2002–03 Football League First Division
The 2002–03 Football League First Division (referred to as the Nationwide First Division for sponsorship reasons) was the eleventh season of the league under its current format as the second tier of English football.
Season | 2002–03 |
---|---|
Champions | Portsmouth (3rd divisional title) |
Promoted | Portsmouth Leicester City Wolverhampton Wanderers |
Relegated | Sheffield Wednesday Brighton & Hove Albion Grimsby Town |
Matches played | 557 |
Goals scored | 1,512 (2.71 per match) |
Top goalscorer | Svetoslav Todorov (26 goals) |
Biggest home win | Nottm Forest 6–0 Stoke, Wolves 6–0 Gillingham |
Biggest away win | Millwall 0–6 Rotherham |
Highest scoring | Grimsby 6–5 Burnley, Burnley 4–7 Watford |
Longest winning run | 7 games[1] Portsmouth |
Longest unbeaten run | 15 games[1] Leicester City |
Longest winless run | 16 games[1] Stoke City |
Longest losing run | 12 games[1] Brighton & Hove Albion |
Average attendance | 15,599[2] |
← 2001–02 2003–04 → |
Portsmouth won the division to return to the Premier League after a fifteen-year absence. In Harry Redknapp's first full season in charge the team secured the title on 27 April, with a victory over Rotherham, having been promoted with four games to spare by defeating Burnley.[3][4]
Leicester City were promoted at the first attempt following their relegation. Their promotion was contentious as they entered administration during the season due to debts in excess of £50 million stemming from their loss of Premier League income and major investment in a new stadium, but were able to write-off these entirely when a new consortium took control and therefore avoided having to sell off players.[5] Following this incident, the Football League would introduce rules that penalised any club entering administration with a ten-point points deduction;[6] although Leicester would still have finished in second place had been this been applied.
Wolverhampton Wanderers won the play-offs to reach the modern-day Premiership for the first time after a 3–0 win in the play-off final against a Sheffield United team which had reached the semi-finals of both domestic cup competitions.[7] This marked a return to top-flight football for Wolves after a nineteen-year exodus that had seen them fall as low as the fourth tier. Also leaving the division were Sheffield Wednesday, Brighton & Hove Albion and Grimsby Town, who were all relegated.
Team changes from previous season
Team overview
Stadia and locations
![2002–03 Football League First Division is located in England](../I/England_location_map.svg.png.webp)
![2002–03 Football League First Division](../I/Red_pog.svg.png.webp)
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- Note 1: Wimbledon rented the use of Crystal Palace's Selhurst Park home.
Personnel and sponsoring
Team | Manager | Kit maker | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|
Bradford City | ![]() |
BCAFC | JCT600 |
Burnley | ![]() |
TFG Sports | Lanway |
Brighton & Hove Albion | ![]() |
Erreà | Skint Records |
Coventry City | ![]() |
CCFC | Subaru |
Crystal Palace | ![]() |
Le Coq Sportif | Churchill Insurance |
Derby County | ![]() |
Erreà | Pedigree |
Gillingham | ![]() |
Gills Leisure | SeaFrance |
Grimsby Town | ![]() |
Avec | Dixon |
Ipswich Town | ![]() |
Punch | TXU Energi |
Leicester City | ![]() |
Le Coq Sportif | LG |
Millwall | ![]() |
Strikeforce | 24seven |
Nottingham Forest | ![]() |
Umbro | Pinnacle Insurance |
Norwich City | ![]() |
Xara | Digital Phone Company |
Portsmouth | ![]() |
Pompey Sport | Ty |
Preston North End | ![]() |
Voi | NewReg.com |
Reading | ![]() |
Kit@ | Westcoast |
Rotherham United | ![]() |
Bodyline | T-Mobile |
Sheffield United | ![]() |
Le Coq Sportif | Desun |
Sheffield Wednesday | ![]() |
Diadora | Chupa Chups |
Stoke City | ![]() |
Le Coq Sportif | Britannia |
Walsall | ![]() |
Xara | Banks's |
Watford | ![]() |
Kit@ | Toshiba |
Wimbledon | ![]() |
Patrick | Go MK |
Wolverhampton Wanderers | ![]() |
Admiral | Doritos |
Managerial changes
Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Position in table | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brighton & Hove Albion | ![]() |
Resigned | 29 April 2002[8] | Off season | ![]() |
15 July 2002[9] |
Brighton & Hove Albion | ![]() |
Moved to director of football position | 7 October 2002[10] | 24th | ![]() |
7 October 2002[10] |
Stoke City | ![]() |
Resigned to become assistant manager at Sunderland | 10 October 2002[11] | 15th | ![]() |
1 November 2002[12] |
Ipswich Town | ![]() |
Sacked | 11 October 2002[13] | 19th | ![]() |
28 October 2002[14] |
Sheffield Wednesday | ![]() |
Resigned | 31 October 2002[15] | 22nd | ![]() |
7 November 2002[16] |
Crystal Palace | ![]() |
Mutual consent | 18 April 2003[17] | 11th | ![]() |
23 May 2003[18] |
Derby County | ![]() |
Sacked | 9 May 20032[19][20] | 18th (end of season) | ![]() |
5 June 20033[21][22] |
- Note 2: Although Gregory was dismissed on this date, he had already been suspended from his post on 21 March after "serious allegations" were made against him.
- Note 3: Burley was initially appointed on 31 March as interim manager following John Gregory's suspension.
League table
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portsmouth (C, P) | 46 | 29 | 11 | 6 | 97 | 45 | +52 | 98 | Promotion to 2003–04 FA Premier League |
2 | Leicester City (P) | 46 | 26 | 14 | 6 | 73 | 40 | +33 | 92 | |
3 | Sheffield United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 72 | 52 | +20 | 80 | Qualification for First Division Playoffs |
4 | Reading | 46 | 25 | 4 | 17 | 61 | 46 | +15 | 79 | |
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers (O, P) | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 81 | 44 | +37 | 76 | |
6 | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 82 | 50 | +32 | 74 | |
7 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 80 | 64 | +16 | 70 | |
8 | Norwich City | 46 | 19 | 12 | 15 | 60 | 49 | +11 | 69 | |
9 | Millwall | 46 | 19 | 9 | 18 | 59 | 69 | −10 | 66 | |
10 | Wimbledon | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 76 | 73 | +3 | 65 | |
11 | Gillingham | 46 | 16 | 14 | 16 | 56 | 65 | −9 | 62 | |
12 | Preston North End | 46 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 68 | 70 | −2 | 61 | |
13 | Watford | 46 | 17 | 9 | 20 | 54 | 70 | −16 | 60 | |
14 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 59 | 52 | +7 | 59 | |
15 | Rotherham United | 46 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 62 | 62 | 0 | 59 | |
16 | Burnley | 46 | 15 | 10 | 21 | 65 | 89 | −24 | 55 | |
17 | Walsall | 46 | 15 | 9 | 22 | 57 | 69 | −12 | 54 | |
18 | Derby County | 46 | 15 | 7 | 24 | 55 | 74 | −19 | 52 | |
19 | Bradford City | 46 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 51 | 73 | −22 | 52 | |
20 | Coventry City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 46 | 62 | −16 | 50 | |
21 | Stoke City | 46 | 12 | 14 | 20 | 45 | 69 | −24 | 50 | |
22 | Sheffield Wednesday (R) | 46 | 10 | 16 | 20 | 56 | 73 | −17 | 46 | Relegation to 2003–04 Second Division |
23 | Brighton & Hove Albion (R) | 46 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 49 | 67 | −18 | 45 | |
24 | Grimsby Town (R) | 46 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 48 | 85 | −37 | 39 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Play-offs
Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 1 | 4 | 5 | |||||||
6 | Nottingham Forest | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
3 | Sheffield United | 0 | |||||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 3 | |||||||||
4 | Reading | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
5 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Awards
Month | Manager of the Month | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
Manager | Club | ||
August | ![]() |
Portsmouth | [23] |
September | ![]() |
Leicester City | [24] |
October | ![]() |
Watford | [25] |
November | ![]() |
Reading | [26] |
December | ![]() |
Coventry City | [27] |
January | ![]() |
Sheffield United | [28] |
February | ![]() |
Reading | [29] |
March | ![]() |
Ipswich Town | [30] |
April | ![]() |
Millwall | [31] |
References
- "English League Championship Stats – 2011–12". Statto.com. Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
- "English League Championship Stats: Team Attendance". ESPN.
- "Portsmouth 3-2 Rotherham". BBC Sport. 27 April 2003.
- "Portsmouth promoted". BBC Sport. 15 April 2003.
- "Leicester City put into administration". BBC News. 22 October 2002.
- "League to punish stricken clubs". BBC News. 25 September 2003.
- "Wolves back in big time". BBC Sport. 26 May 2003.
- "Taylor quits Brighton". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 29 April 2002.
- "Hinshelwood given Brighton job". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 15 July 2002.
- "Seagulls go for Coppell". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 October 2002.
- "Cotterill quits Stoke". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 10 October 2002.
- "Pulis gets Stoke job". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 1 November 2002.
- "Ipswich sack Burley". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 11 October 2002.
- "Royle eyes promotion". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 October 2002.
- "Yorath quits Wednesday". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 October 2002.
- "Turner handed Owls post". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 7 November 2002.
- "Francis leaves Palace". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 April 2003.
- "Palace appoint Kember". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 23 May 2003.
- "Gregory suspended by Derby". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 21 March 2003.
- "Derby sack Gregory". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 9 May 2003.
- "Burley takes over at Derby". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 31 March 2003.
- "Burley relishes Derby challenge". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 5 June 2003.
- "Manager of the Month: August 2002". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: September 2002". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: October 2002". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: November 2002". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: December 2002". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: January 2003". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: February 2003". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: March 2003". League Managers Association.
- "Manager of the Month: April 2003". League Managers Association.
- Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2003). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2003/2004. Queen Anne Press. p. 496. ISBN 1-85291-651-6.