| Club: | Shrewsbury Town |
| Season: | 2003–04 |
| Chairman: | Roland Wycherley |
| Mgrtitle: | Player-manager |
| Manager: | Jimmy Quinn |
| Stdtitle: | Ground |
| Stadium: | Gay Meadow |
| League: | Football Conference |
| League Result: | 3rd |
| Cup1: | Play-offs |
| Cup1 Result: | Winners (promoted) |
| Cup2: | FA Cup |
| Cup2 Result: | First round |
| Cup3: | League Trophy |
| Cup3 Result: | First round |
| Cup4: | FA Trophy |
| Cup4 Result: | Quarter-finals |
| League Topscorer: | Luke Rodgers (13) |
| Season Topscorer: | Luke Rodgers (15) |
| Highest Attendance: | 7,012 (3 May 2004) vs Barnet |
| Lowest Attendance: | vs Ebbsfleet United |
| Average Attendance: | 4,007 |
| Largest Win: | 4–1 / 3–0 |
| Largest Loss: | 0–5 |
| Prevseason: | 2002–03 |
| Nextseason: | 2004–05 |
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.[1] 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.[2] [3] 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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] [7] 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.[8]
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.[9]
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.[10] [11] 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.[12] 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.[13]
Jimmy Quinn was announced as Shrewsbury's manager before the start of the 2003–04 season.[14] 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.[4]
| 1 | 42 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 85 | 34 | +51 | 92 | ||
| 2 | 42 | 28 | 7 | 7 | 103 | 44 | +59 | 91 | ||
| 3 | 42 | 20 | 14 | 8 | 67 | 42 | +25 | 74 | ||
| 4 | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 60 | 46 | +14 | 71 | ||
| 5 | 42 | 20 | 10 | 12 | 80 | 67 | +13 | 70 |
Prior to the club's Football League return, Shrewsbury released Fitzpatrick, Packer, Parker and Thompson.[4] Quinn was also released as a player but remained as the club's manager into the 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.[16]
League positions are sourced by Statto,[8] attendance numbers are sourced to Soccerbase;[17] while the remaining information is referenced individually. Shrewsbury's score is listed first in the score columns.
See main article: 2003–04 Football Conference.
| Date | Position | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7th | Margate | H | D | 1–1 | Watts 17' | [18] | |||
| 5th | Burton Albion | A | W | 1–0 | Rodgers 73' | [19] | |||
| 3rd | Accrington Stanley | A | W | 1–0 | Cramb 81' | [20] | |||
| 3rd | Farnborough Town | H | W | 3–0 | Cramb 34', Jagielka 54', Lowe 85' | [21] | |||
| 4th | Chester City | A | L | 1–2 | Tolley 53' | [22] | |||
| 4th | Dagenham & Redbridge | H | W | 2–1 | Tolley 34', Cramb 41' | [23] | |||
| 2nd | Tamworth | H | W | 3–1 | Rodgers (3) 64', 90', 90' | [24] | |||
| 3rd | Aldershot Town | A | D | 1–1 | Cramb 24' | [25] | |||
| 3rd | Woking | A | D | 3–3 | Rodgers (3) 12', 48' pen., 90' | [26] | |||
| 3rd | Halifax Town | H | W | 2–0 | Cramb 80', Lowe 88' | [27] | |||
| 6th | Barnet | H | L | 0–1 | [28] | ||||
| 5th | Scarborough | A | D | 1–1 | Quinn 43' | [29] | |||
| 6th | Morecambe | H | W | 2–0 | Rodgers 11', Quinn 75' | [30] | |||
| 6th | Stevenage | A | L | 0–2 | [31] | ||||
| 6th | Forest Green Rovers | H | W | 2–0 | Tolley 47', Quinn 51' | [32] | |||
| 6th | Gravesend & Northfleet | A | W | 3–0 | Lowe (2) 17', 64', Cramb 90' | [33] | |||
| 6th | Leigh RMI | A | D | 2–2 | Cramb 46', Street 90' | [34] | |||
| 5th | Hereford United | H | W | 4–1 | O'Connor 13', Cramb 37', Street 55', Darby 81' | [35] | |||
| 6th | Exeter City | A | L | 2–3 | Rodgers 65', Cramb 90' | [36] | |||
| 6th | Tamworth | A | D | 1–1 | Cramb 14' pen. | [37] | |||
| 6th | Telford United | H | D | 0–0 | [38] | ||||
| 4th | Margate | A | W | 2–0 | Lowe 83', Banim 90' | [39] | |||
| 5th | Northwich Victoria | H | W | 3–1 | Cramb 39', Lowe 63', Tinson 71' | [40] | |||
| 4th | Northwich Victoria | A | W | 2–0 | Ridler 45', Cramb 58' | [41] | |||
| 5th | Dagenham & Redbridge | A | L | 0–5 | [42] | ||||
| 5th | Accrington Stanley | H | D | 0–0 | [43] | ||||
| 5th | Halifax Town | A | D | 0–0 | [44] | ||||
| 5th | Scarborough | H | W | 4–1 | Darby (2) 54', 89', Sedgemore 61', O'Connor 73' | [45] | |||
| 5th | Burton Albion | H | W | 1–0 | Rodgers 17' | [46] | |||
| 5th | Woking | H | W | 1–0 | Rodgers 72' | [47] | |||
| 3rd | Leigh RMI | H | W | 3–1 | Darby 11', Lowe 70', Banim 90' | [48] | |||
| 3rd | Forest Green Rovers | A | D | 1–1 | Rogers 68' o.g. | [49] | |||
| 5th | Aldershot Town | H | L | 1–2 | Darby 79' | [50] | |||
| 5th | Hereford United | A | L | 1–2 | Lawrence 4' | [51] | |||
| 5th | Barnet | A | W | 1–0 | Darby 37' | [52] | |||
| 5th | Exeter City | H | D | 2–2 | Lawrence 49', Darby 71' | [53] | |||
| 5th | Telford United | A | L | 0–1 | [54] | ||||
| 4th | Farnborough Town | A | W | 3–1 | Darby (2) 47', 51', Rodgers 76' | [55] | |||
| 3rd | Chester City | H | D | 0–0 | [56] | ||||
| 3rd | Stevenage | H | W | 3–1 | Ridler 66', Lowe 69', Darby 90' | [57] | |||
| 3rd | Gravesend & Northfleet | H | D | 1–1 | Rodgers 42' | [58] | |||
| 3rd | Morecambe | A | D | 3–3 | Lowe 7', Sedgemore 23' pen., Quinn 68' | [59] |
See main article: 2003–04 FA Cup.
| Round | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR4 | Morecambe | A | W | 4–2 | Aiston 46', Quinn 52', Lowe (2) 77', 80' | [60] | |||
| R1 | Scunthorpe United | A | L | 1–2 | Quinn 87' | [61] |
See main article: 2003–04 Football League Trophy.
See main article: 2003–04 FA Trophy.
| scope=col width=115px | Date | scope=col width=60px | Round | scope=col width=140px | Opponents | scope=col width=40px | Venue | scope=col width=50px | Result | scope=col width=40px | Score | scope=col width=310px class=unsortable | Scorers | scope=col width=40px | scope=col width=30px class=unsortable | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| scope=row | R3 | Morecambe | H | W | 2–0 | Aiston 19', Cramb 58' pen. | |||||||||||
| scope=row | R4 | Hucknall Town | H | W | 2–1 | Street 15', Moss 43' | |||||||||||
| scope=row | R5 | Altrincham | A | W | 1–0 | Lowe 84' | |||||||||||
| scope=row | QF | Telford United | H | D | 1–1 | Cramb 64' | |||||||||||
| scope=row | QF (replay) | Telford United | A | L | 1–2 | Darby 64' | [63] |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score | Scorers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SF (Leg 1) | Barnet | A | L | 1–2 | Rodgers 43' pen. | [64] | |||
| SF (Leg 2) | Barnet | H | W | 1–0 | Rodgers 44' pen. | ||||
| Final | Aldershot Town | N | D | 1–1 | Darby 43' |