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2003–04 Shrewsbury Town F.C. season

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Shrewsbury Town 2003–04 football season
Shrewsbury Town
2003–04 season
ChairmanRoland Wycherley
Player-managerJimmy Quinn
GroundGay Meadow
Football Conference3rd
Play-offsWinners (promoted)
FA CupFirst round
League TrophyFirst round
FA TrophyQuarter-finals
Top goalscorerLeague:
Luke Rodgers (13)
All:
Luke Rodgers (15)
Highest home attendance7,012 (3 May 2004)
vs Barnet
Lowest home attendance2,869 (20 April 2004)
vs Ebbsfleet United
Average home league attendance4,007
Biggest win4–1 / 3–0
Biggest defeat0–5
← 2002–032004–05 →

The 2003–04 season was the 108th season of competitive association football and first season in the Football Conference played by Shrewsbury Town Football Club, a professional football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Their twenty-fourth-place finish in 2002–03 Football League Third Division meant they were relegated from The Football League – fifty-three years after they joined it – and were playing their first season in Football Conference. The season began on 1 July 2003 and concluded on 30 June 2004.

Jimmy Quinn, who was starting his first full season as player-manager, signed eight players before the summer transfer window closed. Shrewsbury occupied a play-off position for most of the season, and finished the Football Conference season in third place, failing to reach the automatic promotion place but securing a berth in the play-offs. Shrewsbury beat Barnet 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out in the semi-final having drawn 2–2 on aggregate. They won the 2004 Football Conference play-off final, which took place at the Britannia Stadium, by beating Aldershot Town 3–0 on penalties after the match ended in a 1–1 draw; which meant the club was promoted back into The Football League in the newly renamed Football League Two. They lost in their opening round matches in both the 2003–04 FA Cup and Football League Cup, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy.

Thirty players made at least one appearance in nationally organised first-team competition, and there were fifteen different goalscorers. Goalkeeper Scott Howie and defenders David Ridler and Darren Tinson missed only five of the fifty-one competitive matches played over the season. Luke Rodgers finished as leading scorer with fifteen goals, of which thirteen came in league competition and two came in the play-offs.

Background and pre-season

See also: 2002–03 Football League and List of Shrewsbury Town F.C. seasons

In April 2003 Kevin Ratcliffe resigned as manager of Shrewsbury Town, four years after taking the position, he took responsibility for the club's poor run of where only two league games were won after the turn of the year and their relegation from The Football League was confirmed. Player Mark Atkins was placed in charge for the final game of the season against his original club Scunthorpe United at home which ended in a 2–1 defeat. Released following the end of the 2002–03 season were Nigel Jemson, Peter Wilding, Andy Thompson, Jason van Blerk, Scott Partridge, Nick Evans and Chris Courtney. Andy Tretton, Josh Walker, Greg Rioch, Steve Guinan and Chris Murphy also left the club after departing for Hereford United, Moor Green, Northwich Victoria, Hereford United and Telford United respectively.

Jimmy Quinn was announced as Shrewsbury's manager before the start of the 2003–04 season. New signings ahead of the start of the season comprised five defenders and one of each of the other positions: goalkeeper Scott Howie from Bristol Rovers, midfielder Martin O'Connor from Walsall and forward Colin Cramb from Fortuna Sittard. The five defenders were Ian Fitzpatrick from Halifax Town, David Ridler from Scarborough, Darren Tinson from Macclesfield Town and both Jake Sedgemore and Greg Rioch from Northwich Victoria.

Summary and aftermath

Final Football Conference table (part)
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Chester City 42 27 11 4 85 34 +51 92
2 Hereford United 42 28 7 7 103 44 +59 91
3 Shrewsbury Town 42 20 14 8 67 42 +25 74
4 Barnet 42 19 14 9 60 46 +14 71
5 Aldershot Town 42 20 10 12 80 67 +13 70

Shrewsbury spent the whole of the season in the top half of the table, rising as high as second place in September 2003 while never dropping below sixth after the first round of fixtures. Shrewsbury's defensive record was the second best in the Football Conference with forty-two goals conceded, bettered only by the league winners, Chester City (thirty-four). Howler, Ridler and Tinson recorded the highest number of appearances during the season, each appearing in forty-six of Shrewsbury's fifty-one games. Rodgers was Shrewsbury's top scorer in the league and in all competitions, with thirteen league goals and fifteen in total. Three other players, Cramb, Darby and Lowe, reached double figures.

Prior to the club's Football League return, Shrewsbury released Fitzpatrick, Packer, Parker and Thompson. Quinn was also released as a player but remained as the club's manager into the 2004–05 season. New players to join were defender Dave Walton from Derby County and forward John Grant from Telford United. Dunbavin transferred back to Northwich Victoria for free.

Match details

League positions are sourced by Statto, attendance numbers are sourced to Soccerbase; while the remaining information is referenced individually. Shrewsbury's score is listed first in the score columns.

Football Conference

Main article: 2003–04 Football Conference
Football Conference match details
Date Position Opponents Venue Result Score Scorers Att. Ref
9 August 2003 7th Margate H D 1–1 Watts 17' 4,015
12 August 2003 5th Burton Albion A W 1–0 Rodgers 73' 3,203
16 August 2003 3rd Accrington Stanley A W 1–0 Cramb 81' 3,143
23 August 2003 3rd Farnborough Town H W 3–0 Cramb 34', Jagielka 54', Lowe 85' 3,403
26 August 2003 4th Chester City A L 1–2 Tolley 53' 4,665
30 August 2003 4th Dagenham & Redbridge H W 2–1 Tolley 34', Cramb 41' 3,468
7 September 2003 2nd Tamworth H W 3–1 Rodgers (3) 64', 90', 90' 3,882
13 September 2003 3rd Aldershot Town A D 1–1 Cramb 24' 3,329
20 September 2003 3rd Woking A D 3–3 Rodgers (3) 12', 48' pen., 90' 2,539
23 September 2003 3rd Halifax Town H W 2–0 Cramb 80', Lowe 88' 3,807
27 September 2003 6th Barnet H L 0–1 4,063
4 October 2003 5th Scarborough A D 1–1 Quinn 43' 1,201
18 October 2003 6th Morecambe H W 2–0 Rodgers 11', Quinn 75' 3,404
1 November 2003 6th Stevenage A L 0–2 2,172
11 November 2003 6th Forest Green Rovers H W 2–0 Tolley 47', Quinn 51' 3,263
15 November 2003 6th Gravesend & Northfleet A W 3–0 Lowe (2) 17', 64', Cramb 90' 1,397
18 November 2003 6th Leigh RMI A D 2–2 Cramb 46', Street 90' 1,219
22 November 2003 5th Hereford United H W 4–1 O'Connor 13', Cramb 37', Street 55', Darby 81' 6,585
25 November 2003 6th Exeter City A L 2–3 Rodgers 65', Cramb 90' 3,470
29 November 2003 6th Tamworth A D 1–1 Cramb 14' pen. 1,761
9 December 2003 6th Telford United H D 0–0 6,738
14 December 2003 4th Margate A W 2–0 Lowe 83', Banim 90' 635
26 December 2003 5th Northwich Victoria H W 3–1 Cramb 39', Lowe 63', Tinson 71' 5,059
1 January 2004 4th Northwich Victoria A W 2–0 Ridler 45', Cramb 58' 3,268
3 January 2004 5th Dagenham & Redbridge A L 0–5 1,571
17 January 2004 5th Accrington Stanley H D 0–0 3,777
24 January 2004 5th Halifax Town A D 0–0 1,830
21 February 2004 5th Scarborough H W 4–1 Darby (2) 54', 89', Sedgemore 61', O'Connor 73' 3,333
24 February 2004 5th Burton Albion H W 1–0 Rodgers 17' 3,115
2 March 2004 5th Woking H W 1–0 Rodgers 72' 3,029
8 March 2004 3rd Leigh RMI H W 3–1 Darby 11', Lowe 70', Banim 90' 3,307
13 March 2004 3rd Forest Green Rovers A D 1–1 Rogers 68' o.g. 1,484
23 March 2004 5th Aldershot Town H L 1–2 Darby 79' 3,371
27 March 2004 5th Hereford United A L 1–2 Lawrence 4' 5,850
30 March 2004 5th Barnet A W 1–0 Darby 37' 1,966
3 April 2004 5th Exeter City H D 2–2 Lawrence 49', Darby 71' 4,185
6 April 2004 5th Telford United A L 0–1 4,337
10 April 2004 4th Farnborough Town A W 3–1 Darby (2) 47', 51', Rodgers 76' 1,041
13 April 2004 3rd Chester City H D 0–0 5,827
17 April 2004 3rd Stevenage H W 3–1 Ridler 66', Lowe 69', Darby 90' 3,650
20 April 2004 3rd Gravesend & Northfleet H D 1–1 Rodgers 42' 2,869
24 April 2004 3rd Morecambe A D 3–3 Lowe 7', Sedgemore 23' pen., Quinn 68' 2,876

FA Cup

Main article: 2003–04 FA Cup
FA Cup match details
Date Round Opponents Venue Result Score Scorers Att. Ref
25 October 2003 QR4 Morecambe A W 4–2 Aiston 46', Quinn 52', Lowe (2) 77', 80' 1,951
8 November 2003 R1 Scunthorpe United A L 1–2 Quinn 87' 3,232

Football League Trophy

Main article: 2003–04 Football League Trophy
Football League Trophy match details
Date Round Opponents Venue Result Score Scorers Att. Ref
14 October 2003 R1 Scunthorpe United A L 1–2 Lowe 18' 1,265

FA Trophy

Main article: 2003–04 FA Trophy
FA Trophy match details
Date Round Opponents Venue Result Score Scorers Att. Ref
10 January 2004 R3 Morecambe H W 2–0 Aiston 19', Cramb 58' pen. 2,413
31 January 2004 R4 Hucknall Town H W 2–1 Street 15', Moss 43' 2,501
14 February 2004 R5 Altrincham A W 1–0 Lowe 84' 1,758
28 February 2004 QF Telford United H D 1–1 Cramb 64' 6,050
16 March 2004 QF (replay) Telford United A L 1–2 Darby 64' 4,447

Football Conference play-offs

Football Conference play-offs match details
Date Round Opponents Venue Result Score Scorers Att. Ref
29 April 2004 SF (Leg 1) Barnet A L 1–2 Rodgers 43' pen. 4,171
3 May 2004 SF (Leg 2) Barnet H W 1–0 Rodgers 44' pen. 7,012
16 May 2004 Final Aldershot Town N D 1–1 Darby 43' 19,216
  • a. Aggregate score was 2–2; Shrewsbury Town won 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out
  • b. Score remained 1–1 after extra time; Shrewsbury Town won 3–0 in a penalty shoot-out

See also

References

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External links

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