2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season

During the 2003–04 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the Premier League. Former Leeds United manager David O'Leary was appointed Villa manager in the summer of 2003.

Aston Villa
2003–04 season
ChairmanDoug Ellis
ManagerDavid O'Leary
StadiumVilla Park
FA Premier League6th
FA CupThird round
League CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerJuan Pablo Ángel (16)
Average home league attendance36,621
Second City Derby
46--34--28

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

Transfers

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Transferred in

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Date Pos Player From Fee
24 July 2003 CM Gavin McCann Sunderland £2,250,000
8 August 2003 GK   Thomas Sørensen Sunderland £2,250,000
29 January 2004 RM   Nolberto Solano Newcastle United £1,500,000
£6,000,000

Loaned in

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Date Pos Player From Loan End

Transferred out

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Date Pos Player To Fee
1 July 2003 AM   Øyvind Leonhardsen - Released
1 July 2003 CM   John McGrath Doncaster Rovers Free transfer
1 July 2003 LB   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   Alpay Özalan   Incheon United Free transfer
13 December 2003 GK   Boaz Myhill Hull City £50,000
23 December 2003 LB Danny Jackman Stockport County £70,000
6 January 2004 GK   Peter Enckelman Blackburn Rovers £150,000
15 January 2004 CM   Mark Kinsella West Bromwich Albion Free transfer
21 January 2004 CF   Boško Balaban   Club Brugge Free transfer
31 January 2004 CM   Mustapha Hadji   Espanyol Free transfer
25 March 2004 CB Jonathan Bewers Notts County Free transfer
£270,000

Loaned out

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Date Pos Player To Loan End
6 August 2003 GK   Boaz Myhill Macclesfield Town 6 September 2003
1 September 2003 AM   Hassan Kachloul Wolverhampton Wanderers 31 May 2004
4 September 2003 CF Peter Crouch Norwich City 7 December 2003
7 November 2003 GK   Peter Enckelman Blackburn Rovers 31 December 2003
15 November 2003 LB   Rob Edwards Crystal Palace 21 December 2003
21 November 2003 GK   Boaz Myhill Stockport County 11 December 2003
11 December 2003 CF   Peter Hynes Doncaster Rovers 10 January 2004
12 December 2003 CF Luke Moore Wycombe Wanderers 12 January 2004
8 January 2004 LB   Rob Edwards Derby County 31 May 2004
23 January 2004 CF   Peter Hynes Cheltenham Town 23 February 2004
13 March 2004 GK   Wayne Henderson Tamworth 23 March 2004
19 April 2004 GK   Wayne Henderson Wycombe Wanderers 31 May 2004

Overall transfer activity

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Final league table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
4 Liverpool 38 16 12 10 55 37 +18 60 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round[a]
5 Newcastle United 38 13 17 8 52 40 +12 56 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
6 Aston Villa 38 15 11 12 48 44 +4 56
7 Charlton Athletic 38 14 11 13 51 51 0 53
8 Bolton Wanderers 38 14 11 13 48 56 −8 53
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Since Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup as 2003–04 FA Cup winners went to First Division club Millwall, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

Players

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First-team squad

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Squad at end of season[1][2]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   DEN Thomas Sørensen
2 DF   WAL Mark Delaney
3 DF   ENG Jlloyd Samuel[notes 1]
4 DF   SWE Olof Mellberg
6 MF   ENG Gareth Barry
7 MF   ENG Lee Hendrie
8 MF   ENG Gavin McCann
9 FW   ENG Dion Dublin
10 FW   ENG Darius Vassell
11 MF   PER Nolberto Solano
12 MF   GER Thomas Hitzlsperger
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK   NED Stefan Postma
14 FW   SWE Marcus Allbäck
15 DF   ECU Ulises de la Cruz
16 FW   ENG Peter Crouch
17 MF   ENG Peter Whittingham
18 FW   COL Juan Pablo Ángel
23 FW   ENG Stefan Moore
24 DF   ENG Liam Ridgewell
27 DF   NOR Ronny Johnsen
31 FW   ENG Luke Moore

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
5 DF   TUR Alpay Özalan (to Incheon United)
19 FW   CRO Boško Balaban (to Club Brugge)
20 MF   MAR Mustapha Hadji (to Espanyol)
25 GK   FIN Peter Enckelman (to Blackburn Rovers)
26 MF   IRL Mark Kinsella (to West Bromwich Albion)
No. Pos. Nation Player
28 DF   ENG Danny Jackman (to Stockport County)
GK   WAL Boaz Myhill[notes 2] (to Hull City)
DF   ENG Jon Bewers (to Notts County)
DF   ENG Ryan Amoo (to Northampton Town)

Reserve squad

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The following players did not appear for the first team this season, and spent most of the season playing for the reserves.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
21 MF   NIR Steven Davis
22 MF   MAR Hassan Kachloul (on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers)
29 DF   WAL Rob Edwards[notes 3]
30 MF   ENG Stephen Cooke
No. Pos. Nation Player
39 GK   IRL Wayne Henderson
MF   SCO Colin Marshall (on loan to Clyde)
FW   IRL Peter Hynes (on loan to Doncaster Rovers and Cheltenham Town)

Youth squad

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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.

Under-19s

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   ENG Antoni Pecora
GK   ENG Andrew Yarnold
GK   FIN Jon Masalin
DF   ENG Stuart Bridges
DF   ENG Gary Cahill
DF   ENG Scott Cormell
DF   ENG Lee Grant
DF   ENG Nick Green
DF   ENG James O'Connor
No. Pos. Nation Player
DF   IRL Kevin Mulcahy
MF   ENG Neil Kilkenny[notes 4] (on trial from Arsenal)
MF   ENG Kyle Nix[notes 5]
MF   IRL Stephen Foley-Sheridan
FW   SCO Alan Brazil (on loan to Coleraine)
FW   NIR Jamie Ward[notes 6]
FW   FIN Mika Ääritalo
FW   CIV Amadou Kouman
MF    John Grady

Under-17s

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   ENG Jake Meredith
GK   AUT Bobby Olejnik
DF   ENG Ashley Edkins
DF   ENG Paul Green
DF   ENG Michael Tuohy
DF   IRL Stephen O'Halloran
DF   DEN Magnus Troest
MF   ENG Morgan Evans
MF   ENG Craig Gardner
MF   ENG Nigel Julien (on trial)
MF   ENG Dan McDonald
MF   ENG Michael Noakes
MF   ENG Isaiah Osbourne
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   ENG Charlie Reeves
MF   ENG Jay Sztybel
MF   BEL Christian Tshimanga Kabeya[notes 7]
FW   ENG Gabriel Agbonlahor
FW   ENG Scott Bridges
FW   ENG Shane Paul
FW   ENG Sam Williams
DF    Seyi Morgan
DF    Matt Saunders
MF    Luke Sampson
   Abdiligan Abshir
   Ross Hughes

Other players

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The following players did not play for any Aston Villa team this season.

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
GK   IRL Lee Boyle
DF   IRL Pierre Ennis (to Dublin City)
DF   FRA Youness Bengelloun (on trial from Paris Saint-Germain)
DF   ISR Tal Ben Haim (on trial from Maccabi Tel Aviv)
MF   ENG Ishmel Demontagnac
MF   ENG Daryl Taylor
No. Pos. Nation Player
MF   IRL Kenneth Browne
MF   MLT André Schembri (on trial from Hibernians)
MF   COL Freddy Grisales (on trial from Atlético Nacional)
GK    Matthew Allen
MF    Rowan Caney

Statistics

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Appearances and goals

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As of end of season[3]
No. Pos Nat Player Total Premiership FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK   DEN Thomas Sørensen 45 0 38 0 1 0 6 0
13 GK   NED Stefan Postma 2 0 0+2 0 0 0 0 0
Defenders
2 DF   WAL Mark Delaney 30 0 23+2 0 0 0 5 0
3 DF   TRI Jlloyd Samuel 45 3 38 2 1 0 6 1
4 DF   SWE Olof Mellberg 39 1 33 1 1 0 5 0
15 DF   ECU Ulises de la Cruz 32 0 20+8 0 1 0 3 0
24 DF   ENG Liam Ridgewell 13 0 5+6 0 0 0 0+2 0
27 DF   NOR Ronny Johnsen 27 1 21+2 1 1 0 2+1 0
Midfielders
6 MF   ENG Gareth Barry 43 4 36 3 1 1 6 0
7 MF   ENG Lee Hendrie 37 2 32 2 1 0 4 0
8 MF   ENG Gavin McCann 35 2 28 0 1 0 6 2
11 MF   PER Nolberto Solano 10 0 10 0 0 0 0 0
12 MF   GER Thomas Hitzlsperger 38 5 22+10 3 0+1 0 2+3 2
17 MF   ENG Peter Whittingham 39 1 20+12 0 1 0 4+2 1
Forwards
9 FW   ENG Dion Dublin 28 3 12+11 3 0 0 4+1 0
10 FW   ENG Darius Vassell 39 10 26+6 9 1 0 5+1 1
14 FW   SWE Marcus Allbäck 19 1 7+8 1 0 0 1+3 0
16 FW   ENG Peter Crouch 18 4 6+10 4 0 0 1+1 0
18 FW   COL Juan Pablo Ángel 39 23 33 16 1 0 5 7
23 FW   ENG Stefan Moore 12 1 2+6 1 0+1 0 1+2 0
31 FW   ENG Luke Moore 7 0 0+7 0 0 0 0 0
Players transferred or loaned out during the season
5 DF   TUR Alpay Özalan 6 1 4+2 1 0 0 0 0
20 MF   MAR Mustapha Hadji 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
26 MF   IRL Mark Kinsella 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

Last updated: 31 June 2004
Source: Competitions

Pre-season

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Date Opponents Home/
Away
Result
F – A
Scorers Competition
22 July 2003 FC TPS Turku   A 3 – 0 Ángel (2), Vassell Friendly
24 July 2003 Pitea   A 8 – 0 Allbäck (3), Crouch (3), Alpay, Hendrie Friendly
26 July 2003 Umea   A 4 – 0 Vassell, Hendrie, Hitzlsperger, McCann Friendly
28 July 2003 Bodens BK   A 4 – 2 Mellberg, Vassell, Makumbu (og), Crouch Friendly
1 August 2003 Walsall A 1 – 2 Vassell Friendly
2 August 2003 Tamworth A 4 – 1 Kachloul (2), Cooke, Crouch Friendly
5 August 2003 Scunthorpe A 5 – 0 Allbäck (3), Ángel, De la Cruz Friendly
9 August 2003 Leeds N 2 – 2 Kachloul, Hitzlsperger (Aston Villa win 4–2 on pens) Friendly, Dublin Cup
10 August 2003 St Patricks   N 6 – 0 Ángel (3), Allbäck, Whittingham, Hitzlsperger Friendly, Dublin Cup

Season results

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Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A
Competition Scorers Attendance
16 August 2003 Portsmouth A [1–2] Premier League Barry (pen) 82' 20,101
24 August 2003 Liverpool H [0–0] Premier League 42,573
27 August 2003 Arsenal A [0–2] Premier League 38,010
30 August 2003 Leicester City H 3–1 Premier League Thatcher (og) 8', Ángel 10', 16' 32,274
14 September 2003 Manchester City A 1–4 Premier League Ángel 31' 46,687
20 September 2003 Charlton Athletic H [2–1] Premier League Alpay 37', Samuel 55' 31,410
23 September 2003 Wycombe Wanderers A 5–0 League Cup Whittingham 14', Ángel 31, (pen) 50', 55', Vassell (pen) 86' 6,072
27 September 2003 Chelsea A [0–1] Premier League 41,182
5 October 2003 Bolton H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 58' 30,229
19 October 2003 Birmingham A [0–0] Premier League 29,546
25 October 2003 Everton H [0–0] Premier League 36,146
29 October 2003 Leicester H 1–0 League Cup Hitzlsperger 75' 26,729
1 November 2003 Newcastle A 1–1 Premier League Dublin 11' 51,975
8 November 2003 Middlesbrough H [0–2] Premier League 29,898
23 November 2003 Tottenham A [1–2] Premier League Allbäck 66' 33,140
29 November 2003 Southampton H [1–0] Premier League Dublin 45' 31,285
3 December 2003 Crystal Palace H 3–0 League Cup Symons (og) 22', McCann 70', Ángel 79' 24,258
6 December 2003 Manchester United A 0–4 Premier League 67,621
14 December 2003 Wolves H 3–2 Premier League Ángel 21', 24', Barry 48' 36,964
17 December 2003 Chelsea H [2–1] League Cup Ángel 16', McCann 78' 30,414
20 December 2003 Blackburn Rovers A [2–0] Premier League S. Moore 62', Ángel 75' 20,722
26 December 2003 Leeds United A [0–0] Premier League 38,513
28 December 2003 Fulham H 3–0 Premier League Ángel 33', Vassell 67', 82' 35,617
4 January 2004 Man Utd H [1–2] FA Cup Barry 19' 40,371
6 January 2004 Portsmouth H [2–1] Premier League Ángel 22', Vassell 85' 28,625
10 January 2004 Liverpool A [0–1] Premier League 43,771
18 January 2004 Arsenal H [0–2] Premier League 39,380
21 January 2004 Bolton A 2–5 League Cup Ángel 20', 56' 16,302
27 January 2004 Bolton Wanderers H [2–0] League Cup Hitzlsperger 10', Samuel 88' 36,883
31 January 2004 Leicester City A 5–0 Premier League Vassell 50', 60', Crouch 57', 68', Dublin 64' 31,056
07 February 2004 Leeds United H [2–0] Premier League Ángel (pen) 45', Johnsen 59' 39,171
11 February 2004 Fulham A [2–1] Premier League Ángel 13', Vassell 32' 16,153
22 February 2004 Birmingham H 2–2 Premier League Vassell 21', Hitzlsperger 47' 40,061
28 February 2004 Everton A [0–2] Premier League 39,353
14 March 2004 Wolves A 4–0 Premier League Hitzlsperger 7', Mellberg 18', Ángel 24', 59' 29,386
20 March 2004 Blackburn Rovers H [0–2] Premier League 37,532
27 March 2004 Charlton Athletic A [2–1] Premier League Vassell 24', Samuel 54' 26,250
4 April 2004 Manchester City H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 21' 37,602
10 April 2004 Bolton Wanderers A [2–2] Premier League Crouch 18', Hendrie 53' 26,374
12 April 2004 Chelsea H 3–2 Premier League Vassell (pen) 39', Hitzlsperger 49', Hendrie 52' 41,112
18 April 2004 Newcastle United H [0–0] Premier League 40,786
24 April 2004 Middlesbrough A [2–1] Premier League Barry 45', Crouch 89' 31,322
2 May 2004 Tottenham Hotspur H [1–0] Premier League Ángel 5' 42,573
8 May 2004 Southampton A [1–1] Premier League Ángel (pen) 39' 32,054
15 May 2004 Manchester United H [0–2] Premier League 42,573

Notes

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  1. ^ Samuel 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.
  2. ^ Myhill 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.
  3. ^ Edwards 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.
  4. ^ Kilkenny 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.
  5. ^ Nix was born in Sydney, Australia, but was raised in England and represented England at U-16, U-18, U-20, and C level.
  6. ^ Ward 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.
  7. ^ Kabeya 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.

References

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  1. ^ "FootballSquads - Aston Villa - 2003/04".
  2. ^ "Aston Villa Player Database".
  3. ^ "Aston Villa players: Premier League 2004".
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