2002–03 Football Conference

The 2002–03 Football Conference season was the 24th season of the Football Conference.

Overview

This season the number of teams promoted to the Football League Division Three was increased from one to two, and play-offs were introduced to determine the second team to be promoted, along with the Conference champions. The bottom three, as usual, were relegated to either the Northern Premier League, the Southern Premier League or the Isthmian League.

Yeovil Town clinched the league title and won promotion to the Football League Division Three.

Doncaster Rovers also earned promotion to Division Three following their 3–2 play-off win over Dagenham & Redbridge, during extra time with a sudden death goal in the 110th minute.

The regular season began on 17 August 2002, and ended on 26 April 2003.

Changes since the previous season

Final league table

Football Conference
Season 2002–03[1][2]
Champions Yeovil Town (1st Football Conference title)
Direct promotion Yeovil Town
Promoted through play-offs Doncaster Rovers
FA Trophy winners Burscough
(Northern Premier League Premier Division) (1st FA Trophy title)
Relegated to Level 6 Kettering Town,
Nuneaton Borough,
Southport
Matches played 462
Goals scored 1342 (2.9 per match)
Top goalscorer Paul Barnes (Doncaster Rovers), 25
Biggest home win YeovilSouthport 6–0 (5 October 2002)
Biggest away win WokingMorecambe 0–6 (22 February 2003)
Highest scoring Burton AlbionTelford 4–7 (8 February 2003)
Longest winning run ?
Longest unbeaten run ?
Longest losing run ?
Highest attendance Yeovil Town v Chester City, 8,111 (26 April 2003)
Lowest attendance ?
Average attendance 1,616 (+ 18% compared with the previous season)
Pos Team Pld W D L F A W D L F A F A GD Pts Notes
1 Yeovil Town 42165054131263462410037+ 6395
2 Morecambe 421731521366934298642+ 4478
3 Doncaster Rovers 4211642817116445307347+ 2678
4 Chester City 4210653621116423105931+ 2875
5 Dagenham & Redbridge 421254382394833367159+ 1272
6 Hereford United 429573622102928296451+ 1364
7 Scarborough 421236412867822266354+ 964
8 Halifax Town 421155342875916235051– 164
9 Forest Green Rovers 4212364129551120336162– 159
10 Margate 428943224721228426066– 656
11 Barnet 429483228410733406568– 353
12 Stevenage Borough 427683125741030406155+ 652
13 Farnborough Town 428673729561020275756+ 151
14 Northwich Victoria 426510263477740386672– 651
15 Telford United 427212203375934365469– 1549
16 Burton Albion 426692531741027465277– 2549
17 Gravesend & Northfleet 428583735471025386273– 1148
18 Leigh RMI 428582634611418374471– 2748
19 Woking 428763035371122465281– 2947
20 Nuneaton Borough 429482732431424465178– 2746Relegated to Southern League
21 Southport 426873132541223375469– 1545Relegated to Northern Premier League
22 Kettering Town 4243142339441314343773– 3631Relegated to Isthmian League
Key
Football Conference Champions, promoted to Football League Division Three
Promoted to Football League Division Three through play-offs
Participated in play-offs
FA Trophy winners, Burscough (Northern Premier League Premier Division)
Conference League Cup; competition not held
Relegated from The Football League
New club in the Conference, see also Kettering Town
Relegated to Level 6

Locations

Locations of the Football Conference London teams 2002–2003

Results

Home ╲ Away BAR BRT CHED&RDONFARFGRGRNHALHERKETLEIMARMORNORNUNSCASOUSTBTELWOKYEO
Barnet 22 03 21 12 12 20 14 00 21 02 40 01 11 34 21 30 31 02 30 00 21
Burton Albion 03 20 00 12 20 23 11 22 20 20 01 01 14 11 10 11 10 12 47 02 11
Chester City 11 21 52 10 02 01 11 20 01 00 21 50 21 23 12 00 20 20 41 22 22
Dagenham & Redbridge 51 12 10 33 10 31 40 00 10 31 31 30 11 20 12 10 03 32 11 11 04
Doncaster Rovers 21 10 00 51 10 10 41 00 10 31 31 30 11 20 12 10 03 32 11 11 04
Farnborough Town 22 51 12 10 00 03 11 30 22 01 10 41 23 32 02 11 21 01 22 50 24
Forest Green Rovers 44 20 02 52 12 31 21 02 13 10 41 41 10 10 61 00 02 03 11 32 21
Gravesend & Northfleet 22 32 01 12 22 00 11 10 30 02 13 12 32 11 41 52 13 21 02 42 24
Halifax Town 24 01 00 33 21 10 11 21 10 40 10 22 10 05 31 21 34 10 20 11 23
Hereford United 40 40 00 21 24 21 11 30 11 20 01 23 12 12 21 01 02 22 20 50 00
Kettering Town 12 12 01 13 02 14 23 11 01 23 01 11 32 22 30 13 10 10 24 03 01
Leigh RMI 42 42 04 13 02 32 10 00 02 02 22 20 10 11 11 02 11 21 03 10 24
Margate 22 00 01 01 21 00 30 42 21 02 22 20 11 44 11 31 10 11 11 21 12
Morecambe 11 50 11 21 30 11 40 20 20 31 10 21 30 31 32 31 30 31 10 50 12
Northwich Victoria 11 13 11 02 12 22 21 12 02 22 12 01 10 32 31 02 21 11 21 13 12
Nuneaton Borough 32 12 10 13 03 02 32 01 20 03 10 01 32 11 14 11 32 30 10 11 10
Scarborough 11 41 01 01 25 10 30 32 01 21 41 20 32 10 41 41 22 12 14 11 21
Southport 21 22 13 23 04 00 22 11 20 12 00 42 02 23 11 10 11 32 11 51 01
Stevenage Borough 12 01 01 20 23 50 00 10 01 02 20 31 13 11 22 31 11 30 13 11 22
Telford United 21 02 01 12 44 02 01 21 12 01 20 11 10 03 10 12 02 20 13 10 05
Woking 00 22 10 00 22 11 10 23 21 12 21 30 15 06 23 21 21 11 15 30 11
Yeovil Town 00 61 11 22 11 20 10 22 30 40 40 31 21 20 21 32 10 60 21 30 40

Source: Soccerbase
1 ^ The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Play-offs

The Conference National play-offs determine the second team that will be promoted to the Football League Division Three. The teams placed second through fifth qualify for the play-offs. The semi-finals are played in a two-leg, home and away format, while the final is played as one leg, and this season it was held on 10 May 2003 at Britannia Stadium, Stoke, before a crowd of 13,092.

  Semi-finals
1st leg – 1 May 2003; 2nd leg – 5 May 2003
Final at Britannia Stadium,
Stoke-on-Trent 10 May 2003
                     
3rd  Doncaster Rovers (pen.) 1 1 2 (4)  
4th  Chester City 1 1 2 (3)  
    3rd  Doncaster Rovers (a.e.t., golden goal) 3
  5th  Dagenham & Redbridge 2
2nd  Morecambe 1 2 3 (2)
5th  Dagenham & Redbridge (pen.) 2 1 3 (3)  

Source:[1]

Top scorers in order of league goals

Rank Player Club League Play-offs FA Cup FA Trophy LDV Total
1 Paul Barnes Doncaster Rovers 25120028
2 Kirk Jackson Yeovil Town 24011127
3 Gregg Blundell Doncaster Rovers 20002022
4 Junior Agogo Barnet 20000020
5 Wayne Curtis Morecambe 18000018
6 Dino Maamria Stevenage Borough 17010018
= Daryl Clare Chester City 17000017
8 Mark Stein Dagenham & Redbridge 16302021
= Christian Moore Burton Albion 16020018
= Steve West Dagenham & Redbridge 16001017
= David Brown Telford United 16001017
12 Neil Grayson Forest Green Rovers 15005020
= Mark Quayle Chester City 15010016
14 Warren Patmore Woking 14002016
= Paul Moore Telford United 14001015
16 Kayode Odejayi Forest Green Rovers 13012016
= Lee Elam Morecambe 13011015
= Kevin Gall Yeovil Town 13001014
= Steve Guinan Hereford United 13000013

Source:[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2003–2004. Glenda Rollin & Jack Rollin (eds.), Headline, 2003.
  2. Soccerbase

External links

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