2002–03 Reading F.C. season

In this article, we will explore 2002–03 Reading F.C. season from different perspectives to understand its impact on society. From its birth to the present, 2002–03 Reading F.C. season has played a fundamental role in various aspects of daily life. We will analyze its evolution over time, highlighting its achievements and challenges. Additionally, we will examine how 2002–03 Reading F.C. season has influenced and shaped our personal and collective experiences. Through this journey, we seek to provide a comprehensive view of 2002–03 Reading F.C. season and its relevance in today's world.

Reading
2002–03 season
ChairmanSir John Madejski
ManagerAlan Pardew
First Division4th
(play off Semi-Finals)
FA CupThird Round vs Walsall
League CupFirst Round vs Cambridge United
Top goalscorerLeague: Nicky Forster (15)
All: Nicky Forster (16)

The 2002–03 season was Reading's first season back in the First Division, since their promotion from the Second Division in 2002.

Season review

See also Football League First Division 2002–03

Squad

As of match played 14 May 2003
No. Name Nationality Position Date of birth (Age) Signed from Signed in Contract ends Apps. Goals
Goalkeepers
1 Phil Whitehead England GK (1969-12-17)17 December 1969 (aged 33) West Bromwich Albion 1999 108 0
21 Jamie Ashdown England GK (1980-11-30)30 November 1980 (aged 22) Academy 1998 5 0
31 Marcus Hahnemann United States GK (1972-06-15)15 June 1972 (aged 30) Fulham 2002 50 0
32 Jamie Young England GK (1985-08-25)25 August 1985 (aged 17) Academy 2002 0 0
Defenders
2 Graeme Murty England DF (1974-11-13)13 November 1974 (aged 28) York City 1998 155 1
3 Nicky Shorey England DF (1981-02-19)19 February 1981 (aged 22) Leyton Orient 2001 86 2
5 Adi Viveash England DF (1969-09-30)30 September 1969 (aged 33) Walsall 2000 2003 91 4
6 John Mackie England DF (1976-07-05)5 July 1976 (aged 26) Sutton United 1999 75 2
8 Ady Williams Wales DF (1971-08-16)16 August 1971 (aged 31) Wolverhampton Wanderers 2000 2003
26 Alex Smith England DF (1976-02-15)15 February 1976 (aged 27) Port Vale 2001 18 3
29 Steve Brown England DF (1972-05-13)13 May 1972 (aged 31) Charlton Athletic 2002 25 1
35 Ahmet Rifat England DF (1986-01-03)3 January 1986 (aged 17) Academy 2003 0 0
37 Peter Castle England DF (1987-03-12)12 March 1987 (aged 16) Academy 2003 1 0
Midfielders
4 Kevin Watson England MF (1974-01-03)3 January 1974 (aged 29) Rotherham United 2003 45 2
11 Andy Hughes England MF (1978-01-02)2 January 1978 (aged 25) Notts County 2001 89 15
14 Sammy Igoe England MF (1975-09-30)30 September 1975 (aged 27) Portsmouth 2000 105 7
15 James Harper England MF (1980-11-09)9 November 1980 (aged 22) Arsenal 2001 86 4
16 Glen Little England MF (1975-10-15)15 October 1975 (aged 27) on loan from Burnley 2003 2003 7 1
17 John Salako England MF (1969-02-11)11 February 1969 (aged 34) Charlton Athletic 2001 78 10
19 Joe Gamble Republic of Ireland MF (1982-01-14)14 January 1982 (aged 21) Cork City 2000 13 0
23 Andre Boucaud England MF (1984-10-10)10 October 1984 (aged 18) Academy 2002 0 0
25 Ricky Newman England MF (1970-08-05)5 August 1970 (aged 32) Millwall 2000 83 2
27 Steve Sidwell England MF (1982-12-14)14 December 1982 (aged 20) Arsenal 2003 15 2
28 Steve Warren England MF (1983-09-27)27 September 1983 (aged 19) Crystal Palace 2003 0 0
30 Luke Chadwick England MF (1980-11-18)18 November 1980 (aged 22) loan from Manchester United 2003 2003 17 1
34 Darren Campbell Scotland MF (1986-04-16)16 April 1986 (aged 17) Academy 2003 1 0
Forwards
7 Tony Rougier Trinidad and Tobago FW (1971-07-17)17 July 1971 (aged 31) Port Vale 2000 99 6
9 Martin Butler England FW (1974-09-15)15 September 1974 (aged 28) Cambridge United 2000 115 36
10 Nicky Forster England FW (1973-09-08)8 September 1973 (aged 29) Birmingham City 1999 147 47
12 Jamie Cureton England FW (1975-08-28)28 August 1975 (aged 27) Bristol Rovers 2000 127 55
20 Bas Savage England FW (1982-01-07)7 January 1982 (aged 21) Academy 2001 1 0
22 Nathan Tyson England FW (1982-05-04)4 May 1982 (aged 21) Academy 1999 32 1
24 Darius Henderson England FW (1981-09-07)7 September 1981 (aged 21) Academy 1999 82 15
Out on loan
Left during the season
16 Phil Parkinson England DF (1967-12-01)1 December 1967 (aged 35) Bury 1992
18 Adrian Whitbread England DF (1971-10-22)22 October 1971 (aged 31) Portsmouth 2001 37 0
27 Ricky Allaway England DF (1983-02-12)12 February 1983 (aged 20) Academy 1999 0 0
29 Matthew Upson England DF (1979-04-18)18 April 1979 (aged 24) loan from Arsenal 2002 2002 15 1
  1. ^ Age as of the end of the season
  2. ^ Jamie Young was born in Brisbane, Australia, and but qualified to represent England, represent England at U18, U19 and U20 level.
  3. ^ Murty was born in Nunthorpe, England, but qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Scotland in 2004.
  4. ^ Adrian Williams was born in Reading, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally, making his international debut for Wales in 1994.
  5. ^ John Salako was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, but also qualified to represent England internationally, making his international debut for England in 1991.
  6. ^ Andre Boucaud was born in Enfield, England, and but chose to represent Trinidad and Tobago, qualifying through his parents. Boucaud represented Trinidad and Tobago 13 days after being released by Reading in 2004.
  7. ^ Darren Campbell was born in Cambridge, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents.Campbell represented the England U-17's in 2002 and then the Scotland U-17 team 2003.

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF England ENG Phil Parkinson (to Colchester)
18 DF England ENG Adrian Whitbread (Retired)
No. Pos. Nation Player
27 DF England ENG Ricky Allaway (Released)
29 DF England ENG Matthew Upson (returned to Arsenal after loan)

Transfers

In

Date Position Nationality Name From Fee
8 August 2002 GK United States Marcus Hahnemann Fulham Free
19 December 2002 DF England Steve Brown Charlton Athletic Free
20 January 2003 MF England Steve Sidwell Arsenal Undisclosed Fee
20 March 2003 Mario Noto Tottenham Hotspur Free

Out

Date Position Nationality Name To Fee
1 July 2002 DF England Matthew Robinson Oxford United Free
9 August 2002 GK Australia Frank Talia Wycombe Wanderers Free
16 August 2002 DF England Neil Smith Stevenage Free
1 November 2002 DF England Ricky Allaway Basingstoke Town Free
25 February 2003 MF England Phil Parkinson Colchester United Free

Loans in

Date Position Nationality Name From Until
5 September 2002 DF England Matthew Upson Arsenal 8 December 2002
7 February 2003 MF England Luke Chadwick Manchester United 19 March 2003
27 March 2003 MF England Luke Chadwick Manchester United 15 May 2003
1 April 2003 MF England Glen Little Burnley 15 May 2003

Loans out

Date Position Nationality Name To Until
12 December 2002 DF England Alex Smith Shrewsbury Town 4 May 2003

Released

Date Position Nationality Name Joined Date
9 April 2003 DF England Adrian Whitbread Retired
2 June 2003 DF England Adi Viveash Swindon Town
2 June 2003 England Steve Warren
1 July 2003 DF England Alex Smith Chester City November 2003

Competitions

Competition Started round Final
position / round 		First match Last match
First Division — 4th 10 August 2002 4 May 2003
FL Cup 1st round 1st round 10 September 2002 10 September 2002
FA Cup 3rd round 3rd round 4 January 2003 14 January 2003

Updated to match played match played 4 May 2003
Source: Competitions

Division One

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
46 25 4 17 61 46  +15 79 13 3 7 33 21  +12 12 1 10 28 25  +3

Fixtures and results

Main article: 2002–03 Football League First Division
10 August 2002 Derby County 3–0 Reading Pride Park
Lee 60'
Ravanelli 62'
Christie 71'		 Report Attendance: 33,016
13 August 2002 Reading 2–1 Sheffield Wednesday Madejski Stadium
Cureton 47', 78' Report Sibon 18'
Quinn Yellow card 89' Yellow-red card 90'		 Attendance: 13,638
17 August 2002 Reading 1–2 Coventry City Madejski Stadium
Cureton 12' (pen.) Report Davenport 74'
Bothroyd 81'		 Attendance: 14,712
24 August 2002 Leicester City 2–1 Reading Walkers Stadium
Deane 3'
Dickov 4' (pen.)		 Report Cureton 20' (pen.) Attendance: 22,978
27 August 2002 Reading 3–0 Burnley Madejski Stadium
Cureton 55', 90'
Butler 87'		 Report Attendance: 12,009
31 August 2002 Walsall 0–2 Reading Bescot Stadium
Martínez Red card 84' Report Hughes 78', 90' Attendance: 5,327
7 September 2002 Rotherham United 0–0 Reading Don Valley Stadium
Report Attendance: 6,154
14 September 2002 Reading 0–1 Wimbledon Madejski Stadium
Report McAnuff 90' Attendance: 14,832
18 September 2002 Reading 0–2 Norwich City Madejski Stadium
Report McVeigh 3'
Mulryne 5'		 Attendance: 14,335
21 September 2002 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 Reading Molineux
Report Hughes 58' Attendance: 25,560
28 September 2002 Reading 1–1 Stoke City Madejski Stadium
Rougier 11' Report Vandeurzen 39' Attendance: 13,646
5 October 2002 Grimsby Town 0–3 Reading Blundell Park
Report Hughes 15'
Forster 33'
Pouton 90' (o.g.)		 Attendance: 5,582
19 October 2002 Reading 3–1 Ipswich Town Madejski Stadium
Forster 28', 40', 69' Report Ambrose 61' Attendance: 19,524
26 October 2002 Preston North End 1–0 Reading Deepdale
Cresswell 22' Report Attendance: 13,021
29 October 2002 Reading 1–0 Bradford City Madejski Stadium
Shorey 70' Report Attendance: 12,110
2 November 2002 Reading 2–0 Millwall Madejski Stadium
Forster 5'
Hughes 90'		 Report Attendance: 13,081
9 October 2002 Gillingham 0–1 Reading Priestfield Stadium
Report Rougier 82' Attendance: 8,511
23 November 2002 Reading 1–0 Watford Madejski Stadium
Watson 61' Report Attendance: 17,465
26 November 2002 Crystal Palace 0–1 Reading Selhurst Park
Report Forster 39' Attendance: 15,712
29 November 2002 Brighton & Hove Albion 0–1 Reading Withdean Stadium
Report Salako 22' Attendance: 6,817
7 December 2002 Reading 0–0 Portsmouth Madejski Stadium
Report Attendance: 23,462
14 December 2002 Reading 0–2 Sheffield United Madejski Stadium
Report Harley 59'
Windass 76'		 Attendance: 18,534
21 December 2002 Nottingham Forest 2–0 Reading City Ground
Johnson 4'
Harewood 67'		 Report Attendance: 25,831
26 December 2002 Coventry City 2–0 Reading Highfield Road
Hignett 39'
Partridge 52'		 Report Attendance: 19,526
28 December 2002 Reading 2–1 Derby County Madejski Stadium
Tyson 5'
Cureton 89'		 Report Burley 7' (pen.) Attendance: 16,299
1 January 2003 Reading Abandoned Leicester City Madejski Stadium
Report
Note: Match abandoned at half-time due to waterlogged pitch with the score 0-0.
11 January 2003 Sheffield Wednesday 3–2 Reading Hillsborough
Quinn 52'
Sibon 69'
Johnston 71'		 Report Forster 9'
Butler 19'		 Attendance: 17,715
18 January 2003 Reading 0–0 Walsall Madejski Stadium
Report Attendance: 11,786
28 January 2003 Reading 1–3 Leicester City Madejski Stadium
Hughes 54' Report Dickov 17', 26' (pen.)
Heath 34'		 Attendance: 17,156
1 February 2003 Burnley 2–5 Reading Turf Moor
Moore 55'
West 90'		 Report Sidwell 37', 79'
Salako 45', 52'
Henderson 90'		 Attendance: 14,420
10 February 2003 Reading 2–1 Gillingham Madejski Stadium
Chadwick 13'
Salako 87'		 Report Wallace 10' Attendance: 11,030
15 February 2003 Millwall 0–2 Reading The Den
Report Forster 45'
Henderson 83'		 Attendance: 7,038
18 February 2003 Sheffield United 1–3 Reading Bramall Lane
Brown 4' Report Forster 36', 80'
Williams 74'		 Attendance: 16,884
22 February 2003 Reading 3–0 Rotherham United Madejski Stadium
Harper 15'
Hughes 32'
Forster 40'		 Report Attendance: 14,816
1 March 2003 Wimbledon 2–0 Reading Selhurst Park
Francis 31'
Tapp 85'		 Report Attendance: 3,869
5 March 2003 Norwich City 0–1 Reading Carrow Road
Report Kenton 75' (o.g.) Attendance: 18,970
12 March 2003 Reading 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Madejski Stadium
Report Miller 44' Attendance: 19,731
15 March 2003 Reading 2–1 Crystal Palace Madejski Stadium
Brown 66'
Harper 90'		 Report Johnson 76' Attendance: 18,063
18 March 2003 Ipswich Town 3–1 Reading Portman Road
Gaardsoe 1'
Magilton 31'
Holland 70'		 Report Forster 16' Attendance: 24,108
22 March 2003 Bradford City 0–1 Reading Bradford & Bingley Stadium
Report Forster 66' Attendance: 11,385
4 April 2003 Reading 1–2 Brighton & Hove Albion Madejski Stadium
Cureton 83' Report Brooker 17'
Kitson 77'		 Attendance: 16,133
15 April 2003 Reading 5–1 Preston North End Madejski Stadium
Forster 29', 41', 57'
Shorey 56' (pen.)
Henderson 90'		 Report Jackson Yellow card 2' Yellow-red card 27'
Lucas Red card 55'
Mears 83'		 Attendance: 14,012
18 April 2003 Reading 1–0 Nottingham Forest Madejski Stadium
Hughes 74' Report Attendance: 21,612
21 April 2003 Portsmouth 3–0 Reading Fratton Park
Pericard 19', 45'
Todorov 71'		 Report Attendance: 19,535
26 April 2003 Reading 2–1 Grimsby Town Madejski Stadium
Little 2'
Hughes 22'		 Report Keane 90' Attendance: 20,273
30 April 2003 Watford 0–3 Reading Vicarage Road
Report Rougier 27'
Henderson 70'
Cureton 90'		 Attendance: 11,814
4 May 2003 Stoke City 1–0 Reading Britannia Stadium
Akinbiyi 55' Report Attendance: 20,477

Playoffs

Semi-finals
Main article: Football_League_Championship_Play-Offs § 2003
10 May 2003 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Reading Molineux
17:30 Newton 74'
Naylor 82'		 Report Forster 25'
Tyson Red card 90+2'		 Attendance: 27,678
Referee: A Kaye
14 May 2003 Reading 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Madejski Stadium
19:45 Report Rae 82' Attendance: 24,060
Referee: Howard Webb

Reading lost 3–1 on aggregate

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
2 Leicester City (P) 46 26 14 6 73 40 +33 92 Promotion to 2003–04 FA Premier League
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
6 Nottingham Forest 46 20 14 12 82 50 +32 74
Updated to match(es) played on 11 May 2003. Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

League Cup

Main article: 2002–03 Football League Cup
10 September 2002 Cambridge United 3–1 Reading Abbey Stadium
Duncan 24'
Kitson 39'
Tudor 71'		 Report Upson 89' Attendance: 2,696

FA Cup

Main article: 2002–03 FA Cup
4 January 2003
Third round 		Walsall 0–0 Reading Bescot Stadium
15:00 Report Attendance: 5,987
14 January 2003
Third round reply 		Reading 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(1–4 p)		 Walsall Madejski Stadium
20:00 Aranalde 32' (o.g.) Report Wrack 7' Attendance: 8,767
Penalties
Butler soccer ball with red X
Cureton soccer ball with check mark
Harper soccer ball with red X		 soccer ball with check mark Aranalde
soccer ball with check mark Zdrilic
soccer ball with check mark Simpson
soccer ball with check mark Bazeley

First team statistics

Appearances and goals

As of match played 14 May 2003
No. Pos Nat Player Total First Division Play-offs FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK England ENG Phil Whitehead 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 DF Scotland SCO Graeme Murty 48 0 43+1 0 2 0 2 0 0 0
3 DF England ENG Nicky Shorey 48 2 43 2 2 0 2 0 1 0
4 MF England ENG Kevin Watson 33 1 24+8 1 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
5 DF England ENG Adi Viveash 5 0 4+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
6 DF England ENG John Mackie 28 0 20+5 0 0 0 2 0 1 0
7 FW Trinidad and Tobago TRI Tony Rougier 22 3 13+7 3 0+1 0 0 0 0+1 0
8 DF Wales WAL Ady Williams 41 1 38 1 2 0 0 0 0+1 0
9 FW England ENG Martin Butler 24 2 12+9 2 0 0 2 0 1 0
10 FW England ENG Nicky Forster 44 17 35+5 16 1 1 1+1 0 1 0
11 MF England ENG Andy Hughes 47 9 41+2 9 2 0 0+1 0 1 0
12 FW England ENG Jamie Cureton 32 9 13+14 9 1+1 0 1+1 0 1 0
14 FW England ENG Sammy Igoe 18 0 8+7 0 0 0 2 0 0+1 0
15 MF England ENG James Harper 40 2 34+2 2 2 0 2 0 0 0
16 MF England ENG Glenn Little 7 1 6 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
17 MF England ENG John Salako 46 4 33+10 4 0 0 0+2 0 1 0
21 GK England ENG Jamie Ashdown 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 FW England ENG Nathan Tyson 27 1 9+14 1 0+1 0 2 0 0+1 0
24 FW England ENG Darius Henderson 25 4 1+21 4 2 0 0+1 0 0 0
25 MF England ENG Ricky Newman 32 0 21+7 0 2 0 1 0 0+1 0
26 DF England ENG Alex Smith 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 MF England ENG Steve Sidwell 15 2 13 2 2 0 0 0 0 0
29 DF England ENG Steve Brown 25 1 21 1 2 0 2 0 0 0
30 MF England ENG Luke Chadwick 17 1 15 1 1+1 0 0 0 0 0
31 GK United States USA Marcus Hahnemann 46 0 41 0 2 0 2 0 1 0
34 MF Scotland SCO Darren Campbell 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 DF England ENG Peter Castle 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season:
16 MF England ENG Phil Parkinson 7 0 0+6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
29 DF England ENG Matthew Upson 15 1 13+1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1

Top scorers

Place Position Nation Number Name First Division Play Off FA Cup League Cup Total
1 FW England 10 Nicky Forster 16 1 0 0 17
2 FW England 12 Jamie Cureton 9 0 0 0 9
MF England 11 Andy Hughes 9 0 0 0 9
4 MF England 17 John Salako 4 0 0 0 4
FW England 24 Darius Henderson 4 0 0 0 4
6 FW Trinidad and Tobago 7 Tony Rougier 3 0 0 0 3
7 MF England 15 James Harper 2 0 0 0 2
DF England 3 Nicky Shorey 2 0 0 0 2
FW England 9 Martin Butler 2 0 0 0 2
MF England 27 Steve Sidwell 2 0 0 0 2
11 DF England 29 Steve Brown 1 0 0 0 1
MF England 4 Kevin Watson 1 0 0 0 1
FW England 22 Nathan Tyson 1 0 0 0 1
MF England 30 Luke Chadwick 1 0 0 0 1
DF Wales 8 Ady Williams 1 0 0 0 1
MF England 16 Glen Little 1 0 0 0 1
DF England 29 Matthew Upson 0 0 0 1 1
Totals 58 1 0 1 60

Disciplinary record

Number Nation Position Name First Division Play Off FA Cup League Cup Total
Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card Yellow card Red card
25 England MF Ricky Newman 10 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 11 0
6 England DF John Mackie 6 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 1
29 England DF Steve Brown 5 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 8 0
8 Wales DF Ady Williams 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
7 Trinidad and Tobago FW Tony Rougier 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
4 England MF Kevin Watson 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
14 England MF Sammy Igoe 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
10 England FW Nicky Forster 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
11 England MF Andy Hughes 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
3 England DF Nicky Shorey 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
27 England MF Steve Sidwell 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
29 England DF Matthew Upson 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
22 England FW Nathan Tyson 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
9 England FW Martin Butler 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2 Scotland DF Graeme Murty 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
17 England MF John Salako 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
5 England DF Adi Viveash 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
15 England MF James Harper 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
24 England FW Darius Henderson 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Totals 62 2 3 1 4 0 1 0 70 4

Team kit

Reading's kit for the 2002–03 was manufactured by Kit@, and the main sponsor was Westcoast.

2002–03 home colours
2002–03 away colours

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Reading reveal new trio". BBC. 3 July 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Sidwell joins Reading". BBC Sport. 11 February 2003. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  3. ^ "Reading secure Upson deal". BBC Sport. 5 September 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Reading F.C. player appearances: 2002–03". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia