Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. in their tenth season in the Scottish Football League competed in the Scottish First Division, Scottish League Cup, Scottish Challenge Cup and the Scottish Cup in season 2003–04. They won their first major trophy when they won the Challenge Cup beating Airdrie United in the final 2–0 with goals from Steve Hislop and David Bingham, and at the end of the season, they won the First Division Championship, securing promotion to the Scottish Premier League. However, SPL rules at that time stated that all member clubs must have a stadium with a minimum capacity of 10,000 seats. Caledonian Stadium did not and this left the club's board with a dilemma: either to stay in the First Division like Falkirk the previous season or to groundshare with Aberdeen's Pittodrie Stadium, over 100 miles (160 km) away. After consulting with supporters, the board decided the sacrifice of one season in Aberdeen would be worthwhile for Premier League football.
| 2003-04 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | John Robertson |
| Scottish First Division | 1st - Winners |
| Scottish Cup | Semi-final |
| Scottish League Cup | 1st Round |
| Scottish Challenge Cup | Winners |
| Top goalscorer | League: Paul Ritchie (14) All: Paul Ritchie (23) |
| Highest home attendance | 6,092 vs. St Johnstone, 15 May 2004 |
| Lowest home attendance | 667 vs. Queen's Park, 2 September 2003 |
Results
editScottish First Division
edit| Match Day | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | ICT Scorer(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 August | Falkirk | A | 1-2 | McCaffrey | 2,596 |
| 2 | 16 August | Clyde | H | 0–0 | 1,839 | |
| 3 | 23 August | St Johnstone | A | 2–1 | Bingham, Hislop | 3,031 |
| 4 | 30 August | Ross County | A | 1–1 | Mann | 5,020 |
| 5 | 13 September | Ayr United | A | 1–0 | Ritchie | 1,476 |
| 6 | 20 September | Brechin City | A | 2–0 | McBain, Ritchie | 652 |
| 7 | 27 September | St Mirren | H | 2–0 | Ritchie, McCaffrey | 1,896 |
| 8 | 4 October | Raith Rovers | H | 2–1 | Tokely, McCaffrey | 1,707 |
| 9 | 18 October | Queen of the South | A | 2–3 | Ritchie, Bingham | 3,547 |
| 10 | 1 November | Falkirk | H | 1–2 | Hughes (own goal) | 2,223 |
| 11 | 5 November | Clyde | A | 0–1 | 765 | |
| 12 | 8 November | Ayr United | A | 3–0 | Golabek, Hart, Hislop | 1,464 |
| 13 | 14 November | Ross County | H | 3–3 | Bingham, Hislop, Wilson | 3,523 |
| 14 | 22 November | St Mirren | A | 4–0 | Bingham (2), McBain (2) | 2,204 |
| 15 | 29 November | Brechin City | H | 5–0 | Tokely (2), Hislop, Keogh, Wilson | 1,393 |
| 16 | 6 December | Queen of the South | H | 4–1 | Hislop (2), McCaffrey, Wilson | 1,745 |
| 17 | 13 December | Raith Rovers | A | 3–1 | Munro, Bingham, Ritchie | 1,432 |
| 18 | 27 December | St Johnstone | H | 1-0 | Wilson | 2,949 |
| 19 | 3 January | Ross County | A | 0-1 | 6,120 | |
| 20 | 17 January | Ayr United | H | 2–1 | Ritchie, Bingham | 1,443 |
| 21 | 24 January | Brechin City | A | 4–2 | Thomson, Ritchie, Bingham, Duncan | 667 |
| 22 | 31 January | St Mirren | H | 1–1 | Bingham | 1,913 |
| 23 | 14 February | Raith Rovers | H | 3–0 | Bingham, Keogh, Wilson | 1,879 |
| 24 | 21 February | Queen of the South | A | 1–2 | Ritchie | 2,021 |
| 25 | 2 March | Falkirk | A | 1–2 | Ritchie | 2,268 |
| 26 | 13 March | St Johnstone | A | 2-3 | Ritchie (2) | 2,913 |
| 27 | 16 March | Clyde | H | 3–1 | Ritchie, Bingham, Wilson | 2,645 |
| 28 | 20 March | Ayr United | A | 1–1 | Wilson | 1,207 |
| 29 | 27 March | Ross County | H | 1–0 | Wilson | 4,019 |
| 30 | 3 April | St Mirren | A | 0–0 | Robson | 2,272 |
| 31 | 13 April | Brechin City | H | 1–0 | Robson | 1,248 |
| 32 | 17 April | Queen of the South | H | 4–1 | Hislop, Bingham, Wilson | 6,755 |
| 33 | 24 April | Raith Rovers | A | 1–0 | Ritchie | 1.748 |
| 34 | 1 May | Falkirk | H | 0–0 | 8,750 | |
| 35 | 8 May | Clyde | A | 2–1 | Keogh, Hislop | 4,850 |
| 36 | 15 May | St Johnstone | H | 3-1 | Bingham, Wilson, Ritchie | 6,092 |
Final League table
edit| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inverness CT (C, P) | 36 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 67 | 33 | +34 | 70 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Clyde | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 64 | 40 | +24 | 69 | |
| 3 | St Johnstone | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 59 | 45 | +14 | 57 | |
| 4 | Falkirk | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 43 | 37 | +6 | 55 | |
| 5 | Queen of the South | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 46 | 48 | −2 | 54 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Scottish League Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | ICT Scorer(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 2 September | Queen's Park | H | 1–2 | Ritchie | 968 |
Scottish Challenge Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | ICT Scorer(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | 2 August | Gretna | A | 5–0 | Hart (2), Bingham, Hislop, Ritchie | 528 |
| R2 | 12 August | Peterhead | A | 2–1 | Hislop (2) | 886 |
| QF | 26 August | Ross County | H | 1–0 | Hislop | 2,631 |
| SF | 16 September | Raith Rovers | A | 4–0 | Wilson (2), Ritchie (2) | 2,110 |
| Final | 20 April | Airdrie United | N | 2–0 | Bingham, Hislop | 5,428 |
Scottish Cup
edit| Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score | ICT Scorer(s) | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3 | 10 January | Brechin City | H | 5–1 | Ritchie (3), Bingham, McBain | 1,412 |
| R4 | 7 February | St Mirren | A | 1–0 | Thomson | 3,589 |
| QF | 6 March | Motherwell | A | 1–0 | Wilson | 7,930 |
| SF | 10 April | Dunfermline Athletic | N | 1–1 | Ritchie | 13,225 |
| SF R | 20 April | Dunfermline Athletic | N | 2–3 | Ritchie, Bingham | 5,728 |
Hat-tricks
edit| Player | Competition | Score | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Paul Ritchie
|
Scottish Cup | 5–1 | Brechin City | 10 January 2004 |