1998–99 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season explained

Season:1998–99
League Result:10th
Cup1 Result:Fifth round
Cup2 Result:Second round
League Topscorer:Marcus Stewart (22)
Season Topscorer:Marcus Stewart (26)
Highest Attendance:21,629 vs Derby County (13 February 1999)
Lowest Attendance:3,988 vs Mansfield Town (11 August 1998)
Largest Win:4–0 vs Crystal Palace (5 December 1998)
Largest Loss:1–7 vs Barnsley (27 November 1998)
Pattern La1:_white_stripes
Pattern B1:_whitestripes
Pattern Ra1:_white_stripes
Leftarm1:3eacff
Body1:3eacff
Rightarm1:3eacff
Shorts1:ffffff
Socks1:ffffff
Leftarm2:0F4D92
Body2:eedfcc
Rightarm2:0F4D92
Shorts2:0F4D92
Socks2:0F4D92
Nextseason:1999–2000

Huddersfield Town's 1998–99 campaign was Town's full season with Peter Jackson at the helm. At the end of the season, Town finished a respectable 10th place, but within a day of the end of the season, owner Barry Rubery sacked Peter Jackson to the shock of just about every Huddersfield Town fan.

Review

Among the summer transfers brought in by manager Peter Jackson was Belgian goalkeeper Nico Vaesen, who was sent off on his debut after just 9 minutes against Bury, but after that made some exceptional performances in the Town net, which helped Town reach top spot in September and October. During that time, Town played Sunderland, which at the time saw a record 20,241 at a match at the McAlpine Stadium. (That would be eclipsed by the 21,629 that saw Town play Derby County in the FA Cup 5th round in February.)

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.

Even though Town were top of the table, their away form was very mediocre at best. This was probably proven by their 7–1 loss to Barnsley in November (They were 6–0 down at half-time and to make matters worse the game was shown on Sky Sports!) Town did however have a good run in the FA Cup which culminated in a 5th-round match against Premier League side Derby County. They eventually lost 3–1 in the replay at Pride Park.

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. A play-off place eventually faded following a horrible end to the season, which saw them win only one of their last 11 matches, although that was a 3–2 win against local rivals Bradford City at Valley Parade.

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. Jackson declined the role of academy director.

Results

Division One

DateOpponentsHome/
Away
Result
F - A
ScorersAttendancePosition
8 August 1998BuryA0 - 17,65921st
15 August 1998Port ValeH2 - 1Dalton [40], Stewart [60]9,93011th
22 August 1998Grimsby TownA0 - 16,97414th
29 August 1998PortsmouthH3 - 3Stewart [45, 84], Allison [89]10,08513th
31 August 1998Bristol CityA2 - 1Horne [48], Stewart [52]11,80110th
5 September 1998Sheffield UnitedH1 - 0Allison [88]12,1926th
8 September 1998WatfordH2 - 0Stewart [21], Allison [41]9,8115th
11 September 1998Tranmere RoversA3 - 2Stewart [21], Allison [45, 69]5,7701st
19 September 1998Wolverhampton WanderersH2 - 1Dalton [19], Thornley [90]13,8541st
26 September 1998Bolton WanderersA0 - 320,9712nd
29 September 1998Stockport CountyA1 - 1Allison [40]8,0232nd
3 October 1998Oxford UnitedH2 - 0Dalton [24], Stewart [33]10,9681st
9 October 1998Swindon TownA0 - 38,3161st
17 October 1998Queens Park RangersH2 - 0Edwards [12], Thornley [48]11,2761st
21 October 1998SunderlandH1 - 1Stewart [28]20,2411st
24 October 1998Norwich CityA1 - 4Beresford [59]15,4032nd
31 October 1998Birmingham CityA1 - 1Stewart [61]14,4683rd
7 November 1998Ipswich TownH2 - 2Edwards [65], Allison [74]14,2405th
14 November 1998West Bromwich AlbionA1 - 3Beresford [6]13,6269th
21 November 1998Bradford CityH2 - 1Barnes [70], Johnson [72]18,1736th
27 November 1998BarnsleyA1 - 7Facey [74]16,6487th
5 December 1998Crystal PalaceH4 - 0Stewart [15, 24, 81], Facey [90]10,4536th
12 December 1998West Bromwich AlbionH0 - 311,9478th
19 December 1998Crewe AlexandraA2 - 1Stewart [13, 48]5,1028th
26 December 1998Grimsby TownH2 - 0Stewart [53], Beech [65]16,1866th
28 December 1998Sheffield UnitedA1 - 2Stewart [67 (pen)]17,3597th
9 January 1999BuryH2 - 2Allison [32], Johnson [83]10,7888th
16 January 1999PortsmouthA0 - 110,33410th
30 January 1999Bristol CityH2 - 2Phillips [3], Johnson [59]13,93410th
6 February 1999Port ValeA0 - 26,49911th
16 February 1999WatfordA1 - 1Beech [71]10,30311th
20 February 1999Tranmere RoversH0 - 011,41112th
27 February 1999Wolverhampton WanderersA2 - 2Gray [59], Hamilton [90]21,77812th
2 March 1999Bolton WanderersH3 - 2Stewart [36], Johnson [41], Armstrong [46]13,8678th
6 March 1999Stockport CountyH3 - 0Stewart [64 (pen), 68], Jenkins [72]11,9148th
9 March 1999Oxford UnitedA2 - 2Thornley [29], Stewart [86 (pen)]6,0347th
13 March 1999Ipswich TownA0 - 317,17010th
20 March 1999Birmingham CityH1 - 1Facey [55]14,6679th
24 March 1999Norwich CityH1 - 1Hughes [83 ([[Own goal|og]])]9,7178th
3 April 1999Queens Park RangersA1 - 1Lawson [79]11,1139th
5 April 1999Swindon TownH1 - 2Lawson [80]11,7199th
10 April 1999SunderlandA0 - 241,07410th
17 April 1999Bradford CityA3 - 2Stewart [22], Allison [24], Thornley [36]15,1249th
24 April 1999BarnsleyH0 - 115,35310th
1 May 1999Crystal PalaceA2 - 2Dyson [33], Stewart [40 (pen)]17,28210th
9 May 1999Crewe AlexandraH0 - 015,10510th

FA Cup

DateRoundOpponentsHome/
Away
Result
F - A
ScorersAttendance
2 January 1999Round 3Queens Park RangersA1 - 0Allison [42]11,685
23 January 1999Round 4WrexhamA1 - 1Allison [22]8,714
3 February 1999Round 4 replayWrexhamH2 - 1Stewart [20], Thornley [28]15,427
13 February 1999Round 5Derby CountyH2 - 2Beech [42], Stewart [71]21,629
24 February 1999Round 5 replayDerby CountyA1 - 3Beech [15]28,704

League Cup

DateRoundOpponentsHome/
Away
Result
F - A
ScorersAttendance
11 August 1998Round 1 1st LegMansfield TownH3 - 2Johnson [18], Allison [74], Dalton [81 (pen)]3,988
18 August 1998Round 1 2nd LegMansfield TownA1 - 1Stewart [28]2,936
  • Huddersfield won 4–3 on aggregate
15 September 1998Round 2 1st LegEvertonH1 - 1Allison [45]15,395
23 September 1998Round 2 2nd LegEvertonA1 - 2Stewart [1]18,718
  • Huddersfield lost 3–2 on aggregate

Appearances and goals

NameNationPositionLeague AppsLeague GoalsFA Cup AppsFA Cup GoalsLeague Cup AppsLeague Cup GoalsTotal AppsTotal Goals
Wayne AllisonFW44942325113
Craig ArmstrongMF1310000131
Simon BaldryMF8 (5)01 (1)0009 (6)0
Paul BarnesFW2 (13)11 (1)00 (3)03 (17)1
Chris BeechMF13 (4)2220015 (4)4
David BeresfordMF13 (6)21 (1)00 (2)014 (9)2
Marcus BrowningMF2 (4)0001 (2)03 (6)0
Sam CollinsDF22 (1)0304029 (1)0
Tom CowanDF50200070
Paul DaltonMF7 (2)3003 (1)110 (3)4
Jon DysonDF10 (4)1200012 (4)1
Darren EdmondsonDF1 (2)02 (1)0003 (3)0
Rob EdwardsMF4525040542
Delroy FaceyFW5 (15)30 (2)0005 (17)3
Steve FrancisGK30000030
Kevin GrayDF28 (6)1502 (1)035 (7)1
Des HamiltonMF1010000101
Thomas HearyDF30000030
Sean HesseyDF7 (3)010008 (3)0
Barry HorneMF2010040241
Mark JacksonDF50000050
Steve JenkinsDF3613040431
Grant JohnsonMF3645041455
Ian LawsonFW2 (4)200002 (4)2
Dwayne MattisMF0 (2)000000 (2)0
Andy MorrisonDF1200030150
David PhillipsMF15 (8)1500020 (8)1
Lee RichardsonMF13 (2)0000013 (2)0
Danny SchofieldMF10000010
Marcus StewartFW432252425226
Ben ThornleyMF32 (3)4314039 (3)5
Nico VaesenGK4305040520
Jamie VincentDF70000070