The 1903-04 season was Fulham's 22nd season, and their 1st season playing first-class football, in the Southern League Division One (equivalent to today's League One).
By the time Fulham started their first campaign as a Southern League First Division side, they had acquired virtually an entire team, most of whom had gained experience with Football League clubs. Although the Cottagers had yet to appoint their first manager (secretary Herbert Jackson was, for this season, the key official), they adopted a professional attitude from the start.
Not only were they active in the transfer market, but they showed little sentiment towards the players who had been so successful at a lower level. Of those who had helped win the Second Division title the previous season, only Tommy Meade and Willie Porter were to play in the First Division, whilst David Lloyd, Fred Spackman, Bob Tannahill and George Tuthill played in the early qualifying rounds of the FA Cup.
Of all the new signings, none were more valuable than goalkeeper Jack Fryer, a three-time FA Cup finalist with Derby County. Fulham signed full backs Billy Orr and Ted Turner from Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively. To start the season, the half back line comprised the former Wolves player Harry Robotham, Paddy Gray, once of Grimsby Town, and Ellis Green from Brentford. In January, however, Scotsman Billy Goldie arrived from Liverpool and took over at left half, Green dropping out. Amongst the forwards were two signings from Arsenal, centre forward Fergus Hunt and outside left Everard Lawrence, who had Albert Soar from Derby and Harry Fletcher from Grimsby for company.
The playing record was no better than average, the team finishing 11th out of 18 teams, with 30 points. There had, however, been little time to prepare for higher grade football, and after this debut season, major changes were made.
The side began reasonably, and although only two games were won out of eight to the end of October, five were drawn. This included home draws with eventual champions Southampton and with Tottenham, who finished runners-up. But it also included a single-goal defeat at Kettering who finished bottom. Over the next two months and six matches, only one was won and one drawn.
January's matches saw an improvement, but over the following two months there were just three wins and a draw in nine games, including a defeat at next to bottom finishers Brighton. The team recovered to win one and draw four of the final six matches. They scored just 34 goals and only two clubs scored fewer. The top scorer in the league was Harry Fletcher with 13 goals, and these included a hat-trick in a 3-0 victory over Brighton in March.
Centre forward Joe Connor, an arrival from New Brompton in October, became Fulham's first ever international when he represented Ireland against England at Belfast in March 1904.
The highlight of the season was without doubt, reaching the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time. Hampstead, Crouch End Vampires and Civil Service were defeated in the early qualifying rounds, mostly using reserve team players, before Queens Park Rangers were beaten after a replay, with the match attracting a crowd of 20,000. A Joe Connor hat-trick helped Fulham beat West Norwood in the next round, then Luton Town were beaten 3-1 at the Cottage. Fulham won a tricky tie at West Ham in the Intermediate round before they travelled to the Manor Ground at Plumstead to play Woolwich Arsenal in the first round proper, where they lost by a single goal. Fulham also entered the London League Premier Division but lost their first seven matches of the season and then won three of their remaining five matches and thus finished second bottom.
There were some impressive attendances at Craven Cottage during the season, with 17,583 attending the match with Southampton in early October and 15,135 against West London rivals QPR later that month. Harry Bradshaw, the Woolwich Arsenal manager, was appointed by director Henry Norris as Fulham's new manager in February, but he did not take up the post until April. He was to have a major impact on the success of the club over the coming seasons.
1 The system of using goal average to separate two teams tied on points was used up until the 1976-77 season. 2 The points system: 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 points for losing.
John Dean
Billy Orr
Joe Connor
Cornelius Hogan
George Sheeran