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

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.

Final league table
Main article: 2003–04 FA Premier League
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[lower-alpha 1]
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

First-team squad
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

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
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
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

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

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
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

Appearances and goals
As of end of season[3]
No. Pos Nat Player TotalPremiershipFA CupLeague Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Thomas Sørensen 4503801060
13 GK Stefan Postma 200+200000
Defenders
2 DF Mark Delaney 30023+200050
3 DF Jlloyd Samuel 4533821061
4 DF Olof Mellberg 3913311050
15 DF Ulises de la Cruz 32020+801030
24 DF Liam Ridgewell 1305+60000+20
27 DF Ronny Johnsen 27121+21102+10
Midfielders
6 MF Gareth Barry 4343631160
7 MF Lee Hendrie 3723221040
8 MF Gavin McCann 3522801062
11 MF Nolberto Solano 1001000000
12 MF Thomas Hitzlsperger 38522+1030+102+32
17 MF Peter Whittingham 39120+120104+21
Forwards
9 FW Dion Dublin 28312+113004+10
10 FW Darius Vassell 391026+69105+11
14 FW Marcus Allbäck 1917+81001+30
16 FW Peter Crouch 1846+104001+10
18 FW Juan Pablo Ángel 392333161057
23 FW Stefan Moore 1212+610+101+20
31 FW Luke Moore 700+700000
Players transferred or loaned out during the season
5 DF Alpay Özalan 614+210000
20 MF Mustapha Hadji 100+100000
26 MF Mark Kinsella 20200000

Last updated: 31 June 2004
Source: Competitions

Transfers

Summer
Date Pos Name From Fee
24 July 2003 MF Gavin McCann Sunderland £2,250,000
8 August 2003 GK Thomas Sørensen Sunderland £2,250,000

January
Date Pos Name From Fee
30 January 2004 MF Nolberto Solano Newcastle United £1,500,000

Summer
Date Pos Name To Fee
1 June 2003 MF Ian Taylor Released (joined Derby County on 26 June 2003) Free
1 June 2003 DF Alan Wright Released (joined Middlesbrough on 4 August 2003) Free
23 October 2003 DF Alpay Özalan Released (later joined Incheon United) Free
7 December 2003 GK Peter Enckelman Blackburn Rovers Month-long loan
4 December 2003 FW Bosko Balaban Released (later joined Club Brugge) Free
11 December 2003 GK Boaz Myhill Hull City £50,000
23 December 2003 DF Danny Jackman Stockport County £70,000

January
Date Pos Name To Fee
15 January 2004 MF Mark Kinsella West Bromwich Albion Undisclosed
3 February 2004 MF Mustapha Hadji Espanyol Free
13 March 2004 GK Wayne Henderson Tamworth Loan
25 March 2004 MF Jonathan Bewers Notts County Free
25 March 2004 MF Ryan Amoo Northampton Town Free

Pre-season
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
10 August 2003 St Patricks N 6 – 0 Ángel (3), Allbäck, Whittingham, Hitzlsperger Friendly

Season results
Date Opponent Venue Result
F–A		 Competition Scorers Attendance
16/08/2003 Portsmouth A [1–2] Premier League Barry (pen) 82' 20,101
24/08/2003 Liverpool H [0–0] Premier League 42,573
27/08/2003 Arsenal A [0–2] Premier League 38,010
30/08/2003 Leicester City H 3–1 Premier League Thatcher (og) 8', Ángel 10', 16' 32,274
14/09/2003 Manchester City A 1–4 Premier League Ángel 31' 46,687
20/09/2003 Charlton Athletic H [2–1] Premier League Alpay 37', Samuel 55' 31,410
23/09/2003 Wycombe Wanderers A 5–0 League Cup Whittingham 14', Ángel 31, (pen) 50', 55', Vassell (pen) 86' 6,072
27/09/2003 Chelsea A [0–1] Premier League 41,182
05/10/2003 Bolton H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 58' 30,229
19/10/2003 Birmingham A [0–0] Premier League 29,546
25/10/2003 Everton H [0–0] Premier League 36,146
29/10/2003 Leicester H [1–0] League Cup Hitzlsperger 75' 26,729
10/11/2003 Newcastle A [1–1] Premier League Dublin 11' 51,975
08/11/2003 Middlesbrough H [0–2] Premier League 29,898
23/11/2003 Tottenham A [1–2] Premier League Allbäck 66' 33,140
29/11/2003 Southampton H [1–0] Premier League Dublin 45' 31,285
03/12/2003 Crystal Palace H 3–0 League Cup Symons (og) 22', McCann 70', Ángel 79' 24,258
06/12/2003 Manchester United A 0–4 Premier League 67,621
14/12/2003 Wolves H 3–2 Premier League Ángel 21', 24', Barry 48' 36,964
17/12/2003 Chelsea H [2–1] League Cup Ángel 16', McCann 78' 30,414
20/12/2003 Blackburn Rovers A [2–0] Premier League S. Moore 62', Ángel 75' 20,722
26/12/2003 Leeds United A [0–0] Premier League 38,513
28/12/2003 Fulham H 3–0 Premier League Ángel 33', Vassell 67', 82' 35,617
04/01/2004 Man Utd H [1–2] FA Cup Barry 19' 40,371
06/01/2004 Portsmouth H [2–1] Premier League Ángel 22', Vassell 85' 28,625
10/01/2004 Liverpool A [0–1] Premier League 43,771
18/01/2004 Arsenal H [0–2] Premier League 39,380
21/01/2004 Bolton A 2–5 League Cup Ángel 20', 56' 16,302
27/01/2004 Bolton Wanderers H [2–0] League Cup Hitzlsperger 10', Samuel 88' 36,883
31/01/2004 Leicester City A 5–0 Premier League Vassell 50', 60', Crouch 57', 68', Dublin 64' 31,056
07/02/2004 Leeds United H [2–0] Premier League Ángel (pen) 45', Johnsen 59' 39,171
11/02/2004 Fulham A [2–1] Premier League Ángel 13', Vassell 32' 16,153
22/02/2004 Birmingham H 2–2 Premier League Vassell 21', Hitzlsperger 47' 40,061
28/02/2004 Everton A [0–2] Premier League 39,353
14/03/2004 Wolves A 4–0 Premier League Hitzlsperger 7', Mellberg 18', Ángel 24', 59' 29,386
20/03/2004 Blackburn Rovers H [0–2] Premier League 37,532
27/03/2004 Charlton Athletic A [2–1] Premier League Vassell 24', Samuel 54' 26,250
04/04/2004 Manchester City H [1–1] Premier League Ángel 21' 37,602
10/04/2004 Bolton Wanderers A [2–2] Premier League Crouch 18', Hendrie 53' 26,374
12/04/2004 Chelsea H 3–2 Premier League Vassell (pen) 39', Hitzlsperger 49', Hendrie 52' 41,112
18/04/2004 Newcastle United H [0–0] Premier League 40,786
24/04/2004 Middlesbrough A [2–1] Premier League Barry 45', Crouch 89' 31,322
02/05/2004 Tottenham Hotspur H [1–0] Premier League Ángel 5' 42,573
08/05/2004 Southampton A [1–1] Premier League Ángel (pen) 39' 32,054
15/05/2004 Manchester United H [0–2] Premier League 42,573

Notes
  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
  1. http://www.footballsquads.co.uk/eng/2003-2004/faprem/avilla.htm
  2. http://www.astonvillaplayerdatabase.com/2003-04.html
  3. https://www.11v11.com/teams/aston-villa/tab/players/season/2004/comp/1/
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