2003–04 Adelaide United FC season

The 2003–04 season was Adelaide United FC's inaugural season since its establishment in 2003.

Adelaide United
2003–04 season
Head CoachJohn Kosmina
StadiumHindmarsh Stadium
National Soccer League3rd
National Soccer League FinalsPreliminary-final
Top goalscorerLeague: Carl Veart (10)
All: Carl Veart (12)
Highest home attendance15,568 vs. Brisbane Strikers
(17 October 2003)
Lowest home attendance9,159 vs. Northern Spirit
(10 December 2003)
Average home league attendance12,643

Review

Despite the rush to form the team, and starting five weeks into the season (the first four rounds of matches were squeezed in later in the season), the team lost just twice in its first 13 matches. Hectic catch up phases in November and December (7 matches in 31 days for 4 wins and 3 draws) and February (6 matches in 24 days for 4 wins and 2 losses) passed by with success. Aside from the debut win over Brisbane, regular season highlights included a 2–1 away win over Parramatta Power, a resounding 2–0 home victory against South Melbourne, and a 1–0 win over an in-form Marconi and the effective sealing of third spot.

Despite the high position, many people expected the wheels to fall off in the finals. But the finals phase served up two more fairytale results. Everything came together for the first leg of the Elimination Final, and the 3–0 win over the Brisbane Strikers was the team's first win by more than two goals. The roller coaster ride passed deep into a trough the following week in Brisbane with a 4–1 loss – but United won the Elimination Final over all due to the away goals rule, progressing to the Minor Semi-Final versus South Melbourne. This attracted the club's largest ever crowd, officially 16,558, in a tough win on penalties. The team was then outclassed by the eventual premiers, Perth Glory, 5–0 at Subiaco Oval in the Preliminary Final.

Built up from the core of Adelaide City's 2002–03 squad, the Adelaide United team forged ahead with a burgeoning team spirit that became their signature attribute. The previous season's Adelaide City players Mike Valkanis, Aaron Goulding, Kristian Rees and captain Aurelio Vidmar merged superbly with the return to Adelaide of Alagich (from Brisbane), Aloisi (Italy) and others to form an outfit which performed consistently all season. Coach John Kosmina, also returning after 25 years to his home city, is a clear favourite of the fans.

With the winding-down of the NSL, the team has become a founding member of the A-League.

Players

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 Australia AUS David Scarsella
2 DF Australia AUS Richie Alagich
4 DF Australia AUS Aaron Goulding
5 DF Australia AUS Michael Valkanis
7 MF Australia AUS David Terminello
8 FW Australia AUS Carl Veart
9 FW New Zealand NZL Shane Smeltz
10 MF Australia AUS Aurelio Vidmar
11 MF Australia AUS Goran Lozanovski
12 MF Australia AUS Shane Thompson
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF Australia AUS Sean Widera
15 MF Australia AUS Aaron Westervelt
16 FW Australia AUS Michael Brooks
17 FW Australia AUS Mimi Saric
18 MF Australia AUS Fred Agius
19 FW Australia AUS Elias Demourtzidis
21 MF Australia AUS Adriano Pellegrino
22 GK Australia AUS Nick Crossley
23 MF Australia AUS Nick Budin
24 MF Australia AUS Matthew Kemp

Transfers

Transfers in

No. Position Player Transferred from Type/fee Contract length Date Ref
2DF Richie Alagich Brisbane Strikers Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
6MF Ross Aloisi Italy Pro Sesto Free 5 years 1 July 2003 [1]
20GK Robert Bajic Australia Rochedale Rovers Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
16FW Michael Brooks Australia Para Hills Knights Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
23MF Nick Budin Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
22GK Nick Crossley Australia Modbury Jets Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
19FW Elias Demourtzidis Sydney Olympic Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
4DF Aaron Goulding Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
24MF Matthew Kemp Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
11MF Goran Lozanovski Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
21MF Adriano Pellegrino Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
3DF Kristian Rees Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
17FW Mimi Saric Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
1GK David Scarsella Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
9FW New Zealand Shane Smeltz Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
13FW French Polynesia Félix Tagawa Brisbane Strikers Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
7MF David Terminello Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
5DF Michael Valkanis Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
8FW Carl Veart Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
10FW Aurelio Vidmar Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
15MF Aaron Westervelt Australia Adelaide City Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]
14MF Sean Widera Australia Croydon Kings Free 1 year 1 July 2003 [1]

Transfers out

No. Position Player Transferred to Type/fee Date Ref
FW French Polynesia Félix Tagawa French Polynesia A.S. Dragon Free 1 December 2003 [1]
6MF Ross Aloisi Malaysia Selangor Free 1 March 2004 [1]
20GK Robert Bajic Australia Enfield City Free 1 March 2004 [1]
3DF Kristian Rees Australia Modbury Jets Free 1 March 2004 [1]

Squad statistics

Appearances and goals

No. Pos. Name National Soccer League National Soccer League Finals Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Australia David Scarsella 20 0 4 0 24 0
2 DF Australia Richie Alagich 24 2 4 1 28 3
4 DF Australia Aaron Goulding 24 0 4 0 28 0
5 DF Australia Michael Valkanis 20+1 1 4 0 25 1
7 MF Australia David Terminello 8+8 1 3 0 19 1
8 MF Australia Carl Veart 23 10 4 2 27 12
9 FW New Zealand Shane Smeltz 4+3 1 0 0 7 1
10 MF Australia Aurelio Vidmar 23 2 4 0 27 2
11 MF Australia Goran Lozanovski 12+2 0 0 0 14 0
12 MF Australia Shane Thompson 7+4 1 1+1 0 13 1
15 MF Australia Aaron Westervelt 11+7 0 0+3 0 23 0
16 FW Australia Michael Brooks 0+5 2 0+3 1 8 3
17 FW Australia Mimi Saric 5+9 2 0 0 14 2
18 MF Australia Fred Agius 6+3 0 3+1 1 13 1
19 FW Australia Elias Demourtzidis 5+6 0 0+1 0 12 0
21 MF Australia Adriano Pellegrino 7+10 1 0 0 17 1
23 MF Australia Nick Budin 8+7 1 4 0 19 1
24 MF Australia Matthew Kemp 8 1 2+1 0 11 1
Players sold but featured this season
3 DF Australia Kristian Rees 23 0 3 0 26 0
6 MF Australia Ross Aloisi 22 3 4 1 26 4
20 GK Australia Robert Bajic 4 0 0 0 4 0
FW French Polynesia Félix Tagawa 0 0 0 0 0 0

Disciplinary record

Rank Position Name National Soccer League National Soccer League Finals Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
1 FW Australia Aurelio Vidmar 2 1 0 0 2 1
2 FW Australia Elias Demourtzidis 0 0 0 1 0 1
3 MF Australia Ross Aloisi 6 0 1 0 7 0
4 MF Australia Carl Veart 5 0 1 0 6 0
5 MF Australia Nick Budin 4 0 1 0 5 0
6 DF Australia Michael Valkanis 3 0 1 0 0 0
MF Australia Aaron Westervelt 4 0 0 0 4 0
8 MF Australia Goran Lozanovski 3 0 0 0 3 0
MF Australia Adriano Pellegrino 3 0 0 0 3 0
DF Australia Kristian Rees 3 0 0 0 3 0
11 MF Australia Fred Agius 1 0 0 0 1 0
GK Australia David Scarsella 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF Australia David Terminello 1 0 0 0 1 0
MF Australia Shane Thompson 1 0 0 0 1 0

Clean sheets

Rank Name National Soccer League National Soccer League Finals Total
1 Australia David Scarsella 9 1 10
2 Australia Robert Bajic 1 0 1
Total10111

Competitions

Overview

Competition Record
P W D L GF GA GD Win %
National Soccer League 24 11 7 6 28 25 +3 045.83
National Soccer League Finals 4 2 0 2 6 10 −4 050.00
Total 28 13 7 8 34 35 −1 046.43

Updated to match played for all completed matches.
Source: Competitions

National Soccer League

League table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Perth Glory (C) 24 18 3 3 56 22 +34 57 Qualification to Finals series
2 Parramatta Power 24 16 3 5 58 30 +28 51
3 Adelaide United 24 11 7 6 28 25 +3 40
4 Marconi Stallions 24 10 8 6 29 25 +4 38
5 South Melbourne 24 11 4 9 39 21 +18 37
6 Brisbane Strikers 24 9 5 10 28 33 5 32
7 Northern Spirit 24 9 3 12 31 33 2 30
8 Sydney Olympic 24 7 8 9 26 31 5 29
9 Wollongong Wolves 24 8 5 11 34 41 7 29
10 Sydney United 24 7 8 9 18 25 7 29
11 Newcastle United 24 6 6 12 18 33 15 24
12 Melbourne Knights 24 6 5 13 21 41 20 23
13 Football Kingz 24 4 3 17 25 51 26 15
Updated to match(es) played on 29 February 2004. Source: ozfootball.net
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored;
(C) Champions

Results by Matchday

Matchday1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundAHABHAHAHAHAHHAHBAHAHAHAHA
ResultDLWWWDDLLDWWDWWLDDWLWWWL
Position69897454787665544555554433
Source: WorldFootball.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss;   = Bye

Matches

17 October 2003 5 Adelaide United 1–0 Brisbane Strikers Adelaide
21:30 ACST
  • Veart 38'
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 15,568
Referee: Craig Zetter
24 October 2003 6 Newcastle United 2–3 Adelaide United Newcastle
19:30 AEST Report
Stadium: EnergyAustralia Stadium
Attendance: 3,005
Referee: Con Diomis
2 November 2003 7 Adelaide United 0–0 Sydney United Adelaide
16:30 ACST Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 14,413
Referee: Angelo Nardi
8 November 2003 8 Marconi Stallions 0–0 Adelaide United Sydney
19:30 AEST Report Stadium: Marconi Stadium
Attendance: 1,820
Referee: Craig Zetter
16 November 2003 9 Adelaide United 1–4 Perth Glory Adelaide
19:30 ACST
Report
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 13,096
Referee: Matthew Breeze
22 November 2003 10 South Melbourne 2–1 Adelaide United Melbourne
19:30 AEST
Report
Stadium: Bob Jane Stadium
Attendance: 8,359
Referee: Simon Micallef
28 November 2003 11 Adelaide United 2–2 Wollongong Wolves Adelaide
20:00 ACST
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 9,528
Referee: Perry Mur
30 November 2003 1 Sydney Olympic 0–0 Adelaide United Sydney
18:00 AEST Stadium: Jubilee Oval
Attendance: 2,370
Referee: James Lewis
6 December 2003 12 Football Kingz 1–3 Adelaide United Auckland
18:00 NZDT
Report
Stadium: Ericsson Stadium
Attendance: 1,121
Referee: Peter Green
10 December 2003 13 Adelaide United 1–0 Northern Spirit Adelaide
19:30 ACST
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 9,159
Referee: Craig Zetter
14 December 2003 14 Adelaide United 1–1 Sydney Olympic Adelaide
19:30 ACST
  • Thompson 87'
Report
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 11,153
Referee: Eddie Lennie
20 December 2003 15 Parramatta Power 1–2 Adelaide United Parramatta
18:30 AEST Report
Stadium: Parramatta Stadium
Attendance: 1,967
Referee: Angelo Nardi
28 December 2003 16 Adelaide United 2–1 Melbourne Knights Adelaide
18:20 ACST
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 13,032
Referee: Simon Micallef
7 January 2004 18 Brisbane Strikers 1–0 Adelaide United Brisbane
20:30 AEST
Report Stadium: Perry Park
Attendance: 3,298
Referee: Perry Mur
11 January 2004 19 Adelaide United 0–0 Newcastle United Adelaide
17:00 ACST Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 14,280
Referee: Peter Green
23 January 2004 25 Adelaide United 1–0 Football Kingz Adelaide
20:00 ACST
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 13,212
Referee: Mark Shield
31 January 2004 22 Perth Glory 2–0 Adelaide United Perth
19:00 AWST
Stadium: Members Equity Stadium
Attendance: 9,711
Referee: Angelo Nardi
6 February 2004 23 Adelaide United 2–0 South Melbourne Adelaide
20:00 ACST
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 12,463
Referee: Eddie Lennie
8 February 2004 3 Melbourne Knights 3–4 Adelaide United Melbourne
18:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Knights Stadium
Attendance: 1,164
Referee: James Lewis
13 February 2004 24 Wollongong Wolves 0–1 Adelaide United Wollongong
19:35 AEST
  • Brooks 80'
Stadium: WIN Stadium
Attendance: 3,010
Referee: Peter Green
20 February 2004 21 Adelaide United 1–0 Marconi Stallions Adelaide
20:00 ACST
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 13,690
Referee: Simon Micallef
25 February 2004 2 Adelaide United 0–2 Parramatta Power Adelaide
20:00 ACST Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 12,125
Referee: Perry Mur
29 February 2004 26 Northern Spirit 2–1 Adelaide United Sydney
17:00 AEST
Stadium: Pittwater Park
Attendance: 2,009
Referee: Matthew Breeze

N.S.L. Finals Series

7 March 2004 Qualifying Final (1st Leg) Adelaide United 3–0 Brisbane Strikers Adelaide
07:30 ACST
Report Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 16,258
Referee: Ben Williams
13 March 2004 Qualifying Final (2nd Leg) Brisbane Strikers 4–1 Adelaide United Brisbane
09:00 AEST
Report
Stadium: Perry Park
Attendance: 2,790
Referee: Matthew Breeze
20 March 2004 Semi-Final Adelaide United 2–1 (a.e.t.) South Melbourne Adelaide
09:30 ACST
Report
Stadium: Hindmarsh Stadium
Attendance: 16,558
Referee: Simon Micallef
28 March 2004 Preliminary-Final Perth Glory 5–0 Adelaide United Perth
06:45 AWST
Report Stadium: Subiaco Oval
Attendance: 17,524
Referee: Eddie Lennie

References

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