2002–03 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2002–03 season was the 104th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played the season in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League First Division.

Wolverhampton Wanderers
2002–03 season
ChairmanSir Jack Hayward OBE
ManagerDave Jones
Football League First Division5th
(promoted via play-offs)
FA CupQuarter-finals
League Cup2nd round
Top goalscorerLeague: Kenny Miller (19)
All: Kenny Miller (24)
Highest home attendance28,190 (vs Leicester City, 4 May 2003)
Lowest home attendance23,016 (vs Brighton, 11 November 2002)
Average home league attendance25,745 (league only)

The season was a huge success for the club as they were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs after finishing fifth in the table. It was their first and only success in the play-off system from, to date, six attempts. This ended a nineteen-year top flight absence for the club and a fourteen-year stay in the same division.

Season review

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Paul Ince was Wolves' high-profile summer signing.

In contrast to the heavy spending of the previous close season, Summer 2002 saw the club recruit four players on free transfers. Two of these incoming players were however high-profile deals, with former England captain Paul Ince[1] signing alongside ex-Manchester United stalwart Denis Irwin,[2] on one-year deals.

The season began strongly with an opening day draw at administration-hit Bradford City, followed by three successive victories that put the club at the top of the table. Their form soon dipped though, and the next seven games brought just one win. An upturn saw a 10-game unbeaten run return the team to the play-off positions, aided by the loan addition of striker Carlton Cole.[3] The Christmas/New Year period though brought a return of just two points from a possible 15.

With this drop in form, manager Dave Jones faced criticism from chairman Sir Jack Hayward at the turn of the year, publicly reminding him that he had promised to deliver automatic promotion.[4][5] With the club lying 10th in the league, some 16 points from the top two, the FA Cup provided a welcome distraction as the team entered their best performance of the campaign to eliminate Premier League high flyers Newcastle United in a thrilling televised tie.[6]

The following week brought a first league success in six games, with a narrow victory at neighbours Walsall further relieving the pressure on manager Jones. A 4–1 cup triumph against promotion chasers Leicester City preceded the team's highest away win of the campaign, where they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 4–0 to return to the play-off zone. However, their following away fixture brought the team crashing back to ground with a 1–4 loss at relegation strugglers Brighton.

An unbeaten sequence yielded 14 points from 18 before a slender loss at runaway leaders Portsmouth. March also saw an exit from the FA Cup, losing 0–2 at Premier League Southampton in Wolves' first quarter final appearance for five years, before the club recorded their biggest win since 1988 as they thumped Gillingham 6–0.

By April Wolves sat in sixth place, the final play-off berth, but with the East Anglian duo of Ipswich and Norwich just two points behind. Easter Monday brought the decisive round of games to clarify the play-off picture with Ipswich losing earlier in the day, meaning Wolves could confirm their play-off place if they won at Norwich.[7] A 3–0 victory that evening ensured the club would participate in its fourth play-off campaign at this level.

 
Dave Jones became the first Wolves manager to return the club to the top flight in 19 years.

Wolves finished the season in fifth place after two successive draws, meaning they would play Reading in the play-offs. The first leg saw them at home, where they overturned a half time deficit to win the game 2–1 and take a lead into the second leg. A tense 1–0 success at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a goal from substitute Alex Rae sent them into the final for the first time, breaking a run of three successive losses in away legs.

The final was staged at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where Wolves met Sheffield United. The Blades had had a strong season, being positioned in the play-off zone almost throughout and reaching the semi-finals of both the FA Cup[8] and League Cup.[9] Wolves won the game decisively with three first-half goals by Mark Kennedy, Nathan Blake and top goalscorer Kenny Miller bringing a 3–0 triumph, preserved by goalkeeper Matt Murray who saved a second half penalty from Michael Brown as part of a man of the match performance.

Promotion ended a 19-year absence from the top level of English football for the club and a fourteen-year stay in the same division. It also brought owner Sir Jack Hayward his dream of Premier League football at his 13th attempt. Three days later Hayward joined in a bus parade through Wolverhampton city centre to Molineux to celebrate the triumph.[10] 0

Results

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Pre season

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Wolves' pre season saw them spend a week in Cascais, Portugal (15–22 July), training and playing two Portuguese sides. As had become common in recent years, only their final game was held at their Molineux home.

13 July 2002 Kettering Town 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Kettering
15:00 BST Report Newton   57' Stadium: Rockingham Road
Attendance: 988
13 July 2002 Morecambe 3–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Morecambe
15:00 BST Black   57'
Bentley   59', 72'
Report Cameron   9'
Sturridge   30'
Jones   87'
Stadium: Christie Park
Referee: Lee Mason
18 July 2002 Sporting CP 5–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Alcochete, Portugal
18:30 BST Luís Filipe   5'
Pollet   58' (o.g.)
Niculae   68' (pen.)
Rui Bento   71'
Toñito   83'
Report Newton   78' Stadium: Academia Sporting
Attendance: 400
Referee: Bruno Paixão
21 July 2002 Marítimo 1–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Rio Maior, Portugal
19:00 BST Quim   50' Report Stadium: Municipal Sports Complex
Referee: Olegário Benquerença

A second string Wolves side also played: 2–0 v Kidderminster Harriers (24 July), 4–0 v Worcester City (1 August) and 0–0 v Burton Albion (6 August)

Football League First Division

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A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League First Division in the 2002–03 season. Each team played every other team twice: once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats.

The provisional fixture list was released on 13 June 2002, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.[11]

11 August 2002 1 Bradford City 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Bradford
16:30 BST Report Stadium: Bradford & Bingley Stadium
Attendance: 13,223 (1,763 away fans)
Referee: Colin Webster
14 August 2002 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Walsall Wolverhampton
19:45 BST Cameron   11', 55'
Newton   86'
Report Herivelto   68' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,904 (2,982 away fans)
Referee: Mike Jones
17 August 2002 3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0 Burnley Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Blake   2'
Irwin   49'
Cooper   88'
Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,031 (1,259 away fans)
Referee: Jeff Winter
24 August 2002 4 Derby County 1–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers Derby
15:00 BST Christie   45' Report Rae   19', 88'
Cooper   77'
Miller   90+2'
Stadium: Pride Park
Attendance: 29,954 (3,500 away fans)
Referee: Alan Kaye
27 August 2002 5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–2 Sheffield Wednesday Wolverhampton
19:45 BST Blake   60'
Sturridge   68'
Report Kuqi   9', 63' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,096 (997 away fans)
Referee: Mike Pike
31 August 2002 6 Wimbledon 3–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 BST Shipperley   4', 77'
Gray   54'
Report Ingimarsson   15'
Sturridge   70'
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 3,223 (1,800 away fans)
Referee: Brian Curson
14 September 2002 7 Crystal Palace 4–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 BST Routledge   1'
Freedman   36', 62' (pen.)
Thomson   71'
Report Ingimarsson   31'
Blake   71'
Stadium: Selhurst Park
Attendance: 16,961 (1,820 away fans)
Referee: Lee Cable
21 September 2002 8 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–1 Reading Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Report Hughes   58' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,560 (1,721 away fans)
Referee: Michael Ryan
24 September 2002 9 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–0 Preston North End Wolverhampton
19:45 BST Blake   23', 85'
Sturridge   45'
Miller   86'
Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,695 (663 away fans)
Referee: Richard Beeby
28 September 2002 10 Leicester City 1–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Leicester
15:00 BST Dickov   6' (pen.) Report Stadium: Walkers Stadium
Attendance: 32,082 (3,300 away fans)
Referee: Mike Riley
5 October 2002 11 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–3 Sheffield United Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Ullathorne   35' (o.g.) Report Tonge   45+5', 50'
Allison   48'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 24,625 (1,500 away fans)
Referee: Paul Taylor
19 October 2002 12 Stoke City 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Stoke-on-Trent
17:35 BST Report Cameron   78'
Blake   90+3'
Stadium: Britannia Stadium
Attendance: 16,885 (2,007 away fans)
Referee: Mark Halsey
26 October 2002 13 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 Grimsby Town Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Irwin   30'
Miller   66'
Ndah   71'
Sturridge   90+4'
Report Kabba   2' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,875 (891 away fans)
Referee: Frazer Stretton
29 October 2002 14 Gillingham 0–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers Gillingham
19:45 GMT Report Cameron   28' (pen.)
Blake   45+2', 52', 59'
Stadium: Priestfield
Attendance: 10,036 (1,600 away fans)
Referee: Matt Messias
2 November 2002 15 Watford 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Watford
15:00 GMT Cox   66' Report Cooper   90+2' Stadium: Vicarage Road
Attendance: 16,524 (1,433 away fans)
Referee: Paul Armstrong
6 November 2002 16 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Portsmouth Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT Sturridge   62' Report Merson   56' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,022 (2,380 away fans)
Referee: Graham Salisbury
11 November 2002 17 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Brighton & Hove Albion Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT Miller   76' Report Zamora   15' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,016 (943 away fans)
Referee: Steve Baines
16 November 2002 18 Coventry City 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Coventry
15:00 GMT Report Lescott   38'
Rae   77'
Stadium: Highfield Road
Attendance: 18,998 (2,683 away fans)
Referee: Graham Laws
23 November 2002 19 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Nottingham Forest Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Miller   76'
Sturridge   80'
Report Harewood   45+3' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,953 (2,623 away fans)
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
30 November 2002 20 Rotherham United 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Rotherham
17:35 GMT Report Stadium: Millmoor
Attendance: 6,736 (1,935 away fans)
Referee: Paul Robinson
7 December 2002 21 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–0 Norwich City Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Cole   37' Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,753 (1,708 away fans)
Referee: Andy D'Urso
14 December 2002 22 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–2 Coventry City Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Report McAllister   8'
Partridge   65'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,577 (1,688 away fans)
Referee: Howard Webb
21 December 2002 23 Millwall 1–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers London
15:00 GMT Roberts   43' Report Kennedy   5' Stadium: The New Den
Attendance: 9,091 (0 away fans)
Referee: Clive Penton
26 December 2002 24 Burnley 2–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Burnley
15:00 GMT Taylor   24'
West   32'
Report Butler   85' Stadium: Turf Moor
Attendance: 18,641 (1,535 away fans)
Referee: Matt Messias
28 December 2002 25 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–2 Bradford City Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Ndah   54' Report Jørgensen   51'
Gray   59'
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,812 (930 away fans)
Referee: Anthony Bates
1 January 2003 26 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Derby County Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Ince   66' Report Christie   15' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,442 (2,190 away fans)
Referee: Neale Barry
11 January 2003 27 Walsall 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Walsall
15:00 GMT Report Ndah   64' Stadium: Bescot Stadium
Attendance: 11,037 (2,000 away fans)
Referee: Phil Dowd
18 January 2003 28 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Wimbledon Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Miller   43' Report Francis   46' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,716 (306 away fans)
Referee: Steve Tomlin
1 February 2003 29 Sheffield Wednesday 0–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers Sheffield
15:00 GMT Report Proudlock   24', 42'
Miller   67'
Sturridge   89'
Stadium: Hillsborough
Attendance: 21,381 (2,316 away fans)
Referee: Jeff Winter
8 February 2003 30 Brighton & Hove Albion 4–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Brighton
15:00 GMT Zamora   31'
Blackwell   45'
Brooker   47'
Hart   67'
Report Miller   65' Stadium: Withdean Stadium
Attendance: 6,754 (850 away fans)
Referee: Peter Walton
19 February 2003 31 Ipswich Town 2–4 Wolverhampton Wanderers Ipswich
19:45 GMT Bent   2'
Holland   45+1'
Report Miller   11', 63'
Naylor   74'
Ndah   81'
Stadium: Portman Road
Attendance: 27,700 (1,638 away fans)
Referee: Steve Bennett
22 February 2003 32 Preston North End 0–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Preston
15:00 GMT Report Ndah   53'
Miller   83'
Stadium: Deepdale
Attendance: 16,070 (2,796 away fans)
Referee: Paul Danson
25 February 2003 33 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Watford Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 24,591 (987 away fans)
Referee: Alan Kaye
1 March 2003 34 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–0 Crystal Palace Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Miller   40', 83', 90+3' (pen.)
Sturridge   77'
Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,010 (845 away fans)
Referee: Paul Robinson
5 March 2003 35 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Ipswich Town Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT Ince   48' Report Naylor   84' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 26,901 (1,500 away fans)
Referee: Mike Jones
12 March 2003 36 Reading 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Reading
20:00 GMT Report Miller   44' Stadium: Madejski Stadium
Attendance: 19,731 (2,686 away fans)
Referee: Richard Beeby
15 March 2003 37 Portsmouth 1–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Portsmouth
15:00 GMT Stone   4' Report Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 19,558 (1,300 away fans)
Referee: Phil Dowd
18 March 2003 38 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Stoke City Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,235 (1,384 away fans)
Referee: Jeff Winter
22 March 2003 39 Wolverhampton Wanderers 6–0 Gillingham Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Blake   16'
Cameron   22'
Kennedy   37', 45+3'
Miller   45+1', 48'
Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,171 (674 away fans)
Referee: Howard Webb
5 April 2003 40 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0–0 Rotherham United Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Cameron   88' Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 25,944 (774 away fans)
Referee: Andy Hall
8 April 2003 41 Grimsby Town 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Cleethorpes
19:45 BST Report Blake   13' Stadium: Blundell Park
Attendance: 4,983 (1,104 away fans)
Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme
11 April 2003 42 Nottingham Forest 2–2 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nottingham
19:45 BST Johnson   40'
Dawson   74'
Report Blake   9'
Cameron   26'
Stadium: City Ground
Attendance: 27,209 (2,100 away fans)
Referee: Tony Leake
19 April 2003 43 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–0 Millwall Wolverhampton
15:00 BST Newton   5', 80'
Cameron   78'
Report Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,015 (723 away fans)
Referee: Matt Messias
21 April 2003 44 Norwich City 0–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Norwich
17:35 BST Report Ndah   52'
Sturridge   74'
Miller   90+3'
Stadium: Carrow Road
Attendance: 20,843 (1,788 away fans)
Referee: Clive Wilkes
26 April 2003 45 Sheffield United 3–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Sheffield
15:00 BST Peschisolido   2', 90+2'
Brown   55' (pen.)
Report Ndah   10'
Sturridge   45+4', 61' (pen.)
Stadium: Bramall Lane
Attendance: 22,211 (2,523 away fans)
Referee: Paul Robinson
4 May 2003 46 Wolverhampton Wanderers 1–1 Leicester City Wolverhampton
13:30 BST Miller   57' Report Benjamin   86' (pen.) Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,190 (3,000 away fans)
Referee: Graham Laws

Final table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Portsmouth 46 29 11 6 97 45 +52 98
2 Leicester City 46 26 14 6 73 40 +33 92
3 Sheffield United 46 23 11 12 72 52 +20 80
4 Reading 46 25 4 17 61 46 +15 79
5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 46 20 16 10 81 44 +37 76
6 Nottingham Forest 46 20 14 12 82 50 +32 74
7 Ipswich Town 46 19 13 14 80 64 +16 70

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 20 16 10 81 44  +37 76 9 10 4 40 19  +21 11 6 6 41 25  +16

Source: Statto.com

Results by round

Round12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940414243444546
ResultDWWWDLLLWLLWWWDDDWWDWLDLLDWDWLWWDWDWLDWDWDWWDD
Position1153124101491014121189996586779101088676654666566555455
Source: Statto.com
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Play-offs

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10 May 2003 SF1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Reading Wolverhampton
17:30 BST Murty   75' (o.g.)
Naylor   84'
Report Forster   25' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,678 (4,500 away fans)
Referee: Alan Kaye
14 May 2003 SF2 Reading 0–1
(1–3 agg.)
Wolverhampton Wanderers Reading
19:45 BST Report Rae   81' Stadium: Madejski Stadium
Attendance: 24,060 (4,000 away fans)
Referee: Howard Webb
26 May 2003 Final Sheffield United 0–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Cardiff
15:00 BST Report Kennedy   6'
Blake   22'
Miller   45'
Stadium: Millennium Stadium
Attendance: 69,473 (33,500 Wolves)
Referee: Steve Bennett

FA Cup

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5 January 2003 R3 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 Newcastle United Wolverhampton
16:00 GMT Ince   6'
Kennedy   28'
Ndah   49'
Report Jenas   40'
Shearer   43' (pen.)
Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 27,316 (3,000 away fans)
Referee: Rob Styles
25 January 2003 R4 Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–1 Leicester City Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT Ndah   5', 45'
Miller   51', 71'
Report Dickov   29' (pen.) Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,164 (2,998 away fans)
Referee: Mike Dean
16 February 2003 R5 Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–1 Rochdale Wolverhampton
19:00 GMT Ndah   32'
Miller   79'
Proudlock   90+2'
Report Melaugh   52' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 23,921 (3,432 away fans)
Referee: Uriah Rennie
9 March 2003 QF Southampton 2–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers Southampton
16:00 GMT Marsden   56'
Butler   81' (o.g.)
Report Stadium: St Mary's Stadium
Attendance: 31,715 (3,900 away fans)
Referee: Andy D'Urso

League Cup

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11 September 2002 R1 Swansea City 2–3 Wolverhampton Wanderers Swansea
19:45 BST Thomas   8'
Wood   22'
Report Blake   16'
Pollet   34'
Rae   78'
Stadium: Vetch Field
Attendance: 4,799 (835 away fans)
Referee: Scott Mathieson
1 October 2002 R2 Rotherham United 4–4 (a.e.t.)
(4 - 2 p)
Wolverhampton Wanderers Rotherham
19:45 BST Barker   5', 93'
Robins   78' (pen.)
Swailes   86'
Report Newton   45' (pen.)
Miller   58'
Rae   70'
Scott   120' (o.g.)
Stadium: Millmoor
Attendance: 5,064 (988 away fans)
Referee: Phil Prosser
Penalties
Robins  
Swailes  
Bryan  
Hurst  
Mullin  
  Sturridge
  Blake
  Newton
  Irwin

Players

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Statistics

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Key:
  ‡ On loan from another club   * First appearance(s) for the club

Correct as of the season's end. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.

No.PosNamePGPGPGPGPG     Notes
League FA CupLeague CupPlayoffsTotalDiscipline
1 GK   Michael Oakes 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
2 DF   Sean Connelly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 DF   Lee Naylor 31(1) 1 4 0 2 0 3 1 40(1) 2 1 0
4 MF   Alex Rae 30(8) 3 0(2) 0 2 2 0(1) 1 32(11) 6 9 0
5 DF   Joleon Lescott 44 0 4 0 1 0 3 0 52 0 1 0
6 DF   Paul Butler 31(1) 0 4 0 2 0 3 0 40(1) 0 10 0
7 MF   Shaun Newton 29(4) 3 4 0 2 1 2(1) 0 37(5) 4 5 0
8 DF   Denis Irwin 43 2 4 0 1(1) 0 3 0 51(1) 2 6 0
9 FW   Nathan Blake 22(1) 12 1 0 2 1 3 1 28(1) 14 6 1
10 MF   Colin Cameron 29(4) 7 4 0 0 0 3 0 36(4) 7 3 0
11 MF   Mark Kennedy 30(1) 3 4 1 0 0 3 1 37(1) 5 4 0
12 FW   Adam Proudlock ¤ 2(15) 2 0(3) 1 0(1) 0 0(1) 0 2(20) 3 1 0
13 GK   Matt Murray 40 0 4 0 1 0 3 0 48 0 0 0
14 DF   Ludovic Pollet ¤ 2(0) 0 0 0 1 1 0(1) 0 3(1) 1 1 0
15 MF   Kevin Cooper 13(13) 3 0(1) 0 0 0 0(1) 0 13(15) 3 5 0
16 FW   Kenny Miller 35(8) 19 4 3 1(1) 1 3 1 43(9) 24 5 0
17 DF   Mo Camara 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 FW   George Ndah 17(8) 7 3 4 1 0 1 0 22(8) 11 7 0
19 MF   Keith Andrews 2(7) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3(7) 0 1 0
20 FW   Michael Branch ¤ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
21 DF   Ívar Ingimarsson ¤ 10(3) 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 12(3) 2 2 0
23 MF   Paul Ince (c) 35(2) 2 4 1 1(1) 0 3 0 43(3) 3 13 0
24 DF   Marc Edworthy 18(4) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 19(4) 0 3 0
29 FW   Dean Sturridge 17(22) 10 0(1) 0 0(1) 0 0(3) 0 17(27) 10 4 0
30 GK   Ian Feuer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 DF   Mark Clyde ¤ 15(2) 0 0(1) 0 0 0 0 0 15(3) 0 1 0
32 MF   John Melligan ¤ 0(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0(2) 0 0 0
33 MF   Graham Ward 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
34 MF   Sammy Clingan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 DF   Kenny Coleman ¤ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
36 GK   Lewis Solly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 GK   Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
39 FW   Carlton Cole 5(2) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5(2) 1 0 0

Awards

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Award Winner[12]
Fans' Player of the Season Joleon Lescott
Young Player of the Season Matt Murray

Transfers

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Date Player From Fee
1 July 2002   Ívar Ingimarsson Unattached Free[13]
23 July 2002   Denis Irwin Unattached Free[2]
6 August 2002   Paul Ince Unattached Free[1]
23 August 2002   Marc Edworthy Unattached Free[14]
18 September 2002   Ian Feuer Unattached Non-contract[15]
26 February 2003   Adam Federici Unattached End of season[16]
Date Player To Fee
June 2002   Andy Sinton Released Free[17]
June 2002   Carl Robinson Released Free
1 July 2002   Kevin Muscat   Rangers Free[18]
11 July 2002   Darren Bazeley Released Free[19]
2 August 2002   Colin Larkin Mansfield Town £120,000[20]
28 September 2002   Ian Feuer Released Free[21]
10 October 2002   Sean Connelly Released Free[22]
28 March 2003   Lewis Solly Bury Free[23]

Loans in

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Start date Player From End date
28 November 2002   Carlton Cole Chelsea 3 January 2003[3]

Loans out

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Start date Player To End date
1 July 2002   Cédric Roussel   Mons End of season[24]
12 September 2002   Mark Clyde Kidderminster Harriers 12 October 2002[25]
12 September 2002   John Melligan Kidderminster Harriers 4 May 2003[25]
4 October 2002   Michael Branch Hull City 3 December 2002[26]
10 October 2002   Kenny Coleman Kidderminster Harriers End of season[27]
25 October 2002   Adam Proudlock Tranmere Rovers 25 November 2002[28]
14 November 2002   Ludovic Pollet Walsall 1 January 2003[29]
13 December 2002   Adam Proudlock Sheffield Wednesday 7 January 2003[30]
10 February 2003   Ívar Ingimarsson Brighton & Hove Albion 4 May 2003[31]

The season saw new home and away kits, manufactured by Admiral.[32] The home strip reverted to a lighter gold colour after two years wearing a darker "old gold" style, while the away kit returned to the club's traditional all-white look.[33] After twelve seasons sponsored by Goodyear, the club signed a two-year deal with Doritos.[34]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ince agrees Wolves move". BBC Sport. 6 August 2002.
  2. ^ a b "Irwin joins Wolves". BBC Sport. 23 July 2002.
  3. ^ a b "Cole joins Wolves on loan". BBC Sport. 28 November 2002.
  4. ^ "Targeted Jones has Molineux agenda revised". Birmingham Post. 2 January 2003.
  5. ^ "Don't air this dirty linen in public, Sir Jack". Sunday Mercury. 5 January 2003.
  6. ^ "Wonderers! Wolves savage Toon and save Jones' job". The Mirror. 6 January 2003.
  7. ^ "Rotherham 2-1 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 21 April 2003.
  8. ^ "Arsenal sink brave Blades". BBC Sport. 13 April 2003.
  9. ^ "Liverpool conquer brave Blades". BBC Sport. 21 January 2003.
  10. ^ "Crowds hail Molineux heroes". wolves.co.uk. 29 May 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  11. ^ "Rams in Reading opener". BBC Sport. 13 June 2002.
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