| Football League Trophy | |
| Year: | 1997–98 |
| Other Titles: | Auto Windscreens Shield |
| Country: | |
| Num Teams: | 48 |
| Winners: | Grimsby Town |
| Second: | AFC Bournemouth |
| Matches: | 49 |
| Prev Season: | 1996–97 |
| Next Season: | 1998–99 |
The Football League Trophy 1997–98, known as the Auto Windscreens Shield 1997–98 for sponsorship reasons, was the 17th 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 AFC 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.
Blackpool, Burnley, Macclesfield Town, Mansfield Town, Notts County, Rotherham United, Wrexham and York City from the North section all received byes.
Brentford, AFC Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bristol City, Exeter City, Luton Town, Swansea City and Torquay United from the South section all received byes.
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 December | Shrewsbury Town | 1–2 | Hartlepool United | |
| 9 December | Carlisle United | 1 – 0[1] | Oldham Athletic | |
| 9 December | Chesterfield | 0–1 | Grimsby Town | |
| 9 December | Doncaster Rovers | 0–1 | Rochdale | |
| 9 December | Hull City | 2–1 | Scarborough | |
| 9 December | Preston North End | 3 – 2 | Darlington | |
| 9 December | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Chester City | |
| 9 December | Wigan Athletic | 2–0 | Lincoln City |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 December | Bristol Rovers | 1–0 | Cambridge United | |
| 9 December | Barnet | 1–2 | Walsall | |
| 9 December | Cardiff City | 0–2 | Millwall | |
| 9 December | Fulham | 1–0 | Watford | |
| 9 December | Gillingham | 0–1 | Peterborough United | |
| 9 December | Leyton Orient | 1–0 | Colchester United | |
| 9 December | Northampton Town | 1 – 1 | Plymouth Argyle | |
| Northampton Town won 5 – 3 on penalties | ||||
| 9 December | Southend United | 0–1 | Wycombe Wanderers | |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January | Blackpool | 1 – 1 | York City | |
| Blackpool won 10 – 9 on penalties | ||||
| 6 January | Carlisle United | 6–1 | Rochdale | |
| 6 January | Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Hull City | |
| 6 January | Hartlepool United | 1–2 | Scunthorpe United | |
| 7 January | Mansfield Town | 1–0 | Wrexham | |
| 13 January | Macclesfield Town | 0–1 | Preston North End | |
| 20 January | Wigan Athletic | 3–0 | Rotherham United | |
| 27 January | Burnley | 2–0 | Notts County | |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 January | AFC Bournemouth | 2–0 | Leyton Orient | |
| 6 January | Bristol City | 1–0 | Millwall | |
| 6 January | Exeter City | 1–2 | Bristol Rovers | |
| 6 January | Swansea City | 1–2 | Peterborough United | |
| 6 January | Walsall | 5–0 | Brighton & Hove Albion | |
| 13 January | Fulham | 3–1 | Wycombe Wanderers | |
| 13 January | Luton Town | 2–1 | Brentford | |
| 13 January | Northampton Town | 5–1 | Torquay United |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 January | Blackpool | 1–0 | Wigan Athletic | |
| 27 January | Preston North End | 1–0 | Mansfield Town | |
| 27 January | Scunthorpe United | 0–2 | Grimsby Town | |
| 3 February | Burnley | 4–1 | Carlisle United |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 January | AFC Bournemouth | 1–0 | Bristol City | |
| 27 January | Fulham | 1–2 | Luton Town | |
| 27 January | Peterborough United | 2–1 | Northampton Town | |
| 28 January | Bristol Rovers | 0 – 1 | Walsall |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February | Burnley | 1–0 | Preston North End | |
| 17 February | Grimsby Town | 1–0 | Blackpool |
| Date | Home team | Score | Away team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 February | AFC Bournemouth | 1–0 | Luton Town | |
| 17 February | Peterborough United | 1–2 | Walsall |
Grimsby Town beat Burnley 3–1 on aggregate.
AFC Bournemouth beat Walsall 4–3 on aggregate.
See also: 1998 Football League Trophy Final.
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