2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season

English football club season March 2021 December 2014 Aston Villa 2003–04 Doug Ellis David O'Leary Villa Park FA Premier League 6th FA Cup Third round League Cup Semi-finals Juan Pablo Ángel (16) 36,621 88A7E0 970045 88A7E0 FFFFFF 88A7E0 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 000033 000033 2002–03 2004–05 Second City Derby 46--34--28 2002–03 2004–05 Recent history of Aston Villa Aston Villa records and statistics The 2003–04 English football season was Aston Villa's 12th season in the Premier League. David O'Leary, the sacked Leeds United manager, was appointed Villa manager in the summer of 2003. Under O'Leary, Villa made a very sluggish start to the campaign and found themselves in the relegation zone after winning just two of their first 13 league fixtures. They were still in the bottom three in mid-December before O'Leary galvanized them and they gradually climbed the table. Villa had a fantastic second half of the season and, with two matches remaining, had a chance of qualifying for the Champions League. After extending their unbeaten run to eight games by drawing at Southampton, defeat against Manchester United at Villa Park consigned them to sixth place. The Villains finished five points short of a Champions League place and were edged out of a UEFA Cup spot on goal difference by Newcastle United. Nevertheless, it was still a great achievement by O'Leary, who appeared to get the best out of the likes of Gareth Barry, Lee Hendrie, Jlloyd Samuel and 16-goal Juan Pablo Ángel. The Colombian was the club's leading scorer, while Darius Vassell bagged 9 goals to cement his place in England's Euro 2004 squad. Thomas Sørensen and Gavin McCann both had excellent seasons after moving from Sunderland, while Nolberto Solano quickly became a fans' favourite after his mid-season move from Newcastle. Among the men to represent Villa for the last time during 2003–04 was Dion Dublin, who netted 48 goals in 155 league games. O'Leary's side reached the last four of the Football League Cup by knocking out Wycombe Wanderers, Leicester City, Crystal Palace and Chelsea. The semi-final first leg, at Bolton, ended in a disappointing 5–2 defeat. Villa Park goals by Thomas Hitzlsperger and Samuel were not quite enough to prevent the Trotters from clinching a place in the final. Manchester United came from behind to knock Villa out of the FA Cup in a third round tie at Villa Park. Despite narrowly missing out on qualifying for Europe, the mood around Villa Park was extremely positive in the summer of 2004. With the likes of Liam Ridgewell, Steven Davis, Peter Whittingham and the Moore brothers (Stefan and Luke) forcing open the first team door, David O'Leary had an abundance of young talent at his disposal. Kit Supplier Sponsor Diadora Rover / MG* *Rover sponsored the home shirts, MG sponsored the away Premier League 2003–04 FA Premier League AST Matches 16 August 2003 Portsmouth 2–1 Aston Villa L Barry 82' (pen) Fratton Park 20,101 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-2-portsmouth-a 24 August 2003 Aston Villa 0–0 Liverpool D Villa Park 42,573 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-0-liverpool 27 August 2003 Arsenal 2–0 Aston Villa L Arsenal Stadium 38,010 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-arsenal-a 30 August 2003 Aston Villa 3–1 Leicester City W Thatcher 8' (og), Ángel 10', 16' Villa Park 32,274 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3172793.stm 14 September 2003 Manchester City 4–1 Aston Villa L Ángel 31' City of Manchester Stadium 46,687 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3194215.stm 20 September 2003 Aston Villa 2–1 Charlton Athletic W Alpay 37', Samuel 55' Villa Park 31,410 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-charlton-athletic 27 September 2003 Chelsea 1–0 Aston Villa L Stamford Bridge 41,182 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-1-chelsea-a 5 October 2003 Aston Villa 1–1 Bolton Wanderers D Ángel 58' Villa Park 30,229 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-1-bolton-wanderers 19 October 2003 Birmingham City 0–0 Aston Villa D St Andrew's 29,546 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-0-birmingham-city-a 25 October 2003 Aston Villa 0–0 Everton D Villa Park 36,146 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-0-everton 1 November 2003 Newcastle United 1–1 Aston Villa D Dublin 11' St James' Park 51,975 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3207119.stm 8 November 2003 Aston Villa 0–2 Middlesbrough L Villa Park 29,898 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-middlesbrough 23 November 2003 Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 Aston Villa L Allbäck 66' White Hart Lane 33,140 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-2-tottenham-hotspur-a 29 November 2003 Aston Villa 1–0 Southampton W Dublin 45' Villa Park 31,285 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-0-southampton 6 December 2003 Manchester United 4–0 Aston Villa L Old Trafford 67,621 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3247510.stm 14 December 2003 Aston Villa 3–2 Wolves W Ángel 21', 24', Barry 48' Reebok Stadium 36,964 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3249106.stm 20 December 2003 Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Aston Villa W S. Moore 62', Ángel 75' Ewood Park 20,722 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-0-blackburn-rovers-a 26 December 2003 Leeds United 0–0 Aston Villa D Elland Road 38,513 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-0-leeds-united-a 28 December 2003 Aston Villa 3–0 Fulham W Ángel 33', Vassell 67', 82' Villa Park 35,617 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3349099.stm 6 January 2004 Aston Villa 2–1 Portsmouth W Ángel 22', Vassell 85' Villa Park 28,625 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-portsmouth 10 January 2004 Liverpool 1–0 Aston Villa L Anfield 43,771 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-1-liverpool-a 18 January 2004 Aston Villa 0–2 Arsenal L Villa Park 39,380 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-arsenal 31 January 2004 Leicester City 5–0 Aston Villa L Vassell 50', 60', Crouch 57', 68', Dublin 64' Walkers Stadium 31,056 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3417881.stm 7 February 2004 Aston Villa 2–0 Leeds United W Ángel 45' (pen), Johnsen 59' Villa Park 39,171 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-0-leeds-united 11 February 2004 Fulham 2–1 Aston Villa L Ángel 13', Vassell 32' Craven Cottage 16,153 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-fulham-a 22 February 2004 Aston Villa 2–2 Birmingham City D Vassell 21', Hitzlsperger 47' Villa Park 40,061 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3496753.stm 28 February 2004 Everton 2–0 Aston Villa L Goodison Park 39,353 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-everton-a 14 March 2004 Wolves 0–4 Aston Villa W Hitzlsperger 7', Mellberg 18', Ángel 24', 59' Molineux Stadium 29,386 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3536385.stm 20 March 2004 Aston Villa 0–2 Blackburn Rovers L Villa Park 37,532 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-blackburn-rovers 27 March 2004 Charlton Athletic 1–2 Aston Villa W Vassell 24', Samuel 54' Valley Parade 26,250 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-charlton-athletic-a 4 April 2004 Aston Villa 1–1 Manchester City D Ángel 21' Villa Park 37,602 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-1-manchester-city 10 April 2004 Bolton Wanderers 2–2 Aston Villa D Crouch 18', Hendrie 53' Reebok Stadium 26,374 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-2-bolton-wanderers-a 12 April 2004 Aston Villa 3–2 Chelsea W Vassell 39' (pen), Hitzlsperger 49', Hendrie 52' Villa Park 41,112 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3592683.stm 18 April 2004 Aston Villa 0–0 Newcastle United D Villa Park 40,786 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-0-newcastle-united 24 April 2004 Middlesbrough 2–1 Aston Villa L Barry 45', Crouch 89' Riverside Stadium 31,322 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-middlesbrough-a 2 May 2004 Aston Villa 1–0 Tottenham Hotspur W Ángel 5' Villa Park 42,573 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-0-tottenham-hotspur 8 May 2004 Southampton 1–1 Aston Villa D Ángel 39' (pen) St Mary's Stadium 32,054 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-1-southampton-a 15 May 2004 Aston Villa 0–2 Manchester United L Villa Park 42,573 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-0-2-manchester-united FA Cup 4 January 2004 FA Cup Aston Villa 1–2 Manchester United L Barry 19' Villa Park 40,371 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-1-2-manchester-united League Cup 23 September 2003 League Cup Wycombe Wanderers 0–5 Aston Villa W Whittingham 14', Ángel 31', 50' (pen), 55', Vassell 86' (pen) 6,072 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3125140.stm League Cup 29 October 2003 League Cup Aston Villa 1–0 Leicester City W Hitzlsperger 75' Villa Park 26,729 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/3204839.stm League Cup 3 December 2003 League Cup Aston Villa 3–0 Crystal Palace W Symons 22' (og), McCann 70', Ángel 79' Villa Park 24,258 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/league_cup/3246968.stm League Cup 17 December 2003 League Cup Aston Villa 2–1 Chelsea W Ángel 16', McCann 78' Villa Park 30,414 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-1-chelsea League Cup 21 January 2004 League Cup Bolton Wanderers 5–2 Aston Villa L Ángel 20', 56' Reebok Stadium 16,302 https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/league_cup/3412549.stm League Cup 27 January 2004 League Cup Aston Villa 2–0 Bolton Wanderers W Hitzlsperger 10', Samuel 88' Villa Park 36,883 https://avdb.co.uk/aston-villa/matches/first-team/2003-04-villa-2-0-bolton-wanderers League Cup Pre-season DateOpponentsHome/AwayResultF – AScorersCompetition22 July 2003FC TPS Turku FINA3 – 0 Ángel (2), VassellFriendly24 July 2003Pitea SWEA8 – 0Allbäck (3), Crouch (3), Alpay, HendrieFriendly26 July 2003Umea SWEA4 – 0Vassell, Hendrie, Hitzlsperger, McCannFriendly28 July 2003Bodens BK SWEA4 – 2Mellberg, Vassell, Makumbu (og), CrouchFriendly1 August 2003WalsallA1 – 2VassellFriendly2 August 2003TamworthA4 – 1Kachloul (2), Cooke, CrouchFriendly5 August 2003ScunthorpeA5 – 0Allbäck (3), Ángel, De la CruzFriendly9 August 2003LeedsN2 – 2Kachloul, Hitzlsperger (Aston Villa win 4–2 on pens)Friendly, Dublin Cup10 August 2003St Patricks IRLN6 – 0Ángel (3), Allbäck, Whittingham, HitzlspergerFriendly, Dublin Cup Players As of end of seasonhttps://www.11v11.com/teams/aston-villa/tab/players/season/2004/comp/1/ Aston Villa players: Premier League 2004 Premiership FA Cup League Cup |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers 1 Thomas Sørensen GK DEN 38 0 1 0 6 0 13 Stefan Postma GK NED 0+2 0 0 0 0 0 |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders 2 Mark Delaney DF WAL 23+2 0 0 0 5 0 3 Jlloyd Samuel DF TRI 38 2 1 0 6 1 4 Olof Mellberg DF SWE 33 1 1 0 5 0 15 Ulises de la Cruz DF ECU 20+8 0 1 0 3 0 24 Liam Ridgewell DF ENG 5+6 0 0 0 0+2 0 27 Ronny Johnsen DF NOR 21+2 1 1 0 2+1 0 |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders 6 Gareth Barry MF ENG 36 3 1 1 6 0 7 Lee Hendrie MF ENG 32 2 1 0 4 0 8 Gavin McCann MF ENG 28 0 1 0 6 2 11 Nolberto Solano MF PER 10 0 0 0 0 0 12 Thomas Hitzlsperger MF GER 22+10 3 0+1 0 2+3 2 17 Peter Whittingham MF ENG 20+12 0 1 0 4+2 1 |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards 9 Dion Dublin FW ENG 12+11 3 0 0 4+1 0 10 Darius Vassell FW ENG 26+6 9 1 0 5+1 1 14 Marcus Allbäck FW SWE 7+8 1 0 0 1+3 0 16 Peter Crouch FW ENG 6+10 4 0 0 1+1 0 18 Juan Pablo Ángel FW COL 33 16 1 0 5 7 23 Stefan Moore FW ENG 2+6 1 0+1 0 1+2 0 31 Luke Moore FW ENG 0+7 0 0 0 0 0 |- ! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred or loaned out during the season 5 Alpay Özalan DF TUR 4+2 1 0 0 0 0 20 Mustapha Hadji MF MAR 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 26 Mark Kinsella MF IRL 2 0 0 0 0 0 |- 31 June 2004 Competitions September 2017 First-team squad Squad at end of seasonhttp://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2003-2004/faprem/avilla.htm FootballSquads - Aston Villa - 2003/04http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/2003-04.html Aston Villa Player Database 1 DEN GK Thomas Sørensen 2 WAL DF Mark Delaney 3 ENG DF Jlloyd SamuelSamuel was born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, but also qualified to represent England internationally and would represent them at U-21 level and be called up to the senior team before switching his international allegiance to Trinidad and Tobago and making his international debut for Trinidad and Tobago in September 2009. 4 SWE DF Olof Mellberg 6 ENG MF Gareth Barry 7 ENG MF Lee Hendrie 8 ENG MF Gavin McCann 9 ENG FW Dion Dublin 10 ENG FW Darius Vassell 11 PER MF Nolberto Solano 12 GER MF Thomas Hitzlsperger 13 NED GK Stefan Postma 14 SWE FW Marcus Allbäck 15 ECU DF Ulises de la Cruz 16 ENG FW Peter Crouch 17 ENG MF Peter Whittingham 18 COL FW Juan Pablo Ángel 23 ENG FW Stefan Moore 24 ENG DF Liam Ridgewell 27 NOR DF Ronny Johnsen 31 ENG FW Luke Moore Transfers Transferred in DatePosPlayerFromFee 24 July 2003 CM Gavin McCann Sunderland £2,250,000 8 August 2003 GK DEN Thomas Sørensen Sunderland £2,250,000 29 January 2004 RM PER Nolberto Solano Newcastle United £1,500,000£6,000,000 Loaned in DatePosPlayerFromLoan End Transferred out 5 TUR DF Alpay Özalan to Incheon United 19 CRO FW Boško Balaban to Club Brugge 20 MAR MF Mustapha Hadji to Espanyol 25 FIN GK Peter Enckelman to Blackburn Rovers 26 IRL MF Mark Kinsella to West Bromwich Albion 28 ENG DF Danny Jackman to Stockport County WAL GK Boaz MyhillMyhill was born in Modesto, California, United States, but was raised in England from the age of 1, qualifying to represent any of the home nations. He represented England at U-17, U-18, and U-20 level before making his international debut for Wales in March 2008. to Hull City ENG DF Jon Bewers to Notts County ENG DF Ryan Amoo to Northampton Town DatePosPlayerToFee 1 July 2003 AM NOR Øyvind Leonhardsen - Released 1 July 2003 CM IRL John McGrath Doncaster Rovers Free transfer 1 July 2003 LB IRL Steve Staunton Coventry City Free transfer 1 July 2003 CM Ian Taylor Derby County Free transfer 1 July 2003 LB Alan Wright Middlesbrough Free transfer 23 October 2003 CB TUR Alpay Özalan KOR Incheon United Free transfer 13 December 2003 GK WAL Boaz Myhill Hull City £50,000 23 December 2003 LB Danny Jackman Stockport County £70,000 6 January 2004 GK FIN Peter Enckelman Blackburn Rovers £150,000 15 January 2004 CM IRL Mark Kinsella West Bromwich Albion Free transfer 21 January 2004 CF CRO Boško Balaban BEL Club Brugge Free transfer 31 January 2004 CM MAR Mustapha Hadji ESP Espanyol Free transfer 25 March 2004 CB Jonathan Bewers Notts County Free transfer£270,000 Loaned out DatePosPlayerToLoan End 6 August 2003 GK WAL Boaz Myhill Macclesfield Town 6 September 2003 1 September 2003 AM MAR Hassan Kachloul Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 May 2004 4 September 2003 CF Peter Crouch Norwich City 7 December 2003 7 November 2003 GK FIN Peter Enckelman Blackburn Rovers 31 December 2003 15 November 2003 LB WAL Rob Edwards Crystal Palace 21 December 2003 21 November 2003 GK WAL Boaz Myhill Stockport County 11 December 2003 11 December 2003 CF IRL Peter Hynes Doncaster Rovers 10 January 2004 12 December 2003 CF Luke Moore Wycombe Wanderers 12 January 2004 8 January 2004 LB WAL Rob Edwards Derby County 31 May 2004 23 January 2004 CF IRL Peter Hynes Cheltenham Town 23 February 2004 13 March 2004 GK IRL Wayne Henderson Tamworth 23 March 2004 19 April 2004 GK IRL Wayne Henderson Wycombe Wanderers 31 May 2004 Overall transfer activity Expenditur £6,000,000 Income £270,000 Balance £5,730,000 Youth & Reserves The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the reserves. 21 NIR MF Steven Davis 22 MAR MF Hassan Kachloul on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers 29 WAL DF Rob EdwardsEdwards was born in Madeley, England, and represented them at U-16 level, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Wales in March 2003. 30 ENG MF Stephen Cooke 39 IRL GK Wayne Henderson SCO MF Colin Marshall on loan to Clyde IRL FW Peter Hynes on loan to Doncaster Rovers and Cheltenham Town Under-19s The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the youth team, but may have also appeared for the reserves. ENG GK Antoni Pecora ENG GK Andrew Yarnold FIN GK Jon Masalin ENG DF Stuart Bridges ENG DF Gary Cahill ENG DF Scott Cormell ENG DF Lee Grant ENG DF Nick Green ENG DF James O'Connor IRL DF Kevin Mulcahy ENG MF Neil KilkennyKilkenny was born in Enfield, England, but was raised in Australia and also qualified to represent the Republic of Ireland internationally through his grandparents. He represented England at U-18 and U-20 level and the Republic of Ireland at U-19 level before making his international debut for Australia in June 2006. on trial from Arsenal ENG MF Kyle NixNix was born in Sydney, Australia, but was raised in England and represented England at U-16, U-18, U-20, and C level. IRL MF Stephen Foley-Sheridan SCO FW Alan Brazil on loan to Coleraine NIR FW Jamie WardWard was born in Birmingham, England, but also qualifies to represent Northern Ireland internationally through his grandfather and represented them at U-19 and U-21 level before making his international debut for Northern Ireland in August 2011. FIN FW Mika Ääritalo CIV FW Amadou Kouman MF John Grady Under-17s The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the youth team, but may have also appeared for the reserves. ENG GK Jake Meredith AUT GK Bobby Olejnik ENG DF Ashley Edkins ENG DF Paul Green ENG DF Michael Tuohy IRL DF Stephen O'Halloran DEN DF Magnus Troest ENG MF Morgan Evans ENG MF Craig Gardner ENG MF Nigel Julien on trial ENG MF Dan McDonald ENG MF Michael Noakes ENG MF Isaiah Osbourne ENG MF Charlie Reeves ENG MF Jay Sztybel BEL MF Christian Tshimanga KabeyaKabeya was born in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), but also qualifies to represent Belgium internationally and represented them at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 level. ENG FW Gabriel Agbonlahor ENG FW Scott Bridges ENG FW Shane Paul ENG FW Sam Williams DF Seyi Morgan DF Matt Saunders MF Luke Sampson Abdiligan Abshir Ross Hughes Did not play The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this season. IRL GK Lee Boyle IRL DF Pierre Ennis to Dublin City FRA DF Youness Bengelloun on trial from Paris Saint-Germain ISR DF Tal Ben Haim on trial from Maccabi Tel Aviv ENG MF Ishmel Demontagnac ENG MF Daryl Taylor IRL MF Kenneth Browne MLT MF André Schembri on trial from Hibernians COL MF Freddy Grisales on trial from Atlético Nacional GK Matthew Allen MF Rowan Caney Notes notes 2 References 2 External links Aston Villa official website Category:Aston Villa F.C. seasons Aston