2002–03 Portsmouth F.C. season

During the 2002–03 English football season, Portsmouth competed in the Football League First Division.

Portsmouth

2002–03 season
Chairman	Milan Mandarić
Manager	Harry Redknapp
Stadium	Fratton Park
First Division	1st (promoted)
FA Cup	Third round
League Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: Svetoslav Todorov (26) All: Svetoslav Todorov (26)
Highest home attendance	19,558 vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers (15 March 2003)
Lowest home attendance	17,201 vs. Millwall (14 September 2002)
Average home league attendance	18,379
← 2001–02 2003–04 →

Season summary

Portsmouth led the First Division for most of the season, and eventually finished as champions, six points clear of second-placed Leicester City. As champions, Portsmouth gained promotion to the FA Premier League, returning to the top flight after an absence of 15 years.

Bulgarian striker Svetoslav Todorov silenced his critics by finishing top scorer in the division with 26 goals, overhauling Nottingham Forest's David Johnson with a hat-trick against Bradford City on the last day of the season, in the game that confirmed Portsmouth as Football League champions.

Kit

Portsmouth continue to produce their own kits under the club's own brand, Pompey Sport.

Final league table

Main article: 2002–03 Football League

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion or relegation
1	Portsmouth (C, P)	46	29	11	6	97	45	+52	98	Promotion to 2003–04 FA Premier League
2	Leicester City (P)	46	26	14	6	73	40	+33	92
3	Sheffield United	46	23	11	12	72	52	+20	80	Qualification for First Division Playoffs
4	Reading	46	25	4	17	61	46	+15	79
5	Wolverhampton Wanderers (O, P)	46	20	16	10	81	44	+37	76

Updated to match(es) played on 11 May 2003. Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results

Portsmouth's score comes first^[1]

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Football League First Division

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
10 August 2002	Nottingham Forest	H	2–0	18,910	Burton, Péricard
13 August 2002	Sheffield United	A	1–1	16,093	Burton
17 August 2002	Crystal Palace	A	3–2	18,315	Foxe, Crowe (2)
24 August 2002	Watford	H	3–0	17,901	Merson, Todorov, Burton
26 August 2002	Grimsby Town	A	1–0	5,770	Burchill
31 August 2002	Brighton & Hove Albion	H	4–2	19,031	Taylor, Merson (pen), Todorov, Crowe
7 September 2002	Gillingham	A	3–1	8,717	Merson, Burchill, O'Neil
14 September 2002	Millwall	H	1–0	17,201	Todorov
17 September 2002	Wimbledon	H	4–1	18,837	Péricard, Todorov, Williams (own goal), Taylor
21 September 2002	Norwich City	A	0–1	21,335
28 September 2002	Bradford City	H	3–0	18,459	Quashie (2), Péricard
5 October 2002	Rotherham United	A	3–2	8,604	Péricard, Todorov, Merson (pen)
19 October 2002	Coventry City	H	1–1	18,837	Péricard
26 October 2002	Burnley	A	3–0	15,788	Quashie, Todorov, Harper
29 October 2002	Preston North End	H	3–2	18,637	Stone, Merson, Taylor
2 November 2002	Leicester City	H	0–2	19,107
6 November 2002	Wolverhampton Wanderers	A	1–1	27,022	Merson
9 November 2002	Derby County	A	2–1	26,587	Todorov, Burchill
16 November 2002	Stoke City	H	3–0	18,701	Burchill, Péricard, Todorov
23 November 2002	Sheffield Wednesday	A	3–1	16,602	Todorov (2), O'Neil
30 November 2002	Walsall	H	3–2	17,701	Quashie, Todorov, Taylor
7 December 2002	Reading	A	0–0	23,462
14 December 2002	Stoke City	A	1–1	13,330	Crowe
21 December 2002	Ipswich Town	H	1–1	19,130	Todorov
26 December 2002	Crystal Palace	H	1–1	19,217	Merson
28 December 2002	Nottingham Forest	A	2–1	28,165	Taylor, Péricard
1 January 2003	Watford	A	2–2	15,048	Burton, Harper
13 January 2003	Sheffield United	H	1–2	18,872	O'Neil
18 January 2003	Brighton & Hove Albion	A	1–1	6,848	Todorov
1 February 2003	Grimsby Town	H	3–0	19,248	Yakubu, Ford (own goal), Quashie
8 February 2003	Derby County	H	6–2	19,503	Merson, Yakubu (2), Taylor, Todorov (2)
17 February 2003	Leicester City	A	1–1	31,775	Taylor
22 February 2003	Gillingham	H	1–0	19,521	de Zeeuw
1 March 2003	Millwall	A	5–0	9,697	Yakubu (2), Sherwood, Todorov, Merson (pen)
4 March 2003	Wimbledon	A	1–2	10,356	Merson
12 March 2003	Norwich City	H	3–2	19,221	Yakubu, Todorov (2)
15 March 2003	Wolverhampton Wanderers	H	1–0	19,558	Stone
19 March 2003	Coventry City	A	4–0	13,922	Caldwell (own goal), Stone, Harper, Merson
22 March 2003	Preston North End	A	1–1	16,665	Yakubu
5 April 2003	Walsall	A	2–1	7,899	Harper, Todorov
12 April 2003	Sheffield Wednesday	H	1–2	19,524	Bradbury
15 April 2003	Burnley	H	1–0	19,221	Todorov
18 April 2003	Ipswich Town	A	0–3	29,396
21 April 2003	Reading	H	3–0	19,535	Péricard (2), Todorov
27 April 2003	Rotherham United	H	3–2	19,420	Merson (pen), Todorov (2)
4 May 2003	Bradford City	A	5–0	19,088	Festa, Todorov (3, 1 pen), Stone

FA Cup

Main article: 2002–03 FA Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R3	4 January 2003	Manchester United	A	1–4	67,222	Stone

League Cup

Main article: 2002–03 Football League Cup

Round	Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Goalscorers
R1	10 September 2002	Peterborough United	H	2–0	8,581	Quashie, Primus
R2	1 October 2002	Wimbledon	H	1–3	11,754	Péricard

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  TRI Shaka Hislop[2] 2 DF  ENG Jason Crowe 4 DF  ENG Eddie Howe 5 DF  AUS Hayden Foxe 6 DF  NED Arjan de Zeeuw 7 MF  SCO Kevin Harper[3] 8 FW  SCO Mark Burchill 9 FW  BUL Svetoslav Todorov 10 FW  ENG Paul Merson 11 MF  SCO Nigel Quashie[4] 13 MF  CIV Lassina Diabaté 14 MF  ENG Matthew Taylor 16 MF  WAL Carl Robinson 17 FW  FRA Vincent Péricard[5] (on loan from Juventus)

No. Pos. Nation Player 18 FW  ENG Lee Bradbury 19 MF  ENG Steve Stone 20 FW  NGA Yakubu (on loan from Maccabi Haifa) 21 DF  ENG Lewis Buxton 22 GK  SCG Saša Ilić[6] 23 DF  ENG Carl Tiler 25 MF  SCO Richard Hughes 26 MF  ENG Gary O'Neil 29 GK  JPN Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi 30 DF  ENG Linvoy Primus 34 FW  JAM Deon Burton[7] 35 DF  ITA Gianluca Festa 38 MF  ENG Tim Sherwood

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 FW  ENG Steve Lovell (to Dundee) 20 FW  ENG Rory Allen (released) 22 MF  ENG Tom Curtis (to Mansfield Town) 22 DF  GRE Efstathios Tavlaridis (on loan from Arsenal)

No. Pos. Nation Player 24 DF  ENG Scott Hiley (to Exeter City) 24 DF  FIN Markus Heikkinen (on loan from HJK Helsinki) 38 DF  SCO Paul Ritchie (on loan from Manchester City)

Reserve squad

The following players had squad numbers and/or professional contracts but did not make a first-team appearance during the season^[8]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 3 DF  ENG Jamie Vincent 15 MF  ENG Courtney Pitt 27 MF  ENG Neil Barrett 28 DF  ENG Shaun Cooper 31 FW  ENG Luke Nightingale

No. Pos. Nation Player 32 FW  ENG Rowan Vine 33 GK  ENG Chris Tardif 37 MF  ENG Carl Pettefer 39 MF  ENG Chris Clark — DF  ENG Justin Edinburgh

Statistics

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions^[9]

• GK: #1, Shaka Hislop, 49
• RWB: #30, Linvoy Primus, 42
• CB: #4, Hayden Foxe, 31
• CB: #6, Arjan de Zeeuw, 26
• CB: #35, Gianluca Festa, 29
• LWB: #14, Matthew Taylor, 38
• CM: #7, Kevin Harper, 23
• CM: #10, Paul Merson, 47
• CM: #11, Nigel Quashie, 44
• CF: #9, Svetoslav Todorov, 46
• CF: #17, Vincent Péricard, 19 (#19, Steve Stone, also has 19 starts, as a right wing-back)