2002–03 Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2002–03 season was the 104th season of competitive league football in the history of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. They played the season in the second tier of the English football system, the Football League First Division.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

2002–03 season
Chairman	Sir Jack Hayward OBE
Manager	Dave Jones
Football League First Division	5th (promoted via play-offs)
FA Cup	Quarter-finals
League Cup	2nd Round
Top goalscorer	League: Kenny Miller (19) All: Kenny Miller (24)
Highest home attendance	28,190 (vs Leicester City, 4 May 2003)
Lowest home attendance	23,016 (vs Brighton, 11 November 2002)
Average home league attendance	25,745 (league only)

The season was a huge success for the club as they were promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs after finishing fifth in the table. It was their first and only success in the play-off system from, to date, six attempts. This ended a nineteen-year top flight absence for the club and a fourteen-year stay in the same division.

Season review

Paul Ince was Wolves' high-profile summer signing.

In contrast to the heavy spending of the previous close season, Summer 2002 saw the club recruit four players on free transfers. Two of these incoming players were however high-profile deals, with former England captain Paul Ince[1] signing alongside ex-Manchester United stalwart Denis Irwin,[2] on one-year deals.

The season began strongly with an opening day draw at administration-hit Bradford City, followed by three successive victories that put the club at the top of the table. Their form soon dipped though, and the next seven games brought just one win. An upturn saw a 10-game unbeaten run return the team to the play-off positions, aided by the loan addition of striker Carlton Cole.[3] The Christmas/New Year period though brought a return of just two points from a possible 15.

With this drop in form, manager Dave Jones faced criticism from chairman Sir Jack Hayward at the turn of the year, publicly reminding him that he had promised to deliver automatic promotion.[4][5] With the club lying 10th in the league, some 16 points from the top two, the FA Cup provided a welcome distraction as the team entered their best performance of the campaign to eliminate Premier League high flyers Newcastle United in a thrilling televised tie.[6]

The following week brought a first league success in six games, with a narrow victory at neighbours Walsall further relieving the pressure on manager Jones. A 4–1 cup triumph against promotion chasers Leicester City preceded the team's highest away win of the campaign, where they defeated Sheffield Wednesday 4–0 to return to the play-off zone. However, their following away fixture brought the team crashing back to ground with a 1–4 loss at relegation strugglers Brighton.

An unbeaten sequence yielded 14 points from 18 before a slender loss at runaway leaders Portsmouth. March also saw an exit from the FA Cup, losing 0–2 at Premier League Southampton in Wolves' first quarter final appearance for five years, before the club recorded their biggest win since 1988 as they thumped Gillingham 6–0.

By April Wolves sat in sixth place, the final play-off berth, but with the East Anglian duo of Ipswich and Norwich just two points behind. Easter Monday brought the decisive round of games to clarify the play-off picture with Ipswich losing earlier in the day, meaning Wolves could confirm their play-off place if they won at Norwich.[7] A 3–0 victory that evening ensured the club would participate in its fourth play-off campaign at this level.

Dave Jones became the first Wolves manager to return the club to the top flight in 19 years.

Wolves finished the season in fifth place after two successive draws, meaning they would play Reading in the play-offs. The first leg saw them at home, where they overturned a half time deficit to win the game 2–1 and take a lead into the second leg. A tense 1–0 success at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a goal from substitute Alex Rae sent them into the final for the first time, breaking a run of three successive losses in away legs.

The final was staged at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff where Wolves met Sheffield United. The Blades had had a strong season, being positioned in the play-off zone almost throughout and reaching the semi finals of both the FA Cup[8] and League Cup.[9] Wolves won the game decisively with three first-half goals by Mark Kennedy, Nathan Blake and top goalscorer Kenny Miller bringing a 3–0 triumph, preserved by goalkeeper Matt Murray who saved a second half penalty from Michael Brown as part of a man of the match performance.

Promotion ended a 19-year absence from the top level of English football for the club and a fourteen-year stay in the same division. It also brought owner Sir Jack Hayward his dream of Premier League football at his 13th attempt. Three days later Hayward joined in a bus parade through Wolverhampton city centre to Molineux to celebrate the triumph.[10] 0

Results

Pre season

Wolves' pre season saw them spend a week in Cascais, Portugal (15–22 July), training and playing two Portuguese sides. As had become common in recent years, only their final game was held at their Molineux home.

13 July 2002	Kettering Town	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Kettering
15:00 BST		Report	Newton  57'	Stadium: Rockingham Road Attendance: 988

13 July 2002	Morecambe	3–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Morecambe
15:00 BST	Black  57' Bentley  59', 72'	Report	Cameron  9' Sturridge  30' Jones  87'	Stadium: Christie Park Referee: Lee Mason

18 July 2002	Sporting CP	5–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Alcochete, Portugal
18:30 BST	Luís Filipe  5' Pollet  58' (o.g.) Niculae  68' (pen.) Rui Bento  71' Toñito  83'	Report	Newton  78'	Stadium: Academia Sporting Attendance: 400 Referee: Bruno Paixão

21 July 2002	Marítimo	1–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Rio Maior, Portugal
19:00 BST	Quim  50'	Report		Stadium: Municipal Sports Complex Referee: Olegário Benquerença

27 July 2002	Stockport County	0–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Stockport
15:00 BST		Report		Stadium: Edgeley Park Referee: George Cain

31 July 2002	Cardiff City	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Cardiff
19:45 BST		Report	Proudlock  84'	Stadium: Ninian Park Attendance: 8,064 Referee: Paul Thomas

3 August 2002	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–2	Newcastle United	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST		Report	LuaLua  6', 68'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 14,973 Referee: Frazer Stretton

A second string Wolves side also played: 2–0 v Kidderminster Harriers (24 July), 4–0 v Worcester City (1 August) and 0–0 v Burton Albion (6 August)

Football League First Division

A total of 24 teams competed in the Football League First Division in the 2002–03 season. Each team played every other team twice: once at their stadium, and once at the opposition's. Three points were awarded to teams for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats.

The provisional fixture list was released on 13 June 2002, but was subject to change in the event of matches being selected for television coverage or police concerns.[11]

11 August 2002 1	Bradford City	0–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Bradford
16:30 BST		Report		Stadium: Bradford & Bingley Stadium Attendance: 13,223 (1,763 away fans) Referee: Colin Webster

14 August 2002 2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–1	Walsall	Wolverhampton
19:45 BST	Cameron  11', 55' Newton  86'	Report	Herivelto  68'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,904 (2,982 away fans) Referee: Mike Jones

17 August 2002 3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–0	Burnley	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST	Blake  2' Irwin  49' Cooper  88'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,031 (1,259 away fans) Referee: Jeff Winter

24 August 2002 4	Derby County	1–4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Derby
15:00 BST	Christie  45'	Report	Rae  19', 88' Cooper  77' Miller  90+2'	Stadium: Pride Park Attendance: 29,954 (3,500 away fans) Referee: Alan Kaye

27 August 2002 5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–2	Sheffield Wednesday	Wolverhampton
19:45 BST	Blake  60' Sturridge  68'	Report	Kuqi  9', 63'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,096 (997 away fans) Referee: Mike Pike

31 August 2002 6	Wimbledon	3–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
15:00 BST	Shipperley  4', 77' Gray  54'	Report	Ingimarsson  15' Sturridge  70'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 3,223 (1,800 away fans) Referee: Brian Curson

14 September 2002 7	Crystal Palace	4–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
15:00 BST	Routledge  1' Freedman  36', 62' (pen.) Thomson  71'	Report	Ingimarsson  31' Blake  71'	Stadium: Selhurst Park Attendance: 16,961 (1,820 away fans) Referee: Lee Cable

21 September 2002 8	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–1	Reading	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST		Report	Hughes  58'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,560 (1,721 away fans) Referee: Michael Ryan

24 September 2002 9	Wolverhampton Wanderers	4–0	Preston North End	Wolverhampton
19:45 BST	Blake  23', 85' Sturridge  45' Miller  86'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 23,695 (663 away fans) Referee: Richard Beeby

28 September 2002 10	Leicester City	1–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Leicester
15:00 BST	Dickov  6' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Walkers Stadium Attendance: 32,082 (3,300 away fans) Referee: Mike Riley

5 October 2002 11	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–3	Sheffield United	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST	Ullathorne  35' (o.g.)	Report	Tonge  45+5', 50' Allison  48'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 24,625 (1,500 away fans) Referee: Paul Taylor

19 October 2002 12	Stoke City	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Stoke-on-Trent
17:35 BST		Report	Cameron  78' Blake  90+3'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 16,885 (2,007 away fans) Referee: Mark Halsey

26 October 2002 13	Wolverhampton Wanderers	4–1	Grimsby Town	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST	Irwin  30' Miller  66' Ndah  71' Sturridge  90+4'	Report	Kabba  2'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 23,875 (891 away fans) Referee: Frazer Stretton

29 October 2002 14	Gillingham	0–4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Gillingham
19:45 GMT		Report	Cameron  28' (pen.) Blake  45+2', 52', 59'	Stadium: Priestfield Attendance: 10,036 (1,600 away fans) Referee: Matt Messias

2 November 2002 15	Watford	1–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Watford
15:00 GMT	Cox  66'	Report	Cooper  90+2'	Stadium: Vicarage Road Attendance: 16,524 (1,433 away fans) Referee: Paul Armstrong

6 November 2002 16	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Portsmouth	Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT	Sturridge  62'	Report	Merson  56'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,022 (2,380 away fans) Referee: Graham Salisbury

11 November 2002 17	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Brighton & Hove Albion	Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT	Miller  76'	Report	Zamora  15'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 23,016 (943 away fans) Referee: Steve Baines

16 November 2002 18	Coventry City	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Coventry
15:00 GMT		Report	Lescott  38' Rae  77'	Stadium: Highfield Road Attendance: 18,998 (2,683 away fans) Referee: Graham Laws

23 November 2002 19	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–1	Nottingham Forest	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Miller  76' Sturridge  80'	Report	Harewood  45+3'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,953 (2,623 away fans) Referee: Dermot Gallagher

30 November 2002 20	Rotherham United	0–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Rotherham
17:35 GMT		Report		Stadium: Millmoor Attendance: 6,736 (1,935 away fans) Referee: Paul Robinson

7 December 2002 21	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–0	Norwich City	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Cole  37'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,753 (1,708 away fans) Referee: Andy D'Urso

14 December 2002 22	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–2	Coventry City	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT		Report	McAllister  8' Partridge  65'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,577 (1,688 away fans) Referee: Howard Webb

21 December 2002 23	Millwall	1–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	London
15:00 GMT	Roberts  43'	Report	Kennedy  5'	Stadium: The New Den Attendance: 9,091 (0 away fans) Referee: Clive Penton

26 December 2002 24	Burnley	2–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Burnley
15:00 GMT	Taylor  24' West  32'	Report	Butler  85'	Stadium: Turf Moor Attendance: 18,641 (1,535 away fans) Referee: Matt Messias

28 December 2002 25	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–2	Bradford City	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Ndah  54'	Report	Jørgensen  51' Gray  59'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,812 (930 away fans) Referee: Anthony Bates

1 January 2003 26	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Derby County	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Ince  66'	Report	Christie  15'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 26,442 (2,190 away fans) Referee: Neale Barry

11 January 2003 27	Walsall	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Walsall
15:00 GMT		Report	Ndah  64'	Stadium: Bescot Stadium Attendance: 11,037 (2,000 away fans) Referee: Phil Dowd

18 January 2003 28	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Wimbledon	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Miller  43'	Report	Francis  46'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 23,716 (306 away fans) Referee: Steve Tomlin

1 February 2003 29	Sheffield Wednesday	0–4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Sheffield
15:00 GMT		Report	Proudlock  24', 42' Miller  67' Sturridge  89'	Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 21,381 (2,316 away fans) Referee: Jeff Winter

8 February 2003 30	Brighton & Hove Albion	4–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Brighton
15:00 GMT	Zamora  31' Blackwell  45' Brooker  47' Hart  67'	Report	Miller  65'	Stadium: Withdean Stadium Attendance: 6,754 (850 away fans) Referee: Peter Walton

19 February 2003 31	Ipswich Town	2–4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Ipswich
19:45 GMT	Bent  2' Holland  45+1'	Report	Miller  11', 63' Naylor  74' Ndah  81'	Stadium: Portman Road Attendance: 27,700 (1,638 away fans) Referee: Steve Bennett

22 February 2003 32	Preston North End	0–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Preston
15:00 GMT		Report	Ndah  53' Miller  83'	Stadium: Deepdale Attendance: 16,070 (2,796 away fans) Referee: Paul Danson

25 February 2003 33	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–0	Watford	Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 24,591 (987 away fans) Referee: Alan Kaye

1 March 2003 34	Wolverhampton Wanderers	4–0	Crystal Palace	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Miller  40', 83', 90+3' (pen.) Sturridge  77'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 26,010 (845 away fans) Referee: Paul Robinson

5 March 2003 35	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Ipswich Town	Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT	Ince  48'	Report	Naylor  84'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 26,901 (1,500 away fans) Referee: Mike Jones

12 March 2003 36	Reading	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Reading
20:00 GMT		Report	Miller  44'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 19,731 (2,686 away fans) Referee: Richard Beeby

15 March 2003 37	Portsmouth	1–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Portsmouth
15:00 GMT	Stone  4'	Report		Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 19,558 (1,300 away fans) Referee: Phil Dowd

18 March 2003 38	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–0	Stoke City	Wolverhampton
19:45 GMT		Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,235 (1,384 away fans) Referee: Jeff Winter

22 March 2003 39	Wolverhampton Wanderers	6–0	Gillingham	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Blake  16' Cameron  22' Kennedy  37', 45+3' Miller  45+1', 48'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,171 (674 away fans) Referee: Howard Webb

5 April 2003 40	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0–0	Rotherham United	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST		Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 25,944 (774 away fans) Referee: Andy Hall

8 April 2003 41	Grimsby Town	0–1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Cleethorpes
19:45 BST		Report	Blake  13'	Stadium: Blundell Park Attendance: 4,983 (1,104 away fans) Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme

11 April 2003 42	Nottingham Forest	2–2	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Nottingham
19:45 BST	Johnson  40' Dawson  74'	Report	Blake  9' Cameron  26'	Stadium: City Ground Attendance: 27,209 (2,100 away fans) Referee: Tony Leake

19 April 2003 43	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–0	Millwall	Wolverhampton
15:00 BST	Newton  5', 80' Cameron  78'	Report		Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,015 (723 away fans) Referee: Matt Messias

21 April 2003 44	Norwich City	0–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Norwich
17:35 BST		Report	Ndah  52' Sturridge  74' Miller  90+3'	Stadium: Carrow Road Attendance: 20,843 (1,788 away fans) Referee: Clive Wilkes

26 April 2003 45	Sheffield United	3–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Sheffield
15:00 BST	Peschisolido  2', 90+2' Brown  55' (pen.)	Report	Ndah  10' Sturridge  45+4', 61' (pen.)	Stadium: Bramall Lane Attendance: 22,211 (2,523 away fans) Referee: Paul Robinson

4 May 2003 46	Wolverhampton Wanderers	1–1	Leicester City	Wolverhampton
13:30 BST	Miller  57'	Report	Benjamin  86' (pen.)	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 28,190 (3,000 away fans) Referee: Graham Laws

Final table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Portsmouth	46	29	11	6	97	45	+52	98
2	Leicester City	46	26	14	6	73	40	+33	92
3	Sheffield United	46	23	11	12	72	52	+20	80
4	Reading	46	25	4	17	61	46	+15	79
5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	46	20	16	10	81	44	+37	76
6	Nottingham Forest	46	20	14	12	82	50	+32	74
7	Ipswich Town	46	19	13	14	80	64	+16	70

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
46	20	16	10	81	44	+37	76	9	10	4	40	19	+21	11	6	6	41	25	+16

Source: Statto.com

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	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42	43	44	45	46
Result	D	W	W	W	D	L	L	L	W	L	L	W	W	W	D	D	D	W	W	D	W	L	D	L	L	D	W	D	W	L	W	W	D	W	D	W	L	D	W	D	W	D	W	W	D	D
Position	11	5	3	1	2	4	10	14	9	10	14	12	11	8	9	9	9	6	5	8	6	7	7	9	10	10	8	8	6	7	6	6	5	4	6	6	6	5	6	6	5	5	5	4	5	5

Source: Statto.com
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Play-offs

10 May 2003 SF1	Wolverhampton Wanderers	2–1	Reading	Wolverhampton
17:30 BST	Murty  75' (o.g.) Naylor  84'	Report	Forster  25'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,678 (4,500 away fans) Referee: Alan Kaye

14 May 2003 SF2	Reading	0–1 (1–3 agg.)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Reading
19:45 BST		Report	Rae  81'	Stadium: Madejski Stadium Attendance: 24,060 (4,000 away fans) Referee: Howard Webb

26 May 2003 Final	Sheffield United	0–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Cardiff
15:00 BST		Report	Kennedy  6' Blake  22' Miller  45'	Stadium: Millennium Stadium Attendance: 69,473 (33,500 Wolves) Referee: Steve Bennett

FA Cup

5 January 2003 R3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–2	Newcastle United	Wolverhampton
16:00 GMT	Ince  6' Kennedy  28' Ndah  49'	Report	Jenas  40' Shearer  43' (pen.)	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 27,316 (3,000 away fans) Referee: Rob Styles

25 January 2003 R4	Wolverhampton Wanderers	4–1	Leicester City	Wolverhampton
15:00 GMT	Ndah  5', 45' Miller  51', 71'	Report	Dickov  29' (pen.)	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 28,164 (2,998 away fans) Referee: Mike Dean

16 February 2003 R5	Wolverhampton Wanderers	3–1	Rochdale	Wolverhampton
19:00 GMT	Ndah  32' Miller  79' Proudlock  90+2'	Report	Melaugh  52'	Stadium: Molineux Attendance: 23,921 (3,432 away fans) Referee: Uriah Rennie

9 March 2003 QF	Southampton	2–0	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Southampton
16:00 GMT	Marsden  56' Butler  81' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: St Mary's Stadium Attendance: 31,715 (3,900 away fans) Referee: Andy D'Urso

League Cup

11 September 2002 R1	Swansea City	2–3	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Swansea
19:45 BST	Thomas  8' Wood  22'	Report	Blake  16' Pollet  34' Rae  78'	Stadium: Vetch Field Attendance: 4,799 (835 away fans) Referee: Scott Mathieson

1 October 2002 R2	Rotherham United	4–4 (a.e.t.) (4 - 2 p)	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Rotherham
19:45 BST	Barker  5', 93' Robins  78' (pen.) Swailes  86'	Report	Newton  45' (pen.) Miller  58' Rae  70' Scott  120' (o.g.)	Stadium: Millmoor Attendance: 5,064 (988 away fans) Referee: Phil Prosser
	Penalties
	Robins Swailes Bryan Hurst Mullin		Sturridge Blake Newton Irwin

Players

Statistics

Key:
  ‡ On loan from another club   * First appearance(s) for the club

• # = Squad number
• Pos = Playing position
• P = Number of games played
• G = Number of goals scored
• GK = Goalkeeper
• DF = Defender
• MF = Midfielder
• FW = Forward
• = Yellow cards
• = Red cards
• † Permanent player left club during the season
• ¤ Loaned to another club for part or all of season

Correct as of the season's end. Starting appearances are listed first, followed by substitute appearances in parentheses where applicable.

No.	Pos	Name	P	G	P	G	P	G	P	G	P	G			Notes
			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Playoffs		Total		Discipline
1	GK	Michael Oakes	6	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	7	0	0	0
2	DF	Sean Connelly †	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF	Lee Naylor	31(1)	1	4	0	2	0	3	1	40(1)	2	1	0
4	MF	Alex Rae	30(8)	3	0(2)	0	2	2	0(1)	1	32(11)	6	9	0
5	DF	Joleon Lescott	44	0	4	0	1	0	3	0	52	0	1	0
6	DF	Paul Butler	31(1)	0	4	0	2	0	3	0	40(1)	0	10	0
7	MF	Shaun Newton	29(4)	3	4	0	2	1	2(1)	0	37(5)	4	5	0
8	DF	Denis Irwin	43	2	4	0	1(1)	0	3	0	51(1)	2	6	0
9	FW	Nathan Blake	22(1)	12	1	0	2	1	3	1	28(1)	14	6	1
10	MF	Colin Cameron	29(4)	7	4	0	0	0	3	0	36(4)	7	3	0
11	MF	Mark Kennedy	30(1)	3	4	1	0	0	3	1	37(1)	5	4	0
12	FW	Adam Proudlock ¤	2(15)	2	0(3)	1	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	2(20)	3	1	0
13	GK	Matt Murray	40	0	4	0	1	0	3	0	48	0	0	0
14	DF	Ludovic Pollet ¤	2(0)	0	0	0	1	1	0(1)	0	3(1)	1	1	0
15	MF	Kevin Cooper	13(13)	3	0(1)	0	0	0	0(1)	0	13(15)	3	5	0
16	FW	Kenny Miller	35(8)	19	4	3	1(1)	1	3	1	43(9)	24	5	0
17	DF	Mo Camara	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	FW	George Ndah	17(8)	7	3	4	1	0	1	0	22(8)	11	7	0
19	MF	Keith Andrews	2(7)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3(7)	0	1	0
20	FW	Michael Branch ¤	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	DF	Ívar Ingimarsson ¤	10(3)	2	0	0	2	0	0	0	12(3)	2	2	0
23	MF	Paul Ince (c)	35(2)	2	4	1	1(1)	0	3	0	43(3)	3	13	0
24	DF	Marc Edworthy	18(4)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	19(4)	0	3	0
29	FW	Dean Sturridge	17(22)	10	0(1)	0	0(1)	0	0(3)	0	17(27)	10	4	0
30	GK	Ian Feuer †	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	Mark Clyde ¤	15(2)	0	0(1)	0	0	0	0	0	15(3)	0	1	0
32	MF	John Melligan ¤	0(2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0(2)	0	0	0
33	MF	Graham Ward	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
34	MF	Sammy Clingan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	DF	Kenny Coleman ¤	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	GK	Lewis Solly †	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
37	GK	Adam Federici	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	FW	Carlton Cole ‡	5(2)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5(2)	1	0	0

Awards

Award	Winner[12]
Fans' Player of the Season	Joleon Lescott
Young Player of the Season	Matt Murray

Transfers

In

Date	Player	From	Fee
1 July 2002	Ívar Ingimarsson	Unattached	Free[13]
23 July 2002	Denis Irwin	Unattached	Free[2]
6 August 2002	Paul Ince	Unattached	Free[1]
23 August 2002	Marc Edworthy	Unattached	Free[14]
18 September 2002	Ian Feuer	Unattached	Non-contract[15]
26 February 2003	Adam Federici	Unattached	End of season[16]

Out

Date	Player	To	Fee
June 2002	Andy Sinton	Released	Free[17]
June 2002	Carl Robinson	Released	Free
1 July 2002	Kevin Muscat	Rangers	Free[18]
11 July 2002	Darren Bazeley	Released	Free[19]
2 August 2002	Colin Larkin	Mansfield Town	£120,000[20]
28 September 2002	Ian Feuer	Released	Free[21]
10 October 2002	Sean Connelly	Released	Free[22]
28 March 2003	Lewis Solly	Bury	Free[23]

Loans in

Start date	Player	From	End date
28 November 2002	Carlton Cole	Chelsea	3 January 2003[3]

Loans out

Start date	Player	To	End date
1 July 2002	Cédric Roussel	Mons	End of season[24]
12 September 2002	Mark Clyde	Kidderminster Harriers	12 October 2002[25]
12 September 2002	John Melligan	Kidderminster Harriers	4 May 2003[25]
4 October 2002	Michael Branch	Hull City	3 December 2002[26]
10 October 2002	Kenny Coleman	Kidderminster Harriers	End of season[27]
25 October 2002	Adam Proudlock	Tranmere Rovers	25 November 2002[28]
14 November 2002	Ludovic Pollet	Walsall	1 January 2003[29]
13 December 2002	Adam Proudlock	Sheffield Wednesday	7 January 2003[30]
10 February 2003	Ívar Ingimarsson	Brighton & Hove Albion	4 May 2003[31]

Kit

The season saw new home and away kits, manufactured by Admiral.[32] The home strip reverted to a lighter gold colour after two years wearing a darker "old gold" style, while the away kit returned to the club's traditional all-white look.[33] After twelve seasons sponsored by Goodyear, the club signed a two-year deal with Doritos.[34]

References

1. "Ince agrees Wolves move". BBC Sport. 6 August 2002.
2. "Irwin joins Wolves". BBC Sport. 23 July 2002.
3. "Cole joins Wolves on loan". BBC Sport. 28 November 2002.
4. "Targeted Jones has Molineux agenda revised". Birmingham Post. 2 January 2003.
5. "Don't air this dirty linen in public, Sir Jack". Sunday Mercury. 5 January 2003.
6. "Wonderers! Wolves savage Toon and save Jones' job". The Mirror. 6 January 2003.
7. "Rotherham 2-1 Ipswich". BBC Sport. 21 April 2003.
8. "Arsenal sink brave Blades". BBC Sport. 13 April 2003.
9. "Liverpool conquer brave Blades". BBC Sport. 21 January 2003.
10. "Crowds hail Molineux heroes". wolves.co.uk. 29 May 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
11. "Rams in Reading opener". BBC Sport. 13 June 2002.
12. "Player of the Year". wolves.co.uk. 4 May 2003. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
13. "Ivar New Club". wolves.co.uk. 1 July 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
14. "Howarth and Edworthy". wolves.co.uk. 23 August 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
15. "Wolves sign Feuer". BBC Sport. 18 September 2002.
16. "Keeper looking to impress". wolves.co.uk. 26 February 2003. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012.
17. "Out of contract". wolves.co.uk. 15 May 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
18. "Rangers accused over Muscat". BBC Sport. 7 May 2002.
19. "Darren departs". wolves.co.uk. 11 July 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
20. "Striker moves to Mansfield". wolves.co.uk. 2 August 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
21. "Feuer decides on future". wolves.co.uk. 28 September 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
22. "Defender leaves Molineux". wolves.co.uk. 10 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
23. "Shakers chase Solly". BBC Sport. 25 March 2003.
24. "Roussel goes on loan". BBC Sport. 27 July 2002.
25. "Two out on loan". wolves.co.uk. 12 September 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
26. "Hull get a Branch". BBC Sport. 4 October 2002.
27. "Kidderminster comings and goings". wolves.co.uk. 10 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
28. "Proudlock move confirmed". wolves.co.uk. 25 October 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
29. "Ludo on the move". wolves.co.uk. 14 November 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
30. "Another Proudlock loan". wolves.co.uk. 13 December 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
31. "Ingimarsson joins Seagulls". BBC Sport. 10 February 2003.
32. "Wolves sign lucrative kit sponsorship deal with Admiral". wolves.co.uk. 14 February 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
33. "New away kit". wolves.co.uk. 9 August 2002. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
34. "New sponsor revealed". wolves.co.uk. 2 July 2002. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 22 September 2010.