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 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.