2003–04 Reading F.C. season
# 2003–04 Reading F.C. season

The 2003–04 season was Reading's second consecutive season in the First Division, after promotion from the Second Division in 2002.

## Squad

    As of match played 9 May 2004

| No. | Name | Position | Date of birth (Age) | Signed from | Signed in | Contract ends | Apps. | Goals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Marcus Hahnemann | GK | (1972-06-15)15 June 1972 (aged 31) | Fulham | 2002 | | 92 | 0 |
| 21 | Jamie Ashdown | GK | (1980-11-30)30 November 1980 (aged 23) | Academy | 1998 | | 15 | 0 |
| 22 | Kelvin Jack | GK | (1976-04-29)29 April 1976 (aged 28) | Unattached | 2004 | 2004 | 0 | 0 |
| 26 | Jamie Young | GK | (1985-08-25)25 August 1985 (aged 18) | Youth team | 2002 | | 1 | 0 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Graeme Murty | DF | (1974-11-13)13 November 1974 (aged 29) | York City | 1998 | | 197 | 1 |
| 3 | Nicky Shorey | DF | (1981-02-19)19 February 1981 (aged 23) | Leyton Orient | 2001 | | 127 | 4 |
| 5 | Steve Brown | DF | (1972-05-13)13 May 1972 (aged 31) | Charlton Athletic | 2002 | | 47 | 1 |
| 6 | Dean Gordon | DF | (1973-02-10)10 February 1973 (aged 31) | on loan from Coventry City | 2004 | 2004 | 3 | 0 |
| 8 | Ady Williams | DF | (1971-08-16)16 August 1971 (aged 32) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2000 | | | |
| 16 | Ívar Ingimarsson | DF | (1977-08-20)20 August 1977 (aged 26) | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2003 | 2006 | 28 | 1 |
| 35 | Ahmet Rifat | DF | (1986-01-03)3 January 1986 (aged 18) | Academy | 2003 | | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | Peter Castle | DF | (1987-03-12)12 March 1987 (aged 17) | Academy | 2003 | | 1 | 0 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 4 | Kevin Watson | MF | (1974-01-03)3 January 1974 (aged 30) | Rotherham United | 2003 | | 70 | 2 |
| 11 | Andy Hughes | MF | (1978-01-02)2 January 1978 (aged 26) | Notts County | 2001 | | 137 | 13 |
| 14 | Steve Sidwell | MF | (1982-12-14)14 December 1982 (aged 21) | Arsenal | 2003 | | 63 | 11 |
| 15 | James Harper | MF | (1980-11-09)9 November 1980 (aged 23) | Arsenal | 2001 | | 129 | 5 |
| 17 | John Salako | MF | (1969-02-11)11 February 1969 (aged 35) | Charlton Athletic | 2001 | | 121 | 14 |
| 18 | Andre Boucaud | MF | (1984-10-10)10 October 1984 (aged 19) | Academy | 2002 | | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Joe Gamble | MF | (1982-01-14)14 January 1982 (aged 22) | Cork City | 2000 | | 13 | 0 |
| 25 | Ricky Newman | MF | (1970-08-05)5 August 1970 (aged 33) | Millwall | 2000 | | 118 | 2 |
| 27 | Darren Campbell | MF | (1986-04-16)16 April 1986 (aged 18) | Academy | 2003 | | 1 | 0 |
| 30 | Omar Daley | MF | (1981-04-25)25 April 1981 (aged 23) | on loan from Portmore United | 2003 | 2004 | 7 | 0 |
| 31 | Mark Uliano | MF | | | 2003 | | 0 | 0 |
| 32 | Louie Soares | MF | (1985-01-08)8 January 1985 (aged 19) | Academy | 2003 | | 0 | 0 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Shaun Goater | FW | (1970-02-25)25 February 1970 (aged 34) | Manchester City | 2003 | 2006 | 38 | 14 |
| 10 | Nicky Forster | FW | (1973-09-08)8 September 1973 (aged 30) | Birmingham City | 1999 | | 181 | 58 |
| 12 | Dave Kitson | FW | (1980-01-21)21 January 1980 (aged 24) | Cambridge United | 2003 | | 17 | 5 |
| 20 | Bas Savage | FW | (1982-01-07)7 January 1982 (aged 22) | Academy | 2001 | | 18 | 0 |
| 23 | Dean Morgan | FW | (1983-10-03)3 October 1983 (aged 20) | Colchester United | 2003 | | 15 | 1 |
| 29 | Andre Fashanu | FW | (1984-05-14)14 May 1984 (aged 19) | Academy | 2003 | | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | Lloyd Owusu | FW | (1976-12-12)12 December 1976 (aged 27) | Sheffield Wednesday | 2004 | | 16 | 4 |
| Out on loan ||||||||||
| Left during the season ||||||||||
| 6 | John Mackie | DF | (1976-07-05)5 July 1976 (aged 27) | Sutton United | 1999 | | 85 | 3 |
| 7 | Scott Murray | MF | (1974-05-26)26 May 1974 (aged 29) | Bristol City | 2004 | | 40 | 5 |
| 16 | Martin Butler | FW | (1974-09-15)15 September 1974 (aged 29) | Cambridge United | 2000 | | 118 | 36 |
| 22 | Nathan Tyson | FW | (1982-05-04)4 May 1982 (aged 22) | Academy | 1999 | | 41 | 1 |
| 24 | Darius Henderson | FW | (1981-09-07)7 September 1981 (aged 22) | Academy | 1999 | | 83 | 15 |
| 24 | Paul Brooker | MF | (1976-11-25)25 November 1976 (aged 27) | on loan from Leicester City | 2003 | 2004 | 11 | 0 |

* ↑ Age as of the end of the season
* ↑ Jamie Young was born in Brisbane, Australia, and but qualified to represent England, represent England at U18, U19 and U20 level.
* ↑ Graeme Murty was born in Nunthorpe, England, but qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Scotland in 2004.
* ↑ Ady Williams was born in Reading, England, but also qualified to represent Wales internationally, making his international debut for Wales in 1994.
* ↑ John Salako was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, but also qualified to represent England internationally, making his international debut for England in 1991.
* ↑ Andre Boucaud was born in Enfield, England, and but chose to represent Trinidad and Tobago, qualifying through his parents. Boucaud represented Trinidad and Tobago 13 days after being released by Reading in 2004.
* ↑ Darren Campbell was born in Cambridge, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally through his parents.Campbell represented the England U-17's in 2002 and then the Scotland U-17 team 2003.
* ↑ Louie Soares was born in Reading, England, and but chose to represent Barbados, qualifying through his parents. Soares went on to represent Barbados in 2007.
* ↑ Lloyd Owusu was born in Slough, England, but qualified to represent Ghana internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Ghana in 2005.

### 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 |
| - | - | - | - |
| 6 | DF | ENG | John Mackie (to Leyton Orient) |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Scott Murray (to Bristol City) |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Martin Butler (to Rotherham United) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | FW | ENG | Nathan Tyson (to Wycombe Wanderers) |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Darius Henderson (to Gillingham) |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Paul Brooker (loan return to Leicester City) |

## Transfers

### In

| Date | Position | Name | From | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 8 July 2003 | MF | Scott Murray | Bristol City | £650,000 |
| 1 August 2003 | FW | Shaun Goater | Manchester City | £500,000 |
| 23 October 2003 | DF | Ívar Ingimarsson | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £175,000 |
| 27 November 2003 | FW | Dean Morgan | Colchester United | Free |
| 26 December 2003 | FW | Dave Kitson | Cambridge United | £150,000 |
| 24 March 2004 | GK | Kelvin Jack | Unattached | Free |
| 11 March 2004 | FW | Lloyd Owusu | Sheffield Wednesday | Free |

### Loan in

| Start date | Position | Name | From | End date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 21 August 2003 | MF | Omar Daley | Portmore United | 10 May 2004 |
| 23 December 2003 | FW | Lloyd Owusu | Sheffield Wednesday | 11 March 2004 |
| 19 November 2003 | FW | Paul Brooker | Leicester City | 27 March 2004 |
| 23 March 2004 | DF | Dean Gordon | Coventry City | End of season |

### Out

| Date | Position | Name | To | Fee |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 July 2003 | MF | Sammy Igoe | Swindon Town | Free |
| 5 July 2003 | FW | Jamie Cureton | Busan IPark | Free |
| 4 August 2003 | GK | Phil Whitehead | Tamworth | Free |
| 15 August 2003 | MF | Tony Rougier | Brentford | Free |
| 29 August 2003 | FW | Martin Butler | Rotherham United | £150,000 |
| 2 January 2004 | FW | Darius Henderson | Gillingham | Nominal |
| 2 January 2004 | DF | John Mackie | Leyton Orient | Free |
| 12 March 2004 | FW | Nathan Tyson | Wycombe Wanderers | Nominal |
| 25 March 2004 | MF | Scott Murray | Bristol City | |

### Released

| Date | Position | Name | Joined | Date |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 10 May 2004 | MF | Joe Gamble | Cork City | |
| 10 May 2004 | MF | Andre Boucaud | Peterborough United | 14 May 2004 |
| 30 June 2004 | GK | Jamie Ashdown | Portsmouth | |
| 30 June 2004 | DF | Steve Brown | Retired | Retired |
| 30 June 2004 | MF | Kevin Watson | Colchester United | |
| 30 June 2004 | MF | John Salako | Brentford | |

## Competitions

### Overview

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| First Division | 9 August 2003 | 9 May 2004 | Matchday 1 | 9th | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 57 | −2 | 043.48 |
| FA Cup | 3 January 2004 | 13 January 2004 | Third round | Third round | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 000.00 |
| League Cup | 13 August 2003 | 3 December 2003 | First round | Fourth round | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | +4 | 075.00 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 52 | 23 | 11 | 18 | 66 | 65 | +1 | 044.23 |

Last updated: 9 May 2004 Source: Competitions

### First Division

**Results summary**

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 7 | Wigan Athletic | 46 | 18 | 17 | 11 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 71 | |
| 8 | Sheffield United | 46 | 20 | 11 | 15 | 65 | 56 | +9 | 71 | |
| 9 | Reading | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 55 | 57 | −2 | 70 | |
| 10 | Millwall | 46 | 18 | 15 | 13 | 55 | 48 | +7 | 69 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 11 | Stoke City | 46 | 18 | 12 | 16 | 58 | 55 | +3 | 66 | |

* ↑ Since the FA Cup winners Manchester United qualified for the Champions League, their place in the UEFA Cup went to Millwall, who were the FA Cup runners-up.

## Squad statistics

    As of match played 9 May 2004

### Appearances and goals

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | First Division | First Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | USA | Marcus Hahnemann | 42 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | SCO | Graeme Murty | 42 | 0 | 37+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Nicky Shorey | 41 | 2 | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | MF | ENG | Kevin Watson | 25 | 0 | 10+12 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Brown | 22 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Dean Gordon | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | WAL | Ady Williams | 38 | 1 | 33 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | BER | Shaun Goater | 38 | 14 | 30+4 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Nicky Forster | 34 | 11 | 28+2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Andy Hughes | 48 | 3 | 42+1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | ENG | Dave Kitson | 17 | 5 | 10+7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | ENG | Steve Sidwell | 48 | 9 | 43 | 8 | 1+1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | ENG | James Harper | 43 | 1 | 35+4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ISL | Ívar Ingimarsson | 28 | 1 | 24+1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | ENG | John Salako | 43 | 4 | 32+5 | 3 | 0+2 | 0 | 3+1 | 1 |
| 20 | FW | ENG | Bas Savage | 17 | 0 | 6+9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | GK | ENG | Jamie Ashdown | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Dean Morgan | 15 | 1 | 3+10 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | ENG | Ricky Newman | 35 | 0 | 25+5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 26 | GK | ENG | Jamie Young | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | MF | JAM | Omar Daley | 7 | 0 | 0+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | ENG | Lloyd Owusu | 16 | 4 | 11+5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Players who appeared for Reading but left during the season: ||||||||||||
| 6 | DF | ENG | John Mackie | 10 | 1 | 7+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | SCO | Scott Murray | 40 | 5 | 25+9 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 16 | FW | ENG | Martin Butler | 3 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | ENG | Nathan Tyson | 9 | 0 | 0+8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | ENG | Darius Henderson | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | ENG | Paul Brooker | 11 | 0 | 5+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Goal scorers

| Place | Position | Number | Name | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | FW | 9 | Shaun Goater | 12 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | FW | 10 | Nicky Forster | 7 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| 3 | MF | 14 | Steve Sidwell | 8 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 4 | FW | 12 | Dave Kitson | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | DF | 7 | Scott Murray | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 6 | FW | 31 | Lloyd Owusu | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | MF | 17 | John Salako | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 8 | MF | 11 | Andy Hughes | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 9 | DF | 3 | Nicky Shorey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | MF | 15 | James Harper | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 11 | FW | 23 | Dean Morgan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | DF | 8 | Ady Williams | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | FW | 6 | John Mackie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 11 | DF | 16 | Ivar Ingimarsson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| | | | TOTALS | 55 | 2 | 7 | 64 |

### Clean sheets

| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | First Division | FA Cup | League Cup | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | GK | | 1 | Marcus Hahnemann | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Disciplinary record

| Number | Position | Name | First Division | First Division | FA Cup | FA Cup | League Cup | League Cup | Total | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 | DF | Graeme Murty | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | Nicky Shorey | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 4 | MF | Kevin Watson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | Steve Brown | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 7 | MF | Scott Murray | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | DF | Ady Williams | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | Shaun Goater | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | Nicky Forster | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | MF | Andy Hughes | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 12 | FW | Dave Kitson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | Steve Sidwell | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 15 | MF | James Harper | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | Ivar Ingimarsson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | FW | Bas Savage | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 25 | MF | Ricky Newman | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 31 | FW | Lloyd Owusu | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Players who left Reading during the season: ||||||||||||
| 6 | DF | John Mackie | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | | TOTALS | 45 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 49 | 4 |
