1995–96 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season
# 1995–96 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 1995–96 campaign was Town's first season in the second tier since the 1987-88 season. They finished in 8th place, just 8 points and 2 places below the play-offs.

The closed season saw the departure of the hugely successful strike partnership of Andy Booth and Ronnie Jepson, whose goals had been vital to Huddersfield's success in the previous two seasons. Booth left for Premier League club Sheffield Wednesday in a club record £2.7 million deal while Jepson left to 2nd Division Bury on a free transfer. Horton invested the money in the prolific Bristol Rovers striker Marcus Stewart (for a club record £1.2 million), Barnsley's Andy Payton (£350,000) and Blackpool defender Andy Morrison (£500,000).

## Squad at the start of the season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| -- | GK | ENG | Steve Francis |
| -- | GK | WAL | Tony Norman |
| -- | DF | SCO | Tom Cowan |
| -- | DF | ENG | Jon Dyson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Kevin Gray |
| -- | DF | WAL | Steve Jenkins |
| -- | DF | IRL | Robbie Ryan |
| -- | DF | IRL | Pat Scully |
| -- | DF | ENG | Lee Sinnott |
| -- | DF | ENG | Simon Trevitt |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Baldry |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Darren Bullock |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Collins |
| -- | MF | ENG | Gary Crosby |
| -- | MF | ENG | Paul Dalton |
| -- | MF | ENG | Lee Duxbury |
| -- | MF | ENG | Richard Logan |
| -- | MF | ENG | Paul Reid |
| -- | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| -- | FW | ENG | Iain Dunn |
| -- | FW | ENG | Ronnie Jepson |

## Review

Following Town's promotion the previous season, many were surprised that manager Neil Warnock resigned to become manager of Plymouth Argyle. A few days later, the ex-Manchester City and Oxford United manager Brian Horton was hired as his replacement. They had a bad start to the season, losing 3–0 to local rivals Oldham Athletic at Boundary Park, but they managed to recover with convincing wins against Watford, Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic and Ipswich Town soon set Town players and fans alight.

Town did have a good middle part of the season, going on a run of only 2 losses in 19 league games losing only to Port Vale and eventual champions Derby County. They also put on a good run in the FA Cup, which saw them reach the last 16 for the first time since the 1971-72 season. They eventually lost in a replay to Premier League side Wimbledon, having been seconds away from knocking them out in the original tie, only for Efan Ekoku to score a 93rd minute equaliser for the Dons.

Town seemed to be on course for a play-off spot, but the end of the season saw Town lose 8 of their last 13 games, winning only 3 of them. They finished in 8th place, but a better end to the season might have seen Town get nearer to the play-offs for the Premier League.

## Squad at the end of the season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| - | - | - | - |
| -- | GK | ENG | Steve Francis |
| -- | GK | WAL | Tony Norman |
| -- | DF | SCO | Tom Cowan |
| -- | DF | ENG | Jon Dyson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Kevin Gray |
| -- | DF | WAL | Steve Jenkins |
| -- | DF | IRL | Robbie Ryan |
| -- | DF | IRL | Pat Scully |
| -- | DF | ENG | Lee Sinnott |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Baldry |
| -- | MF | ENG | Darren Bullock |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Collins |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Gary Crosby |
| -- | MF | ENG | Paul Dalton |
| -- | MF | ENG | Rob Edwards |
| -- | MF | ENG | Lee Makel |
| -- | MF | ENG | Paul Reid |
| -- | MF | ENG | Ben Thornley (on loan from Manchester United) |
| -- | MF | ENG | Mark Ward |
| -- | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| -- | FW | ENG | Iain Dunn |
| -- | FW | ENG | Ronnie Jepson |
| -- | FW | ENG | Rodney Rowe |

## Results

### Division One

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 12 August 1995 | Oldham Athletic | A | 0 - 3 | | 10,259 | 24th |
| 19 August 1995 | Watford | H | 1 - 0 | Jepson | 10,556 | 18th |
| 26 August 1995 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1 - 3 | Cowan | 9,072 | 19th |
| 30 August 1995 | Birmingham City | H | 4 - 2 | Dalton (2), Jepson, Bullock | 12,305 | 11th |
| 2 September 1995 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1 - 2 | Booth | 9,570 | 12th |
| 9 September 1995 | Ipswich Town | H | 2 - 1 | Collins, Sedgley (og) | 12,057 | 10th |
| 12 September 1995 | Barnsley | H | 3 - 0 | Jepson, Collins, Booth | 14,635 | 3rd |
| 16 September 1995 | Crystal Palace | A | 0 - 0 | | 15,645 | 5th |
| 24 September 1995 | Sheffield United | H | 1 - 2 | Jepson | 12,840 | 10th |
| 30 September 1995 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2 - 1 | Cowan, Booth | 15,945 | 5th |
| 7 October 1995 | Port Vale | H | 0 - 2 | | 11,559 | 9th |
| 14 October 1995 | Reading | A | 1 - 3 | Booth | 8,534 | 14th |
| 21 October 1995 | Sunderland | H | 1 - 1 | Booth | 16,054 | 11th |
| 28 October 1995 | Southend United | A | 0 - 0 | | 5,128 | 13th |
| 4 November 1995 | Norwich City | H | 3 - 2 | Jepson, Jenkins, Dalton | 13,747 | 9th |
| 11 November 1995 | Portsmouth | A | 1 - 1 | Scully | 6,876 | 11th |
| 18 November 1995 | Millwall | A | 0 - 0 | | 9,402 | 12th |
| 21 November 1995 | Leicester City | H | 3 - 1 | Bullock (2), Dalton | 14,300 | 10th |
| 25 November 1995 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2 - 1 | Booth, Dalton | 16,423 | 8th |
| 2 December 1995 | Port Vale | A | 0 - 1 | | 7,701 | 11th |
| 9 December 1995 | Sheffield United | A | 2 - 0 | Booth, Bullock | 12,126 | 10th |
| 16 December 1995 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 4 - 1 | Turner, Jepson (2), Booth | 12,664 | 4th |
| 23 December 1995 | Luton Town | A | 2 - 2 | Booth, Makel | 7,076 | 5th |
| 26 December 1995 | Derby County | H | 0 - 1 | | 17,878 | 7th |
| 30 December 1995 | Stoke City | H | 1 - 1 | Prudhoe (og) | 15,071 | 6th |
| 1 January 1996 | Grimsby Town | A | 1 - 1 | Jepson (pen) | 7,524 | 4th |
| 13 January 1996 | Watford | A | 1 - 0 | Bullock | 7,568 | 2nd |
| 20 January 1996 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0 - 0 | | 13,013 | 3rd |
| 3 February 1996 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1 - 0 | Collins | 12,041 | 3rd |
| 20 February 1996 | Charlton Athletic | H | 2 - 2 | Booth, Rowe | 10,951 | 4th |
| 24 February 1996 | Crystal Palace | H | 3 - 0 | Booth, Jepson (pen), Makel | 13,041 | 4th |
| 2 March 1996 | Derby County | A | 2 - 3 | Booth, Thornley | 17,097 | 5th |
| 9 March 1996 | Luton Town | H | 1 - 0 | Edwards | 11,950 | 6th |
| 12 March 1996 | Birmingham City | A | 0 - 2 | | 15,296 | 6th |
| 16 March 1996 | Stoke City | A | 1 - 1 | Edwards | 13,157 | 6th |
| 19 March 1996 | Barnsley | A | 0 - 3 | | 10,660 | 7th |
| 24 March 1996 | Grimsby Town | H | 1 - 3 | Jepson | 12,090 | 7th |
| 30 March 1996 | Sunderland | A | 2 - 3 | Edwards, Booth | 20,130 | 8th |
| 2 April 1996 | Reading | H | 3 - 1 | Edwards (2), Booth | 11,828 | 6th |
| 6 April 1996 | Southend United | H | 3 - 1 | Jepson, Edwards, Booth | 11,558 | 6th |
| 8 April 1996 | Norwich City | A | 0 - 2 | | 13,021 | 6th |
| 13 April 1996 | Millwall | H | 3 - 0 | Jepson (pen), Edwards, Booth | 11,206 | 6th |
| 20 April 1996 | Leicester City | A | 1 - 2 | Bullock | 17,619 | 8th |
| 27 April 1996 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0 - 0 | | 25,290 | 8th |
| 1 May 1996 | Ipswich Town | A | 1 - 2 | Thornley | 17,473 | 8th |
| 5 May 1996 | Portsmouth | H | 0 - 1 | | 14,091 | 8th |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 January 1996 | Round 3 | Blackpool | H | 2–1 | Jepson (2, 1 pen) | 12,424 |
| 6 February 1996 | Round 4 | Peterborough United | H | 2–0 | Bullock, Booth | 11,629 |
| 17 February 1996 | Round 5 | Wimbledon | H | 2 - 2 | Rowe, Cowan | 17,167 |
| 28 February 1996 | Round 5 Replay | Wimbledon | A | 1–3 | Booth | 7,015 |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 15 August 1995 | Round 1 1st Leg | Port Vale | H | 1–2 | Dalton | 5,363 |
| 22 August 1995 | Round 1 2nd Leg | Port Vale | A | 3–1 | Bullock, Booth (2) | 4,380 Huddersfield won 4–3 on aggregate |
| 19 September 1995 | Round 2 1st Leg | Barnsley | H | 2–0 | Collins, Booth | 8,264 |
| 3 October 1995 | Round 2 2nd Leg | Barnsley | A | 0–4 | | 8,192 Huddersfield lost 4–2 on aggregate |

## Appearances and goals

| Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | League Cup Apps | League Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Simon Baldry | England | MF | 3 (11) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (12) | 0 |
| Andy Booth | England | FW | 43 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 21 |
| Kenny Brown | England | DF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Darren Bullock | England | MF | 42 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 50 | 8 |
| Simon Collins | England | DF | 18 (12) | 3 | 1 (2) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 23 (14) | 4 |
| Tom Cowan | Scotland | DF | 43 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 3 |
| Gary Crosby | England | MF | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 |
| Paul Dalton | England | MF | 29 | 5 | 3 (1) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 36 (1) | 6 |
| Iain Dunn | England | FW | 3 (11) | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 1 (2) | 0 | 5 (14) | 0 |
| Lee Duxbury | England | MF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Jon Dyson | England | DF | 15 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17 (2) | 0 |
| Rob Edwards | England | MF | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7 |
| Steve Francis | England | GK | 43 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Kevin Gray | England | DF | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 0 |
| Steve Jenkins | Wales | DF | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| Ronnie Jepson | England | FW | 40 (3) | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 45 (3) | 14 |
| Richard Logan | England | MF | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lee Makel | England | MF | 33 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| Tony Norman | Wales | GK | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Paul Reid | England | MF | 8 (5) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 12 (5) | 0 |
| Rodney Rowe | England | FW | 6 (8) | 1 | 3 (1) | 1 | 0 (1) | 0 | 9 (10) | 2 |
| Pat Scully | Republic of Ireland | DF | 25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 1 |
| Lee Sinnott | England | DF | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Ben Thornley | England | MF | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Simon Trevitt | England | DF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Andy Turner | England | MF | 2 (3) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (3) | 1 |
| Mark Ward | England | FW | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 |
| Jon Whitney | England | DF | 3 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 3 (2) | 0 |
