2002–03 Hibernian F.C. season
Season 2002–03 was a disappointment for Hibernian, as the team finished in the bottom half of the Scottish Premier League in Bobby Williamson's first full season in charge. The team were also knocked out of the two domestic cup competitions at an early stage. In a preview for the next season, BBC Sport commented that the biggest problem "was a fragile defence that developed a nasty habit of conceding late goals".[2]
| 2002–03 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Bobby Williamson |
| SPL | 7th |
| Scottish Cup | R4 |
| CIS Cup | R3 |
| Top goalscorer | League: McManus, 11 All: McManus, 11 |
| Highest home attendance | 13686[1] |
| Lowest home attendance | 7518[1] |
| Average home league attendance | 9937[1] (down 1666) |
League season
Hibs got off to a very poor start to the league season, collecting only three points from a possible 18.[3] This included heavy defeats by Hearts and Dunfermline.[3] Former Hibs player Ulrik Laursen commented in the match programme for his new club, Celtic, that he believed former Hibs manager Alex McLeish (now at Rangers) was to blame for this decline in fortunes, due to his decision to release popular players such as Mixu Paatelainen and Stuart Lovell.[4] Hibs lost the game 1–0 at Celtic Park and remained bottom of the early league table,[4] but fortunes immediately improved, as Hibs won their next five league games in succession.
This revival meant that they were in a good league position going into the third Edinburgh derby of the season, on 2 January, where victory would mean that Hibs would leapfrog Hearts into third place.[5] Hibs twice took a two-goal lead, but conceded two goals (both scored by Graham Weir) late in stoppage time to gift Hearts a 4–4 draw.[5] Hibs then lost their next five league games and drifted down the league, eventually finishing in 7th place.
Results
| 3 August 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1–2 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
Luna  31' |
Mackie 64' Clark 90' |
Attendance: 13,340 Referee: Toner |
| 11 August 2002 SPL | Heart of Midlothian | 5–1 | Hibernian | Tynecastle, Edinburgh |
| Kirk 18' de Vries 40', 66', 90', 90' |
Murray 51' |
Attendance: 15,245 Referee: McCurry |
| 18 August 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2–4 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Townsley 35' O'Connor 89' |
de Boer 6' Ferguson 45' (pen.) Løvenkrands 65', 87' |
Attendance: 11,633 Referee: Dallas |
| 24 August 2002 SPL | Dundee | 2–1 | Hibernian | Dens Park, Dundee |
| Caballero 79' Lovell 90' |
O'Connor 10' |
Attendance: 6,411 Referee: Young |
| 31 August 2002 SPL | Motherwell | 0–2 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Townsley 15', 72' |
Attendance: 5,888 Referee: Clark |
| 11 September 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1–4 | Dunfermline Athletic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paatelainen 42' |
Walker 11' Brewster 24', 57'Crawford 32' |
Attendance: 9,837 Referee: Dougal |
| 14 September 2002 SPL | Celtic | 1–0 | Hibernian | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Hartson 31' |
Attendance: 56,703 Referee: McDonald |
| 21 September 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2–0 | Kilmarnock | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Murray 8' McManus 11' |
Attendance: 8,680 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 28 September 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1–0 | Livingston | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Murray 45' |
Attendance: 9,541 Referee: Freeland |
| 5 October 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2–1 | Dundee United | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Connor 29' Murray 51' |
Thompson 76' |
Attendance: 9,175 Referee: Underhill |
| 19 October 2002 SPL | Partick Thistle | 0–3 | Hibernian | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow |
| O'Connor 44', 88' Paatelainen 81' |
Attendance: 5,946 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 27 October 2002 SPL | Aberdeen | 0–1 | Hibernian | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen |
| Brebner 70' |
Attendance: 12,321 Referee: Clark |
| 3 November 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1–2 | Heart of Midlothian | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paatelainen 36' |
McKenna 86' Stamp 90' |
Attendance: 15,560 Referee: Young |
| 10 November 2002 SPL | Rangers | 2–1 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Mols 11' Arveladze 35' |
McManus 45' |
Attendance: 48,798 Referee: McCurry |
| 16 November 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2–1 | Dundee | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paatelainen 12', 49' (pen.) |
Novo 90' |
Attendance: 8,870 Referee: Dallas |
| 23 November 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 3–1 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paatelainen 59' McManus 64'O'Neil 90' (pen.) |
Ferguson 47' |
Attendance: 8,859 Referee: McDonald |
| 30 November 2002 SPL | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–1 | Hibernian | East End Park, Dunfermline |
| Crawford 66' |
McManus 57' |
Attendance: 7,515 Referee: Fyfe |
| 4 December 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 0–1 | Celtic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Petrov 76' |
Attendance: 12,042 Referee: McCurry |
| 7 December 2002 SPL | Dundee United | 1–1 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Wilson 3' |
Murray 7' |
Attendance: 5,673 Referee: McDonald |
| 14 December 2002 SPL | Livingston | 1–2 | Hibernian | Almondvale, Livingston |
| Brinquin 90' |
Murray 55' James 66' |
Attendance: 6,501 Referee: Brines |
| 21 December 2002 SPL | Kilmarnock | 2–1 | Hibernian | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
| McSwegan 63' Fulton 88' |
Luna 83' |
Attendance: 5,814 Referee: Dallas |
| 26 December 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 1–1 | Partick Thistle | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Neil 89' (pen.) |
Burns 78' |
Attendance: 10,317 Referee: Thomson |
| 29 December 2002 SPL | Hibernian | 2–0 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Paatelainen 70' McManus 85' |
Attendance: 11,604 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 2 January 2003 SPL | Heart of Midlothian | 4–4 | Hibernian | Tynecastle, Edinburgh |
| Pressley 30' (pen.) de Vries 62'Weir 90', 90' |
Townsley 11' McManus 17'James 89'Brebner 90' |
Attendance: 17,732 Referee: Dougal |
| 29 January 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 0–2 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Ferguson 58' Caniggia 85' |
Attendance: 13,686 Referee: Clark |
| 8 February 2003 SPL | Motherwell | 2–1 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Clarkson 31' Fagan 41' |
O'Connor 71' |
Attendance: 4,999 Referee: Richmond |
| 15 February 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 1–3 | Dunfermline Athletic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| O'Connor 67' |
Mason 20' Crawford 39', 55' |
Attendance: 9,175 Referee: McCurry |
| 25 February 2003 SPL | Dundee | 3–0 | Hibernian | Dens Park, Dundee |
| Rae 9' Milne 86'Murray 90' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 8,414 Referee: Freeland |
| 2 March 2003 SPL | Celtic | 3–2 | Hibernian | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Hartson 1', 23' Mjallby 90' |
McManus 37', 60' |
Attendance: 57,512 Referee: Young |
| 9 March 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 1–1 | Dundee United | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| McManus 3' |
McIntyre 69' |
Attendance: 7,518 Referee: Somers |
| 15 March 2003 SPL | Partick Thistle | 0–1 | Hibernian | Firhill Stadium, Glasgow |
| McManus 15' |
Attendance: 4,551 Referee: Mitchell |
| 5 April 2003 SPL | Kilmarnock | 6–2 | Hibernian | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
| McDonald 11' McSwegan 24', 42', 47', 62'Boyd 90' (pen.) |
Murray 18' Jack 83' |
Attendance: 5,558 Referee: J Underhill |
| 12 April 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 2–2 | Livingston | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Orman 44' Riordan 53' |
Wilson 87' O'Brien 89' |
Attendance: 8,150 Referee: Rowbotham |
| 26 April 2003 SPL | Dundee United | 1–2 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| McCracken 32' |
McManus 58' (pen.) Murray 90' |
Attendance: 6,758 Referee: McCurry |
| 3 May 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 3–1 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Jack 42' Riordan 61', 72' |
Tiernan 88' |
Attendance: 7,904 Referee: Richmond |
| 10 May 2003 SPL | Hibernian | 1–0 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Brebner 66' (pen.) |
Attendance: 7,809 Referee: Young |
| 17 May 2003 SPL | Livingston | 1–2 | Hibernian | Almondvale, Livingston |
| Pasquinelli 87' |
Brown 38', 69' |
Attendance: 5,423 Referee: Fyfe |
Final table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Dunfermline Athletic | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 54 | 71 | −17 | 46 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 50 | 60 | −10 | 44 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[lower-alpha 2] |
| 7 | Hibernian | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 51 | |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 41 | 54 | −13 | 49 | |
| 9 | Livingston | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 48 | 62 | −14 | 35 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
- Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
- As Rangers, the 2002–03 Scottish Cup winners, qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their league position, the place in the UEFA Cup was passed onto Dundee, the cup runners-up
Scottish League Cup
As one of the SPL clubs who had not automatically qualified for European competition, Hibs entered at the last 32 stage (second round) of the competition, in which they defeated Alloa Athletic 2–0. Hibs were then drawn against Rangers, managed by former Hibs boss Alex McLeish, at home in the last 16.[6] The match proved to be a "miserable night" for Hibs, as the tie was lost 3–2 despite taking an early lead.[6] The lead was quickly turned into a deficit by an own goal and a defensive error by Derek Townsley.[6] Despite Garry O'Connor's goal levelling the score midway through the second half, Rangers scored what proved to be the winning goal soon afterwards.[6] Gary Smith was sent off late on, reducing Hibs to ten men.[6] To top things off, midfielder Alen Orman had what appeared to be an epileptic seizure during the first half and had to be substituted.[6]
Results
| 24 September 2002 Scottish League Cup | Alloa Athletic | 0–2 | Hibernian | Recreation Park, Alloa |
| Brebner 59' O'Connor 72' |
Attendance: 1,842 Referee: McCurry |
| 24 October 2002 Scottish League Cup | Hibernian | 2–3 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Murray 6' O'Connor 72' |
Townsley 22' (o.g.) Caniggia 25'Løvenkrands 78' |
Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Dallas |
Scottish Cup
Results
| 25 January 2003 Scottish Cup | Dundee United | 2–3 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| O'Donnell 70' Hamilton 79' (pen.) |
Brebner 10', 28', 87' |
Attendance: 8,986 Referee: Brown |
| 22 February 2003 Scottish Cup | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–1 | Hibernian | East End Park, Dunfermline |
| Nicholson 58' |
Murray 42' |
Attendance: 6,619 Referee: Dougal |
| 6 March 2003 Scottish Cup | Hibernian | 0–2 | Dunfermline Athletic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Crawford 57' Wilson 79' |
Attendance: 5,851 Referee: Dallas |
Transfers
During this period, Hibs were experiencing severe financial problems, due to a "collapse in television revenues".[7] Hibs chairman Ken Lewandowski stated that the club's debt burden at the financial year end would be approximately £17M, and that the club could only continue to operate due to the support offered by majority shareholder Tom Farmer.[7] At the end of the season, the club explored the possibility of selling Easter Road and sharing a new ground with Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts.[8] During the summer of 2002, Hibs somewhat addressed these financial deficits by selling Ulises de la Cruz and Ulrik Laursen. De la Cruz was sold just one season after Hibs had bought him for a club record fee.[9]
Players in
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Players out
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Loans in
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Loans out
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Player stats
During the 2002–03 season, Hibs used 30 different players in competitive games. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[10]
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See also
References
- "Average Home League Game Attendances". fitbastats.com. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
- "Room for improvement at Hibs". BBC Sport. BBC. 4 August 2003.
- Brewster destroys Hibs, The Daily Telegraph, 12 September 2002.
- Laursen blames McLeish over Hibs, The Daily Telegraph, 16 September 2002.
- High drama in Edinburgh derby, BBC Sport, 2 January 2003.
- Hibernian 2 Rangers 3, Sporting Life.
- Kwik-Fit keeps Hibs afloat, BBC Sport, 25 June 2003.
- Capital groundshare plan, BBC Sport, 16 June 2003.
- De la Cruz for Villa, The Guardian, 26 July 2002.
- "Hibernian 2002/2003 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 13 December 2009.