# 1991–92 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 1991–92 campaign saw them finish 3rd, despite getting rid of Eoin Hand and replacing him with his assistant manager Ian Ross. Town missed out on promotion to Division 2, following their defeat to Peterborough United in the play-offs.

## 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 | Tim Clarke |
| -- | GK | ENG | Lee Martin |
| -- | DF | IRL | Dave Campbell |
| -- | DF | ENG | Simon Charlton |
| -- | DF | ENG | Peter Jackson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Graham Mitchell |
| -- | DF | IRL | Ken O'Doherty |
| -- | DF | ENG | Neil Parsley |
| -- | DF | ENG | Simon Trevitt |
| -- | DF | ENG | Mark Wright |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Gary Barnett |
| -- | MF | ENG | Kevin Donovan |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Ireland |
| -- | MF | ENG | John Kelly |
| -- | MF | ENG | Chris Marsden |
| -- | MF | IRL | Kieran O'Regan |
| -- | FW | ENG | Gary Haylock |
| -- | FW | SCO | Iffy Onuora |
| -- | FW | WAL | Iwan Roberts |
| -- | FW | ENG | Phil Starbuck |

## Review

With 3 years gone since Town's relegation from Division 2, some Town fans were beginning to wonder if Eoin Hand was going to get them promoted. Phil Starbuck was brought in from Nottingham Forest and he helped bring in the goals along with Iffy Onuora and Iwan Roberts. Town made a fairly good start to the season, with only one loss in their first 9 games. Form was intermittent with losses and wins more often than not. They were still hunting for an automatic promotion or a play-off place.
After Christmas, Town's form gradually got worse, with a run of only 2 wins in 12, which saw Eoin Hand given the sack on 6 March. His assistant Ian Ross replaced him immediately and after a win against Shrewsbury Town, Town lost 3 games in a row, but they then won 7 out of their last 8 games, which gave them 3rd place in the table, so they had a two-legged play-off match against Peterborough United.
In the first leg at London Road, Town got a very respectable 2–2 draw, which seemed to suggest that Town's chances of progressing to the final to play Stockport County. Town took an early lead at Leeds Road thanks to a goal from Phil Starbuck, but Peterborough got 2 late goals to send them through to the final at Wembley, where they beat Stockport and got promotion to the newly created Division 1. So, because of the formation of the new Premier League, Town actually did play in Division 2 the next season.

## 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 | Tim Clarke |
| -- | GK | ENG | Lee Martin |
| -- | DF | ENG | Simon Charlton |
| -- | DF | ENG | Peter Jackson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Graham Mitchell |
| -- | DF | IRL | Ken O'Doherty |
| -- | DF | ENG | Neil Parsley |
| -- | DF | ENG | Simon Trevitt |
| -- | DF | ENG | Mark Wright |
| -- | MF | ENG | Gary Barnett |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Chris Billy |
| -- | MF | ENG | Kevin Donovan |
| -- | MF | ENG | Simon Ireland |
| -- | MF | ENG | John Kelly |
| -- | MF | ENG | Chris Marsden |
| -- | MF | IRL | Kieran O'Regan |
| -- | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| -- | FW | SCO | Iffy Onuora |
| -- | FW | WAL | Iwan Roberts |
| -- | FW | ENG | Phil Starbuck |

## Results
### Division Three

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
| 17 August 1991 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 1–1 | Marsden | 7,606 | 11th |
| 25 August 1991 | Bradford City | H | 1–0 | O'Regan | 9,234 | 6th |
| 31 August 1991 | Brentford | A | 3–2 | O'Regan (pen), Roberts, Starbuck | 5,459 | 5th |
| 4 September 1991 | Chester City | H | 2–0 | Onuora, Barnett | 5,321 | 3rd |
| 7 September 1991 | Exeter City | H | 0–0 | | 5,758 | 3rd |
| 14 September 1991 | Bury | A | 4–4 | Roberts (2), Starbuck (2) | 4,409 | 4th |
| 17 September 1991 | Wigan Athletic | A | 3–1 | Starbuck (2), Roberts | 3,531 | 2nd |
| 21 September 1991 | Bournemouth | H | 0–0 | | 6,802 | 4th |
| 28 September 1991 | Leyton Orient | A | 0–1 | | 3,740 | 5th |
| 5 October 1991 | Swansea City | H | 1–0 | Roberts | 5,578 | 5th |
| 12 October 1991 | Torquay United | A | 1–0 | Barnett | 2,936 | 4th |
| 19 October 1991 | Preston North End | A | 0–1 | | 6,866 | 4th |
| 25 October 1991 | Stockport County | H | 0–1 | | 9,229 | 5th |
| 2 November 1991 | Stoke City | A | 2–0 | Roberts (2) | 10,116 | 4th |
| 6 November 1991 | Fulham | H | 3–1 | O'Regan, Starbuck, Jackson | 5,064 | 3rd |
| 9 November 1991 | Birmingham City | H | 3–2 | Roberts (2), Onuora | 11,688 | 3rd |
| 23 November 1991 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 1–2 | Roberts | 14,029 | 4th |
| 30 November 1991 | Hartlepool United | A | 0–0 | | 4,017 | 4th |
| 14 December 1991 | Darlington | H | 2–1 | Starbuck (pen), Roberts | 5,677 | 4th |
| 22 December 1991 | Bradford City | A | 1–1 | Roberts | 10,050 | 4th |
| 26 December 1991 | Brentford | H | 2–1 | Roberts, O'Regan | 10,605 | 4th |
| 28 December 1991 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 1–0 | Roberts | 11,884 | 4th |
| 1 January 1992 | Chester City | A | 0–0 | | 3,504 | 4th |
| 11 January 1992 | Reading | A | 0–1 | | 4,732 | 4th |
| 18 January 1992 | Peterborough United | H | 0–0 | | 8,763 | 5th |
| 25 January 1992 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 1–1 | Onuora | 3,688 | 5th |
| 1 February 1992 | Preston North End | H | 1–2 | Roberts | 6,700 | 5th |
| 7 February 1992 | Stockport County | A | 0–0 | | 7,519 | 5th |
| 11 February 1992 | Hartlepool United | H | 1–0 | Roberts | 5,559 | 5th |
| 15 February 1992 | Darlington | A | 3–1 | Onuora (2), Starbuck (pen) | 3,120 | 4th |
| 22 February 1992 | Reading | H | 1–2 | Roberts | 6,259 | 5th |
| 25 February 1992 | Hull City | H | 1–1 | Roberts | 6,003 | 4th |
| 29 February 1992 | Hull City | A | 0–1 | | 5,310 | 4th |
| 3 March 1992 | Peterborough United | A | 0–2 | | 6,257 | 6th |
| 7 March 1992 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 2–1 | Onuora, Roberts | 4,674 | 4th |
| 10 March 1992 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | | 3,134 | 7th |
| 14 March 1992 | Stoke City | H | 1–2 | Starbuck (pen) | 10,156 | 7th |
| 21 March 1992 | Birmingham City | A | 0–2 | | 12,482 | 8th |
| 28 March 1992 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3–0 | Starbuck, Billy, Strodder (og) | 7,428 | 8th |
| 31 March 1992 | Bury | H | 3–0 | Starbuck, Billy, Roberts | 5,890 | 6th |
| 4 April 1992 | Exeter City | A | 1–0 | Roberts | 3,047 | 6th |
| 11 April 1992 | Wigan Athletic | H | 3–1 | Roberts, Trevitt, Starbuck | 7,058 | 5th |
| 14 April 1992 | Bournemouth | A | 1–1 | Roberts | 7,655 | 5th |
| 20 April 1992 | Leyton Orient | H | 1–0 | Onuora | 10,011 | 5th |
| 25 April 1992 | Swansea City | A | 1–0 | Roberts | 3,964 | 4th |
| 2 May 1992 | Torquay United | H | 4–0 | Starbuck (2), Onuora, Roberts | 7,961 | 3rd |

### Division 3 play-offs

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 11 May 1992 | Semi-Final 1st Leg | Peterborough United | A | 2–2 | Onuora, Robinson (og) | 11,751 |
| 14 May 1992 | Semi-Final 2nd Leg | Peterborough United | H | 1–2 | Starbuck | 16,167 Huddersfield lost 4–3 on aggregate. |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 16 November 1991 | Round 1 | Lincoln United | H | 7–0 | O'Regan, Donovan (2), Stapleton, Roberts (2), Onuora | 6,763 |
| 7 December 1991 | Round 2 | Rochdale | A | 2–1 | Roberts, Onuora | 5,776 |
| 4 January 1992 | Round 3 | Millwall | H | 0–4 | | 10,879 |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 20 August 1991 | Round 1 1st Leg | Darlington | A | 0–1 | | 3,140 |
| 28 August 1991 | Round 1 2nd Leg | Darlington | H | 4–0 | Roberts, Starbuck (2), Onuora | 3,907 Huddersfield won 4–1 on aggregate. |
| 24 September 1991 | Round 2 1st Leg | Sunderland | A | 2–1 | Charlton, Starbuck | 8,161 |
| 9 October 1991 | Round 2 2nd Leg | Sunderland | H | 4–0 | Onuora, Roberts (2), Barnett | 11,178 Huddersfield won 6–1 on aggregate |
| 29 October 1991 | Round 3 | Swindon Town | H | 1–4 | Barnett | 10,088 |

### League Trophy

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 22 October 1991 | Preliminary Round Group 6 | Wigan Athletic | A | 1–0 | Roberts | 1,214 |
| 19 November 1991 | Preliminary Round Group 6 | Scarborough | H | 1–1 | Roberts | 1,134 |
| 14 January 1992 | Round 1 | Blackpool | H | 1–0 | Roberts | 1,319 Match abandoned at half-time due to fog. |
| 21 January 1992 | Round 1 | Blackpool | H | 1–1 | Roberts | 1,585 |
| | Penalties | |
| Roberts: missed Mitchell O'Regan Wright | 3 – 1 | Horner: Clarke saved Eyres Groves: Clarke saved Garner: missed |
| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 4 February 1992 | Area Quarter-Final | Bury | A | 2–1 | Onuora, Roberts | 1,786 |
| 17 March 1992 | Area Semi-Final | Burnley | A | 0–2 | | 10,775 |

## Appearances and goals

| 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 |
| Gary Barnett | England | MF | 27+4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 37+5 | 5 |
| Chris Billy | England | MF | 8+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10+2 | 2 |
| Andy Booth | England | FW | 0+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+3 | 0 |
| Peter Butler | England | MF | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Nigel Callaghan | England | MF | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Dave Campbell | Republic of Ireland | DF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Simon Charlton | England | DF | 45 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 59 | 1 |
| Tim Clarke | England | GK | 39 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 53 | 0 |
| Kevin Donovan | England | MF | 4+6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9+7 | 2 |
| Garry Haylock | England | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Simon Ireland | England | MF | 3+6 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4+8 | 0 |
| Peter Jackson | England | DF | 45 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 1 |
| John Kelly | England | MF | 13+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 17+3 | 0 |
| Chris Marsden | England | MF | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Lee Martin | England | GK | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Neil McNab | Scotland | MF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Graham Mitchell | England | DF | 43 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 0 |
| Ken O'Doherty | Republic of Ireland | DF | 1+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| Iffy Onuora | Scotland | FW | 38+3 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 52+3 | 14 |
| Kieran O'Regan | Republic of Ireland | MF | 37+2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 52+2 | 5 |
| Neil Parsley | England | DF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Iwan Roberts | Wales | FW | 46 | 24 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 61 | 34 |
| Frank Stapleton | Republic of Ireland | FW | 5 | 0 | 1+1 | 1 | 0+1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7+2 | 1 |
| Phil Starbuck | England | FW | 42+2 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3+1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 54+3 | 18 |
| Simon Trevitt | England | DF | 41 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 55 | 1 |
| Alan Walsh | England | FW | 0+4 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0+5 | 0 |
| Mark Wright | England | DF | 4+4 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7+7 | 0 |