| Football League Trophy | |
| Year: | 2003–04 |
| Other Title: | LDV Vans Trophy |
| Country: | |
| Num Teams: | 60 |
| Champions: | Blackpool |
| Runner-Up: | Southend United |
| Matches: | 61 |
| Prevseason: | 2002–03 |
| Nextseason: | 2004–05 |
The 2003–04 Football League Trophy, known as the LDV Vans Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 23rd season in the history of the competition. A straight knockout competition for English football clubs in the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system.[1]
In all, 60 clubs entered the competition, including twelve from the Conference National. It was split into two sections, Northern and Southern, with the winners of each section contesting the final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The competition began on 13 October 2003 and concluded on 21 March 2004.[2]
The winners were Blackpool, who defeated Southend United 2–0 to win the title for a second time.[3]
Four clubs received a bye into the Second Round. Bury and Huddersfield Town in the Northern section, and Northampton Town and Swansea City in the Southern section.
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 3–2 | Tranmere Rovers | 2,838 | |
| 2 | Carlisle United | 2–0 | Rochdale | 1,828 | |
| 3 | Chester City | 0–1 | Doncaster Rovers | 1,141 | |
| 4 | Chesterfield | 2–1 | Macclesfield Town | 1,631 | |
| 5 | Darlington | 1–3 | Hull City | 1,578 | |
| 6 | Halifax Town | 2–1 | York City | 1,148 | |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 3–1 | Telford United | 1,503 | |
| 8 | Mansfield Town | 1–2 | Stockport County | 3,718 | |
| 9 | Oldham Athletic | 3–3 | Hartlepool United | 3,575 | |
| Oldham Athletic won 5–3 on penalties | |||||
| 10 | Scarborough | 2–1 | Port Vale | 1,003 | |
| 11 | Scunthorpe United | 2–1 | Shrewsbury Town | 1,265 | |
| 12 | Wrexham | 4–1 | Morecambe | 1,078 | |
| 13 | Notts County | 0–0 | Barnsley | 1,220 | |
| Barnsley won 4–2 on penalties | |||||
| 14 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–1 | Grimsby Town | 7,323 | |
| Sheffield Wednesday won 5–4 on penalties | |||||
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 2–0 | Forest Green Rovers | 3,969 | |
| 2 | Barnet | 3–3 | Brentford | 1,248 | |
| Brentford won 3–1 on penalties | |||||
| 3 | Cheltenham Town | 1–3 | Colchester United | 1,324 | |
| 4 | Peterborough United | 3–2 | Torquay United | 1,980 | |
| 5 | Plymouth Argyle | 4–0 | Bristol City | 4,927 | |
| 6 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–0 | Kidderminster Harriers | 3,671 | |
| 7 | Southend United | 2–1 | Bristol Rovers | 1,714 | |
| 8 | Stevenage Borough | 0–1 | Luton Town | 1,754 | |
| 9 | Wycombe Wanderers | 1–0 | Cambridge United | 977 | |
| 10 | Yeovil Town | 2–0 | Bournemouth | 5,035 | |
| 11 | Boston United | 2–1 | Swindon Town | 1,514 | |
| 12 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 4–1 | Leyton Orient | 1,857 | |
| 13 | Oxford United | 0–1 | Rushden & Diamonds | 2,510 | |
| 14 | Hereford United | 2–0 | Exeter City | 1,513 | |
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury | 2–1 | Oldham Athletic | 3,102 | |
| 2 | Blackpool | 1–0 | Doncaster Rovers | 2,954 | |
| 3 | Carlisle United | 2–0 | Huddersfield Town | 1,346 | |
| 4 | Hull City | 1–3 | Scunthorpe United | 6,656 | |
| 5 | Lincoln City | 4–3 | Chesterfield | 2,395 | |
| 6 | Scarborough | 0–1 | Halifax Town | 899 | |
| 7 | Stockport County | 5–4 | Wrexham | 1,469 | |
| 8 | Sheffield Wednesday | 1–0 | Barnsley | 13,575 |
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 3–1 | Boston United | 4,026 | |
| 2 | Hereford United | 1–1 | Northampton Town | 1,517 | |
| Northampton Town won 4–3 on penalties | |||||
| 3 | Peterborough United | 3–2 | Brentford | 1,821 | |
| 4 | Plymouth Argyle | 2–2 | Wycombe Wanderers | 4,298 | |
| Wycombe Wanderers won 4–2 on penalties | |||||
| 5 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Dagenham & Redbridge | 3,036 | |
| 6 | Rushden & Diamonds | 1–2 | Luton Town | 2,746 | |
| 7 | Swansea City | 1–2 | Southend United | 2,055 | |
| 8 | Yeovil Town | 2–2 | Colchester United | 3,052 | |
| Colchester United won 4–2 on penalties | |||||
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bury | 0–1 | Scunthorpe United | 1,246 | |
| 2 | Carlisle United | 0–3 | Sheffield Wednesday | 2,869 | |
| 3 | Stockport County | 0–1 | Blackpool | 2,337 | |
| 4 | Halifax Town | 1–0 | Lincoln City | 1,162 |
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queens Park Rangers | 2–1 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 7,536 | |
| 2 | Northampton Town | 2–1 | Peterborough United | 4,290 | |
| 3 | Southend United | 3–0 | Luton Town | 2,027 | |
| 4 | Wycombe Wanderers | 2–3 | Colchester United | 1,873 |
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blackpool | 3–2 | Halifax Town | 4,764 | |
| 2 | Sheffield Wednesday | 4–0 | Scunthorpe United | 10,236 |
| Tie no. | Home team | Score | Away team | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northampton Town | 2–3 | Colchester United | 4,034 | |
| 2 | Southend United | 4–0 | Queens Park Rangers | 5,824 |
See main article: 2004 Football League Trophy Final.