The Football League play-offs for the 2003–04 season were held in May 2004, with the finals taking place at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The play-off semi-finals will be played over two legs and will be contested by the teams who finish in 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place in the Football League First Division and Football League Second Division and the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th placed teams in the Football League Third Division table. The winners of the semi-finals will go through to the finals, with the winner of the matches gaining promotion for the following season.
| Season | 2003–04 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Crystal Palace (First Division) Brighton & Hove Albion (Second Division) Huddersfield Town (Third Division) |
| Matches played | 15 |
| Goals scored | 35 (2.33 per match) |
| Biggest home win | West Ham 2–0 Ipswich (First Division) |
| Biggest away win | Mansfield 1–3 Northampton (Third Division) |
| Highest scoring | Crystal Palace 3–2 Sunderland (5 goals) |
| Highest attendance | 72,523 – Crystal Palace v West Ham (First Division final) |
| Lowest attendance | 6,876 – Brighton v Swindon (Second Division semi-final) |
| Average attendance | 25,911 |
← 2003 2005 → | |
Background
The Football League play-offs have been held every year since 1987. They take place for each division following the conclusion of the regular season and are contested by the four clubs finishing below the automatic promotion places.
In the First Division, Sunderland, who are aiming to return to the top flight after relegation last season, finished 7 points behind second placed West Bromwich Albion, who in turn finished 8 points behind champions Norwich City, who returned to the Premier League for the first time since 1995. West Ham United who are also along with Sunderland aiming to return to the top flight after relegation last season, finished in fourth place in the table. Ipswich Town who are looking for a place back in the top flight at the second attempt, finished in fifth place. Crystal Palace finished level on points with Ipswich Town and were looking for a place back in the Premiership for the first time since 1998.
First Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Sunderland | 46 | 22 | 13 | 11 | 62 | 45 | +17 | 79 |
| 4 | West Ham United | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 72 | 61 | +11 | 74 |
| 5 | Ipswich Town | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 84 | 72 | +12 | 73 |
| 6 | Crystal Palace | 46 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 72 | 61 | +11 | 73 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Crystal Palace | 3–2 | Sunderland |
|---|---|---|
Shipperley  52'Butterfield 64'Johnson 87' | Report | Stewart 51' (pen.) Kyle 85' |
- Second leg
| Sunderland | 2–1 (a.e.t.) | Crystal Palace |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle 42' Stewart 45' | Report | Powell 90' |
| Penalties | ||
Oster  Smith  Babb Robinson Breen McAteer Whitley | 4–5 | Johnson Freedman Shipperley Popovic Derry Routledge Hughes |
Sunderland 4–4 Crystal Palace on aggregate. Crystal Palace won 5–4 on penalties.
West Ham United won 2–1 on aggregate.
Final
Second Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Bristol City | 46 | 23 | 13 | 10 | 58 | 37 | +21 | 82 |
| 4 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 46 | 22 | 11 | 13 | 64 | 43 | +21 | 77 |
| 5 | Swindon Town | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 58 | +18 | 73 |
| 6 | Hartlepool United | 46 | 20 | 13 | 13 | 76 | 61 | +15 | 73 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
- Second leg
| Bristol City | 2–1 | Hartlepool United |
|---|---|---|
| Goodfellow 88' Roberts 90' | Report | Sweeney 63' |
Bristol City won 3–2 on aggregate.
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Swindon Town |
|---|---|---|
| Virgo 120' | Report | Parkin 81' Fallon 97' |
| Penalties | ||
| Carpenter Iwelumo Piercy Virgo | 4–3 | Parkin Heywood Mooney Fallon Gurney |
Brighton & Hove Albion 2–2 Swindon Town on aggregate. Brighton & Hove Albion won 4–3 on penalties.
Final
Third Division
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 68 | 52 | +16 | 81 |
| 5 | Mansfield Town | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 76 | 62 | +14 | 75 |
| 6 | Northampton Town | 46 | 22 | 9 | 15 | 58 | 51 | +7 | 75 |
| 7 | Lincoln City | 46 | 19 | 17 | 10 | 68 | 47 | +21 | 74 |
Semi-finals
- First leg
| Northampton Town | 0–2 | Mansfield Town |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Day 40' Mendes 67' |
- Second leg
| Huddersfield Town | 2–2 | Lincoln City |
|---|---|---|
| Schofield 60' (pen.) Edwards 83' | Report | Butcher 38' Bailey 39' |
Huddersfield Town won 4–3 on aggregate.
| Mansfield Town | 1–3 (a.e.t.) | Northampton Town |
|---|---|---|
| Curtis 68' | Report | Richards 36' Hargreaves 42'Smith 46' |
| Penalties | ||
| Corden Lawrence MacKenzie D'Jaffo Larkin | 5–4 | Reeves Smith Reid Sabin Willmott |
Mansfield Town 3–3 Northampton Town on aggregate. Mansfield Town won 5–4 on penalties.