| Season: | 2001–02 |
| League Result: | 6th |
| Cup1 Result: | Semi-finals |
| Cup2 Result: | Second round |
| Cup3 Result: | First round |
| Cup4 Result: | Area Final |
| League Topscorer: | Leon Knight (16) |
| Season Topscorer: | Leon Knight (17) |
| Highest Attendance: | 16,523 vs Brentford (28 April 2002) |
| Lowest Attendance: | 3,570 vs Halifax Town (16 October 2001) |
| Largest Win: | 5–1 vs Wrexham (27 October 2001) |
| Largest Loss: | 0–4 vs Mansfield Town (8 December 2001) |
| Pattern La1: | _white_stripes |
| Pattern B1: | _whitestripes |
| Pattern Ra1: | _white_stripes |
| Pattern So1: | _top_on_white |
| Leftarm1: | 0000ff |
| Body1: | 0000ff |
| Rightarm1: | 0000ff |
| Shorts1: | ffffff |
| Socks1: | 0000ff |
| Pattern B2: | _vneckonblack |
| Leftarm2: | 000000 |
| Body2: | 0000ff |
| Rightarm2: | 000000 |
| Shorts2: | 000000 |
| Socks2: | 000000 |
| Pattern B3: | _collarred 2 |
| Leftarm3: | ff0000 |
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| Shorts3: | ff0000 |
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| Nextseason: | 2002–03 |
Huddersfield Town's 2001–02 campaign was their first competitive campaign in the third tier since the 1994–95 season. Huddersfield finished 6th that season, before losing in the play-offs to 3rd place Brentford, who Town beat in the play-off semi-finals in the 1994–95 season.
Macari remained in charge for the 2001–02 season. At the start of the season he sold Chris Lucketti to Preston North End in a £750,000 deal, after 76 appearances for Town. Macari promoted 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. Huddersfield had a good start to the season, with the exception of the Worthington Cup loss to Rochdale. They continued a steady progress up the table and Lou Macari was on course to send Town back up to Division 1.
As the top six challenge faded, he made a canny loan signing, gifted young striker Leon Knight (from Chelsea). He scored 16 league goals in 31 appearances and also became the only loan player to date to win the Player of the Year award. 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 largely 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.
The season also saw a good campaign in the LDV Vans Trophy. After beating Halifax Town, Wrexham, Scunthorpe United and Hull City, Town played Blackpool in a 2-leg Northern Area Final. After losing the first leg 3–1 at Bloomfield Road, Town took a 2–0 lead in the reverse at the McAlpine Stadium, the match went to extra time, but their party was spoiled by Martin Bullock's golden goal.
So, Town looked on course for automatic promotion until a run of 4 games without a win in late March and early April, only the play-offs seemed to be likely to give the promotion that Town craved. They eventually finished 6th, six behind 2nd placed Reading.
The Play-off semi-final saw Town play 3rd placed Brentford. After the first leg ended 0–0 at the McAlpine, Andy Booth gave Town an early lead in the second leg at Griffin Park, before Darren Powell and Lloyd Owusu gave Brentford their 2–1 win.
| Date | Opponents | Home/Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | League position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 August 2001 | Bournemouth | H | 1 - 0 | Irons [50] | 10,137 | 7th | |
| 18 August 2001 | Reading | A | 0 - 1 | 11,915 | 12th | ||
| 25 August 2001 | Bury | H | 2 - 0 | Schofield [82, 88] | 8,684 | 8th | |
| 27 August 2001 | Peterborough United | A | 2 - 1 | Booth [52], Beech [71] | 5,253 | 4th | |
| 2 September 2001 | Wycombe Wanderers | H | 2 - 1 | Thorrington [38], Brown [70 (og)] | 9,741 | 1st | |
| 8 September 2001 | Stoke City | A | 1 - 1 | Schofield [32] | 13,319 | 3rd | |
| 15 September 2001 | Blackpool | H | 2 - 4 | Clarke [18], Thorrington [87] | 10,691 | 6th | |
| 18 September 2001 | Wigan Athletic | A | 0 - 1 | 5,717 | 7th | ||
| 22 September 2001 | Cardiff City | A | 2 - 1 | Mattis [20], Schofield [56] | 12,280 | 6th | |
| 25 September 2001 | Chesterfield | H | 0 - 0 | 9,399 | 5th | ||
| 29 September 2001 | Bristol City | H | 1 - 0 | Thorrington [71] | 10,652 | 3rd | |
| 7 October 2001 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 2 - 3 | Hay [33], Ben Askar [90 (og)] | 10,668 | 7th | |
| 13 October 2001 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 1 - 2 | Irons [74] | 10,727 | 9th | |
| 20 October 2001 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0 - 1 | 8,632 | 12th | ||
| 23 October 2001 | Northampton Town | A | 3 - 0 | Booth [30, 45, 70] | 5,926 | 7th | |
| 27 October 2001 | Wrexham | H | 5 - 1 | Thorrington [29 (pen)], Holland [48], Knight [64, 66], Booth [87] | 9,888 | 6th | |
| 3 November 2001 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1 - 1 | Schofield [23] | 8,859 | 10th | |
| 9 November 2001 | Notts County | H | 2 - 2 | Jenkins [37], Knight [63] | 10,168 | 6th | |
| 20 November 2001 | Brentford | H | 1 - 1 | Knight [56] | 8,518 | 6th | |
| 24 November 2001 | Port Vale | A | 1 - 1 | Knight [67] | 5,026 | 7th | |
| 1 December 2001 | Cambridge United | H | 2 - 1 | Hay [76], Booth [88] | 9,513 | 7th | |
| 22 December 2001 | Colchester United | A | 3 - 3 | Booth [40, 61], Schofield [59] | 3,543 | 10th | |
| 26 December 2001 | Peterborough United | H | 3 - 1 | Thorrington [34, 52], Irons [66] | 11,446 | 8th | |
| 29 December 2001 | Stoke City | H | 0 - 0 | 16,041 | 9th | ||
| 12 January 2002 | Reading | H | 0 - 1 | 10,775 | 11th | ||
| 15 January 2002 | Bury | A | 0 - 0 | 3,462 | 9th | ||
| 19 January 2002 | Bournemouth | A | 3 - 2 | Booth [3], Hay [24], Knight [37] | 5,307 | 9th | |
| 22 January 2002 | Colchester United | H | 2 - 1 | Schofield [5, 25] | 7,179 | 9th | |
| 26 January 2002 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 1 - 0 | Booth [37] | 9,433 | 6th | |
| 2 February 2002 | Bristol City | A | 1 - 1 | Knight [90] | 10,643 | 7th | |
| 5 February 2002 | Swindon Town | A | 1 - 0 | Hay [54] | 5,094 | 5th | |
| 9 February 2002 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2 - 1 | Armstrong [78], Wijnhard [81] | 15,784 | 5th | |
| 16 February 2002 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0 - 1 | 14,045 | 6th | ||
| 23 February 2002 | Blackpool | A | 2 - 1 | Knight [70, 90] | 8,981 | 6th | |
| 2 March 2002 | Wigan Athletic | H | 0 - 0 | 12,844 | 7th | ||
| 5 March 2002 | Chesterfield | A | 1 - 1 | Knight [83] | 4,740 | 7th | |
| 9 March 2002 | Swindon Town | H | 2 - 0 | Irons [21], Knight [52] | 9,569 | 6th | |
| 12 March 2002 | Wycombe Wanderers | A | 4 - 2 | Knight [28, 90], Gray [36], Irons [90] | 5,546 | 5th | |
| 16 March 2002 | Cambridge United | A | 1 - 0 | Knight [64] | 3,728 | 5th | |
| 23 March 2002 | Northampton Town | H | 2 - 0 | Knight [27, 33] | 10,783 | 5th | |
| 30 March 2002 | Wrexham | A | 1 - 1 | Facey [53] | 4,448 | 5th | |
| 1 April 2002 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0 - 0 | 14,343 | 5th | ||
| 6 April 2002 | Brentford | A | 0 - 3 | 7,393 | 6th | ||
| 9 April 2002 | Cardiff City | H | 2 - 2 | Irons [79 (pen)], Hay [82] | 11,660 | 6th | |
| 13 April 2002 | Port Vale | H | 2 - 1 | Facey [42], Booth [65] | 12,270 | 6th | |
| 20 April 2002 | Notts County | A | 1 - 2 | Irons [83 (pen)] | 15,618 | 6th |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 April 2002 | Semi-Final 1st Leg | Brentford | H | 0 - 0 | 16,523 | ||
| 1 May 2002 | Semi-Final 2nd Leg | Brentford | A | 1 - 2 | Booth [2] | 11,191
|
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 November 2001 | Round 1 | Gravesend & Northfleet | H | 2 - 1 | Moses [63], Knight [90] | 6,112 | |
| 8 December 2001 | Round 2 | Mansfield Town | A | 0 - 4 | 6,836 |
| align=center rowspan=2 width=15% | width=24% | width=13% align=center | Penalties | width=24% | |||
| align=right valign=top | align=center valign=top | 4 - 3 | valign=top | ? ? ? Stoneman: Margetson saved Smith: over crossbar |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 October 2001 | Round 2North | Wrexham | A | 1 - 0 | Holland [5] | 1,725 | |
| 4 December 2001 | Quarter-FinalNorth | Scunthorpe United | H | 4 - 1 | Schofield [23, 65], Hay [76], Booth [85] | 3,587 | |
| 8 January 2002 | Semi-FinalNorth | Hull City | A | 1 - 0 | Booth [39] | 7,248 | |
| 29 January 2002 | Final First LegNorth | Blackpool | A | 1 - 3 | Schofield [56] | 4,573 | |
| 12 February 2002 | Final Second LegNorth | Blackpool | H | 2 - 1 (Golden goal aet: 90 mins: 2 - 0) | Wijnhard [5 (pen)], Schofield [33] | 7,736
|
| Squad No. | Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | League Cup Apps | League Cup Goals | FLT Apps | FLT Goals | Playoff Apps | Playoff Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Steve Jenkins | DF | 40 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 1 | |
| 3 | Gareth Evans | DF | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 0 | |
| 4 | Craig Armstrong | MF | 7 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 (5) | 1 | |
| 5 | Chris Lucketti | DF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 8 | Kenny Irons | MF | 34 (7) | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 44 (7) | 7 | |
| 11 | Clyde Wijnhard | FW | 2 (11) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 (12) | 2 | |
| 12 | Kevin Gray | DF | 44 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 1 | |
| 13 | Martyn Margetson | GK | 46 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 0 | |
| 16 | Delroy Facey | FW | 11 (2) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 (2) | 2 | |
| 17 | Simon Baldry | MF | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (3) | 0 | |
| 18 | Chris Hay | FW | 19 (12) | 5 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 (2) | 1 | 0 (2) | 0 | 22 (17) | 6 | |
| 20 | Thomas Heary | DF | 21 (11) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 (11) | 0 | |
| 21 | Jon Dyson | DF | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | Chris Beech | MF | 6 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (3) | 1 | |
| 23 | Chris Holland | MF | 35 (2) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 45 (3) | 2 | |
| 24 | Danny Schofield | MF | 39 (1) | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 47 (1) | 12 | |
| 26 | Adie Moses | DF | 13 (4) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 (4) | 1 | |
| 29 | John Thorrington | MF | 29 (2) | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 (3) | 6 | |
| 30 | Leon Knight | FW | 31 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 17 | |
| 31 | Paul Macari | FW | 0 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (9) | 0 | |
| 32 | Andy Booth | FW | 30 (6) | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40 (6) | 14 | |
| 33 | Dwayne Mattis | MF | 21 (8) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 (9) | 1 | |
| 34 | Michael Senior | MF | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | |
| 36 | Nathan Clarke | DF | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | |
| 37 | Damien Delaney | DF | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | |
| 38 | Jerel Ifil | DF | 1 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 (1) | 0 | |