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2003–04 Football Conference

Football Conference
Season2003–04[1][2]
ChampionsChester City (1st Football Conference title)
PromotedChester City,
Shrewsbury Town
Relegated to Conference North/Conference SouthMargate (South)
FoldedTelford United
Promoted for the next seasonCanvey Island,
Crawley Town
Matches played462
Goals scored1,343 (2.91 per match)
Top goalscorerDaryl Clare (Chester City), 29
Biggest home winHereford – Halifax 7–1 (25 November 2003)
Gravesend & Northfleet – Morecambe 6–0 (28 February 2004)
Biggest away winDagenham & Redbridge – Hereford 0–9 (27 February 2004)
Highest scoringDagenham & Redbridge – Hereford 0–9 (27 February 2004)
Longest winning run?
Longest unbeaten runChester City, 18 matches (26 Aug – 6 Dec)
Longest losing run?
Highest attendanceExeter City v Accrington Stanley, 8,256 (24 Apr)
Lowest attendanceMargate v Forest Green Rovers, 255 (4 April 2003)
Average attendance1,905 (+ 18% compared to the previous season)

The 2003–04 Football Conference season was the 25th season of the Football Conference and the last consisting of a single division. The top team and the winner of the play-offs were promoted to Football League Two, while this season only one team was relegated.

A total of 22 teams contest the division, including 17 sides from last season, two relegated from the Football League Two and winners of Northern Premier League, Southern Football League and Isthmian League.

Promotion and relegation

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Teams promoted from Northern Premier League

Teams promoted from Southern Football League

Teams promoted from Isthmian League

Teams relegated from Third Division

Overview

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Chester City clinched the league title and won promotion to Football League Two.

Shrewsbury Town also earned promotion to League Two following their 3–0 play-off win on penalties after a 1–1 draw with Aldershot Town.

No clubs were relegated on the basis of their performances, due to Margate being demoted, Telford folding and the winners and runners-up of the Unibond League not meeting the criteria for a place in the Football Conference.

Shrewsbury Town had the highest attendance, 84,150 in all, with an average of 4,007. Margate and Leigh RMI had the least spectators with 11,905 and 11,881, respectively, with an average of 567 and 566, respectively.

The total number of attendance was 880,220, yielding an average of 1905 per game, which was the all-time record for the Football Conference.[1]

The regular season began on 9 August 2003, and ended on 24 April 2004.

Final league table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or relegation
1 Chester City (C, P) 42 27 11 4 85 34 +51 92 Promotion to Football League Two
2 Hereford United 42 28 7 7 103 44 +59 91 Qualification for the Football Conference play-offs
3 Shrewsbury Town (O, P) 42 20 14 8 67 42 +25 74
4 Barnet 42 19 14 9 60 46 +14 71
5 Aldershot Town 42 20 10 12 80 67 +13 70
6 Exeter City 42 19 12 11 71 57 +14 69
7 Morecambe 42 20 7 15 66 66 0 67
8 Stevenage Borough 42 18 9 15 58 52 +6 63
9 Woking 42 15 16 11 65 52 +13 61
10 Accrington Stanley 42 15 13 14 68 61 +7 58
11 Gravesend & Northfleet 42 14 15 13 69 66 +3 57
12 Telford United 42 15 10 17 49 51 −2 55 Club folded
13 Dagenham & Redbridge 42 15 9 18 59 64 −5 54
14 Burton Albion 42 15 7 20 57 59 −2 51[a]
15 Scarborough 42 12 15 15 51 54 −3 51
16 Margate (R) 42 14 9 19 56 64 −8 51 Demoted to Conference South[b]
17 Tamworth 42 13 10 19 49 68 −19 49
18 Forest Green Rovers 42 12 12 18 58 80 −22 48
19 Halifax Town 42 12 8 22 43 65 −22 44
20 Farnborough Town 42 10 9 23 53 74 −21 39 Reprived from relegation[c]
21 Leigh RMI 42 7 8 27 46 97 −51 29
22 Northwich Victoria 42 4 11 27 30 80 −50 23
Source: [1][3]
(C) Champions; (O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Burton Albion were deducted 1 point for breaching rules.
  2. ^ Margate were demoted to Conference South due to ground concerns.
  3. ^ Farnborough Town, Leigh RMI, and Northwich Victoria were reprived from relegation due to the folding of Telford United, the demotion of Margate, and that the ground of Northern Premier League champions Hucknall Town did not meet Conference standards.

Locations

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Locations of the Football Conference 2003–04 teams
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Locations of the Football Conference London teams 2003–2004

Results

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Home \ Away ACC ALD BAR BRT CHE D&R EXE FAR FGR GRN HAL HER LEI MAR MOR NOR SCA SHR STB TAM TEL WOK
Accrington Stanley 4–2 2–0 3–1 0–2 2–3 1–2 3–1 4–1 3–3 2–1 2–0 4–1 3–2 1–0 2–2 1–0 0–1 2–1 3–0 1–5 3–3
Aldershot 2–1 1–1 3–1 1–1 2–1 2–1 2–0 3–0 2–2 3–1 1–2 2–0 0–2 2–2 4–3 1–2 1–1 2–0 1–1 3–1 2–1
Barnet 0–0 2–1 2–1 0–0 2–4 2–3 0–2 5–0 1–0 4–1 1–1 2–1 3–1 2–1 1–0 0–0 0–1 0–0 1–0 2–0 0–0
Burton Albion 1–1 1–4 2–3 1–1 0–1 3–4 1–0 2–3 3–0 2–2 4–1 3–2 0–1 0–1 0–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 0–1 2–1 2–0
Chester City 3–3 4–2 1–0 3–1 2–1 3–2 3–2 1–0 2–2 2–0 0–0 5–0 3–0 2–1 4–0 1–0 2–1 1–2 1–0 0–0 2–1
Dagenham & Redbridge 0–1 2–3 5–2 0–2 0–0 0–2 1–0 5–2 0–4 0–1 0–9 1–2 4–0 1–3 2–0 1–0 5–0 1–2 0–0 1–1 1–0
Exeter City 3–2 2–1 1–1 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1 0–1 3–2 1–1 4–0 2–0 0–0 3–2 1–0 3–2 0–3 1–2
Farnborough Town 1–1 4–0 1–1 2–1 1–2 2–2 1–2 1–3 1–2 1–0 0–5 1–1 1–1 2–4 2–0 1–2 1–3 2–0 3–3 2–1 1–0
Forest Green Rovers 2–1 3–1 1–1 1–1 2–1 1–3 2–5 1–1 1–2 1–2 1–7 2–2 1–2 1–2 0–0 4–0 1–1 3–1 2–1 0–0 2–2
Gravesend & Northfleet 0–0 1–3 1–1 1–2 0–4 1–2 3–2 2–0 1–1 1–0 2–5 3–1 2–1 6–0 2–2 1–1 0–3 2–3 2–0 1–2 2–2
Halifax Town 1–1 1–2 1–2 1–4 0–3 3–0 2–0 2–0 0–1 1–0 1–2 2–1 0–1 1–0 5–3 1–0 0–0 2–1 1–2 1–1 2–2
Hereford United 1–0 4–3 2–0 1–2 2–1 1–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 3–3 7–1 0–1 2–1 3–0 1–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 0–1 2–1 0–1
Leigh RMI 1–2 2–2 1–4 0–1 2–6 2–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–2 1–1 0–5 4–2 3–1 1–0 1–4 2–2 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–1
Margate 3–1 1–2 0–1 1–2 1–2 3–3 0–1 3–0 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–3 2–0 1–1 3–1 0–2 0–2 1–4 3–2 1–0 1–2
Morecambe 1–0 2–0 1–3 2–1 0–1 3–2 0–3 3–2 4–0 2–2 2–0 2–2 1–0 3–3 3–0 2–1 3–3 2–1 4–0 1–0 2–1
Northwich Victoria 3–3 1–1 1–1 1–2 0–4 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–4 0–0 0–1 1–5 0–1 0–3 1–1 1–1 0–2 1–2 1–0 1–0 1–4
Scarborough 2–1 1–0 2–2 1–2 2–2 0–0 2–3 2–1 2–2 2–0 1–0 3–3 4–1 0–1 1–0 1–0 1–1 2–2 0–1 1–1 2–2
Shrewsbury Town 0–0 1–2 0–1 1–0 0–0 2–1 2–2 3–0 2–0 1–1 2–0 4–1 3–1 1–1 2–0 3–1 4–1 3–1 3–1 0–0 1–0
Stevenage Borough 2–1 0–1 1–2 1–0 0–0 0–2 2–2 3–2 2–1 2–2 1–0 0–2 4–0 2–1 0–1 1–0 2–2 2–0 3–1 0–1 1–1
Tamworth 1–1 3–3 2–0 1–1 1–5 2–0 2–1 2–1 1–0 1–3 2–0 1–3 4–3 1–1 2–3 2–1 0–0 1–1 1–2 0–1 2–0
Telford United 1–0 2–5 1–2 2–2 0–2 1–0 2–0 2–4 0–2 1–1 2–1 0–3 5–0 1–1 2–1 0–1 2–1 1–0 0–2 2–0 1–0
Woking 2–2 2–2 2–2 1–0 1–2 0–0 1–0 3–2 1–1 3–2 2–2 0–1 2–0 0–0 4–1 3–0 2–1 3–3 1–1 4–0 3–1
Updated to match(es) played on unknown. Source: [1] Soccerbase; Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2004–2003
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.

Play-offs

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Main article: 2004 Football Conference play-off Final

The Conference National play-offs determined the second team that would be promoted to Football League Two. The teams placed second through fifth qualified for the play-offs. The semi-finals were played in a two-leg, home and away format, while the final was played as one leg.

Semifinals Final at Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
16 May 2004
        
2nd Hereford United 1 0 1 (2)
5th Aldershot Town (pen.) 1 0 1 (4)
3rd Shrewsbury Town (pen.) 1 (3)
5th Aldershot Town 1 (0)
3rd Shrewsbury Town (pen.) 1 1 2 (5)
4th Barnet 2 0 2 (3)

Semifinals

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1st Leg
Aldershot Town1–1Hereford United
  • Dsane 45' (pen.)
 Report
Attendance: 6,379
Referee: Jarnail Singh
2nd Leg
Hereford United0–0Aldershot Town
 Report
Penalties
 2–4
Attendance: 7,044
Referee: Andy Woolmer

Aldershot Town won 4–2 on penalties after tying 1–1 on Aggregate.

1st Leg
Barnet2–1Shrewsbury Town
 Report
Attendance: 4,171
2nd Leg
Shrewsbury Town1–0Barnet
 Report
Penalties
 5–3
Attendance: 7,012
Referee: Pollock

Shrewsbury Town won 5–3 on penalties after tying 2–2 on Aggregate.

Play-Off Final

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Aldershot Town1–1 (a.e.t.)Shrewsbury Town
Penalties
 0–3
Attendance: 19,216

Top scorers in order of league goals

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Rank Player Club League Play-offs FA Cup LDV FA Trophy Total
1 Daryl Clare Chester City 29 0 1 0 0 30
2 Steve Guinan Hereford United 25 0 3 1 0 29
= David McNiven Leigh RMI 25 0 0 0 1 26
4 Giuliano Grazioli Barnet 24 0 2 0 0 26
5 Roscoe D'Sane Aldershot 21 1 2 0 3 27
6 Sean Devine Exeter City 20 0 2 0 3 25
= Paul Mullin Accrington Stanley 20 0 3 0 1 24
= Darryn Stamp Chester City 20 0 0 0 0 20
9 Tim Sills Aldershot 18 0 1 0 2 21
10 Anthony Elding Stevenage Borough 17 0 2 0 0 19
= Lutel James Accrington Stanley 17 0 1 0 0 18
= Danny Carlton Morecambe 17 0 0 0 0 17
13 Mark Cooper Tamworth 15 0 0 0 0 15
14 David Brown Hereford United 14 0 0 2 0 16
= Mark Quayle Scarborough 14 0 1 0 0 15

Source:[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Sky Sports Football Yearbook 2004–2005. Glenda Rollin & Jack Rollin (eds.), Headline, 2004.
  2. ^ Soccerbase
  3. ^ "England 2003–04". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
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