# 2003–04 Derby County F.C. season

During the 2003–04 English football season, Derby County F.C. competed in the First Division.

## Season summary

George Burley's first full season in charge brought little joy as Derby recorded a 20th-placed finish in the 2003–04 season, just 1 point clear of relegation with safety not confirmed until the penultimate game of the season with a 2–0 win over Millwall. With no money for players and the need to slash the club's wage bill, big names such as Fabrizio Ravanelli, Georgi Kinkladze and Craig Burley left the club with the gaps of their departure shored up by free signings; Candido Costa was taken on a season long loan whilst seven others – including Mathias Svensson and Leon Osman – were recruited on short term loans, as Derby used a club record 36 different players in the course of the season. There was also the continued introduction of academy players to the side, with Tom Huddlestone and Marcus Tudgay making significant contributions alongside players such as Lee Grant and Lee Holmes. Burley achieved safety against a background of boardroom uncertainty – Chairman Lionel Pickering, after putting temporary faith in former Coventry City chairman Bryan Richardson and a notional £30m bond, was removed from the chair after the club temporarily entered receivership by The Co-operative Bank, who instantly installed a new board composed of John Sleightholme, Jeremy Keith and Steve Harding, for the cost of £1 each.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| 18 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 57 | 66 | −9 | 53 | |
| 19 | Burnley | 46 | 13 | 14 | 19 | 60 | 77 | −17 | 53 | |
| 20 | Derby County | 46 | 13 | 13 | 20 | 53 | 67 | −14 | 52 | |
| 21 | Gillingham | 46 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 48 | 67 | −19 | 51 | |
| 22 | Walsall (R) | 46 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 45 | 65 | −20 | 51 | Relegation to Football League One |

## Results

Derby County's score comes first

### Legend

| Win | Draw | Loss |

### Football League First Division

| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 9 August 2003 | Stoke City | H | 0–3 | 21,517 | |
| 16 August 2003 | Gillingham | A | 0–0 | 7,850 | |
| 23 August 2003 | Reading | H | 2–3 | 18,970 | Taylor (pen), Svensson |
| 25 August 2003 | Cardiff City | A | 1–4 | 15,091 | Svensson |
| 30 August 2003 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0–1 | 21,499 | |
| 13 September 2003 | Walsall | A | 1–0 | 8,726 | Júnior |
| 17 September 2003 | Watford | H | 3–2 | 18,459 | Taylor, Svensson, Júnior |
| 20 September 2003 | Sunderland | H | 1–1 | 22,535 | Taylor |
| 27 September 2003 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1–1 | 29,059 | Júnior |
| 30 September 2003 | Bradford City | A | 2–1 | 10,143 | Morris (2) |
| 4 October 2003 | West Ham United | H | 0–1 | 22,810 | |
| 11 October 2003 | Wigan Athletic | H | 2–2 | 19,151 | Taylor (pen), Morris |
| 14 October 2003 | Crystal Palace | A | 1–1 | 22,810 | Zavagno |
| 18 October 2003 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 0–3 | 8,656 | |
| 21 October 2003 | Norwich City | A | 1–2 | 16,346 | Taylor (pen) |
| 25 October 2003 | Coventry City | H | 1–3 | 21,641 | Holmes |
| 1 November 2003 | Preston North End | A | 0–3 | 12,839 | |
| 8 November 2003 | Ipswich Town | H | 2–2 | 19,976 | Kennedy, Dichio |
| 15 November 2003 | Burnley | H | 2–0 | 30,359 | Morris, Taylor (pen) |
| 22 November 2003 | Millwall | A | 0–0 | 10,308 | |
| 29 November 2003 | Wimbledon | H | 3–1 | 22,025 | Herzig (own goal), Tudgay, Holmes |
| 6 December 2003 | Ipswich Town | A | 1–2 | 25,018 | Tudgay |
| 13 December 2003 | Rotherham United | A | 0–0 | 7,320 | |
| 26 December 2003 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–1 | 26,412 | Costa |
| 28 December 2003 | Norwich City | H | 0–4 | 23,783 | |
| 10 January 2004 | Stoke City | A | 1–2 | 16,402 | Morris |
| 17 January 2004 | Gillingham | H | 2–1 | 20,473 | Vincent, Edwards |
| 28 January 2004 | Sheffield United | H | 2–0 | 26,603 | Tudgay, McLeod |
| 31 January 2004 | Reading | A | 1–3 | 14,382 | Johnson |
| 7 February 2004 | Cardiff City | H | 2–2 | 20,958 | Taylor, Osman |
| 14 February 2004 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0–2 | 9,146 | |
| 21 February 2004 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | 21,856 | Manel, Osman |
| 28 February 2004 | Coventry City | A | 0–2 | 16,042 | |
| 3 March 2004 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0–0 | 19,861 | |
| 13 March 2004 | Rotherham United | H | 1–0 | 21,741 | Peschisolido |
| 16 March 2004 | Watford | A | 1–2 | 13,931 | Peschisolido |
| 20 March 2004 | Nottingham Forest | H | 4–2 | 32,390 | Taylor, Peschisolido (2), Tudgay |
| 23 March 2004 | Sheffield United | A | 1–1 | 21,351 | Taylor (pen) |
| 27 March 2004 | Sunderland | A | 1–2 | 30,838 | Taylor (pen) |
| 3 April 2004 | Walsall | H | 0–1 | 23,574 | |
| 10 April 2004 | West Ham United | A | 0–0 | 28,207 | |
| 12 April 2004 | Bradford City | H | 3–2 | 21,593 | Osman, Taylor, Combe (own goal) |
| 17 April 2004 | Preston North End | H | 5–1 | 24,162 | Manel (2), Tudgay (2), Júnior |
| 24 April 2004 | Burnley | A | 0–1 | 16,189 | |
| 1 May 2004 | Millwall | H | 2–0 | 26,056 | Bolder, Reich |
| 9 May 2004 | Wimbledon | A | 0–1 | 6,509 | |

### FA Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R3 | 3 January 2004 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–3 | 16,159 | |

### League Cup

| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Goalscorers |
| R1 | 13 August 2003 | Huddersfield Town | A | 1–2 | 6,672 | Taylor |

## Squad

    Squad at end of 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 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Andy Oakes |
| 2 | DF | WAL | Rob Edwards (on loan from Aston Villa) |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Jamie Vincent |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Dave Walton |
| 5 | DF | IRL | Jeff Kenna |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Pablo Mills |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Ian Taylor (captain) |
| 8 | MF | POR | Cândido Costa (on loan from Porto) |
| 9 | FW | ESP | Manel |
| 10 | DF | JAM | Michael Johnson |
| 11 | FW | CAN | Paul Peschisolido |
| 13 | GK | ENG | Lee Grant |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Richard Jackson |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Adam Bolder |
| 16 | DF | FRA | Youl Mawéné |
| 17 | DF | ENG | Paul Boertien |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Izale McLeod |
| 19 | MF | ENG | Nathan Doyle |
| 20 | MF | ENG | Lewis Hunt |
| 21 | MF | SCO | Gary Twigg |
| 22 | FW | GER | Marco Reich |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Marcus Tudgay |
| 24 | GK | ENG | Lee Camp |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Chris Palmer |
| 27 | DF | ENG | James Turner |
| 28 | MF | FIN | Kris Weckström |
| 29 | DF | ENG | Tom Huddlestone |
| 30 | MF | ENG | Lee Holmes |
| 31 | FW | PER | Gianfranco Labarthe |
| 32 | MF | ENG | Leon Osman (on loan from Everton) |
| 33 | FW | BRA | José Júnior |
| 34 | FW | ENG | Noel Whelan |

### 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 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Warren Barton (to Queens Park Rangers) |
| 3 | DF | ARG | Luciano Zavagno (to A.C. Ancona) |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Elliott (to Blackpool) |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Lee Bradbury (on loan from Portsmouth) |
| 9 | FW | ENG | Danny Dichio (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Lee Morris (to Leicester City) |
| 12 | MF | FIN | Simo Valakari (to FC Dallas) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | MF | ENG | Adam Murray (to Burton Albion) |
| 22 | FW | ENG | Lee Bradbury (on loan from Portsmouth) |
| 25 | MF | IRL | Barry Molloy (to Drogheda United) |
| 32 | MF | SCO | Gary Caldwell (on loan from Newcastle United) |
| 32 | MF | NIR | Peter Kennedy (on loan from Wigan Athletic) |
| 34 | FW | SWE | Mathias Svensson (on loan from Charlton Athletic) |