000Gillingham 2–2 Leyton Orient 0Nov 240000Leyton Orient 2–2 Aldershot Group 6

Quarter-finals

Northern Section

outhern Section

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