2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season 2003–04 Aston Villa F.C. season During the 2003–04 English football season, Aston Villa competed in the Premier League. Former Leeds United manager David O'Leary was appointed Villa manager in the summer of 2003. Under O'Leary, Villa made a very sluggish start to the campaign and found themselves in the relegation zone after winning just two of their first 13 league fixtures. They were still in the bottom three in mid-December before O'Leary galvanized them and they gradually climbed the table. Villa had a fantastic second half of the season and, with two matches remaining, had a chance of qualifying for
2003–04 Football League Trophy 2003–04 Football League Trophy The 2003–04 Football League Trophy, known as the LDV Vans Trophy for sponsorship reasons, was the 21st season in the history of the competition. A straight knockout competition for English football clubs in the third and fourth tiers of the English football league system. In all, 60 clubs entered the competition, including twelve from the Conference National. It was split into two sections, Northern and Southern, with the winners of each section contesting the final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. The competition began on 13 October 2003 and concluded on 21 March 2004. The winners were