2005–06 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town
2005–06 season
ChairmanKen Davy
ManagerPeter Jackson
League One4th
Play-offsSemi-finals
(knocked out by Barnsley)
FA CupThird round
(knocked out by Chelsea)
League CupSecond round
(knocked out by Blackburn Rovers)
League TrophyFirst round
(knocked out by Boston United)
Top goalscorerLeague: Andy Booth (13)
All: Andy Booth
Gary Taylor-Fletcher
(15 each)
Highest home attendance19,223 vs. Barnsley (16 May 2006)
Lowest home attendance5,518 vs. Welling United (6 November 2005)
Biggest win5–0 vs Milton Keynes Dons (18 February 2006)
Biggest defeat1–4 vs Scunthorpe United (2 September 2005)
0–3 vs Port Vale (28 December 2005)

The 2005–06 season of Huddersfield Town A.F.C. was their second competitive campaign in the restructured Football League One. They finished in 4th place, qualifying them for the play-offs, but, after beating Barnsley 1–0 in the first leg at Oakwell, they lost the second leg 3–1 at the Galpharm Stadium, to lose 3–2 on aggregate.

Their season was also noted for their cup campaigns in the Football League Cup and FA Cup. They managed a respectable 3–1 loss to Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, where around half of the 12,000 crowd were Town fans. Then in the FA Cup, the Terriers were 8 minutes away from forcing a replay against José Mourinho's Chelsea, before succumbing to a goal by Eiður Guðjohnsen.

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Paul Rachubka
2 DF England ENG Andy Holdsworth
3 DF England ENG Danny Adams
4 MF England ENG Mark Hudson
5 DF England ENG David Mirfin
6 DF England ENG Nathan Clarke
7 MF England ENG Chris Brandon
8 MF England ENG Tony Carss
9 FW Poland POL Paweł Abbott
10 FW England ENG Gary Taylor-Fletcher
11 MF England ENG Danny Schofield
12 MF Pakistan PAK Adnan Ahmed
14 DF England ENG Tom Clarke
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 FW Republic of Ireland IRL John McAliskey
16 DF Scotland SCO Martin McIntosh
17 DF England ENG John McCombe
18 MF England ENG Jon Worthington (Captain)
19 DF England ENG Anthony Lloyd
20 FW Montserrat MSR Junior Mendes
21 MF Wales WAL Lee Fowler
22 GK England ENG Phil Senior
23 FW England ENG Andy Booth
24 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Michael Collins
25 MF England ENG Matty Young
26 DF England ENG Aaron Hardy

Review

[edit]
Controversial 'Young Guns' campaign

Before the start of the season 2005–06, the club launched the controversial 'Young Guns' campaign. The players, manager Peter Jackson, assistant manager Terry Yorath, and coach Martyn Booty posed for the 2006 calendar in cowboy outfits.[1] Six of the younger players featured on the cover of the corporate hospitality brochure. Basing the cover around the 'Young Guns' theme was widely considered to be a mistake and caused the booklet to be adversely linked with the Brokeback Mountain film.

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 League Cup, which they lost 3–1.

Then they had a big money-spinning FA 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.

Gerry Murphy won the Football League's Contribution to Football award on 5 March 2006 selected by listeners of BBC Radio Five Live's Sport on Five.[2][3]

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 Paweł 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 play-off semi-final first leg but lost 1–3 (2–3 on aggregate) in the return. Season highlights included an away victory against local rivals Bradford City and a league double over fellow neighbours Oldham Athletic.

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.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Paul Rachubka
2 DF England ENG Andy Holdsworth
3 DF England ENG Danny Adams
4 MF England ENG Mark Hudson
5 DF England ENG David Mirfin
6 DF England ENG Nathan Clarke
7 MF England ENG Chris Brandon
8 MF England ENG Tony Carss
9 FW Poland POL Paweł Abbott
10 FW England ENG Gary Taylor-Fletcher
11 MF England ENG Danny Schofield
12 MF Pakistan PAK Adnan Ahmed
14 DF England ENG Tom Clarke
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 FW Republic of Ireland IRL John McAliskey
16 DF Scotland SCO Martin McIntosh
17 DF England ENG John McCombe
18 MF England ENG Jon Worthington (Captain)
19 DF England ENG Anthony Lloyd
20 FW Montserrat MSR Junior Mendes (on loan at Northampton Town)
21 FW Scotland SCO David Graham (on loan from Sheffield Wednesday)
22 GK England ENG Phil Senior
23 FW England ENG Andy Booth
24 MF Republic of Ireland IRL Michael Collins
25 MF England ENG Matty Young
26 DF England ENG Aaron Hardy

Final league table

[edit]

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Colchester United (P) 46 22 13 11 58 40 +18 79 Promotion to the Championship
3 Brentford 46 20 16 10 72 52 +20 76 Qualification for the League One play-offs
4 Huddersfield Town 46 19 16 11 72 59 +13 73
5 Barnsley (O, P) 46 18 18 10 62 44 +18 72
6 Swansea City 46 18 17 11 78 55 +23 71
Source: [citation needed]
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(O) Play-off winners; (P) Promoted

Results

[edit]

Pre-season matches

[edit]
Date Competition Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance
12 July 2005 Copa Ibiza Semi-Final Coventry City N 0 - 1 ?
13 July 2005 Copa Ibiza 3rd Place Play-Off Ibiza XI N 2 - 1 Carss, Worthington ?
19 July 2005 Friendly match Harrogate Town A 4 - 1 Abbott 4 551
20 July 2005 Friendly match Rossendale United A 4 - 0 Hudson, T. Clarke, Mendes, Young ?
22 July 2005 Friendly match Mansfield Town A 2 - 1 Booth, Mendes 1,562
25 July 2005 Friendly match A.F.C. Emley A 1 - 1 McAliskey 346
30 July 2005 Friendly match Rochdale A 2 - 2 Booth, Abbott (pen) 1,903
1 August 2005 Friendly match Bradford Park Avenue A 3 - 2 Mendes 2, Carss 408

Football League One

[edit]
Date Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance League
position
6 August 2005 Nottingham Forest A 1 - 2 Abbott [64 (pen)] 24,042 16th
9 August 2005 Bristol City H 1 - 0 Abbott [89] 11,138 12th
13 August 2005 Swansea City H 3 - 1 Booth [27], Abbott [41], Schofield [76] 10,304 3rd
20 August 2005 Southend United A 1 - 1 Abbott [45] 5,567 5th
27 August 2005 Hartlepool United H 2 - 1 Abbott [12], Schofield [17] 11,241 2nd
29 August 2005 Doncaster Rovers A 2 - 1 Brandon [2], Worthington [40] 7,222 1st
2 September 2005 Scunthorpe United H 1 - 4 Abbott [66 (pen)] 14,112 2nd
10 September 2005 Oldham Athletic A 3 - 0 Schofield [27], Taylor-Fletcher [37, 72] 8,803 3rd
17 September 2005 Brentford H 3 - 2 Abbott [34], Schofield [90], Booth [90] 11,622 2nd
24 September 2005 Colchester United A 1 - 1 Taylor-Fletcher [65] 3,415 3rd
27 September 2005 Tranmere Rovers H 1 - 0 Schofield [87] 10,640 3rd
1 October 2005 AFC Bournemouth H 2 - 2 Schofield [14], Taylor-Fletcher [21] 13,522 3rd
10 October 2005 Bradford City A 2 - 1 Hudson [21], Booth [79] 12,285 2nd
15 October 2005 Walsall H 3 - 1 Booth [15], Abbott [34, 78] 11,642 1st
22 October 2005 Chesterfield A 3 - 4 Hudson [80], Worthington [87], Holdsworth [90] 6,206 2nd
29 October 2005 Swindon Town H 1 - 1 Brandon [54] 11,352 3rd
12 November 2005 Yeovil Town A 2 - 1 Booth [11], Hudson [39] 6,742 2nd
19 November 2005 Bradford City H 0 - 0 17,331 2nd
26 November 2005 Nottingham Forest H 2 - 1 Schofield [21], Booth [26] 17,370 2nd
6 December 2005 Milton Keynes Dons A 2 - 2 Abbott [7], Booth [64] 4,832 2nd
10 December 2005 Bristol City A 0 - 2 9,949 2nd
17 December 2005 Southend United H 0 - 0 11,223 3rd
26 December 2005 Rotherham United A 1 - 1 Taylor-Fletcher [90] 7,380 3rd
28 December 2005 Port Vale H 0 - 3 10,824 3rd
31 December 2005 Barnsley A 2 - 2 Booth [76], Taylor-Fletcher [90] 13,063 4th
2 January 2006 Gillingham H 0 - 0 11,483 5th
10 January 2006 Scunthorpe United A 2 - 2 Schofield [44], McIntosh [90] 4,450 4th
14 January 2006 Blackpool H 2 - 0 T. Clarke [9], Schofield [73] 11,977 3rd
21 January 2006 Brentford A 0 - 2 7,636 5th
28 January 2006 Oldham Athletic H 3 - 2 Branston [45 (og)], Abbott [48], Graham [59] 14,973 3rd
3 February 2006 Tranmere Rovers A 1 - 2 Graham [48] 8,300 4th
11 February 2006 Colchester United H 2 - 0 Worthington [14], Graham [68] 13,515 5th
14 February 2006 Blackpool A 1 - 0 Brandon [43 (pen)] 6,004 5th
18 February 2006 Milton Keynes Dons H 5 - 0 McIntosh [19], Taylor-Fletcher [24], Worthington [36], Mirfin [77], Collins [90] 11,423 3rd
24 February 2006 Swansea City A 2 - 2 McIntosh [70], Graham [82] 13,110 2nd
4 March 2006 Doncaster Rovers H 2 - 2 McIntosh [8], Graham [40] 14,490 2nd
10 March 2006 Hartlepool United A 1 - 3 Graham [22] 5,648 3rd
18 March 2006 Rotherham United H 4 - 1 Booth [32, 39, 82], Taylor-Fletcher [83] 15,264 3rd
25 March 2006 Port Vale A 1 - 1 Booth [81] 5,664 2nd
1 April 2006 Barnsley H 1 - 0 Taylor-Fletcher [55] 19,052 3rd
8 April 2006 Gillingham A 0 - 2 7,014 3rd
15 April 2006 AFC Bournemouth A 1 - 1 Taylor-Fletcher [71] 7,406 3rd
18 April 2006 Chesterfield H 1 - 2 Graham [13] 13,368 4th
22 April 2006 Walsall A 3 - 1 Graham [25], Abbott [83], Booth [90] 5,554 4th
29 April 2006 Yeovil Town H 1 - 2 Graham [8] 14,473 4th
6 May 2006 Swindon Town A 0 - 0 6,353 4th

League One Play-Offs

[edit]
Date Round Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance
11 May 2006 Semi-Final 1st Leg Barnsley A 1 - 0 Taylor-Fletcher [85] 16,127
15 May 2006 Semi-Final 2nd Leg Barnsley H 1 - 3 Worthington [65] 19,223
  • Huddersfield lost 3–2 on aggregate.

FA Cup

[edit]
Date Round Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance
6 November 2005 Round 1 Welling United H 4 - 1 Booth [27, 69], Schofield [50 (pen)], Holdsworth [81] 5,518
4 December 2005 Round 2 Worcester City A 1 - 0 Brandon [61] 4,163
7 January 2006 Round 3 Chelsea A 1 - 2 Taylor-Fletcher [74] 41,650

League Cup

[edit]
Date Round Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance
24 August 2005 Round 1 Chesterfield A 4 - 2 Abbott [9], Taylor-Fletcher [56, 76, 90] 2,922
21 September 2005 Round 2 Blackburn Rovers A 1 - 3 Abbott [79] 11,755

Football League Trophy

[edit]
Date Round Opponents Home/
Away 		Result
F - A 		Scorers Attendance
19 October 2005 Round 1

North

Boston United A 1 - 2 Mirfin [68] 1,593

Appearances and goals

[edit]
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
1 Paul Rachubka  England GK 34 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 41 0
2 Andy Holdsworth  England DF 37 (5) 1 3 1 2 0 0 (1) 0 2 0 44 (6) 2
3 Danny Adams  England DF 40 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 47 0
4 Mark Hudson  England MF 25 (4) 3 3 0 0 (1) 0 0 0 2 0 30 (5) 3
5 David Mirfin  England DF 27 (4) 1 2 (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 1 0 0 29 (6) 2
6 Nathan Clarke  England DF 46 0 3 0 2 0 0 (1) 0 2 0 53 (1) 0
7 Chris Brandon  England MF 36 (4) 3 3 1 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 (1) 0 40 (6) 4
8 Tony Carss  England MF 9 (8) 0 0 (1) 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 (9) 0
9 Pawel Abbott  Poland FW 26 (10) 12 1 (2) 0 2 2 1 0 0 (2) 0 30 (14) 14
10 Gary Taylor-Fletcher  England FW 30 (13) 10 3 1 1 (1) 3 1 0 2 1 37 (14) 15
11 Danny Schofield  England MF 37 (4) 9 3 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 44 (4) 10
12 Adnan Ahmed  Pakistan MF 4 (9) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 (9) 0
14 Tom Clarke  England DF 16 (1) 1 0 (1) 0 0 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 17 (3) 1
15 John McAliskey  Republic of Ireland FW 0 (9) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 (9) 0
16 Martin McIntosh  Scotland DF 20 (2) 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 24 (2) 4
17 John McCombe  England DF 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
18 Jon Worthington  England MF 41 4 2 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 47 5
19 Anthony Lloyd  England DF 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
19 Dan Smith  England DF 7 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 (1) 0
20 Junior Mendes  Montserrat MF 1 (4) 0 0 0 1 (1) 0 0 0 0 0 2 (5) 0
21 David Graham  Scotland FW 15 (1) 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17 (1) 9
22 Phil Senior  England GK 12 (1) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 (1) 0
23 Andy Booth  England FW 33 (3) 13 2 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 38 (3) 15
24 Michael Collins  Republic of Ireland MF 9 (8) 1 0 (2) 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 11 (10) 1
25 Matty Young  England MF 0 (2) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 (2) 0
26 Aaron Hardy  England DF 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
27 James Hand  Republic of Ireland MF 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Club ridiculed over Brokeback Mountain calendar, Marc Shoffman, Pink News, 22 February 2006
  2. ^ "Football League Awards - Jagielka Named Championship Player Of The Year", Tony Leighton, FourFourTwo
  3. ^ "Shortlists Announced For Football League Awards", The Football League
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