2003–04 Crystal Palace F.C. season

During the 2003–04 English football season, Crystal Palace competed in the Football League First Division.

Crystal Palace
2003–04 season
ChairmanSimon Jordan
ManagerSteve Kember
Kit Symons (caretaker)
Iain Dowie
StadiumSelhurst Park
First Division6th (qualified for play-offs)
Play-offsWinners
FA CupThird round
League CupFourth round
Top goalscorerLeague:
Andy Johnson (28)
All:
Andy Johnson (32)
Average home league attendance19,968

Season summary

Crystal Palace started the season on the right foot, winning their first three games to top the table, but that was as good as it got under manager Steve Kember and, after a 5–0 defeat at newly promoted Wigan Athletic in November saw the club in 20th place, Kember was sacked (chairman Simon Jordan had previously declared that Kember would have a "job for life" at Palace). Kit Symons stepped up as caretaker until Northern Irishman and former Palace striker Iain Dowie was appointed. Under Dowie, Palace rocketed up the table to reach the play-offs. After beating Sunderland on penalties in the semi-final to reach the Millennium Stadium, they beat West Ham United to regain promotion to the Premiership.

Crucial to Palace's promotion was striker Andy Johnson, who scored 28 times in the league alone. He finished as the First Division's top scorer, and was voted as the club's Player of the Year.

Kit

English company Admiral Sportswear became Palace's kit manufacturers. The new home kit retained the navy shorts worn last season, albeit with a new blue and red striped design along the sides, and the navy socks, which now featured white trim. Palace's traditional blue and red striped shirts were modified with navy trim on the sleeves.

Churchill Insurance remained the kit sponsors for the fourth consecutive season.[1]

Final league table
Main article: 2003–04 Football League First Division
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
4 West Ham United 46 19 17 10 67 45 +22 74 Qualification for the First Division play-offs
5 Ipswich Town 46 21 10 15 84 72 +12 73
6 Crystal Palace (O, P) 46 21 10 15 72 61 +11 73
7 Wigan Athletic 46 18 17 11 60 45 +15 71
8 Sheffield United 46 20 11 15 65 56 +9 71
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(O) Play-off winner; (P) Promoted.

Results

Crystal Palace's score comes first

Legend
Win Draw Loss

Football League First Division
DateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceScorers
9 August 2003BurnleyA3-212,976Freedman (3, 1 pen)
16 August 2003WatfordH1-015,333Shipperley
23 August 2003WimbledonA3-16,113Butterfield, Freedman (pen), Hughes
26 August 2003Sheffield UnitedH1-215,466Johnson
30 August 2003MillwallA1-114,425Watson
13 September 2003SunderlandA1-227,324Johnson
16 September 2003Bradford CityH0-113,514
20 September 2003West Bromwich AlbionH2-217,477Freedman, Johnson
27 September 2003Norwich CityA1-216,425Derry
1 October 2003West Ham UnitedA0-331,861
4 October 2003Cardiff CityH2-116,160Routledge, Shipperley
14 October 2003Derby CountyH1-114,344Butterfield
18 October 2003Rotherham UnitedH1-118,715Freedman
21 October 2003Ipswich TownH3-415,483Johnson, Freedman (2, 1 pen)
25 October 2003GillinghamA0-18,889
1 November 2003Wigan AthleticA0-56,796
8 November 2003Preston North EndH1-114,608Johnson
22 November 2003WalsallA0-06,910
25 November 2003Stoke CityA1-010,277Johnson
29 November 2003Coventry CityH1-114,622Edwards
6 December 2003Preston North EndA1-412,836Derry
9 December 2003Crewe AlexandraH1-312,259Butterfield
13 December 2003Nottingham ForestH1-016,935Johnson
20 December 2003ReadingA3-012,743Johnson (2), Routledge
26 December 2003MillwallH0-119,737
28 December 2003Ipswich TownA3-127,629Johnson, Gray
10 January 2004BurnleyH0-015,276
17 January 2004WatfordA5-115,017Johnson (2, 1 pen), Routledge, Gray, Freedman
24 January 2004Bradford CityA2-110,310Johnson, Shipperley
31 January 2004WimbledonH3-120,552Johnson (2), Granville
7 February 2004Sheffield UnitedA3-023,816Johnson, Popovic, Shipperley
14 February 2004Stoke CityH6-316,715Johnson (3, 2 pens), Hughes, Shipperley, Routledge
21 February 2004Derby CountyA1-221,856Hughes
28 February 2004GillinghamH1-017,485Butterfield
6 March 2004ReadingH2-217,853Freedman, Johnson
13 March 2004Nottingham ForestA2-328,306Shipperley, Granville
20 March 2004Norwich CityH1-023,798Routledge
27 March 2004West Bromwich AlbionA0-224,990
6 April 2004Rotherham UnitedA2-16,001Gray, Shipperley
10 April 2004Cardiff CityA2-016,656Johnson, Routledge
12 April 2004West Ham UnitedH1-023,977Freedman
17 April 2004Wigan AthleticH1-118,799Granville
21 April 2004SunderlandH3-018,291Johnson (pen), Shipperley, Freedman
24 April 2004Crewe AlexandraA3-28,136Johnson (3, 1 pen)
1 May 2004WalsallH1-021,518Johnson
9 May 2004Coventry CityA1-222,195Freedman

First Division play-offs
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
SF 1st Leg14 May 2004SunderlandH3-225,287Shipperley, Butterfield, Johnson
SF 2nd Leg17 May 2004SunderlandA1-2 (won 5-4 on pens)34,536Powell
F29 May 2004West Ham UnitedH1-072,523Shipperley

FA Cup
Main article: 2003–04 FA Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R33 January 2004Tottenham HotspurA0-332,340

League Cup
Main article: 2003–04 Football League Cup
RoundDateOpponentVenueResultAttendanceGoalscorers
R112 August 2003Torquay UnitedA1-1 (won 3-1 on pens)3,366Freedman
R223 September 2003Doncaster RoversH2-14,904Johnson (2 pens)
R328 October 2003BlackpoolH3-16,010Johnson (2), Freedman
R43 December 2003Aston VillaA0-324,258

Players

First-team squad

[2] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
2 DF Curtis Fleming[notes 1]
3 DF Danny Granville
4 DF Danny Butterfield
5 DF Kit Symons[notes 2]
6 DF Tony Popovic
8 FW Andy Johnson
9 FW Dougie Freedman
10 MF Shaun Derry
11 FW Neil Shipperley
12 DF Jamie Smith
13 GK Cédric Berthelin
14 MF Ben Watson
15 MF Aki Riihilahti
16 MF Tommy Black
No. Position Player
17 MF Michael Hughes
18 DF Gary Borrowdale
20 DF Mark Hudson (on loan from Fulham)
21 MF Julian Gray
22 MF Wayne Routledge
23 FW Gareth Williams[notes 3]
24 MF Mikele Leigertwood[notes 4]
26 MF Ben Surey
27 GK Nico Vaesen (on loan from Birmingham City)
28 MF Tom Soares
29 MF Gavin Heeroo[notes 5]
30 GK Lance Cronin
32 MF Darren Powell
36 DF Tariq Nabil

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 GK Matt Clarke (retired)
7 MF Hayden Mullins (to West Ham United)
19 DF Rob Edwards[notes 6] (on loan from Aston Villa)
No. Position Player
25 GK Thomas Myhre (on loan from Sunderland)
31 FW Ade Akinbiyi[notes 7] (to Stoke City)

Notes
  1. Fleming was born in Manchester, England.
  2. Symons was born in Basingstoke, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally through his father and made his international debut for Wales in February 1992.
  3. Williams was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally and represented them at U-21 level.
  4. Leigertwood was born in Enfield, England, but qualified to represent Antigua and Barbuda internationally and would make his international debut for Antigua and Barbuda in November 2008.
  5. Heeroo was born in Haringey, England, but qualified to represent Mauritius internationally and made his international debut for Mauritius in 2002.
  6. Edwards was born in Madeley, England, but qualified to represent Wales internationally and made his international debut for Wales in March 2003.
  7. Akinbiyi was born in Hackney, England, but also qualified to represent Nigeria internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Nigeria in 1999.

References
  1. "Crystal Palace - Historical Football Kits". www.historicalkits.co.uk. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  2. http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2003-2004/d1/cpalace.htm
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