2003–04 Arsenal L.F.C. season

Arsenal Ladies
2003–04 season
ChairmanPeter Hill-Wood
ManagerVic Akers
StadiumClarence Park
Premier LeagueChampions
FA CupWinners
Premier League CupSemi finals
London County CupWinners
Top goalscorerLeague: Jayne Ludlow (18)
All: Jayne Ludlow (29)
Biggest win11-1 (vs Cardiff City, FA Cup, 7 February 2004)
Biggest defeat2-1 (vs Charlton Athletic, Premier League, 16 October 2003)
2-1 (vs Charlton Athletic, Premier League Cup, 14 December 2003)

The 2003–04 season was Arsenal Ladies Football Club's 17th season since forming in 1987. The club participated in the National Division of the FA Women's Premier League, and reclaimed their League Title back from Fulham, defeating them at Highbury on the final day of the season to do so.[1] They won the FA Cup as well, defeating Charlton Athletic 3–0 in the final to complete a domestic double.[2][3] However, they missed out on the Premier League Cup once again, losing in the Semi Finals to Charlton Athletic.[4] With no Europe to contend with this season, the only other silverware up for grabs was the London County Cup, which Arsenal also won after beating Fulham 4–0 in the Final.

Following their 2–1 defeat to Charlton Athletic in October, Arsenal went unbeaten in the League for the next 108 League matches, a run that ended in 2009 with a 3–0 defeat at home to Everton.[5]

This was Arsenal's last season using Clarence Park as their home ground, ending their two-season stay at St Albans. The following season, Arsenal returned to Boreham Wood's ground, Meadow Park. This would remain their main home for the next 20 years.

Arsenal's final game of the season against Fulham was played at Highbury. This was the last time the Women's team played at Highbury before the club moved to their new residence at Emirates Stadium in 2006.

Squad information & statistics

First team squad

Squad statistics correct as of May 2004[6]

Squad No. Name Date of birth (age) Since Signed from
Goalkeepers
1 Emma Byrne (1979-06-14)14 June 1979 (aged 25) 2000 Fortuna Hjørring
13 Caroline Collie (1986-08-11)11 August 1986 (aged 17) 2002 Arsenal Academy
Jasmine Cripps (1985-11-04)4 November 1985 (aged 18) 1998 Arsenal Academy
Defenders
2 Kirsty Pealling (1975-04-14)14 April 1975 (aged 29) 1987 Arsenal Academy
5 Leanne Champ (1983-08-10)10 August 1983 (aged 20) 2001 Millwall Lionesses
6 Faye White (1978-02-02)2 February 1978 (aged 26) 1996 Three Bridges
11 Clare Wheatley (1971-02-04)4 February 1971 (aged 33) 1995 Chelsea
12 Julie Fletcher (1974-09-28)28 September 1974 (aged 29) 2001 Charlton Athletic
15 Yvonne Tracy (1981-02-27)27 February 1981 (aged 23) 2000 St Patrick's Athletic
17 Hayley Kemp (1987-06-23)23 June 1987 (aged 17) 1998 Hatfield Youth
18 Anita Asante (1985-04-27)27 April 1985 (aged 19) 1998 Arsenal Academy
24 Georgie Adams (1984-11-07)7 November 1984 (aged 19) 1999 Bushey
30 Carol Harwood (1965-12-01)1 December 1965 (aged 38) 2002 Southampton Saints
Cori Daniels (1986-06-04)4 June 1986 (aged 18) 2002 Charlton Athletic
Midfielders
4 Jayne Ludlow (1979-01-07)7 January 1979 (aged 25) 2000 Southampton Saints
7 Sian Williams (c) (1968-02-02)2 February 1968 (aged 36) 1990 Millwall Lionesses
8 Ciara Grant (1978-05-17)17 May 1978 (aged 26) 1998 St Patrick's Athletic
16 Emma Thomas (1983-10-17)17 October 1983 (aged 20) 1996 Arsenal Academy
21 Lisa Burrows (1985-08-01)1 August 1985 (aged 18) 2002 Bushey Rangers
22 Jo Potter (1984-11-13)13 November 1984 (aged 19) 2003 Birmingham City
23 Eleri Earnshaw (1985-05-17)17 May 1985 (aged 19) 2003 Barnet
Leanne Small (1982-09-29)29 September 1982 (aged 18) 2000 Watford
Portia Modise (1983-06-20)20 June 1983 (aged 21) 2003 Sowedo
Veronica Phewa 2003
Toni Carelse 2003
Forwards
3 Julie Fleeting (1980-12-18)18 December 1980 (aged 23) 2004 Ross County
9 Alex Scott (1984-10-14)14 October 1984 (aged 19) 2000 Arsenal Academy
10 Ellen Maggs (1983-02-16)16 February 1983 (aged 21) 2000 Arsenal Academy
14 Lianne Sanderson (1988-02-03)3 February 1988 (aged 16) 2003 Arsenal Academy
19 Mihoko Ishida (1982-06-19)19 June 1982 (aged 22) 2003 Musashigaoka
20 Justine Lorton (1974-03-11)11 March 1974 (aged 30) 2003 Charlton Athletic
Mikaela Howell (1988-07-12)12 July 1988 (aged 15) 1999 Southampton Women

Appearances and goals

No. Name Premier League FA Cup PL Cup LC Cup Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 Emma Byrne 18 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 30 0
13 Caroline Collie 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jasmine Cripps 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Defenders
2 Kirsty Pealling 18 3 3+1 0 3 0 3 2 27+1 5
5 Leanne Champ 13 0 4 3 4 0 2 0 23 3
6 Faye White 13 0 5 2 3 0 1 0 22 2
11 Clare Wheatley 16+1 0 5 0 1 0 3 0 25+1 0
12 Julie Fletcher 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
15 Yvonne Tracy 10 1 3 1 4 0 2 0 19 2
17 Hayley Kemp 2+2 0 0+1 0 3 1 0+1 0 5+4 1
18 Anita Asante 7+6 0 2 0 2+1 0 2 0 13+7 0
24 Georgie Adams 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
30 Carol Harwood 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+1 0
Gilly Flaherty 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cori Daniels 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Midfielders
4 Jayne Ludlow 18 18 5 1 3+1 4 3 6 29+1 29
7 Sian Williams (c) 7+1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 10+1 0
8 Ciara Grant 18 10 5 0 3 4 3 0 29 14
16 Emma Thomas 0 0 0 0 1+1 1 0 0 1+1 1
21 Lisa Burrows 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
22 Jo Potter 6+10 2 3+2 2 1+2 1 3 4 14+14 9
23 Eleri Earnshaw 0+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1+1 0
Veronica Phewa 0+1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1+1 0
Portia Modise 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Toni Carelse 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Forwards
3 Julie Fleeting 6 7 4 9 0 0 0 0 10 16
9 Alex Scott 9+6 5 0+5 0 2+1 0 2+1 2 13+13 7
10 Ellen Maggs 18 9 5 2 3 0 1+2 1 27+2 12
14 Lianne Sanderson 11+4 6 4 3 3+1 1 2+1 1 20+6 11
19 Mihoko Ishida 0+3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1+3 0
20 Justine Lorton 7+4 1 0+4 2 2+2 1 0+2 1 9+12 5
Mikaela Howell 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goalscorers

Rank No. Position Name Premier League FA Cup PL Cup LC Cup Total
1 4 MF Jayne Ludlow 18 1 4 6 29
2 3 FW Julie Fleeting 7 9 0 0 16
3 8 MF Ciara Grant 10 0 4 0 14
4 10 FW Ellen Maggs 9 2 0 1 12
5 14 FW Lianne Sanderson 6 3 1 1 11
6 22 MF Jo Potter 2 2 1 4 9
7 9 FW Alex Scott 5 0 0 2 7
8 20 FW Justine Lorton 1 2 1 1 5
2 DF Kirsty Pealling 3 0 0 2 5
9 5 DF Leanne Champ 0 3 0 0 3
10 6 DF Faye White 0 2 0 0 2
15 DF Yvonne Tracy 1 1 0 0 2
11 16 MF Emma Thomas 0 0 1 0 1
17 DF Hayley Kemp 0 0 1 0 1
Total 62 25 13 17 117

Clean sheets

Rank No. Name Premier League FA Cup PL Cup LC Cup Total
1 1 Emma Byrne 9 3 2 3 17
Total 9 3 2 3 17

Transfers, loans and other signings

Transfers in

Announcement date No. Position Player From club
2003[7] 22 MF Jo Potter Birmingham City
2003[8] 19 FW Mihoko Ishida Musashigaoka
2003[9] 20 FW Justine Lorton Charlton Athletic
2003[10] 23 MF Eleri Earnshaw Barnet
12 August 2003[11] MF Veronica Phewa
12 August 2003[11] MF Portia Modise Sowedo
12 August 2003[11] MF Toni Carelse
2004[12] 3 FW Julie Fleeting Ross County

Transfers out

Announcement date No. Position Player To club
2003 FW Angela Banks Retired
2003 3 DF Pauline MacDonald Retired
2003 FW Michele O'Brien Long Island Lady Riders
2003 MF Gemma Ritchie Fulham
2003 FW Sheuneen Ta Miami Hurricanes
2003 FW Nicole Emmanuel Leeds United
2003 17 FW Ayshea Martyn Bristol Rovers
2003 13 GK Jo Price Bristol City
2003 DF Kelley Few Retirement
2003 MF Alana Livingstone
2003 FW Rochelle Shakes
2003 FW Coreen Brown
9 July 2003[13] DF Laura Husselbee Birmingham City
November 2003[14] 12 DF Julie Fletcher Charlton Athletic

Club

Kit

Supplier: Nike / Sponsor: O2.

Home
Away

Competitions

FA Women's Premier League National Division

Main article: 2003–04 FA Women's Premier League

Partial league table

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Arsenal (C) 18 15 2 1 65 11 +54 47 Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round
2 Charlton Athletic 18 15 1 2 52 17 +35 46
3 Fulham 18 14 2 2 60 20 +40 44
4 Leeds United 18 8 4 6 32 28 +4 28
5 Doncaster Rovers Belles 18 8 3 7 41 40 +1 27
Source: FA WPL
(C) Champions

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
18 15 2 1 65 11  +54 47 8 1 0 34 3  +31 7 1 1 31 8  +23

Results by matchday

Matchday123456789101112131415161718
GroundAHAAHAAAHHAAHHAHHH
ResultWDWWWLDWWWWWWWWWWW
Position122234333533332221
Source: FA WPL
W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

17 August 2003 1 Tranmere Rovers 2–9 Arsenal  
  • Holden
  • Carubia
Report
24 August 2003 2 Arsenal 0–0 Everton St Albans
Report Stadium: Clarence Park
31 August 2003 3 Aston Villa 1–7 Arsenal Sutton Coldfield
14:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Central Ground
7 September 2003 4 Doncaster Rovers Belles 0–2 Arsenal  
Report
5 October 2003 5 Arsenal 7–0 Doncaster Rovers Belles St Albans
 Report Stadium: Clarence Park
16 October 2003 6 Charlton Athletic 2–1 Arsenal Charlton
19:45 BST
Report
Stadium: The Valley
26 October 2003 7 Fulham 1–1 Arsenal Motspur Park
 Report Grant 90+6' Stadium: Motspur Park
23 November 2003 8 Bristol Rovers 0–3 Arsenal  
Report
7 December 2003 9 Arsenal 6–0 Tranmere Rovers St Albans
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Clarence Park
22 February 2004 10 Arsenal 3–1 Bristol Rovers St Albans
 Report
  • Williams 35'
 Stadium: Clarence Park
4 March 2004 11 Birmingham City 0–3 Arsenal Redditch
Report
Stadium: Valley Stadium
7 March 2004 12 Leeds United 1–2 Arsenal  
 Report
21 March 2004 13 Arsenal 4–0 Leeds United Borehamwood
14:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
28 March 2004 14 Arsenal 2–1 Birmingham City St Albans
 Report
  • Gallagher 6'
 Stadium: Clarence Park
4 April 2003 15 Everton 1–3 Arsenal Crosby
 Report
Stadium: Rossett Park
15 April 2004 16 Arsenal 1–0 Charlton Athletic Borehamwood
19:45 BST
Report Stadium: Meadow Park
Referee: Mr M Asplen
18 April 2004 17 Arsenal 8–0 Aston Villa St Albans
 Report Stadium: Clarence Park
15 May 2004 18 Arsenal 3–1 Fulham Highbury
19:00 BST
Report McArthur 85' Stadium: Highbury
Referee: Carl Henry

FA Women's Cup

Main article: 2003–04 FA Women's Cup
4 January 2004 Fourth round Arsenal 3–0 Stockport County St Albans
13:00 GMT
Report Stadium: Clarence Park
25 January 2004 Fifth round Middlesbrough 1–6 Arsenal Stockton-on-Tees
12:00 GMT
  • Ford
Report
Stadium: Bishopton Road West
7 February 2004 Quarter-finals Arsenal 11–1 Cardiff City London Colney
14:15 GMT
Report
Stadium: Arsenal Training Centre
14 March 2004 Semi-finals Bristol Rovers 0–2 Arsenal Bristol
15:00 GMT Report
Stadium: Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 1,382
3 May 2004 Final Arsenal 3–0 Charlton Athletic Shepherd's Bush
13:00 BST
Report
Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 12,244
Referee: Amy Rayner

FA Women's Premier League Cup

Main article: 2003–04 FA Women's Premier League Cup
14 September 2003 First round Arsenal 4–0 Ipswich Town St Albans
 Report Stadium: Clarence Park
12 October 2003 Second round Arsenal 4–2 Sunderland St Albans
 Report
Stadium: Clarence Park
2 November 2003 Quarter-finals Arsenal 4–0 Doncaster Rovers Belles St Albans
 Report Stadium: Clarence Park
14 December 2003 Semi-finals Charlton Athletic 2–1 Arsenal Gravesend
14:00 GMT
Report
Stadium: Stonebridge Road

London County Cup

18 January 2004 First round Arsenal 4–0 Millwall Lionesses St Albans
 Report Stadium: Clarence Park
15 February 2004 Semi-finals AFC Wimbledon 0–9 Arsenal Kingston upon Thames
10:30 GMT Report
Stadium: Kingsmeadow
7 April 2004 Final Arsenal 4–0 Fulham East Molesey
19:30 BST
Report Stadium: Imber Court

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gunners clinch league crown". 2004-05-16. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  2. ^ Cocozza, Paula (2004-05-04). "Arsenal enjoy Fleeting moment". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  3. ^ "Arsenal 3-0 Charlton". 2004-05-03. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  4. ^ "Fulham and Charlton book places". 2003-12-14. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  5. ^ "Ladies: Arsenal 0-3 Everton - Match report". Ladies: Arsenal 0-3 Everton - Match report. 2009-03-29. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  6. ^ "Arsenal Ladies". 2004-05 Arsenal Handbook: Pages 80-81.
  7. ^ "Arsenal.com - The Official Arsenal Website". www.arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 2004-02-21. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  8. ^ "Arsenal.com - The Official Arsenal Website". www.arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 2003-12-14. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  9. ^ "Arsenal.com - The Official Arsenal Website". www.arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 2003-10-11. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  10. ^ "Arsenal.com - The Official Arsenal Website". www.arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 2003-10-11. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  11. ^ a b c "Gunners try SA women". 2003-08-12. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  12. ^ "Arsenal.com - The Official Arsenal Website". www.arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 2004-04-05. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  13. ^ "Blues make new signings". Worcester News. 2003-07-09. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
  14. ^ "Charlton Athletic 8 Aston Villa 2". Archived from the original on 13 August 2011.
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