2003–04 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season explained

Season:2003–04
League Result:4th (promoted via Play-offs)
Cup1 Result:Winners
Cup2 Result:First round
Cup3 Result:Third round
Cup4 Result:First round
League Topscorer:Jon Stead (16)
Season Topscorer:Jon Stead (18)
Highest Attendance:19,467 vs Lincoln City (19 May 2004)
Lowest Attendance:6,673 vs Derby County (12 August 2003)
Largest Win:4–0 vs Macclesfield Town (13 March 2004)
Largest Loss:2–6 vs Scunthorpe United (1 November 2003)
0–4 vs Macclesfield Town (13 December 2003)
Pattern La1:_white_stripes
Pattern B1:_whitestripes
Pattern Ra1:_white_stripes
Leftarm1:1E90FF
Body1:1E90FF
Rightarm1:1E90FF
Shorts1:fffff
Socks1:000000
Leftarm2:FFFFFF
Body2:000000
Rightarm2:000000
Shorts2:000000
Socks2:000000
Nextseason:2004–05

Huddersfield Town's 2003–04 campaign was their first competitive campaign in the bottom division since the 1979–80 season. Huddersfield secured a return to the third tier (to be then called Football League One), at the first attempt, by beating Mansfield Town, on penalties, in the Playoff Final on 31 May 2004 at the Millennium Stadium.

Squad at the start of the season

The squad at the start of the season was mainly depleted. When Peter Jackson took over in late June 2003, there were only 8 players on the official list of registered players, because of the mass clear-out caused by Town going into administration the previous season.

Review

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 (including Rob Edwards, Tony Carss, Efe Sodje, Steve Yates and goalkeeper Ian Gray), 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 £1.2 million in January and was replaced by Polish U21 striker Pawel Abbott who had been unable to establish himself at Preston North End.

It took Huddersfield until the end of August to register their first league win of the season in Division 3 (a 2–1 win against Bristol Rovers at the McAlpine Stadium), but they managed to knock out Division 1 side Derby County in the first round of the League Cup and then amazingly beat Sunderland 4–2 in the second round at the Stadium of Light. They then went on a 4-game winning streak, before hitting a bad patch, when they won only one game in 7, including losing in all three cup competitions (1–0 to Reading in the League Cup, 2–0 to Carlisle United in the Football League Trophy & 1–0 to Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup live on BBC One). Then after beating leaders Hull City 3–1, they went on a good run which came to a dramatic halt when they lost 4–0 to Macclesfield Town at Moss Rose. They then went on another good run throughout January 2004, but then they lost their talisman Jon Stead, who was sold to Premier League side Blackburn Rovers for £1.3 million.

With only Andy Booth as a proper striker, Town loaned Preston North End striker Pawel Abbott, who scored 4 goals in his 6 games, they then signed him on a permanent deal for £125,000 and Huddersfield continued their climb up the table and with only 2 games to go, Huddersfield only needed to win one of their last team games to virtually guarantee automatic promotion to Division 2. But on 1 May, they lost their final home game to Mansfield Town 3–1, meaning they had to beat Cheltenham Town at Whaddon Road to ensure automatic promotion ahead of Torquay United. At half-time, all was going well, Huddersfield were 1–0 up thanks to Andy Booth's 100th goal for the club. But then disaster struck when Abbott received the ball just inside his own half and, inexplicably, ran back towards Town's goal and horrendously under hit 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, so Town went through 4–3 on aggregate. In the final at the Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, 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 then followed, which Town won 4–1, saw Town home and out of Division Three at the first attempt, securing their place in the newly named Football League One.

Results

Pre-season matches

DateCompetitionOpponentsHome/
Away		Result
F – A		ScorersAttendance
16 July 2003Friendly matchWakefield-EmleyA2–0Newby, Booth1,051
19 July 2003Friendly matchHalifax TownA3–2Fowler, Newby, Hudson2,183
23 July 2003Friendly matchSunderlandH2–0Newby, Stead5,144
25 July 2003Friendly matchSheffield WednesdayA2–2Stead 2?
26 July 2003Friendly matchFarsley CelticA2–0Scott, McAliskey?
30 July 2003Friendly matchGuiseleyA8–0Booth, Ahmed 2, Worthington, Preston, Schofield, Scott, Kenworthy?
2 August 2003Friendly matchWrexhamA3–1Carss, Booth, Stead1,840
5 August 2003Friendly matchOssett TownA2–2Kenworthy, Ahmed?
September 2003Friendly matchSheffield UnitedA1–1Mirfin?

Division Three

DateOpponentsHome/
Away		Result
F – A		ScorersAttendanceLeague
position
9 August 2003Cambridge UnitedH2–2Stead [30, 59]10,31912th
16 August 2003Boston UnitedA2–2Stead [55], Hughes [60]3,45213th
23 August 2003York CityH0–19,85017th
25 August 2003Doncaster RoversA1–1Booth [7]7,36719th
30 August 2003Bristol RoversH2–1Edwards [32], Stead [78]8,48616th
6 September 2003BuryA1–2Scott [72]4,59218th
13 September 2003Northampton TownH3–0Stead [17, 35], Carss [33 (pen)]8,28512th
16 September 2003RochdaleA1–1Worthington [23]4,62613th
20 September 2003Swansea CityA0–28,04817th
27 September 2003Leyton OrientH3–0Yates [31], Scott [62], Booth [83]8,94213th
30 September 2003Kidderminster HarriersH1–0Stead [12]8,27511th
4 October 2003Southend UnitedA2–1Booth [45], Schofield [89]4,2059th
11 October 2003Torquay UnitedH1–0Carss [80]9,1176th
18 October 2003Lincoln CityA1–3Booth [5]5,7187th
21 October 2003Yeovil TownA1–2Stead [42]5,2749th
25 October 2003Carlisle UnitedH2–1Booth [38], Stead [45]9,0597th
1 November 2003Scunthorpe UnitedA2–6Booth [46, 72]4,7159th
15 November 2003Hull CityH3–1Stead [32], Booth [41], Schofield [80]13,8938th
22 November 2003Mansfield TownA3–3Schofield [15], Stead [31, 64]5,82810th
29 November 2003Cheltenham TownH0–08,44210th
13 December 2003Macclesfield TownA0–43,05910th
20 December 2003Oxford UnitedH1–1Stead [38]9,36810th
26 December 2003DarlingtonA1–0Booth [28]6,2059th
28 December 2003BuryH1–0Swailes [31 (og)]10,2179th
3 January 2004Doncaster RoversH3–1Stead [42, 69], Worthington [82]13,0447th
10 January 2004Cambridge UnitedA2–1Stead [44 (pen)], Worthington [85]3,6676th
17 January 2004Boston UnitedH2–0Sodje [71], Lloyd [86]9,6036th
25 January 2004York CityA2–0Schofield [88], Mirfin [89]6,9695th
7 February 2004DarlingtonH0–211,0147th
14 February 2004Torquay UnitedA1–0Clarke [71]3,8216th
17 February 2004Bristol RoversA1–1Abbott [86]6,2626th
21 February 2004Lincoln CityH2–1Sodje [48], Abbott [67]11,5535th
2 March 2004Yeovil TownH3–1Abbott [40], Schofield [46, 60]9,3954th
6 March 2004Oxford UnitedA1–0Sodje [41]7,2784th
9 March 2004Carlisle UnitedA0–14,7824th
13 March 2004Macclesfield TownH4–0Booth [21], Abbott [47], Sodje [69], McAliskey [90]9,7293rd
16 March 2004RochdaleH1–1Lloyd [49]10,8843rd
20 March 2004Northampton TownA0–1
  • Match abandoned after 39 minutes due to high winds.
27 March 2004Swansea CityH3–0Schofield [51, 85], Lloyd [89]11,2503rd
3 April 2004Leyton OrientA1–1Booth [9]4,1373rd
10 April 2004Southend UnitedH1–0Abbott [30]10,6803rd
12 April 2004Kidderminster HarriersA1–2Sall [84 (og)]4,0513rd
17 April 2004Scunthorpe UnitedH3–2Mirfin [5], McAliskey [87, 90]12,1083rd
20 April 2004Northampton TownA1–0Booth [53]6,8733rd
24 April 2004Hull CityA0–023,4953rd
1 May 2004Mansfield TownH1–3McAliskey [14]18,6333rd
8 May 2004Cheltenham TownA1–1Booth [16]5,8144th

Division 3 Play-offs

DateRoundOpponentsHome/
Away		Result
F – A		ScorersAttendance
15 May 2004Semi-Final 1st LegLincoln CityA2–1Onuora [5], Mirfin [72]9,202
19 May 2004Semi-Final 2nd LegLincoln CityH2–2Schofield [60 (pen)], Edwards [83]19,467
  • Huddersfield won 4–3 on aggregate.

Carling Cup

DateRoundOpponentsHome/
Away		Result
F – A		ScorersAttendance
12 August 2003Round 1Derby CountyH2–1Stead [59], Thorrington [70]6,672
23 September 2003Round 2SunderlandA4–2Carss [2], Stead [20], Holdsworth [54], Booth [87]13,516
28 October 2003Round 3ReadingA0–111,892

Football League Trophy

Appearances and goals

Squad No.NameNationPositionLeague AppsLeague GoalsFA Cup AppsFA Cup GoalsLeague Cup AppsLeague Cup GoalsFLT AppsFLT GoalsPlayoff AppsPlayoff GoalsTotal AppsTotal Goals
1Ian GrayGK17010301000220
2Martyn BootyDF3 (1)0000000003 (1)0
3Rob EdwardsDF11 (6)10010002 (1)114 (7)2
4Lee FowlerMF27 (2)00030000 (1)030 (3)0
5Steve YatesDF35100300030411
6Ian HughesDF12 (1)10010100014 (1)1
7Tyrone ThompsonMF1 (1)0000000001 (1)0
8Tony CarssMF35 (1)20031001039 (1)3
9Pawel AbbottFW710000001 (1)08 (1)1
9Jon SteadFW2616103210003118
10Jon NewbyFW10 (4)00010000011 (4)0
11Danny SchofieldMF38 (2)81030103146 (2)9
12Gary HarkinsMF1 (2)0000000001 (2)0
12Chris HollandMF0 (3)0100010002 (3)0
13Phil SeniorGK1600 (1)000000016 (1)0
14Iffy OnuoraFW0 (3)0000000212 (3)1
14John ThorringtonMF3 (2)0001100004 (2)1
15Nathan ClarkeDF25 (1)11010000027 (1)1
16Efe SodjeDF37 (2)410200 (1)03043 (3)4
17Paul ScottDF16 (3)21010100 (1)019 (4)2
18Jon WorthingtonMF36 (3)31020103043 (3)3
19Dwayne MattisMF2 (3)00 (1)00000002 (4)0
20Nat BrownDF13 (8)00 (1)00 (2)00 (1)00013 (12)0
21Andy HoldsworthDF31 (5)01021103038 (5)1
23Andy BoothFW36 (1)131021103043 (1)14
24Anthony LloydDF30 (1)31000103035 (1)3
25Pawel AbbottFW5 (1)4000000005 (1)4
26Adnan AhmedMF0 (1)0000000000 (1)0
27David MirfinDF15 (6)20010103120 (6)3
29Fola OnibujeFW0 (2)0000000000 (2)0
29Paul RachubkaGK13000000030160
31John McAliskeyFW5 (3)40000000 (2)05 (5)4

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "2003–04 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.