This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "1978–79 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(November 2025) |
| 1978–79 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Keith Longbottom |
| Manager | Tom Johnston(until 29 August 1978) Mick Buxton(from 31 October 1978) |
| Stadium | Leeds Road |
| Football League Fourth Division | 9th |
| FA Cup | First round (knocked out byDoncaster Rovers) |
| Football League Cup | First round (knocked out byPreston North End) |
| Top goalscorer | League:Ian Robins (16) All:Ian Robins (16) |
| Highest home attendance | 9,382 vsBarnsley (2 May 1979) |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,680 vsTorquay United (30 April 1979) |
| Biggest win | 3–0 vsWimbledon (21 October 1978) |
| Biggest defeat | 0–3 vsPreston North End (12 August 1978) 0–3 vsHereford United (25 April 1979) |
Huddersfield Town's 1978-79 campaign was Town's penultimate season in their 5-year stint inthe Football League'sbasement division. It also saw the arrival ofMick Buxton at the club, he would be Town's second longest manager in the club's history. After replacingTom Johnston, Town gained a resurgence in their form and then finished in 9th place. It would be a precursor to Town'schampionship winning team the next season.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
Following on fromthe previous season's disappointments and the early season's poor form,Tom Johnston resigned and following a spell as caretaker,Mick Buxton became the new manager[1] and helped Town recover their form mainly from the signing fromBury and the conversion ofKeith Hanvey from midfield to defence to partnerDave Sutton in the centre.
Town would finish the season in 9th place with just 47 points, butthe following season would see Town return toDivision 3 in style.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August 1978 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 0 - 0 | 2,838 | 13th | |
| 22 August 1978 | Darlington | A | 0 - 1 | 2,549 | 18th | |
| 25 August 1978 | Scunthorpe United | A | 1 - 3 | Hanvey | 3,200 | 19th |
| 2 September 1978 | Reading | H | 1 - 1 | Bielby (pen) | 2,951 | 21st |
| 9 September 1978 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 2 - 1 | Hanvey, Bielby | 4,038 | 16th |
| 12 September 1978 | Bournemouth | A | 0 - 2 | 2,416 | 18th | |
| 16 September 1978 | Barnsley | A | 0 - 1 | 11,794 | 20th | |
| 23 September 1978 | Northampton Town | H | 1 - 0 | Holmes | 3,320 | 17th |
| 26 September 1978 | Grimsby Town | H | 2 - 0 | Brolly (og), Campbell (pen) | 4,238 | 16th |
| 29 September 1978 | Stockport County | A | 1 - 3 | Bielby (pen) | 5,554 | 17th |
| 7 October 1978 | Wigan Athletic | H | 1 - 1 | Bielby (pen) | 5,150 | 16th |
| 14 October 1978 | Newport County | A | 1 - 2 | Robins | 3,624 | 22nd |
| 17 October 1978 | Hereford United | H | 2 - 3 | Campbell (2) | 2,565 | 22nd |
| 21 October 1978 | Wimbledon | H | 3 - 0 | Robins (2), Bielby | 3,374 | 18th |
| 28 October 1978 | Bradford City | A | 1 - 1 | Fletcher | 5,478 | 19th |
| 4 November 1978 | York City | H | 1 - 0 | Sutton | 3,696 | 16th |
| 11 November 1978 | Reading | A | 1 - 1 | Robins | 6,870 | 15th |
| 18 November 1978 | Scunthorpe United | H | 3 - 2 | Topping, Gray, Fletcher | 3,375 | 15th |
| 2 December 1978 | Aldershot | H | 0 - 0 | 3,138 | 13th | |
| 9 December 1978 | Portsmouth | A | 0 - 1 | 11,615 | 15th | |
| 26 December 1978 | Halifax Town | H | 2 - 0 | Fletcher, Robins | 5,341 | 16th |
| 1 January 1979 | Port Vale | A | 0 - 1 | 4,021 | 17th | |
| 3 February 1979 | Grimsby Town | A | 1 - 2 | Robins | 4,921 | 17th |
| 17 February 1979 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1 - 2 | Robins | 7,420 | 18th |
| 24 February 1979 | Newport County | H | 0 - 1 | 3,361 | 20th | |
| 27 February 1979 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 2 - 0 | Holmes, Howey | 3,419 | 18th |
| 3 March 1979 | Wimbledon | A | 1 - 2 | Holmes | 3,265 | 18th |
| 6 March 1979 | Northampton Town | A | 3 - 2 | Holmes (2), Robins | 1,823 | 18th |
| 10 March 1979 | Bradford City | H | 0 - 0 | 6,188 | 18th | |
| 13 March 1979 | Bournemouth | H | 2 - 1 | Fletcher, Armstrong | 2,268 | 18th |
| 24 March 1979 | Darlington | H | 2 - 2 | Robins (2) | 2,862 | 18th |
| 28 March 1979 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 3 - 3 | Fletcher (2), Holmes | 1,382 | 18th |
| 31 March 1979 | Hartlepool United | H | 2 - 0 | Robins, Holmes | 2,420 | 16th |
| 4 April 1979 | Stockport County | H | 0 - 0 | 2,267 | 14th | |
| 7 April 1979 | Aldershot | A | 0 - 1 | 4,215 | 16th | |
| 10 April 1979 | Rochdale | A | 2 - 0 | Fletcher, Robins | 2,020 | 13th |
| 14 April 1979 | Halifax Town | A | 3 - 2 | Fletcher (2), Holmes | 4,027 | 12th |
| 16 April 1979 | Port Vale | H | 3 - 2 | Robins, Fletcher, Holmes | 3,236 | 10th |
| 17 April 1979 | Rochdale | H | 1 - 0 | Fletcher | 3,346 | 9th |
| 21 April 1979 | Torquay United | A | 1 - 2 | Holmes | 2,478 | 9th |
| 25 April 1979 | Hereford United | A | 0 - 3 | 2,635 | 11th | |
| 28 April 1979 | Portsmouth | H | 2 - 0 | Robins, Fletcher (pen) | 2,895 | 10th |
| 30 April 1979 | Torquay United | H | 1 - 1 | Hart | 1,680 | 10th |
| 2 May 1979 | Barnsley | H | 1 - 0 | Robins | 9,382 | 9th |
| 5 May 1979 | Hartlepool United | A | 0 - 2 | 2,207 | 10th | |
| 19 May 1979 | York City | A | 3 - 1 | Holmes, Cowling, Robins | 2,664 | 9th |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 November 1978 | Round 1 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1 - 2 | Fletcher | 4,330 |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 August 1978 | Round 1 1st Leg | Preston North End | A | 0 - 3 | 6,841 | |
| 15 August 1978 | Round 1 2nd Leg | Preston North End | H | 2 - 2 | Holmes, Ripley (pen) | 3,435
|
| Name | Nationality | Position | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Terry Armstrong | FW | 15 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 (2) | 1 | |
| Paul Bielby | MF | 29 (2) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 (2) | 5 | |
| Jim Branagan | DF | 13 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 (1) | 0 | |
| Daryl Brook | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Malcolm Brown | DF | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 45 | 0 | |
| Bobby Campbell | FW | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
| David Cowling | MF | 25 (1) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 (1) | 1 | |
| Peter Fletcher | FW | 31 (4) | 12 | 0 (1) | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 (5) | 13 | |
| Paul Gartland | DF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Terry Gray | FW | 22 (4) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 (4) | 1 | |
| Keith Hanvey | DF | 32 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 2 | |
| Peter Hart | MF | 46 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 49 | 1 | |
| Ian Holmes | MF | 31 (3) | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 33 (3) | 12 | |
| Peter Howey | MF | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Mark Lillis | MF | 11 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 (1) | 0 | |
| Frank McGrellis | FW | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 (1) | 0 | |
| Keith Ripley | MF | 2 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 1 | 2 (4) | 1 | |
| Ian Robins | FW | 37 (1) | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 (1) | 16 | |
| Phil Sandercock | DF | 36 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 0 | |
| Tommy Smith | FW | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | |
| Alan Starling | GK | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 0 | |
| Dave Sutton | DF | 39 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| Dick Taylor | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Chris Topping | DF | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
I took over on a caretaker basis initially," said Mick Buxton, Huddersfield Town manager in 1979. "They wanted to see if I was any good. But I'm permanent now—as long as we're winning .