2002–03 FC Oțelul Galați season
# 2002–03 FC Oțelul Galați season

In the summer of 2002, coach Marius Lăcătuş refused to extend his contract saying that he is unhappy with the current financial situation at Oțelul and left the team. Soon after, many players whose contracts were expiring also left the team. They were joined by vice-president Mihai Stoica, who signed for Steaua. President Ion Ionică appointed Costel Orac as the new manager. Later in that summer, Igor Pîrvu is named as the new president of the club.

## Competitions

### Divizia A

Although at the end of the season they had to compete in a playout match in order to remain in Divizia A, which they lost, Oțelul still managed to keep their place in the first league due to the merger of Divizia A team Astra Ploieşti and the newly promoted Petrolul Ploieşti, which resulted in the creation of FC Petrolul Ploieşti, thus freeing a spot.

**League table**

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 11 | Argeș Pitești | 30 | 11 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 41 | −4 | 38 | |
| 12 | Bacău | 30 | 10 | 8 | 12 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 38 | |
| 13 | Oțelul Galați | 30 | 9 | 9 | 12 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 36 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 14 | Politehnica AEK Timișoara | 30 | 11 | 2 | 17 | 37 | 52 | −15 | 35 | Qualification to relegation play-offs |
| 15 | Sportul Studențesc București (R) | 30 | 9 | 4 | 17 | 44 | 55 | −11 | 31 | Relegation to Divizia B |

* 1 2 ARG 3-1 BAC; BAC 2-3 ARG

**Results by round**

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Ground | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | W | L | W | D | W | W | D | L | L | D | L | W | L | W | L | D | D | L | W | L | D | L | D | L | D | L | L | W | W | D |
| Position | 3 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 |

**Results summary**

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

## Players

### Squad statistics

| | | | | Total | Total | Total | Divizia A | Divizia A | Cupa României | Cupa României | Relegation playoffs | Relegation playoffs |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | Sts | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls | App | Gls |
| – | | | Vieira | 1 | 7 | | 7 | | | | | |
| – | | | Apostol | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Apostu | | 3 | | 3 | | | | | |
| – | | | Badea | 26 | 29 | 1 | 27 | 1 | | | 2 | |
| – | | | Bar | 22 | 27 | | 25 | | | | 2 | |
| – | GK | | Borş | 12 | 13 | | 12 | | 1 | | | |
| – | FW | | Bucătaru | 11 | 21 | 3 | 20 | 3 | | | 1 | |
| – | | | Bucur | | 3 | | 2 | | | | 1 | |
| – | | | Cernat | 9 | 18 | | 15 | | 1 | | 2 | |
| – | | | Chiriţă | 1 | 3 | | 2 | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Cornea | 28 | 30 | 4 | 28 | 3 | | | 2 | 1 |
| – | | | Costea | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Dascălu | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | FW | | Guriţă | 30 | 31 | 9 | 29 | 8 | | | 2 | 1 |
| – | GK | | Iliuciuc | 21 | 21 | | 19 | | | | 2 | |
| – | | | Iordache | 28 | 28 | 2 | 26 | 2 | | | 2 | |
| – | | | Maleş | | 6 | | 6 | | | | | |
| – | | | Mărginean | 20 | 25 | | 24 | | | | 1 | |
| – | | | Minescu | 14 | 22 | | 21 | | | | 1 | |
| – | | | Miron | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Mogoş | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Murgoci | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Onuţa | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | FW | | Oprea | 22 | 25 | 4 | 23 | 4 | | | 2 | |
| – | CB | | Pelin | 28 | 28 | | 26 | | | | 2 | |
| – | | | Piana | 7 | 10 | | 10 | | | | | |
| – | | | Popa | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | FB | | Sârghi | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Mihai.C | | 7 | | 6 | | 1 | | | |
| – | | | Tănase | 28 | 28 | 2 | 26 | 1 | | | 2 | 1 |
| – | | | Tofan | 28 | 28 | 2 | 26 | 2 | | | 2 | |
| – | | | Toma | 19 | 26 | | 25 | | | | 1 | |
| – | | | Velescu | 1 | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |

## Transfers

### In

| No. | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving from | Type | Transfer window | Ends | Transfer fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| – | DF | Minescu | 31 | EU | Foresta Fălticeni | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | GK | Iliuciuc | | EU | Dinamo București | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | LM | Cornea | 20 | EU | Baia Mare | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | CB | Iordache | 21 | EU | Dinamo București | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | RB | Baldovin | 30 | EU | Universitatea Craiova | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | | Bar | | EU | Baia Mare | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | DM | Badea | 26 | EU | Dinamo București | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | DF | Chiriță | | EU | Radnički Kragujevac | Transfer | Summer | | Undisclosed |
| – | CB | Vieira | 28 | Non-EU | | Transfer | Winter | 2005 | Undisclosed |
| – | CB | Nițulescu | | EU | | Transfer | | | |
| – | CF | Piana | 21 | Non-EU | Troyes | Transfer | Winter | 2005 | Free |

### Out

| N | Pos. | Name | Age | EU | Moving to | Type | Transfer window | Transfer fee |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| – | LM | Boştină | 25 | EU | Steaua București | Transfer | Summer | Free |
| – | GK | Munteanu | 27 | EU | Dinamo București | Transfer | Summer | $ 100,000 |
| – | CB | Ghionea | 23 | EU | Steaua București | Transfer | Summer | $ 150,000 |
| – | RB | Ogăraru | 22 | EU | Steaua București | Loan end | Summer | – |
| – | DF | Dinu | | EU | Zimbru Chișinău | Transfer | Summer | Undisclosed |
| – | CM | Baştină | 29 | EU | Zimbru Chișinău | Transfer | Summer | Undisclosed |
| – | LB | Mozacu | 25 | EU | Brașov | Contract expired | Summer | – |
| – | CF | Andone | 27 | EU | Ferencváros | Contract expired | Summer | – |

EU = if holds or not a European Union passport; Country: when 2 flags, 1st flag = country that plays for internationally, 2nd flag = country of birth; N = number on jersey; P = Position (for position name, pause mouse pointer on abbreviation); Name = Name on jersey (for more extensive name, pause mouse pointer on name); Age = age on the day of the signing; Moving from = only indicate the club the player was playing before start playing for this club in this season, for the type of the moving see Status column; Moving to = only indicates the club the player is going to play next, for the type of the moving see Status column; Ends = when the player's current contract ends; n/a = Not applicable.

