Huddersfield Town A.F.C.
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Huddersfield Town Football Club are an English football club based in Huddersfield, in the Borough of Kirklees, West Yorkshire. They were formed in 1908 and are nicknamed The Terriers.
In 1926 they became the first English team to win three successive league titles - a feat which only three other clubs have been able to match.
The club traditionally plays in a vertically blue and white striped shirt with white shorts. Town are currently in Coca-Cola League One.
- 1 Early days
- 2 Modern times
- 2.1 Moving home
- 2.2 Settling in
- 2.3 The Horton era
- 2.4 'The Great Escape'
- 2.5 The Rubery takeover
- 2.6 The best Town side in 30 years
- 2.7 The rot sets in
- 2.8 Macari and Wadsworth
- 2.9 The revival
- 2.10 The Young Guns start to shine
- 2.11 Further progress
- 3 Famous connections
- 4 Popular chants
- 5 Current squad
- 6 '''2005/06 results'''
- 7 League history
- 8 Honours
- 9 External links
Early days
In 1907 the Huddersfield Association Football Ground Co. was formed and, with capital of £500, set about purchasing the Leeds Road recreation fields. In the summer of 1908 Huddersfield Town AFC was launched and Leeds Road was officially opened in September 1908 with a friendly against Bradford Park Avenue.
Huddersfield entered the Football League in 1910 but in May 1912 the club went into liquidation. A new club was formed though in November 1919 a fund-raising campaign was needed to stave off a move to Leeds! Remarkably, the team went on to reach the 1920 Cup Final and win promotion to Division One.
Town subsequently won the First Division Championship for three consecutive years 1923-24, 1924-25, and 1925-26 under manager Herbert Chapman. They were the first club to achieve this success. After being losing finalists against Aston Villa, they won the FA Cup 1-0 against Preston North End on 29 April 1922 at Stamford Bridge. They also won the Charity Shield in 1922.
Notable early results were Huddersfield Town beating Manchester United 6-0 away on 10 September 1930, Blackpool 10-1 at home on 13 December 1930 and Liverpool 8-0 at home on 10 November 1934.
The record attendance was 67,037 in a 1-0 FA Cup 6th Round defeat against Arsenal on 27 February 1932. Floodlights were installed in 1961, financed by the £55,000 transfer of Denis Law to Manchester City.
A decline during the early to mid 1970s saw Huddersfield slip into the Fourth Division and in 1987 they were on the receiving end of a 10-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City - a result which contributed towards their relegation to the Third Division that season.
Modern times
Moving home
Settling in
In August 1994 the Terriers christened their new home with a 0-1 defeat to Martin O'Neill's recently promoted Wycombe Wanderers. However, things were soon to get much better for Warnock's team as they adapted to their new surroundings. Fired by the goals of strikers Booth and Jepson, Town soon reached the top of the league, where they would battle with Birmingham City and Brentford for the one automatic spot that season. The Terriers challenge started to fade around Easter with solitary points gained in Yorkshire derbies against Hull City and Rotherham United and a defeat in a match played in farcical conditions at Shrewsbury Town signalled the end of Town's automatic hopes. Warnock's men limped over the finish line in 5th place (one of their lowest positions in months) and signed off with home defeat by newly-crowned champions Birmingham.Somehow, Warnock managed to inspire the side to their early season levels of performance in two thrilling Play-Off ties with Brentford and they progressed to the final with Bristol Rovers after triumphing in a penalty shoot-out at Griffin Park, both legs having finished 1-1. Promotion to Division One was secured after a 2-1 victory over Bristol Rovers at Wembley Stadium, the winner coming 9 minutes from time scored by local boy Chris Billy. But manager Neil Warnock resigned just days after the play-off final to join 3rd Division Plymouth Argyle and was replaced by former Oxford United and Manchester City manager Brian Horton.
The Horton era
Huddersfield finished 8th in 1995/96 and the closed season saw the departure of the hugely successful strike partnership of Andy Booth and flame-haired veteran 'Rocket' Ronnie Jepson, both of whom had been instrumental in the 1994/95 promotion success and subsequent consolidation in the First Division. Booth left for Premiership Sheffield Wednesday in a club record £2.7m deal while Jepson left to 2nd Division Bury for a more modest sum. Horton invested the money in the prolific Bristol Rovers striker Marcus Stewart (for a club record £1.2m), Barnsley's Andy Payton (£350,000) and Blackpool defender Andy Morrison (£500,000).
Following such an outlay, much was expected of the Terriers in the 1996/97 season but, despite a bright start from Stewart, Horton was unable to improve on the team's consistently poor away form that had hindered the side's Play-Off aspirations the previous year. Long-term injuries to Stewart and Morrison did little to help things and, with the previously strong home form becoming increasingly patchy, the Terriers struggled at the wrong end of the table. It was perhaps the least celebrated summer signing Payton who notched an impressive tally of 20 goals and helped staved off the threat of relegation as the side scrambled to 20th.
'The Great Escape'
After a closed season of little activity in the transfer market, Town started the 1997/98 season disastrously and, after some questionable signings and tactical decisions, Horton was sacked in September 1997 as the club lay at the foot of Division One.
The Rubery takeover
Huddersfield did even better in 1998/99. Jackson recruited winger Ben Thornley (a popular loan signing under Horton) from Manchester United and in September, they beat Tranmere Rovers to top the early Division 1 table, thanks chiefly to the goalscoring prowess of Stewart and Allison. The team attracted the attention of local businessman Barry Rubery and, after protracted takeover talks, he took over the running of the club promising significant investment as the club sought Premiership status. The takeover rumours had a negative effect on the side and they fell away from the promotion race despite Jackson investing in the likes of Craig Armstrong and Jamie Vincent and they never looked likely to reach the Play-Offs; finishing 10th in the final table. Jackson was hoping to mount a promotion challenge the following season, but he was suddenly sacked after the end of the season and replaced by former Manchester United captain Steve Bruce, whose first season in management with Sheffield United had brought little success. Peter Jackson declined the role of academy director.
The best Town side in 30 years
At the turn of the year, with the side suffering a blip in form, promotion rivals Ipswich bid for leading scorer Marcus Stewart. To the astonishment of everyone, the club accepted and Stewart condemned his old side to defeat in their meeting at Portman Road a few weeks later. Stewart's replacement, the capable but injury-prone Martin Smith signed from Sheffield United and, though he proved a more-than-useful replacement, the malaise around the club had set in, his striker partner Wijnhard had become a profligate shadow of his early season self and the Terriers collapsed, missing the Play-Offs altogether after a final-day 3-0 hammering at Fulham. Despite missing out on automatic promotion, Ipswich gained promotion through the Play-Offs with Terriers old boy Stewart playing a critical role with his goals in the Play-Off games.
The rot sets in
The optimism that had surrounded the club just a year earlier had completely dissipated and manager Bruce's ability to turn the tide was seriously in doubt given the side's finish to the previous season. After some less than inspiring signings and more feeble displays, Bruce was sacked in November 2000 after a terrible start to the season had seen Huddersfield slip into the drop zone. Lou Macari, the former Stoke, Birmingham, West Ham United and Celtic manager, was given Bruce's job and made some shrewd signings on a limited budget. Particularly noteworthy was the loan signing of Zimbabwean striker Peter Ndlovu who kickstarted a revival that brought Macari the Manager of the Month award for December 2000 and helped push the Terriers out of the bottom three.
However, Town's old manager Warnock (now of Sheffield United) snapped Ndlovu up before a permanent deal could be agreed. Despite this major setback, Macari turned the side into a rugged, disciplined outfit and, aided by the best efforts of emerging talent Delroy Facey, Town put themselves in with an excellent chance of survival with only two games of the season to play. However, a sudden last week rally from both Crystal Palace and Portsmouth, and a return of just 1 point from the final two games against Wimbledon and Birmingham, saw the Terriers relegated to Division 2.
Macari and Wadsworth
Macari remained in charge for the 2001/02 season and again he did an admirable job in trying circumstances, promoting the then 18-year old Nathan Clarke to the first team, who would go on to be a mainstay at the heart of the Terriers defence. As the top six challenge faded, he made another canny loan signing, gifted young striker Leon Knight (from Chelsea). Knight's combination of pace, trickery and his eye for goal saw him bag 17 goals in only half a season and form an effective partnership with the returning crowd favourite Andy Booth. However, Knight received a red card during a league game with near neighbours Oldham Athletic and ended up missing the Play-Offs he had been mainly responsible for getting the team to. Without him, Town battled well but lacked a cutting edge and ended up being defeated by Brentford at the semi-final stage.
Macari's contract was not renewed that summer. His successor was Mick Wadsworth, a manager whose last notable success was with Carlisle United some eight years earlier. Wadsworth attempted to play a neat passing game with a flexible 4-3-3 formation but his lone striker system failed to offer any real threat to opposition defences and, allied to a leaky defence and a lightweight midfield, Town were again in real trouble. With the club sinking into administration and unable to pay its players, Wadsworth was sacked in March as Huddersfield floundered near the foot of Division Two. Interim manager Mel Machin, despite the best efforts of Martin Smith (17 goals) and a slight improvement from one of the least memorable Huddersfield Town sides of recent years, was unable to save Huddersfield from the drop into Division Three so in 2003 the Club was relegated to the basement division for only the second time in their history and for the first time in more than 20 years.
The revival
Peter Jackson began his second spell as Huddersfield manager in the summer of 2003 as the Terriers came out of administration under the new ownership of Ken Davy. He again wasted no time in installing Yorath as his assistant. With only eight players turning up to his first training session, and star player Martin Smith defecting to Northampton Town, many supporters would have been happy to see the side consolidate and not slip any further down the league. But some shrewd signings, the emergence of a talented group of youngsters, and the prolific form of the previously ineffective Jon Stead made Town among the early pace-setters for the Division. As winter approached, Jackson's young side became more inconsistent and seemed to be fading but a change of formation tightened up the defence. Goalkeeper Paul Rachubka was brought in as the side found a new resilience and the ability to grind out narrow victories. Stead's form saw an offer from Sunderland, that was rejected, but he was snapped up by Premiership Blackburn Rovers for around £1.2m in January and was replaced by Polish U21 striker Pawel Abbott who had been unable to establish himself at Preston North End.
Though Abbott was initially not quite as prolific as Stead, the side kept their good run going and with one game left were on the verge of sealing the third automatic promotion spot. Needing to match Torquay United if they won their final game, Town went to Cheltenham Town, and after leading 1-0, disaster struck when Abbott received the ball just inside his own half and, inexplicably, ran back towards Town's goal and horrendously underhit a backpass that allowed the Robins to equalise with just 15 minutes of the game left. This, together with Torquay's win at Southend United, condemned the Terriers to a Play-Off spot, by virtue of an inferior goal difference.The Play-off semi-final saw Town escape two bruising encounters with Lincoln City with goals from Danny Schofield and Rob Edwards staving off a spirited Lincoln fightback in the second leg. In the final Town rode their luck against a Mansfield Town side who had hit three in each league meeting of the sides. Just before the end of normal time the Stags netted but the linesman controversially ruled that the initiating cross had gone out over the by-line. A penalty shoot-out saw Town home and out of Division Three at the first attempt, securing their place in the newly-named Coca Cola League One.
The Young Guns start to shine
At the start of the 2004/05 season, the stadium was renamed the Galpharm Stadium, to reflect the sponsorship of this local healthcare company [link]. The 2004/05 season proved a rollercoaster for Jackson's young side with impressive early season victories away at eventual champions Luton and at home over runners-up Hull City. However, a disastrous mid-season spell of form (including seven successive away league defeats and having Efe Sodje stripped of the captaincy after his red card against Blackpool in the LDV Vans Trophy) saw the side slump and in real danger of a relegation battle before the shrewd loan signing of striker Luke Beckett. Beckett's goals halted the slide and injected Jackson's young side with the confidence that led them to a formidable late run of form (9 wins and 1 draw from 10 matches) that saw them miss out on the final Play-Off spot by a single point, despite Beckett departing to join local rivals Oldham Athletic before the transfer deadline. During the season, many graduates from Town's own academy started to cement first-team places, such as Andy Holdsworth, David Mirfin, Nathan Clarke, Tom Clarke, Adnan Ahmed and Michael Collins.
Further progress
Huddersfield beat Barnsley 1-0 at Barnsley in the playoff semi-final first leg but lost 1-3 (2-3 on aggregate) in the return.
On 18 May 2006, Jackson signed a two-year extension to his contract that will see him managing Town until May 2009.
On 3 July 2006, Huddersfield signed 29-year-old Sheffield United striker Luke Beckett, for £85,000, on a three-year deal after passing a medical. Beckett scored six goals in seven games for Huddersfield during a loan spell in 2005. [link]
Famous connections
Famous players to wear a Huddersfield shirt include Jimmy Glazzard, Jimmy Nicholson, Denis Law, Ray Wilson, Trevor Cherry, Frank Worthington, Marcus Stewart and Andy Booth.
Notable former managers include Herbert Chapman, Malcolm Macdonald, Neil Warnock, Brian Horton, Steve Bruce and Lou Macari. Their current manager is Peter Jackson. He took over in June 2003 and had previously been in charge from September 1997 until May 1999.
Popular chants
Huddersfield Town have many chants and songs sung regularly at matches. "Those Were The Days My Friend" (to the tune of the song of the same name by Mary Hopkins) is one popular in times of success:
Those were the days my friend,
We thought they'd never end,
We won the league three times in a row,
We won the FA Cup,
And now we're going up,
We are the Town,
Oh yes we are the Town.
(The last two lines may repeat the first, depending upon the temperament and memory of the crowd)
The club anthem is "Smile a while", a song originating in the 1920s.
Current squad
| width="1%" | |bgcolor="#FFFFFF" valign="top" width="48%"| |}2005/06 results
| Date | Opponents | '''Home/ Away''' | '''Result F - A''' | Scorers | Attendance | '''League position''' |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2005 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1 - 2 | Abbott [64 (pen)] | 24,042 | 16th |
| 9 Aug 2005 | Bristol City | H | 1 - 0 | Abbott [89] | 11,138 | 12th |
| 13 Aug 2005 | Swansea City | H | 3 - 1 | Booth [27], Abbott [41], Schofield [76] | 10,304 | 3rd |
| 20 Aug 2005 | Southend United | A | 1 - 1 | Abbott [45] | 5,567 | 5th |
| 27 Aug 2005 | Hartlepool United | H | 2 - 1 | Abbott [12], Schofield [17] | 11,241 | 2nd |
| 29 Aug 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2 - 1 | Brandon [2], Worthington [40] | 7,222 | 1st |
| 2 Sep 2005 | Scunthorpe United | H | 1 - 4 | Abbott [66 (pen)] | 14,112 | 2nd |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Oldham Athletic | A | 3 - 0 | Schofield [27], Taylor-Fletcher [37,72] | 8,803 | 3rd |
| 17 Sep 2005 | Brentford | H | 3 - 2 | Abbott [34], Schofield [90], Booth [90] | 11,622 | 2nd |
| 24 Sep 2005 | Colchester United | A | 1 - 1 | Taylor-Fletcher [65] | 3,415 | 3rd |
| 27 Sep 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1 - 0 | Schofield [87] | 10,640 | 3rd |
| 1 Oct 2005 | Bournemouth | H | 2 - 2 | Schofield [14], Taylor-Fletcher [21] | 13,522 | 3rd |
| 10 Oct 2005 | Bradford City | A | 2 - 1 | Hudson [21], Booth [79] | 12,285 | 2nd |
| 15 Oct 2005 | Walsall | H | 3 - 1 | Booth [15], Abbott [34,78] | 11,642 | 1st |
| 22 Oct 2005 | Chesterfield | A | 3 - 4 | Hudson [80], Worthington [87], Holdsworth [90] | 6,206 | 2nd |
| 29 Oct 2005 | Swindon Town | H | 1 - 1 | Brandon [54] | 11,352 | 3rd |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Yeovil Town | A | 2 - 1 | Booth [11], Hudson [39] | 6,742 | 2nd |
| 19 Nov 2005 | Bradford City | H | 0 - 0 | 17,331 | 2nd | |
| 26 Nov 2005 | Nottingham Forest | H | 2 - 1 | Schofield [21], Booth [26] | 17,370 | 2nd |
| 6 Dec 2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 2 - 2 | Abbott [7], Booth [64] | 4,832 | 2nd |
| 10 Dec 2005 | Bristol City | A | 0 - 2 | 9,949 | 2nd | |
| 17 Dec 2005 | Southend United | H | 0 - 0 | 11,223 | 3rd | |
| 26 Dec 2005 | Rotherham United | A | 1 - 1 | Taylor-Fletcher [90] | 7,380 | 3rd |
| 28 Dec 2005 | Port Vale | H | 0 - 3 | 10,824 | 3rd | |
| 31 Dec 2005 | Barnsley | A | 2 - 2 | Booth [76], Taylor-Fletcher [90] | 13,063 | 4th |
| 2 Jan 2006 | Gillingham | H | 0 - 0 | 11,483 | 5th | |
| 10 Jan 2006 | Scunthorpe United | A | 2 - 2 | Schofield [44], McIntosh [90] | 4,450 | 4th |
| 14 Jan 2006 | Blackpool | H | 2 - 0 | T Clarke [9], Schofield [73] | 11,977 | 3rd |
| 21 Jan 2006 | Brentford | A | 0 - 2 | 7,636 | 5th | |
| 28 Jan 2006 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2 - 2 | Abbott [48], Graham [59] | 14,973 | 3rd |
| 3 Feb 2006 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1 - 2 | Graham [48] | 8,300 | 4th |
| 11 Feb 2006 | Colchester United | H | 2 - 0 | Worthington [14], Graham [68] | 13,515 | 5th |
| 14 Feb 2006 | Blackpool | A | 1 - 0 | Brandon [43 (pen)] | 6,004 | 5th |
| 18 Feb 2006 | Milton Keynes Dons | H | 5 - 0 | McIntosh [19], Taylor-Fletcher [24], Worthington [36], Mirfin [77], Collins [90] | 11,423 | 3rd |
| 24 Feb 2006 | Swansea City | A | 2 - 2 | McIntosh [70], Graham [82] | 13,110 | 2nd |
| 4 Mar 2006 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2 - 2 | McIntosh [8], Graham [40] | 14,490 | 2nd |
| 10 Mar 2006 | Hartlepool United | A | 1 - 3 | Graham [22] | 5,648 | 3rd |
| 18 Mar 2006 | Rotherham United | H | 4 - 1 | Booth [32,39,82], Taylor-Fletcher [83] | 15,264 | 3rd |
| 25 Mar 2006 | Port Vale | A | 1 - 1 | Booth [81] | 5,664 | 2nd |
| 1 Apr 2006 | Barnsley | H | 1 - 0 | Taylor-Fletcher [55] | 19,052 | 3rd |
| 8 Apr 2006 | Gillingham | A | 0 - 2 | 7,014 | 3rd | |
| 15 Apr 2006 | Bournemouth | A | 1 - 1 | Taylor-Fletcher [71] | 7,406 | 3rd |
| 18 Apr 2006 | Chesterfield | H | 1 - 2 | Graham [13] | 13,368 | 4th |
| 22 Apr 2006 | Walsall | A | 3 - 1 | Graham [25], Abbott [83], Booth [90] | 5,554 | 4th |
| 29 Apr 2006 | Yeovil Town | H | 1 - 2 | Graham [8] | 14,473 | 4th |
| 6 May 2006 | Swindon Town | A | 0 - 0 | 6,353 | 4th |
League One Play-Offs
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ Away''' | '''Result F - A''' | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 2006 | Semi-Final 1st Leg | Barnsley | A | 1 - 0 | Taylor-Fletcher [85] | 16,127 |
| 15 May 2006 | Semi-Final 2nd Leg | Barnsley | H | 1 - 3 | Worthington [65] | 19,223
|
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ Away''' | '''Result F - A''' | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 2005 | Round 1 | Welling United | H | 4 - 1 | Booth [27, 69], Schofield [50 (pen)], Holdsworth [81] | 5,518 |
| 4 Dec 2005 | Round 2 | Worcester City | A | 1 - 0 | Brandon [61] | 4,163 |
| 7 Jan 2006 | Round 3 | Chelsea | A | 1 - 2 | Taylor-Fletcher [74] | 41,650 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ Away''' | '''Result F - A''' | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 2005 | Round 1 | Chesterfield | A | 4 - 2 | Abbott [9], Taylor-Fletcher [56, 76, 90] | 2,922 |
| 21 Sep 2005 | Round 2 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1 - 3 | Abbott [79] | 11,755 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ Away''' | '''Result F - A''' | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2005 | Round 1 North | Boston United | A | 1 - 2 | Mirfin [68] | 1,593 |
League history
Division 2: 1910/11 - 1919/20
Division 1: 1920/21 - 1951/52
Division 2: 1952/53
Division 1: 1953/54 - 1955/56
Division 2: 1956/57 - 1969/70
Division 1: 1970/71 - 1971/72
Division 2: 1972/73
Division 3: 1973/74 - 1974/75
Division 4: 1975/76 - 1979/80
Division 3: 1980/81 - 1982/83
Division 2: 1983/84 - 1987/88
Division 3: 1988/89 - 1994/95
Division 2 (Division 1): 1995/96 - 2000/01
Division 3 (Division 2): 2001/02 - 2002/03
Division 4 (Division 3): 2003/04
Division 3 (League 1): 2004/05 - Present
Honours
Division 1 Champions: 1923/24, 1924/25, 1925/26
Division 1 Runners-up: 1926/27, 1927/28
Division 2 Champions: 1969/70
Division 2 Runners-up: 1919/20
Division 3 (Division 2) Play-Off Winners: 1994/95
Division 4 Champions: 1979/80
Division 4 (Division 3) Play-Off Winners: 2003/04
FA Cup Winners: 1921/22
FA Cup runners-up: 1919/20, 1927/28, 1929/30, 1937/38
Associate Members Cup (Autoglass Trophy) runners-up: 1993/94
YE Trophy Winners 1994/95
External links
- [Official site]
- [Down At The Mac - Huddersfield Town Fan Site]
- [HTFC-World - Huddersfield Town Fan Site]
- [netTerriers - Huddersfield Town Internet Football Club]
- [HTAFC Cards and Stickers - Huddersfield Town as seen through cigarette & trade cards and stickers]
- [HTFC Supporters Trust]
- [Huddersfield Town Patrons Association]
- [Terriers Mailing List]
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