2002–03 Football League

104th season of the Football League November 2020 The Football League 2002–03 Portsmouth PortsmouthLeicester CityWolverhampton Wanderers Shrewsbury TownExeter City New Club in League Boston United 2001–02 2003–04 The 2002–03 Football League (known as the Nationwide Football League for sponsorship reasons) was the 104th completed season of The Football League. Portsmouth won the First Division by some distance, passing manager Harry Redknapp's old club, West Ham on the way down. Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as administration and a Creditor's Voluntary Agreement wrote off much of their debt. Partly as a result of this, the League would introduce a ten-point deduction for any teams going into administration from the next season onwards. The play-offs were won by Wolves, returning to the top flight after nearly 20 years and finally allowing owner Sir Jack Hayward to see the return he wanted on his years of investment. Grimsby Town were relegated, after struggling in the division for five years on extremely limited resources. Both Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday suffered awful starts to the season (Brighton managing only a single win from their first sixteen matches), and despite good runs of form late in the season, neither were able to survive. Wigan won their first promotion beyond the Second Division, helped by considerable investment in the team. Crewe Alexandra managed a promotion on considerably less resources, while play-off winners Cardiff City were another big-spending team that were able to earn promotion. An ill-advised managerial change mid-season helped send Northampton down. Mansfield Town's first season out of the bottom division in over a decade ended as their previous spell had; with immediate relegation. Huddersfield started badly, and a financial crisis later in the season helped condemn them to relegation, only three years after they looked Premiership-bound. Cheltenham came close to survival, but a defeat on the final day of the season saw them return to the Third Division. Rushden & Diamonds continued their meteoric rise, winning the Third Division title. They were helped in no small part by runners-up Hartlepool suffering a shocking late-season collapse, which cost them the title and manager Mike Newell his job. Wrexham took the last automatic promotion spot and bounced back from the previous season's relegation, as did play-off winners AFC Bournemouth. A shock FA Cup victory over Everton did little to help Shrewsbury, and they finished bottom of the League. Exeter City were bought out pre-season in a high-profile takeover spearheaded by Uri Geller; Geller's associates proceeded to asset-strip the club, and despite a late-season run of form, Exeter fell victim to the first dual relegation from the League. Final league tables and results The tables and results below are reproduced here in the exact form that they can be found at The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation website,https://www.rsssf.org/engpaul/FLA/2002-03.html England 2002–03 Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2010-02-24 https://web.archive.org/web/20100127131954/http://www.rsssf.com/engpaul/FLA/2002-03.html 27 January 2010 live with home and away statistics separated. Play-off results are from the same website. First Division 2002–03 Football League First Division Football League, First Division 2002–03 Portsmouth (1st second tier title) Direct promotion to FA Premier League Portsmouth,Leicester City Promoted to FA Premier League through play-offs Wolverhampton Wanderers Relegated Brighton & Hove Albion,Grimsby Town,Sheffield Wednesday Svetoslav Todorov (Portsmouth), 26 https://www.rsssf.org/tablese/engtops.html English League Leading Goalscorers Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation 2010-10-31 552 1512 2001–02 2003–04 League table Play-offs Football League Championship play-offs#2003 2/1 y y Semifinals1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 14/15 May 2003 Final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 26 May 2003 3rd Sheffield United 1 4 5 6th Nottingham Forest 1 3 4 4th Reading 1 0 1 5th Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 1 3 3rd Sheffield United 0 5th Wolverhampton Wanderers 3 First Division maps England left 400 Locations of the Football League First Division 2002–2003 teams England 53.82 -1.73 right England 50.83 -0.15 right England 53.79 -2.25 right England 52.41 -1.51 right England 51.398 -0.085 right England 52.92 -1.476 right England 51.38 0.55 right England 53.56 -0.068 right England 52.06 1.14 right England 52.62 -1.14 right England 51.48 -0.048 right England 52.63 1.30 right England 53.01 -1.137 right England 50.80 -1.06 right England 53.75 -2.7 right England 51.41 -0.97 right England 53.43 -1.36 right England 53.37 -1.47 right England 53.41 -1.50 right England 53.00 -2.18 right England 52.58 -1.98 right England 51.65 -0.40 right England 51.41 -0.21 right England 52.59 -2.13 right Bradford City Brighton & Hove Burnley Coventry Crystal Palace Derby County Gillingham Grimsby Town Ipswich Town Leicester City Millwall Norwich City Nottingham Forest Portsmouth Preston North End Reading Rotherham Sheffield United Sheffield Wednesday Stoke Walsall Watford Wimbledon Wolverhampton Wanderers Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League First Division London teams 2002–2003 Greater London 51.398 -0.085 right Greater London 51.481 -0.048 right Greater London 51.650 -0.401 right Greater London 51.43 -0.19 right Crystal Palace Millwall Watford Wimbledon Second Division Football League, Second Division 2002–03 Wigan Athletic (1st third tier title) Direct promotion Wigan Athletic,Crewe Alexandra Promoted through play-offs Cardiff City Relegated Cheltenham Town,Huddersfield Town,Mansfield Town,Northampton Town Robert Earnshaw (Cardiff City), 31 552 1421 2001–02 2003–04 main WDL Second Division PR 5 WIG Wigan Athletic CRE Crewe Alexandra BRI Bristol City QPR Queens Park Rangers OLD Oldham Athletic CAR Cardiff City TRA Tranmere Rovers PLY Plymouth Argyle LUT Luton Town SWI Swindon Town PET Peterborough United COL Colchester United BLP Blackpool STP Stockport County NTC Notts County BRE Brentford PTV Port Vale WYC Wycombe Wanderers BAR Barnsley CHF Chesterfield CHL Cheltenham Town HUD Huddersfield Town MAN Mansfield Town NOR Northampton Town 29 13 4 68 25 CP 25 11 10 76 40 P 24 11 11 79 48 24 11 11 69 45 22 16 8 68 38 23 12 11 68 43 OP 23 11 12 66 57 17 14 15 63 52 17 14 15 67 62 16 12 18 59 63 14 16 16 51 54 14 16 16 52 56 15 13 18 56 64 15 10 21 65 70 13 16 17 62 70 14 12 20 47 56 14 11 21 54 70 13 13 20 59 66 13 13 20 51 64 14 8 24 43 73 10 18 18 53 68 R 11 12 23 39 61 R 12 8 26 66 97 R 10 9 27 40 79 R green1 Promotion to Football League First Division P P yellow1 Qualification for the Second Division play-offs PP PP PP PP red1 Relegation to Football League Third Division R R R R In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD). complete League Division 2 end of season table for 2002-03 season https://www.11v11.com/league-tables/league-division-2/2003/ 11v11.com 22 June 2025 Play-offs Football League One play-offs#2003 2/1 y y Semifinals1st leg – 10 May; 2nd leg – 13/14 May 2003 Final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff 28 May 2003 3rd Bristol City 0 0 0 6th Cardiff City 1 0 1 4th Queens Park Rangers 1 1 2 5th Oldham Athletic 1 0 1 6th Cardiff City 1 4th Queens Park Rangers 0 Second Division maps England left 400 Locations of the Football League Second Division 2002–2003 teams England 53.55 -1.48 right England 53.81 -3.05 right England 51.486 -0.32 right England 51.42 -2.59 right England 51.47 -3.20 right England 51.91 -2.06 right England 53.24 -1.43 right England 51.89 0.90 right England 53.10 -2.44 right England 53.64 -1.78 right England 51.9 -0.433 right England 53.14 -1.20 right England 52.24 -0.90 right England 52.94 -1.137 right England 53.54 -2.12 right England 52.58 -0.25 right England 50.39 -4.15 right England 53.06 -2.21 right England 51.53 -0.232 right England 53.41 -2.16 right England 51.56 -1.77 right England 53.37 -3.04 right England 53.55 -2.65 right England 51.63 -0.80 right Barnsley Blackpool Brentford Bristol City Cardiff City Cheltenham Chesterfield Colchester Crewe Alexandra Huddersfield Luton Town Mansfield Town Northampton Town Notts County Oldham Peterborough Plymouth Argyle Port Vale QPR Stockport Swindon Tranmere Wigan Athletic Wycombe Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Second Division London teams 2002–2003 Greater London 51.486 -0.31 right Greater London 51.509 -0.232 right Brentford Queens Park Rangers Third Division Football League, Third Division 2002–03 Rushden & Diamonds (1st fourth tier title) Direct promotion Rushden & Diamonds,Hartlepool United,Wrexham Promoted through play-offs Bournemouth Relegated to Conference Exeter CityShrewsbury Town New club in the league Boston United Andy Morrell (Wrexham), 34 552 1419 2001–02 2003–04 main WDL Third Division PR 5 R&D Rushden & Diamonds HAR Hartlepool United WRE Wrexham BOU Bournemouth SCU Scunthorpe United LIN Lincoln City BRY Bury OXF Oxford United TOR Torquay United YOR York City KID Kidderminster Harriers CAM Cambridge United HUL Hull City DAR Darlington BOS Boston United MAC Macclesfield Town STD Southend United LEY Leyton Orient ROC Rochdale BRR Bristol Rovers SWA Swansea City CRL Carlisle United EXE Exeter City SHR Shrewsbury Town 24 15 7 73 47 CP 24 13 9 71 51 P 23 15 8 84 50 P 20 14 12 60 48 OP 19 15 12 68 49 18 16 12 46 37 18 16 12 57 56 19 12 15 57 47 16 18 12 71 71 17 15 14 52 53 16 15 15 62 63 16 13 17 67 70 14 17 15 58 53 12 18 16 58 59 15 13 18 55 56 -4 14 12 20 57 63 17 3 26 47 59 14 11 21 51 61 12 16 18 63 70 12 15 19 50 57 12 13 21 48 65 13 10 23 52 78 11 15 20 50 64 R 9 14 23 62 92 R Boston United had 4 points deducted for financial irregularities.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/boston_united/2138754.stm League newcomers docked points BBC Sport 19 July 2002 28 February 2017 green1 Promotion to Football League Second Division P P P yellow1 Qualification for the Third Division play-offs PP PP PP PP red1 Relegation to Football Conference R R In the Football League goals scored (GF) takes precedence over goal difference (GD). complete Play-offs Football League Two play-offs#2003 2/1 y y Semifinals1st leg −10 May; 2nd leg −13/14 May 2003 Final at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff24 May 2003 4th Bournemouth 0 3 3 7th Bury 0 1 1 5th Scunthorpe United 3 0 3 6th Lincoln City 5 1 6 4th Bournemouth 5 6th Lincoln City 2 Third Division maps England left 400 Locations of the Football League Third Division teams 2002–2003 England 52.98 -0.02 right England 50.73 -1.84 right England 51.47 -2.53 right England 53.58 -2.295 right England 52.21 0.12 right England 54.90 -2.91 right England 54.53 -1.55 right England 50.72 -3.53 right England 54.69 -1.21 right England 53.74 -0.33 right England 52.39 -2.25 right England 51.57 -0.01 right England 53.23 -0.54 right England 53.24 -2.13 right England 51.72 -1.21 right England 53.61 -2.16 right England 52.32 -0.61 right England 53.58 -0.65 right England 52.71 -2.75 right England 51.55 0.70 right England 51.62 -3.95 right England 50.48 -3.52 right England 53.03 -2.98 right England 53.96 -1.08 right Boston United Bournemouth Bristol Rovers Bury Cambridge Utd Carlisle United Darlington Exeter City Hartlepool Hull Kidderminster Harriers Leyton Orient Lincoln City Macclesfield Oxford Rochdale Rushden & Diamonds Scunthorpe United Southend Shrewsbury Swansea City Torquay Wrexham York City Greater London right 369 Locations of the Football League Third Division London teams 2002–2003 51.570 -0.058 Leyton Orient right See also 2002–03 in English football 2002 in association football 2003 in association football References 2002–03 2–4