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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.
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
Huddersfield Town played their 1,554th and final League game at the Leeds Road ground on 30 April 1994, beating Blackpool 2-1, watched by a near capacity crowd of 16,195. Huddersfield were still in the third tier of the English league when they moved from Leeds Road (now redeveloped into a retail park) into the new Alfred McAlpine Stadium (now called the Galpharm Stadium) for the 1994-95 season. They share the stadium with the Rugby League side Huddersfield Giants.
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'
36-year-old former Huddersfield, Bradford City and Newcastle United central defender Peter Jackson was drafted in as Horton's replacement and turned the club's fortunes around drastically. He immediately installed the experienced former Wales manager Terry Yorath as his assistant. Given a generous transfer budget by the Board, Jackson captured experienced pros such as former Welsh internationals Barry Horne and Dave Phillips in addition to powerful local-born striker Wayne Allison from Division 1 rivals Swindon Town. He also managed to rejuvenate players like Marcus Stewart and, particularly, the previously inconsistent Paul Dalton to the extent that the club finished a respectable 13th in the final table.
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
Rubery and managing director Ian Ayre talked up the side's chances of promotion the following year pointing to the acquisition of the high-profile Steve Bruce as a clear indication of their ambition. More serious investment brought the likes of Clyde Wijnhard, Chris Lucketti, Giorgios Donis, Scott Sellars, Kenny Irons, Ken Monkou and Dean Gorre to the club. The Terriers tore up the Division for the first few months playing attractive attacking football in the 7-1 annihilation of Crystal Palace, plus notable wins over rivals Ipswich Town, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest. The side even scored a famous 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the League Cup and were widely considered to be '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
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 *. 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
Despite losing to Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season, Huddersfield started the 2005/06 season brightly and were top of the table by mid-October. During the season they got the chance to show their pedigree by playing at Blackburn Rovers in the Carling Cup, which they lost 3-1. Then they had a big money-spinning F.A. Cup match at Chelsea in January. They showed superb spirit to only lose 2-1, but many predicted it could be the turning point in Town's season, as they hadn't won a game since being drawn against them, a month earlier. With the season heading towards its climax, Town had to prepare for the play-offs after a disappointing April, which saw them lose out on automatic promotion to the Championship. The goals of Pawel Abbott, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Andy Booth, Danny Schofield and Sheffield Wednesday loan signing David Graham helped Town to have the joint-second best scoring record in the division behind Swansea City.
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. *
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
2005/06 results
League One
| Date | Opponents | '''Home/ | Away''''''Result | F - A'''Scorers | Attendance | '''League | position'''
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 2005 | Nottingham Forest | A | 1 - 2 | Abbott (pen) | 24,042 | 16th |
| 9 Aug 2005 | Bristol City | H | 1 - 0 | Abbott * | 11,138 | 12th |
| 13 Aug 2005 | Swansea City | H | 3 - 1 | Booth Abbott * | 10,304 | 3rd |
| 20 Aug 2005 | Southend United | A | 1 - 1 | Abbott * | 5,567 | 5th |
| 27 Aug 2005 | Hartlepool United | H | 2 - 1 | Abbott Schofield [17 | 11,241 | 2nd |
| 29 Aug 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2 - 1 | Brandon Worthington [40 | 7,222 | 1st |
| 2 Sep 2005 | Scunthorpe United | H | 1 - 4 | Abbott (pen) | 14,112 | 2nd |
| 10 Sep 2005 | Oldham Athletic | A | 3 - 0 | Schofield Taylor-Fletcher [37,72 | 8,803 | 3rd |
| 17 Sep 2005 | Brentford | H | 3 - 2 | Abbott Schofield * | 11,622 | 2nd |
| 24 Sep 2005 | Colchester United | A | 1 - 1 | Taylor-Fletcher * | 3,415 | 3rd |
| 27 Sep 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1 - 0 | Schofield * | 10,640 | 3rd |
| 1 Oct 2005 | Bournemouth | H | 2 - 2 | Schofield Taylor-Fletcher [21 | 13,522 | 3rd |
| 10 Oct 2005 | Bradford City | A | 2 - 1 | Hudson Booth [79 | 12,285 | 2nd |
| 15 Oct 2005 | Walsall | H | 3 - 1 | Booth Abbott [34,78 | 11,642 | 1st |
| 22 Oct 2005 | Chesterfield | A | 3 - 4 | Hudson Worthington * | 6,206 | 2nd |
| 29 Oct 2005 | Swindon Town | H | 1 - 1 | Brandon * | 11,352 | 3rd |
| 12 Nov 2005 | Yeovil Town | A | 2 - 1 | Booth 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 Booth [26 | 17,370 | 2nd |
| 6 Dec 2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 2 - 2 | Abbott 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 * | 7,380 | 3rd |
| 28 Dec 2005 | Port Vale | H | 0 - 3 | 10,824 | 3rd | |
| 31 Dec 2005 | Barnsley | A | 2 - 2 | Booth 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 McIntosh [90 | 4,450 | 4th |
| 14 Jan 2006 | Blackpool | H | 2 - 0 | T Clarke Schofield [73 | 11,977 | 3rd |
| 21 Jan 2006 | Brentford | A | 0 - 2 | 7,636 | 5th | |
| 28 Jan 2006 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2 - 2 | Abbott Graham [59 | 14,973 | 3rd |
| 3 Feb 2006 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1 - 2 | Graham * | 8,300 | 4th |
| 11 Feb 2006 | Colchester United | H | 2 - 0 | Worthington Graham [68 | 13,515 | 5th |
| 14 Feb 2006 | Blackpool | A | 1 - 0 | Brandon (pen) | 6,004 | 5th |
| 18 Feb 2006 | Milton Keynes Dons | H | 5 - 0 | McIntosh Taylor-Fletcher *," target="_blank" >Mirfin * | 11,423 | 3rd |
| 24 Feb 2006 | Swansea City | A | 2 - 2 | McIntosh Graham [82 | 13,110 | 2nd |
| 4 Mar 2006 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2 - 2 | McIntosh Graham [40 | 14,490 | 2nd |
| 10 Mar 2006 | Hartlepool United | A | 1 - 3 | Graham * | 5,648 | 3rd |
| 18 Mar 2006 | Rotherham United | H | 4 - 1 | Booth Taylor-Fletcher [83 | 15,264 | 3rd |
| 25 Mar 2006 | Port Vale | A | 1 - 1 | Booth * | 5,664 | 2nd |
| 1 Apr 2006 | Barnsley | H | 1 - 0 | Taylor-Fletcher * | 19,052 | 3rd |
| 8 Apr 2006 | Gillingham | A | 0 - 2 | 7,014 | 3rd | |
| 15 Apr 2006 | Bournemouth | A | 1 - 1 | Taylor-Fletcher * | 7,406 | 3rd |
| 18 Apr 2006 | Chesterfield | H | 1 - 2 | Graham * | 13,368 | 4th |
| 22 Apr 2006 | Walsall | A | 3 - 1 | Graham Abbott * | 5,554 | 4th |
| 29 Apr 2006 | Yeovil Town | H | 1 - 2 | Graham * | 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 * | 16,127 |
| 15 May 2006 | Semi-Final 2nd Leg | Barnsley | H | 1 - 3 | Worthington * | 19,223 |
FA Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ | Away''''''Result | F - A'''Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Nov 2005 | Round 1 | Welling United | H | 4 - 1 | Booth 69, Schofield (pen), Holdsworth * | 5,518 |
| 4 Dec 2005 | Round 2 | Worcester City | A | 1 - 0 | Brandon * | 4,163 |
| 7 Jan 2006 | Round 3 | Chelsea | A | 1 - 2 | Taylor-Fletcher * | 41,650 |
League Cup
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ | Away''''''Result | F - A'''Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 2005 | Round 1 | Chesterfield | A | 4 - 2 | Abbott Taylor-Fletcher [56, 76, 90 | 2,922 |
| 21 Sep 2005 | Round 2 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1 - 3 | Abbott * | 11,755 |
LDV Vans Trophy
| Date | Round | Opponents | '''Home/ | Away''''''Result | F - A'''Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2005 | Round 1 | NorthBoston United | A | 1 - 2 | Mirfin * | 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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"Huddersfield Town A.F.C."