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The 2003-2004 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.

Overview

Arsenal compete the entire campaign without losing a single league game.

Wimbledon completed their controversial relocation to Milton Keynes and moved into the National Hockey Stadium, which would be used as a temporary home until a permanent home was built at Denbigh North. At the end of the season, the club's directors changed its name to Milton Keynes Dons.

Telford United, who had been members of the Conference every season since its formation in 1979, went out of business at the end of a season in which they had reached the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. The club was quickly reformed as AFC Telford United and joined the Northern League.

Doncaster Rovers were crowned Division Three champions to earn their second successive promotion, having been Conference playoff winners the previous season. They had not played above the league's lowest tier for nearly 20 years.

Carlisle United were relegated to the Conference from Division Three. They had spent all but two of the last 17 seasons in the league's fourth tier, but had been members of the top division during the 1974-75 season and topped the league three games into the season despite getting relegated at the end of it.

Events

National team

Macedonia
Date Venue Opponents Score Competition England scorers
August 20, 2003 Portman Road, Ipswich 3-1 F David Beckham (pen), Michael Owen, Frank Lampard
September 6, 2003 Skopje City Stadium 2-1 ECQ Wayne Rooney, David Beckham (pen)
September 10, 2003 Old Trafford, Manchester 2-0 ECQ Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney
October 11, 2003 Istanbul 0-0 ECQ
November 16, 2003 Old Trafford, Manchester 2-3 F Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole
February 14, 2004 Estádio Algarve, Faro 1-1 F Ledley King
March 31, 2004 Nya Ullevi Stadion, Gothenburg 0-1 F
June 1, 2004 City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester 1-1 FA Michael Owen
June 5, 2004 City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester 6-1 FA Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney (2), Darius Vassell (2), Wayne Bridge
June 13, 2004 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon 1-2 ECF Frank Lampard
June 17, 2004 Estádio Cidade, Coimbra 3-0 ECF Wayne Rooney (2), Steven Gerrard
June 21, 2004 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon 4-2 ECF Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney (2), Frank Lampard
June 24, 2004 Estádio da Luz, Lisbon 1-1 (FT), 2-2 (aet), 5-6 (P) ECF Michael Owen, Frank Lampard

  • ECQ - Euro 2004 qualifiers
  • ECF - Euro 2004 finals
  • F - Friendly; scores are written England first
  • FA - FA Summer Tournament (friendly)
  • (FT) - Full time
  • (aet) - After extra time
  • (P) - After penalty shoot out

Honours

Competition Winner
FA Premier League Arsenal
FA Cup Manchester United
Carling Cup Middlesbrough
Football League Trophy Blackpool
Football League First Division Norwich City
Football League Second Division Plymouth Argyle
Football League Third Division Doncaster Rovers
FA Community Shield Manchester United

European Qualification

Competition Qualifiers Reason for Qualification
UEFA Champions League 1st in FA Premier League
2nd in FA Premier League
UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round 3rd in FA Premier League
4th in FA Premier League
UEFA Cup 5th in FA Premier League
Middlesbrough League Cup Winners
In lieu of FA Cup winners
(qualification awarded as FA Cup runners-up because FA Cup winners Manchester United had already qualified for the Champions League)

League tables

FA Premier League

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 4align="left"381612105537+1860
 5align="left"38131785240+1256
 6align="left"381511124844+456
 7align="left"38141113515153
 8align="left"381411134856-853
 9align="left"381410145246+652
 10align="left"381214124348-550
 11align="left"38139164452-848
 12align="left"381211154445-147
 13align="left"38129174754-745
 14align="left"38136194757-1045
 15align="left"38128185159-844
 16align="left"38914155554+141
 17align="left"38912174557-1239
R18align="left"38615174865-1733
R19align="left"3889214079-3933
R20align="left"38712193877-3933

Football League First Division

P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts 1 Norwich City 46 18 3 2 44 15 10 7 6 35 24 40 94 Promoted 2 West Bromwich Albion 46 14 5 4 34 16 11 6 6 30 26 22 86 Promoted 3 Sunderland 46 13 8 2 33 15 9 5 9 29 30 17 79 4 West Ham United 46 12 7 4 42 20 7 10 6 25 25 22 74 5 Ipswich Town 46 12 3 8 49 36 9 7 7 35 36 12 73 6 Crystal Palace 46 10 8 5 34 25 11 2 10 38 36 11 73 Promoted (playoff winners) 7 Wigan Athletic 46 11 8 4 29 16 7 9 7 31 29 15 71 8 Sheffield United 46 11 6 6 37 25 9 5 9 28 31 9 71 9 Reading 46 11 6 6 29 25 9 4 10 26 32 -2 70 10 Millwall 46 11 8 4 28 15 7 7 9 27 33 7 69 UEFA Cup (FA Cup runners up) 11 Stoke City 46 11 7 5 35 24 7 5 11 23 31 3 66 12 Coventry City 46 9 9 5 34 22 8 5 10 33 32 13 65 13 Cardiff City 46 10 6 7 40 25 7 8 8 28 33 10 65 14 Nottingham Forest 46 8 9 6 33 25 7 6 10 28 33 3 60 15 Preston North End 46 11 7 5 43 29 4 7 12 26 42 -2 59 16 Watford 46 9 8 6 31 28 6 4 13 23 40 -14 57 17 Rotherham United 46 8 8 7 31 27 5 7 11 22 34 -8 54 18 Crewe Alexandra 46 11 3 9 33 26 3 8 12 24 40 -9 53 19 Burnley 46 9 6 8 37 32 4 8 11 23 45 -17 53 20 Derby County 46 11 5 7 39 33 2 8 13 14 34 -14 52 21 Gillingham 46 10 1 12 28 34 4 8 11 20 33 -19 51 22 Walsall 46 8 7 8 29 31 5 5 13 16 34 -20 51 Relegated 23 Bradford City 46 6 3 14 23 35 4 3 16 15 34 -31 36 Relegated 24 Wimbledon 46 3 4 16 21 40 5 1 17 20 49 -48 29 Relegated

Football League Second Division

P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts 1 Plymouth Argyle 46 17 5 1 52 13 9 7 7 33 28 +44 90 Promoted 2 Queens Park Rangers 46 16 7 0 47 12 6 10 7 33 33 +35 83 Promoted 3 Bristol City 46 15 6 2 34 12 8 7 8 24 25 +21 82 4 Brighton & Hove Albion 46 17 4 2 39 11 5 7 11 25 32 +21 77 Promoted (playoff winners) 5 Swindon Town 46 12 7 4 41 23 8 6 9 35 35 +18 73 6 Hartlepool United 46 10 8 5 39 24 10 5 8 37 37 +15 73 7 Port Vale 46 15 6 2 45 28 6 4 13 28 35 +10 73 8 Tranmere Rovers 46 13 7 3 36 18 4 9 10 23 38 +3 67 9 A.F.C. Bournemouth 46 11 8 4 35 25 6 7 10 21 26 +5 66 10 Luton Town 46 14 6 3 44 27 3 9 11 25 39 +3 66 11 Colchester United 46 11 8 4 33 23 6 5 12 19 33 -4 64 12 Barnsley 46 7 12 4 25 19 8 5 10 29 39 -4 62 13 Wrexham 46 9 6 8 27 21 8 3 12 23 39 -10 60 14 Blackpool 46 9 5 9 31 28 7 6 10 27 37 -7 59 15 Oldham Athletic 46 9 8 6 37 25 3 13 7 29 35 +6 57 16 Sheffield Wednesday 46 7 9 7 25 26 6 5 12 23 38 -16 53 17 Brentford 46 9 5 9 34 38 5 6 12 18 31 -17 53 18 Peterborough United 46 5 8 10 36 33 7 8 8 22 25 0 52 19 Stockport County 46 6 8 9 31 36 5 11 7 31 34 -8 52 20 Chesterfield 46 9 7 7 34 31 3 8 12 15 40 -22 51 21 Grimsby Town 46 10 5 8 36 26 3 6 14 19 55 -26 50 Relegated 22 Rushden & Diamonds 46 9 5 9 37 34 4 4 15 23 40 -14 48 Relegated 23 Notts County 46 6 9 8 32 27 4 3 16 18 51 -28 42 Relegated 24 Wycombe Wanderers 46 5 7 11 31 39 1 12 10 19 36 -25 37 Relegated

Football League Third Division

P W D L F A W D L F A GD Pts 1 Doncaster Rovers 46 17 4 2 47 13 10 7 6 32 24 +42 92 Promoted 2 Hull City 46 16 4 3 50 21 9 9 5 32 23 +38 88 Promoted 3 Torquay United 46 15 6 2 44 18 8 6 9 24 26 +24 81 Promoted 4 Huddersfield Town 46 16 4 3 42 18 7 8 8 26 34 +16 81 Promoted (playoff winners) 5 Mansfield Town 46 13 5 5 44 25 9 4 10 32 37 +14 75 6 Northampton Town 46 13 4 6 30 23 9 5 9 28 28 +7 75 7 Lincoln City 46 9 11 3 36 23 10 6 7 32 24 +21 74 8 Yeovil Town 46 14 3 6 40 19 9 2 12 30 38 +13 74 9 Oxford United 46 14 8 1 34 13 4 9 10 21 31 +11 71 10 Swansea City 46 9 8 6 36 26 6 6 11 22 35 -3 59 11 Boston United 46 11 7 5 35 21 5 4 14 15 33 -4 59 12 Bury 46 10 7 6 29 26 5 4 14 25 38 -10 56 13 Cambridge United 46 6 7 10 26 32 8 7 8 29 35 -12 56 14 Cheltenham Town 46 11 4 8 37 38 3 10 10 20 33 -14 56 15 Bristol Rovers 46 9 7 7 29 26 5 6 12 21 35 -11 55 16 Kidderminster Harriers 46 9 5 9 28 29 5 8 10 17 30 -14 55 17 Southend United 46 8 4 11 27 29 6 8 9 24 34 -12 54 18 Darlington 46 10 4 9 30 28 4 7 12 23 33 -8 53 19 Leyton Orient 46 8 9 6 28 27 5 5 13 20 38 -17 53 20 Macclesfield Town 46 8 9 6 28 25 5 4 14 26 44 -15 52 21 Rochdale 46 7 8 8 28 26 5 6 12 21 32 -9 50 22 Scunthorpe United 46 7 10 6 36 27 4 6 13 33 45 -3 49 23 Carlisle United 46 8 5 10 23 27 4 4 15 23 42 -23 45 Relegated 24 York City 46 7 6 10 22 29 3 8 12 13 37 -31 44 Relegated

National League System

Cup competitions

Competition Winners
FA Trophy Hednesford Town
FA Vase Winchester City
FA National League System Cup Mid Cheshire League

Football Conference

Northern Premier League

Southern League

Isthmian League

Other leagues

League Champions Notes
Step 3 Leagues Northern Premier League First Division Hyde United  
Southern League Midland and West Division Redditch United (promoted to Conference North after playoffs)
Southern League South and East Division King's Lynn  
Isthmian League Division One North Yeading  
Isthmian League Division One South Lewes (promoted to Conference South after playoffs)
Step 4 Leagues Northern League Dunston Federation Brewery  
North West Counties League Clitheroe  
Northern Counties East League Ossett Albion  
Midland Alliance Rocester  
United Counties League Spalding United  
Eastern Counties League A.F.C. Sudbury  
Isthmian League Division Two Leighton Town  
Essex Senior League Concord Rangers  
Spartan South Midlands League Beaconsfield SYCOB  
Combined Counties League AFC Wimbledon (promoted to Isthmian League First Division)
Hellenic League Brackley Town  
Western League Bideford  
Wessex League Winchester City  
Sussex County League Chichester City United  
Kent League Cray Wanderers  

Transfer deals

Summer transfer window

The summer transfer window runs from the end of the previous season until 31 August.

8 May 2003
11 May 2003
4 June 2003
6 June 2003
7 June 2003
11 June 2003
25 June 2003
30 June 2003
1 July 2003
2 July 2003
3 July 2003
7 July 2003
8 July 2003
9 July 2003
10 July 2003
11 July 2003
14 July 2003
15 July 2003
16 July 2003
17 July 2003
18 July 2003
21 July 2003
23 July 2003
24 July 2003
26 July 2003
28 July 2003
31 July 2003
1 August 2003
2 August 2003
3 August 2003
4 August 2003
5 August 2003
6 August 2003
8 August 2003
11 August 2003
12 August 2003
13 August 2003
14 August 2003
15 August 2003
21 August 2003
24 August 2003
25 August 2003
26 August 2003
29 August 2003
30 August 2003
31 August 2003
1 September

January transfer window

The mid-season transfer window runs from 1 to 31 January 2006.

1 January 2004
2 January 2004
6 January 2004
9 January 2004
12 January 2004
14 January 2004
17 January 2004
23 January 2004
Louis Saha from to , £12.82m
21 January 2004
22 January 2004
25 January 2004
27 January 2004
29 January 2004
30 January 2004
2 February 2004

For subsequent transfer deals see 2004-05 in English football.

Retirements

David Seaman ()

Deaths

  • Ray Harford, 58, was best remembered for his managerial and coaching career - he was manager of Luton Town when they won the League Cup in 1988 and assistant manager of Blackburn Rovers when they were Premiership champions in 1995. He was promoted from the role of assistant manager to the manager's seat at three clubs - Luton Town, Wimbledon and Blackburn Rovers. He also had spells in charge of Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and finally Queens Park Rangers. His last post was as first-team coach at Millwall, and helped them win the Division Two title in 2001. He was still on the club's payroll at the time of his death from lung cancer.

  • Jimmy Davis, 21, Manchester United and England U-21 striker, died in a car crash on the M40 just hours before he was due to play his first game for Watford on a season-long loan deal. He had played once for Manchester United in a League Cup game, and had spent part of the 2001-02 season on loan to Swindon Town.

  • Bob Stokoe, 73, was manager of the Sunderland side who achieved a shock F.A Cup victory over Leeds United in the 1973 final. He later managed Carlisle United and returned to Sunderland during the 1986-87 season, but quit after failing to save them from relegation to the old Third Division for the first time in their history.

  • John Charles, 72, was the most famous Leeds United player in the pre Don Revie era. His exploits for Leeds United and the Welsh national team attracted attention from all over the world and he was sold to Italian side Juventus in 1958.

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "2003-04 in English football".

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