Route To The Final
See also: 2002–03 Football League| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Portsmouth | 46 | 29 | 11 | 06 | 97 | 45 | 98 |
| 2. | Leicester City | 46 | 26 | 14 | 06 | 73 | 40 | 92 |
| 3. | Sheffield United | 46 | 23 | 11 | 12 | 72 | 52 | 80 |
| 4. | Reading | 46 | 25 | 04 | 17 | 61 | 46 | 79 |
| 5. | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 46 | 20 | 16 | 10 | 81 | 44 | 76 |
| 6. | Nottingham Forest | 46 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 82 | 50 | 74 |
Sheffield United finished the season in third place in the First Division, 12 points behind the runaway top two Portsmouth and Leicester City. They had enjoyed a successful season, being positioned in the playoff zone almost throughout and reaching the semi finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup.
Wolves had had an inconsistent first half to the campaign after the disappointment of their late slump in form during the previous season which had lost them promotion to local rivals West Bromwich Albion. A stronger run of form in the closing months however, earned them a second successive place in the play-offs with a fifth place finish, four points behind their opponents.
Both clubs had confirmed their play-off place with games to spare, before meeting in their penultimate league match - a 3–3 draw at Bramall Lane. In their first meeting of the season Sheffield United had won 3–1 at Molineux.
In the play-off semi-finals, Sheffield United drew at sixth-placed Nottingham Forest 1–1 in the first leg, before a thrilling 4–3 extra time victory at Bramall Lane took them to the final.
Wolves meanwhile faced Reading, winning the first leg 2–1 after coming from behind and edging a narrow 1–0 success in the away leg to progress 3–1 on aggregate. This marked their first play-off semi final success at this level in four attempts.
Read more about this topic: 2003 Football League First Division Play-off Final
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