1955–56 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season
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| 1955–56 season | |
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| Chairman | Dick Parker J. Bernard Newman |
| Manager | Andy Beattie |
| Football League First Division | 21st (relegated) |
| FA Cup | Third round (knocked out by Bolton Wanderers) |
| Top goalscorer | League: Jimmy Glazzard (11) All: Jimmy Glazzard (11) |
| Highest home attendance | 37,780 vs Manchester United (31 March 1956) |
| Lowest home attendance | 9,224 vs Birmingham City (7 March 1956) |
| Biggest win | 4–0 vs Sunderland (24 December 1955) 4–0 vs Charlton Athletic (14 April 1956) |
| Biggest defeat | 0–5 vs Birmingham City (19 November 1955) |
Huddersfield Town's 1955–56 campaign saw Town relegated from Division 1. They finished in 21st position with 35 points, the same as 20th placed Aston Villa, who survived due to a superior goal average. The season was a cramped affair in the league standings, with difference in points between 2nd placed Blackpool and bottom placed Sheffield United, being just 16 points.
Squad at the start of the season
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Review
[edit]Following the previous season's failure to improve on the season before's 3rd-placed finish, some were wondering what Town would conjure up under Andy Beattie. The start of the season was dreadful for Town, with many losses sending Town into a downward spiral to the bottom of Division 1. Even the signing of Aston Villa striker Dave Hickson didn't halt the slide to Division 2. A run of 7 defeats in a row, including a 5–2 defeat at Everton, followed immediately by a 6–2 defeat to Newcastle United at Leeds Road didn't help things much.
February to April saw Town mount a recovery mainly through the goals of Jimmy Glazzard, Dave Hickson and Vic Metcalfe. Town still had a chance of survival with 4 matches to go, although they realistically had to win all their last 4 games against West Bromwich Albion, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic. They did manage to achieve this, but an inferior goal average meant that Town went down, while Aston Villa survived.
Squad at the end of the season
[edit]Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Results
[edit]Division One
[edit]| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 August 1955 | Portsmouth | H | 1–0 | Watson | 21,062 | 1st |
| 24 August 1955 | Chelsea | H | 1–3 | Glazzard | 20,308 | 14th |
| 27 August 1955 | Sunderland | A | 1–4 | Cavanagh | 42,369 | 17th |
| 29 August 1955 | Chelsea | A | 0–0 | 25,883 | 16th | |
| 3 September 1955 | Aston Villa | H | 1–1 | Glazzard | 19,805 | 17th |
| 10 September 1955 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–4 | 43,954 | 20th | |
| 17 September 1955 | Manchester City | H | 3–3 | McGarry, Metcalfe (pen), Connor | 26,443 | 21st |
| 24 September 1955 | Cardiff City | A | 2–1 | Watson, Davie | 25,117 | 18th |
| 1 October 1955 | Preston North End | H | 2–2 | Watson, Glazzard | 23,892 | 16th |
| 8 October 1955 | Burnley | A | 0–2 | 22,109 | 19th | |
| 15 October 1955 | Luton Town | H | 0–2 | 19,621 | 21st | |
| 22 October 1955 | Manchester United | A | 0–3 | 34,150 | 21st | |
| 29 October 1955 | Sheffield United | H | 1–2 | Glazzard | 17,832 | 21st |
| 5 November 1955 | Everton | A | 2–5 | Glazzard, Lello (og) | 36,423 | 21st |
| 12 November 1955 | Newcastle United | H | 2–6 | Cavanagh, Watson | 18,664 | 22nd |
| 19 November 1955 | Birmingham City | A | 0–5 | 24,841 | 22nd | |
| 26 November 1955 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 1–0 | Metcalfe (pen) | 18,731 | 22nd |
| 3 December 1955 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–4 | Metcalfe (pen) | 16,728 | 22nd |
| 10 December 1955 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1–0 | Glazzard | 11,094 | 22nd |
| 17 December 1955 | Portsmouth | A | 2–5 | Metcalfe (pen), Watson | 16,347 | 22nd |
| 24 December 1955 | Sunderland | H | 4–0 | Quested, Marriott, Glazzard (2) | 21,803 | 22nd |
| 26 December 1955 | Blackpool | A | 2–4 | Glazzard, Hickson | 27,628 | 22nd |
| 27 December 1955 | Blackpool | H | 3–1 | Metcalfe (2), Gratrix (og) | 34,619 | 22nd |
| 31 December 1955 | Aston Villa | A | 0–3 | 24,993 | 22nd | |
| 2 January 1956 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–2 | Hartle (og), Cavanagh | 39,524 | 22nd |
| 14 January 1956 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–3 | Metcalfe (pen) | 14,587 | 22nd |
| 21 January 1956 | Manchester City | A | 0–1 | 21,076 | 22nd | |
| 4 February 1956 | Cardiff City | H | 1–2 | Metcalfe (pen) | 12,586 | 22nd |
| 11 February 1956 | Preston North End | A | 2–1 | Hickson (2) | 17,363 | 22nd |
| 18 February 1956 | Burnley | H | 1–0 | Cavanagh | 16,243 | 21st |
| 25 February 1956 | Luton Town | A | 2–1 | McGarry (2) | 15,331 | 21st |
| 7 March 1956 | Birmingham City | H | 1–1 | Simpson | 9,224 | 20th |
| 10 March 1956 | Sheffield United | A | 1–3 | Quested | 30,382 | 21st |
| 17 March 1956 | Everton | H | 1–0 | Hickson | 18,807 | 21st |
| 24 March 1956 | Newcastle United | A | 1–1 | Davie | 20,008 | 20th |
| 31 March 1956 | Manchester United | H | 0–2 | 37,780 | 22nd | |
| 2 April 1956 | Arsenal | A | 0–2 | 30,836 | 22nd | |
| 3 April 1956 | Arsenal | H | 0–1 | 24,469 | 22nd | |
| 7 April 1956 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2–1 | Hickson, Glazzard | 16,141 | 22nd |
| 14 April 1956 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–0 | Metcalfe (2), McGarry, Hickson | 14,065 | 22nd |
| 21 April 1956 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 2–1 | Norman (og), Hickson | 36,387 | 21st |
| 28 April 1956 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 3–1 | Glazzard, Hickson (2) | 18,877 | 21st |
FA Cup
[edit]| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January 1956 | Round 3 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–0 | Match abandoned after 46 minutes due to fog | ? |
| 11 January 1956 | Round 3 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | 20,862 |
Appearances and goals
[edit]| Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Battye |  England | DF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Gerry Burrell |  Northern Ireland | MF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Tommy Cavanagh | England | FW | 19 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 4 |
| Ron Cockerill | England | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| John Coddington | England | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jack Connor | England | DF | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Tony Conwell | England | DF | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Willie Davie |  Scotland | FW | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 |
| Harry Fearnley | England | GK | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Bryan Frear | England | FW | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Brian Gibson | England | DF | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Jimmy Glazzard | England | FW | 27 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 11 |
| Dave Hickson | England | FW | 26 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 9 |
| Albert Hobson | England | MF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Laurie Kelly | England | DF | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Bob Ledger | England | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jackie Marriott | England | MF | 27 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Bill McGarry | England | DF | 40 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 4 |
| Vic Metcalfe | England | MF | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 10 |
| Harry Mills | England | GK | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Len Quested | England | DF | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Ron Simpson | England | FW | 21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| Ken Taylor | England | DF | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Jimmy Watson | Scotland | MF | 23 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 5 |
| Jack Wheeler | England | GK | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Ray Wilson | England | DF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |