2002–03 in English football

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The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.

[edit] Overview

Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.
Sheffield Wednesday went down to Division Two, just 10 years after reaching the finals of both domestic cup competitions and 11 years after coming two places short of the league title.

[edit] Diary of the season

27 June 2002 - Leeds United sack manager David O'Leary after four years in charge during which he spent more than £100million on players but never won a major trophy.
3 July 2002 - Middlesbrough pay a club record £8.15million for Empoli and Italy striker Massimo Maccarone.
8 July 2002 - Leeds United appoint Terry Venables as their new manager.
10 July 2002 - AFC Wimbledon, a club founded by former supporters of Wimbledon following The FA's approval of the latter club's move to Milton Keynes, play their first match, losing 4–0 in a preseason friendly to Sutton United in front of over 4,600 fans.
11 July 2002 - Arsenal sign defender Pascal Cygan from Lille for £2.1million.
12 July 2002 - Newcastle United sign 20-year-old defender Titus Bramble from Ipswich Town for £5million.
22 July 2002 - Manchester United break the English transfer record for the third time in just over a year. They pay Leeds United £29 million for central defender Rio Ferdinand.
24 July 2002 - Everton sign Arsenal goalkeeper Richard Wright for £3.5million.
26 July 2002 - Manchester United sell out-of-favour striker Dwight Yorke to Blackburn Rovers for £2million, with Graeme Souness partnering Yorke with his former Manchester United strike partner Andy Cole.
30 July 2002 - Birmingham City, newly promoted to the Premier League, pay a club record £4.25million for Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison.
2 August 2002 - Juninho signs for Middlesbrough for the third time in a £6million move from Atletico Madrid.
4 August 2002 - Leicester City move into their new 32,500-seat Walkers Stadium after 111 years at Filbert Street. They drew 1-1 in a friendly with Athletic Bilbao.
5 August 2002 - Middlesbrough sign Aston Villa midfielder George Boateng for £5million.
7 August 2002 - Players' Union chairman Gordon Taylor calls for the Football League, currently in a financial crisis following the collapse of ITV Digital, to combine with the 12 Scottish Premier League clubs to form an expanded Football League. There has recently been talk of Rangers and Celtic resigning from the Scottish Premier League to join Division One of the English league, and for several years it has frequently been suggested by various sources that the two clubs should join the Premier League. ^[1]
8 August 2002 - Leeds United sign Liverpool striker Nick Barmby for £2.75million.
15 August 2002 - Liverpool sell defender Stephen Wright to Sunderland for £3million.
17 August 2002 - The FA Premier League season begins. West Bromwich Albion's first top division game for 17 years ends in a 1-0 away defeat to Manchester United.
21 August 2002 - Sunderland sign Leicester City midfielder Matt Piper for £3.5million.
29 August 2002 - Lee Hughes rejoins West Bromwich Albion for £2.5million after a year at Coventry City, and is joined for £2.25million by Tranmere Rovers midfielder Jason Koumas.
30 August 2002 Sunderland sign striker Marcus Stewart from Ipswich Town for £3.25million.
31 August 2002 - Leeds United sell striker Robbie Keane to Tottenham Hotspur for £7 million, as Glenn Hoddle's team look to push for the Premier League title after three wins and a draw from their opening four games take them to the top of the league as August draws to a close. Arsenal (defending champions), Liverpool, Leeds United and Charlton Athletic complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, who have lost both of their games this month, prop up the top flight, while winless West Ham United and Southampton complete the bottom three. Sunderland pay a club record £6.75million for Rangers striker Tore Andre Flo. [1] Portsmouth, who were generally not considered as serious promotion challenge, are the surprise leaders of Division One, with their nearest competition coming from last season's beaten playoff finalists Norwich City. Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rotherham United and Nottingham Forest complete the top six. ^[2]
10 September 2002 - Sunderland sign goalkeeper Mart Poom from Derby County for £2.5million.
30 September 2002 - September finishes with defending champions Arsenal top of the Premier League, two points ahead of second-placed Liverpool. Manchester United, held back by two home defeats this month, are fourth in the league and level on points with third-placed Middlesbrough who are mounting a surprise title challenge. Chelsea occupy fifth place, with last month's leaders Tottenham Hotspur now down to sixth. West Ham United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton occupy the bottom three places. [2] Portsmouth and Leicester City lead the way in Division One, with the playoff zone being occupied by Norwich City, Nottingham Forest, Rotherham United and Sheffield United. [3]
7 October 2002 - Peter Reid is sacked by FA Premier League strugglers Sunderland after seven-and-a-half years in charge.
10 October 2002 - Howard Wilkinson steps down as the Football Association's technical director to become the new Sunderland manager. He names Stoke City manager Steve Cotterill as his assistant.
12 October 2002 - England open their Euro 2004 qualifying series with a 2-1 win over Slovakia in Bratislava. David Beckham and Michael Owen score for England.
19 October 2002 - Everton striker Wayne Rooney becomes the youngest-ever goalscorer in FA Premier League history when he scores a last-minute winner against Arsenal, five days before his 17th birthday, to end the opposition's 30-match unbeaten Premiership run.
30 October 2002 - Adam Crozier announced his resignation as chief executive of the Football Association after two years in this role. [4]
31 October 2002 - October draws to a close with Liverpool having leapfrogged Arsenal into second place, opening up a four-point gap and looking in a stronger position than ever before to end their league title wait that began in 1990. Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur complete the top five. Bolton Wanderers, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion occupy the three relegation places. [5] Portsmouth now have a seven-point lead over nearest rivals Leicester City at the top of Division One. The playoff zone is occupied by Norwich City, Sheffield United, Watford and Nottingham Forest. [6]
9 November 2002 - Manchester City beat Manchester United 3-1 in the last-ever Manchester derby at Maine Road.
18 December 2002 - Football mourns the deaths of Football Association chairman Sir Bert Millichip, 88, and former Leicester City and Shrewsbury Town striker Arthur Rowley, 76, who scored a record 434 league goals during his 19-year career.
30 November 2002 - As November draws to a close, Liverpool are on a dismal run of form which has seen Arsenal overtake them into first place in the Premier League by a single point. Everton are putting up a surprise title challenge after more than a decade of mediocrity as they occupy third place and are just three points off the top. Chelsea and Manchester United complete the top five. West Ham United, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton Wanderers finish the month in the relegation zone. [7] Portsmouth and Leicester City continue to lead the way in Division One. Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Reading (newly promoted) and Sheffield United complete the top six. [8]
26 December 2002 - Hull City celebrate their first competitive game at their new Kingston Communications Stadium with a 2-0 win over Hartlepool United in Division Three.
4 January 2003 - Shrewsbury Town beat Everton 2-1 in an FA Cup third round tie at Gay Meadow.
31 December 2002 - 2002 ends with Arsenal top of the Premier League, four points ahead of second-placed Chelsea and with a game in hand. Manchester United occupy third place, Everton are fourth and Liverpool's ongoing decline has seen them slip to fifth place just two months after they had a comfortable lead at the top. Southampton's recent resurgence is putting pressure on the top five as they occupy seventh place and look on course for their highest finish since 1995. West Ham United remain bottom and are still looking for their first home win of the season, while West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland complete the bottom three. [9] Portsmouth and Leicester City's two-horse race at the top of Division One continues, with the playoff zone unchanged from last month. [10]
30 January 2003 - Cash-strapped Leeds United sell Robbie Fowler to Manchester City for £6million.
31 January 2003 - January draws to a close with Arsenal still top of the Premier League, two points above second placed Manchester United and within a game in hand. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. Liverpool's decline continues as they occupy eighth place, deepening fears that a side looking all set for title glory three months ago might now not even qualify for the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion's dismal form continues as they and West Ham United prop up the rest of the top flight on goal difference. Sunderland occupy the last relegation place. Middlesbrough boost their bid for a UEFA Cup place by spending a total of £8.5million on new signings Chris Riggott, Malcolm Christie and Michael Ricketts. Leeds United sell Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle United for £9million. [11] Portsmouth and Leicester City remain in pole position at the top of Division One, and apart from Coventry City edging Reading out of the playoff zone the top six of the division is unchanged from last month. [12]
16 February 2003 - One of the most decisive games of the season sees Arsenal cancel out Manchester United in the double race with a 2-0 win at Old Trafford. After the game, David Beckham suffers a gash to his face which is reportedly the cause of Sir Alex Ferguson throwing a basket full of boots across the changing room after his side's defeat.
28 February 2003 - The month-end leaders for February are Arsenal, who now lead Manchester United by five points. Newcastle United, Chelsea and Everton complete the top five. There will now be a place in the UEFA Cup for the Premier League's sixth place team if Manchester United or Liverpool (who contest this weekend's League Cup final) finish in the top five. Currently in sixth place are Charlton Athletic, while Liverpool are still only seventh in a division which they had looked set to win a few months ago. [13] Portsmouth have a two-point lead over Leicester City at the top of Division One. Reading, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United remain in the playoff zone, but an improving Wolverhampton Wanderers side have edged Norwich City out of the top six. Rotherham United are in contention for promotion after an impressive season so far. [14]
2 March 2003 - Liverpool win the League Cup for the seventh time in their history thanks to a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the final at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. On the same day, Arsenal establish an eight-point lead at the top of the league and look all set for a second successive league title.
10 March 2003 - Howard Wilkinson is sacked as Sunderland manager (along with his assistant Steve Cotterill) after his team won just two out of 20 Premiership matches under his management.
12 March 2003 - Sunderland appoint former Republic of Ireland national coach Mick McCarthy as their new manager.
21 March 2003 - Leeds United, 16th in the FA Premier League and £80million in debt, sack Terry Venables after eight months as manager and replace him with Peter Reid, who signs a contract until the end of the season.
22 March 2003 - Derby County (in Division One) suspend manager John Gregory over allegations of misconduct and replace him with George Burley as interim manager.
31 March 2003 - March draws to a close with Manchester United now leading the Premier League just a month after Arsenal looked to have won it, though Arsene Wenger's team are only a point behind with a game in hand. [15] Three points now separate Portsmouth and Leicester City at the top of Division One. Sheffield United, Reading, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers remain in the playoff zone. Ipswich Town's resurgence has seen them creep to the fringe of the top six, but Rotherham United's playoff hopes are evaporating. [16]
16 April 2003 - The much-anticipated "title decider" between Arsenal and Manchester United at Highbury ends in a 2-2 draw, meaning that Arsenal are now three points behind Manchester United but with a game in hand and a slightly superior goal difference. [17]
27 April 2003 - Portsmouth beat Rotherham 3-2 to win the Division One championship and gain promotion to the Premier League for the first time since the league's inception. Apart from the 1987-88 season, they have not played top division football since the 1950s. On the same day, Alan Shearer receives the Premier League "Player of the Decade" award at a PFA ceremony. [18]
30 April 2003 - Sunderland, without a point since January and win since December, end the month, and West Bromwich Albion, with only six wins in their first top division campaign for nearly 20 years, end April with their relegation battle lost. West Ham United complete the bottom three but their survival bid is still very much alive as they are posing a threat to Bolton Wanderers, Birmingham City, Fulham, Aston Villa and a Leeds United team who began the season among the teams expected to challenge for the title but are now battling relegation as well as huge debts. [19]
4 May 2003 - Arsenal lose 3-2 at home to Leeds United, a result which ensures Leeds United's safety and ends Arsenal's defence of the title. Manchester United are crowned league champions for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Sunderland are relegated from the Premiership with a record low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals. Shrewsbury Town are relegated to the Conference, ending 53 years of Football League membership. Exeter City finished 23rd in Division Three and are also relegatead to the Conference - the first club to suffer automatic relegation without finishing bottom of the league. Peter Schmeichel calls time on his footballing career six months before his 40th birthday after helping Manchester City to finish ninth in the Premiership. He was replaced by David Seaman, who left Arsenal on a free transfer.
9 May 2003 - Derby County confirm that suspended manager John Gregory will not be returning, and his contract is terminated to make way for George Burley to receive the job on a permanent basis.
17 May 2003 - Arsenal win the FA Cup for the ninth time in their history by beating Southampton 1-0 at the Millennium Stadium.
22 May 2003 - Everton sign Joseph Yobo from Olympique Marseille for £3.5million.
26 May 2003 - Wolverhampton Wanderers return to the top flight after a 19-year exile by beating Sheffield United 3-0 in the Division One playoff final.
17 June 2003 - David Beckham agrees to join Real Madrid in a £25 million deal after 12 years at Manchester United.
26 June 2003 - Marc-Vivien Foé, who spent the 2002-03 season on loan to Manchester City, collapses and dies at the age of 28 during a Confederations Cup tie for Cameroon.

[edit] England national team

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score	Competition	England scorers
7 September 2002	Villa Park, Birmingham	Portugal	1-1	F	Alan Smith
12 October 2002	Tehelné pole, Bratislava	Slovakia	2-1	ECQ	David Beckham, Michael Owen
16 October 2002	St Mary's Stadium, Southampton	FYR Macedonia	2-2	ECQ	David Beckham, Steven Gerrard
12 February 2003	Upton Park, London	Australia	1-3	F	Francis Jeffers
29 March 2003	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz	Liechtenstein	2-0	ECQ	Michael Owen, David Beckham
2 April 2003	Stadium of Light, Sunderland	Turkey	2-0	ECQ	Darius Vassell, David Beckham
22 May 2003	Durban	South Africa	2-1	F	Gareth Southgate, Emile Heskey
3 June 2003	Walkers Stadium, Leicester	Serbia	2-1	F	Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole
11 June 2003	Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough	Slovakia	2-1	ECQ	Michael Owen (2)

Key: ECQ = 2004 European Championship qualifiers, F = Friendly; scores are written England first

[edit] European club competitions

[edit] UEFA Champions League

Manchester United - Quarter finals
Arsenal - Second group phase
Newcastle United - Second group phase
Liverpool - First group phase (dropped into UEFA Cup)

[edit] UEFA Cup

Liverpool - Quarter finals
Fulham - Third round
Leeds United - Third round
Blackburn Rovers - First round
Chelsea - First round
Ipswich Town - Second round

[edit] UEFA Intertoto Cup

Fulham - Winners (qualified for UEFA Cup)
Aston Villa - Semi finals

[edit] Honours

Competition	Winners
FA Premier League	Manchester United
FA Cup	Arsenal
Worthington Cup	Liverpool
Football League Division One	Portsmouth
Football League Division Two	Wigan Athletic
Football League Division Three	Rushden & Diamonds
Football League Trophy	Bristol City
FA Trophy	Burscough
FA Vase	Brigg Town
FA Youth Cup	Manchester United

[edit] League competitions

Manchester United overhauled Arsenal during the final three months of the season to clinch their eighth Premiership title in 11 seasons, while the other two Champions League places went to Newcastle United and Chelsea. Going into the UEFA Cup were Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers, along with F.A Cup runners-up Southampton (who also achieved their best Premiership finish of 8th place) and Fair Play award winners Manchester City (who finished an impressive ninth on their Premiership comeback).

Leeds United's season was plagued by a loss of form and mounting debts, as they slipped to 15th place - their lowest finish for 10 years. Aston Villa finished 16th to endure their first bottom-half finish since 1995.

Sunderland's season started badly and got worse as they finished with a record Premiership low of 4 wins, 19 points and 21 goals, losing their final 15 league games in the process. They were joined by West Bromwich Albion, who attained just 26 points in their first top flight season for nearly 20 years. Last to go down were West Ham United, who finished with 42 points - the highest points tally of any club to be relegated from the Premiership under the 20-club format.

For more detail on the Premiership this season see FA Premier League 2002-03

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1.	Manchester United	38	25	8	5	74	34	+40	83
2.	Arsenal	38	23	9	6	85	42	+43	78
3.	Newcastle United	38	21	6	11	63	48	+15	69
4.	Chelsea	38	19	10	9	68	38	+30	67
5.	Liverpool	38	18	10	10	61	41	+20	64
6.	Blackburn Rovers	38	16	12	10	52	43	+9	60
7.	Everton	38	17	8	13	48	49	-1	59
8.	Southampton	38	13	13	12	43	46	-3	52
9.	Manchester City	38	15	6	17	47	54	-7	51
10.	Tottenham Hotspur	38	14	8	16	51	62	-11	50
11.	Middlesbrough	38	13	10	15	48	44	+4	49
12.	Charlton Athletic	38	14	7	17	45	56	-11	49
13.	Birmingham City	38	13	9	16	41	49	-8	48
14.	Fulham	38	13	9	16	41	50	-9	48
15.	Leeds United	38	14	5	19	58	57	+1	47
16.	Aston Villa	38	12	9	17	42	47	-5	45
17.	Bolton Wanderers	38	10	14	14	41	51	-10	44
18.	West Ham United	38	10	12	16	42	59	-17	42
19.	West Bromwich Albion	38	6	8	24	29	65	-36	26
20.	Sunderland	38	4	7	27	21	65	-44	19

Leading goalscorer: Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), 25

Key
Qualified for the Champions League
Qualified for the UEFA Cup
Relegated to Division One

[edit] Football League First Division

Portsmouth won the First Division by some distance, passing manager Harry Redknapp's old club, West Ham on the way down. Leicester City earned a somewhat controversial promotion, as administration and a Creditor's Voluntary Agreement wrote off much of their debt. Partly as a result of this, the League would introduce a ten point deduction for any teams going into administration from the next season onwards. The play-offs were won by Wolves, returning to the top flight after nearly 20 years and finally allowing owner Sir Jack Hayward to see the return he wanted on his years of investment.

Gillingham enjoyed their most successful season to date, finishing a club record eleventh place in the division, the highest in their history.

Grimsby were relegated, after struggling in the division for five years on extremely limited resources. Both Brighton and Sheffield Wednesday suffered awful starts to the season (Brighton managing only a single win from their first sixteen matches), and despite good runs of form late in the season, neither were able to survive.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1.	Portsmouth	46	29	11	6	97	45	+52	98
2.	Leicester City	46	26	14	6	73	40	+33	92
3.	Sheffield United	46	23	11	12	72	52	+20	80
4.	Reading	46	25	4	17	61	46	+15	79
5.	Wolverhampton Wanderers	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	46	10	16	20	56	73	-17	46
23.	Brighton & Hove Albion	46	11	12	23	49	67	-18	45
24.	Grimsby Town	46	9	12	25	48	85	-37	39

Leading goalscorer: Svetoslav Todorov (Portsmouth), 26

See also: Play-off results

Key
Promoted to the Premier League
Qualified for the promotion playoff
Relegated to Division Two

[edit] Football League Second Division

Wigan won their first-ever promotion beyond the Second Division, helped by considerable investment in the team. Crewe managed a promotion on considerably less resources, while play-off winners Cardiff were another big-spending team that were able to earn promotion.

An ill-advised managerial change mid-season helped send Northampton down. Mansfield Town's first season out of the bottom division in over a decade ended as their previous spell had; with immediate relegation. Huddersfield started badly, and a financial crisis later in the season helped condemn them to relegation, only three years after they looked Premiership-bound. Cheltenham came close to survival, but a defeat on the final day of the season saw them return to Division Three.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1.	Wigan Athletic	46	29	13	4	68	25	+43	100
2.	Crewe Alexandra	46	25	11	10	76	40	+36	86
3.	Bristol City	46	24	11	11	79	48	+31	83
4.	Queens Park Rangers	46	24	11	11	69	35	+24	83
5.	Oldham Athletic	46	22	16	8	68	38	+30	82
6.	Cardiff City	46	23	12	11	68	43	+25	81
7.	Tranmere Rovers	46	23	11	12	66	57	+9	80
8.	Plymouth Argyle	46	17	14	15	63	52	+11	65
9.	Luton Town	46	17	14	15	67	62	+5	65
10.	Swindon Town	46	16	12	18	59	63	-4	60
11.	Peterborough United	46	14	16	16	51	54	-3	58
12.	Colchester United	46	14	16	16	52	56	-4	58
13.	Blackpool	46	15	13	18	56	64	-8	58
14.	Stockport County	46	15	10	21	65	70	-5	55
15.	Notts County	46	13	16	17	62	70	-8	55
16.	Brentford	46	14	12	20	47	56	-9	54
17.	Port Vale	46	14	11	21	54	70	-16	53
18.	Wycombe Wanderers	46	13	13	20	59	66	-7	52
19.	Barnsley	46	13	13	20	51	64	-13	52
20.	Chesterfield	46	14	8	24	43	73	-30	50
21.	Cheltenham Town	46	10	18	18	53	68	-15	48
22.	Huddersfield Town	46	11	12	23	39	61	-22	45
23.	Mansfield Town	46	12	8	26	66	97	-31	44
24.	Northampton Town	46	10	9	27	40	79	-39	39

Key
Promoted to Division One
Qualified for the promotion playoff
Relegated to Division Three

[edit] Football League Third Division

Rushden & Diamonds continued their meteoric rise, winning the divisional title. They were helped in no small part by runners-up Hartlepool suffering a shocking late-season collapse, which cost them the title and manager Mike Newell his job. Wrexham took the last automatic promotion spot and bounced back from the previous season's relegation, as did play-off winners Bournemouth.

A shock FA Cup victory over Everton did little to help Shrewsbury, and they finished bottom of the League. Exeter City were bought out pre-season in a high-profile takeover spearheaded by Uri Geller; unfortunately, Geller's associates proceeded to asset-strip the club, and despite a late-season run of form, Exeter fell victim to the first-ever dual relegation from the League.

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1.	Rushden & Diamonds	46	24	15	7	73	47	+26	87
2.	Hartlepool United	46	24	13	9	71	51	+20	85
3.	Wrexham	46	23	15	8	84	50	+34	84
4.	Bournemouth	46	20	14	12	60	48	+12	74
5.	Scunthorpe United	46	19	15	12	68	49	+19	72
6.	Lincoln City	46	18	16	12	46	37	+9	70
7.	Bury	46	18	16	12	57	56	+1	70
8.	Oxford United	46	19	12	15	57	47	+10	69
9.	Torquay United	46	16	18	12	71	71	0	66
10.	York City	46	17	15	14	52	53	-1	66
11.	Kidderminster Harriers	46	16	15	15	62	63	-1	63
12.	Cambridge United	46	16	13	17	67	70	-3	61
13.	Hull City	46	14	17	15	58	53	+5	59
14.	Darlington	46	12	18	16	58	59	-1	54
15.	Boston United	46	15	13	18	55	56	-1	54
16.	Macclesfield Town	46	14	12	20	57	63	-6	54
17.	Southend United	46	17	3	26	47	59	-12	54
18.	Leyton Orient	46	14	11	21	51	61	-10	53
19.	Rochdale	46	12	16	18	63	70	-7	52
20.	Bristol Rovers	46	12	15	19	50	57	-7	51
21.	Swansea City	46	12	13	21	48	65	-17	49
22.	Carlisle United	46	13	10	23	52	78	-26	49
23.	Exeter City	46	11	15	20	50	64	-14	48
24.	Shrewsbury Town	46	9	14	23	62	92	-30	41

Key
Promoted to Division Two
Qualified for the promotion playoff
Relegated to Conference

[edit] Football Conference

Champions:
- Yeovil Town
Also promoted to Third Division:
- Doncaster Rovers (playoff winners)

Relegated:
- Nuneaton Borough (to Southern League)
- Southport (to Northern Premier League)
- Kettering Town (to Isthmian League)

[edit] National League System

	League	Champions
Step 2 Leagues	Northern Premier League	Accrington Stanley
	Southern League	Tamworth
	Isthmian League	Aldershot Town
Step 3 Leagues	Northern Premier League Division One	Alfreton Town
	Southern League Midland/West Division	Merthyr Tydfil
	Southern League South/East Division	Dorchester Town
	Isthmian League Division One North	Northwood
	Isthmian League Division One South	Carshalton Athletic
Step 4 Leagues	Northern League	Brandon United
	Northern Counties East League	Bridlington Town
	North West Counties League	Prescot Cables
	Midland Alliance	Stourbridge
	United Counties League	Holbeach United
	Eastern Counties League	A.F.C. Sudbury
	Hellenic League	North Leigh
	Western League	Team Bath
	Isthmian League Division Two	Cheshunt
	Essex Senior League	Enfield Town
	Spartan South Midlands League	Dunstable Town
	Combined Counties League	Withdean 2000
	Wessex League	Eastleigh
	Sussex County League	Burgess Hill Town
	Kent League	Cray Wanderers

[edit] Transfer deals

[edit] Summer transfer window

Main article: List of English football transfers Summer 2002

The summer transfer window ran from the end of the previous season until 31 August.

2 May 2002

Franck Queudrue from Lens to Middlesbrough, £2.5m

14 August 2002

Juninho Paulista from Atlético Madrid to Middlesbrough, £6m

30 August 2002

Tore André Flo from Rangers to Sunderland, £8m

31 August 2002

Robbie Keane from Leeds United to Tottenham Hotspur, £7m

[edit] January transfer window

The mid-season transfer window ran from 1 to 31 January 2003.

31 January 2003

Jonathan Woodgate from Leeds United to Newcastle United, £9m

For subsequent transfer deals see 2003-04 in English football.

[edit] Famous Debutants

16-year old Wayne Rooney made his competitive first-team debut for Everton on the opening day of the season, a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur. By the end of the season he was part of the full England side.
Midfielder James Milner, also 16, played his first game for Leeds United as they won 4-3 at West Ham United in November 2002.

[edit] Deaths

7 July 2002: Ray Wood, 71, Manchester United and England goalkeeper, who was a survivor of the Munich Air Disaster and won two league championship medals.

5 November 2002: Rob Hindmarch, 41, former Sunderland, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County centre-half, died of motor neurone disease.

30 November 2002: Alan Ashman, 74, former football manager who took Carlisle United into the old First Division in 1974 and West Bromwich Albion to F.A Cup glory in 1968.

18 December 2002: Bert Millichip, 88, chairman of the Football Association from 1981 until 1996 and a former director of West Bromwich Albion.

19 December 2002: Arthur Rowley, 76, a former centre forward of Leicester City player and Football League record scorer who scored an English league career record of 434 goals.

26 June 2003: Marc-Vivien Foé, 28, Cameroon midfielder who spent the 2002-03 season on loan to Manchester City from French side Lyon, collapsed and died during a FIFA Confederations Cup game. A post mortem revealed that Foé, who had played for West Ham United earlier in his career, had suffered from an undetected heart condition.

[edit] References

^ INM. "The Players' Union head, Gordon Taylor, yesterday urged the crisis-hit Football League to consider the revolutionary idea of combining with the Scottish Premier League.". Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. http://www.webcitation.org/5gm7LH5Ey. Retrieved on 2009-04-08.
^ Entertainment & Sports Agency Limited. "Portsmouth FC News - Fratton Faithful". Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5h6xH4UFC. Retrieved on 2009-05-23.

[0] INM. "The Players' Union head, Gordon Taylor, yesterday urged the crisis-hit Football League to consider the revolutionary idea of combining with the Scottish Premier League.". Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. http://www.webcitation.org/5gm7LH5Ey. Retrieved on 2009-04-08.

[1] Entertainment & Sports Agency Limited. "Portsmouth FC News - Fratton Faithful". Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5h6xH4UFC. Retrieved on 2009-05-23.

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