During the 2003–04 season,
Walsall participated in the
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was a division of the Football League in England from 1888 until 2004. It was the top division in the English football league system from the season 1888–89 until 1991–92, a century in which the First ...
.
Season summary
Walsall started the season strongly with 4–1 wins over local rivals
West Bromwich Albion and
Nottingham Forest, and on Boxing Day were four points off the play-offs. However, the club's form slumped in 2004, with the club not picking up another league win until March. Manager
Colin Lee
Colin Lee (born 12 June 1956) is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently head of football at South Dartmoor Community College in Ashburton, Devon along with Chris Beard.
Playing career
Lee began his football career ...
was sacked on 16 April, though the official reason given was that Lee had contacted Plymouth Argyle regarding their managerial vacancy.
Paul Merson was appointed temporary player-manager, assisted by fellow player
Simon Osborn. Ultimately, Walsall would be relegated on the last day of the season despite a 3–2 win over Rotherham United: an extra two goals scored during the campaign would have been enough for them to climb above Gillingham to safety. Despite the sorry end to the campaign,
Paul Merson was handed a permanent contract as manager.
Defender
Paul Ritchie was named as the club's Player of the Season, but returned to Scotland to play for Dundee United at the end of the season.
Final league table
Players
First-team squad
:''Squad at end of season''
Left club during season
Transfers
In
*
Paul Merson -
Portsmouth
*
Simon Osborn -
Gillingham, 3 July
*
Stefan Oakes
Stefan Trevor Oakes (born 6 September 1978) is an English former professional footballer, who notably represented Leicester City in the Premier League during a career which began in 1998 and ended in 2013.
Career Leicester City
Oakes was born i ...
-
Leicester City, 3 July
*
Paul Ritchie -
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, August, free
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2003-04 Walsall F.C. season
Walsall F.C. seasons
Walsall