2002–03 Birmingham City F.C. season


The 2002–03 season was Birmingham City Football Club's 100th in the English football league system, their 51st in the top tier, and their debut season in the Premier League, having been promoted via the play-offs. Under the management of Steve Bruce, they finished in 13th position in the 20-team league. Birmingham entered the 2002–03 FA Cup at the third round and lost to Fulham in that round, and, having entered the League Cup in the second round, lost to Preston North End in the third.
French manufacturers Le Coq Sportif supplied Birmingham's kit for the fifth consecutive season, and mobile phone retailer Phones4U retained the shirt sponsorship. Stern John was top scorer with nine goals in all competitions; if only league goals are considered, Clinton Morrison top-scored with six. Steve Vickers was club captain, but his long absences through injury meant that vice-captain Jeff Kenna usually captained the team.

Pre-season

Pre-season friendlies

Premier League

Season review

Birmingham's first season in the Premiership was a rollercoaster of a ride that resulted in the team finishing in 13th, although they were favourites to be relegated at the start of the season.
Once Birmingham had secured their states in the Premiership after beating Norwich City in the First Division playoff final the year before, manager Steve Bruce started to strengthen the squad. Internationals Robbie Savage of Wales, Kenny Cunningham and Clinton Morrison of Ireland, and Aliou Cissé of Senegal all joined the side.
Stern John's penalty in the 1–1 draw with Everton on 28 August 2002 was Birmingham's first goal in the Premiership, and first in the top flight since Robert Hopkins scored against Newcastle United back in the 1985–86 season. The next match secured Birmingham their first three points in the league, as they beat Leeds United 2–1 thanks to goals from Paul Devlin and Damien Johnson.
A highlight of the season was the 3–0 victory over local rivals Aston Villa. A first-half goal from Clinton Morrison saw Birmingham in control at half time, before a comedy of errors saw a throw-in by Olof Mellberg roll under the foot of Villa goalkeeper Peter Enckelman and into the net to gift the side a 2–0 lead. Geoff Horsfield added a third later in the game thanks to bad defending from defender Alpay.
By the New Year, Birmingham were in 15th position in the table, seven points clear of 18th-placed Sunderland. This did not stop Bruce spending in the winter transfer window, as Stephen Clemence, Jamie Clapham and Matthew Upson all joined the club. These transfers fall into insignificance compared to the impact that French World Cup-winning forward Christophe Dugarry would make.
A bad start to 2003 saw Birmingham fall to 16th in the table, only five points separating themselves and 18th-placed West Bromwich Albion. This was before Liverpool's visit to St Andrew's, when Birmingham took a two-goal lead through Clemence and Morrison before Michael Owen added a late consolation goal. This game was followed by the visit to Aston Villa. The game kicked into life when Villa striker Dion Dublin was sent off in the 51st minute for headbutting Savage. In the 74th minute, Australian Stan Lazaridis scored his first goal of the season, and three minutes later, a poor header back by Jlloyd Samuel allowed Horsfield to run onto the ball, beat Enckelman and score from close range. The game ended with another sending off, as Villa's Joey Guðjónsson lunged at Upson with a two-footed tackle.
Birmingham were not yet assured of safety by the time they played Sunderland on 12 April, but Bryan Hughes and Christophe Dugarry scored to give Birmingham a 2–0 win. Dugarry went on to score four goals in Birmingham's next three games, including a stunning effort against Middlesbrough where he beat the offside trap before calmly taking the ball out of the air with his knee and volleying it into the net.
The last game of the season saw the side entertain West Ham United, who were in real danger of relegation. Birmingham managed a 2–2 draw thanks to goals from Horsfield and John, but it was enough to send the Hammers down.

Match details

DateLeague
position		OpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceReport
18 August 200218thArsenalAL0–238,018
24 August 200219thBlackburn RoversHL0–127,563
28 August 200217thEvertonAD1–1John 50' pen.37,197
31 August 200214thLeeds UnitedHW2–1Devlin 32', D. Johnson 58'27,164
11 September 200215thLiverpoolAD2–2Morrison 61', 90'43,113
16 September 20029thAston VillaHW3–0Morrison 31', Enckelman 77' o.g., Horsfield 83'29,505
21 September 200210thMiddlesbroughAL0–129,869
28 September 200214thNewcastle UnitedHL0–229,072
5 October 200212thWest Ham UnitedAW2–1John 4', 43'35,010
19 October 200212thWest Bromwich AlbionAD1–1Moore 86' o.g.27,021
26 October 200213thManchester CityHL0–228,316
2 November 200212thBolton WanderersHW3–1Purse 61', Savage 72', Horsfield 83'27,224
9 November 200214thChelseaAL0–335,237
17 November 200215thFulhamHD0–026,164
23 November 200213thSunderlandAW1–0Morrison 89'38,803
30 November 200211thTottenham HotspurHD1–1Kenna 68'29,505
7 December 200213thSouthamptonAL0–231,132
15 December 200213thFulhamAW1–0Kirovski 7'14,962
21 December 200213thCharlton AthleticHD1–1Devlin 67' pen.29,505
26 December 200213thEvertonHD1–1Kirovski 45'29,505
28 December 200215thManchester UnitedAL0–267,640
1 January 200315thLeeds UnitedAL0–240,034
12 January 200315thArsenalHL0–429,505
18 January 200315thBlackburn RoversAD1–1John 83'23,331
1 February 200316thBolton WanderersAL2–4Savage 44', Morrison 60'24,288
8 February 200316thChelseaHL1–3Savage 87' pen.29,475
23 February 200316thLiverpoolHW2–1Clemence 34', Morrison 68'29,449
3 March 200316thAston VillaAW2–0Lazaridis 74', Horsfield 77'42,602
16 March 200316thManchester CityAL0–134,596
22 March 200316thWest Bromwich AlbionHW1–0Horsfield 90'29,449
5 April 200317thTottenham HotspurAL1–2Devlin 77' pen.36,058
12 April 200316thSunderlandHW2–0Hughes 43', Dugarry 60'29,132
19 April 200315thCharlton AthleticAW2–0Dugarry 20', Savage 55' pen.25,732
21 April 200313thSouthamptonHW3–2Dugarry 75', 82', Hughes 79'29,115
26 April 200312thMiddlesbroughHW3–0Dugarry 18', Clemence 40', Lazaridis 80'28,821
3 May 200313thNewcastle UnitedAL0–152,146
11 May 200313thWest Ham UnitedHD2–2Horsfield 80', John 88'29,505

Final league table

Results summary

FA Cup

Birmingham failed to get past the third round of the FA Cup, losing to Premiership side Fulham.
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceReport
Third round5 January 2003FulhamAL1–3John 90'9,203

League Cup

Birmingham reached the third round of the League Cup before losing to Preston North End of the First Division.
RoundDateOpponentsVenueResultScore
F–A		ScorersAttendanceReport
Second round2 October 2002Leyton OrientAW3–2John 16', 27', 77'3,615
Third round5 November 2002Preston North EndHL0–212,241

Transfers

In

Out

Loan in

Loan out

Appearances and goals

No.PosNatName
13MFGraham Hyde
13DFTony Capaldi
20MFTom Williams
23DFJerry Gill
25FWPaul Furlong
31MFChristophe Grondin