# 1938–39 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 1938–39 campaign was the last full season of football before the start of World War II. Town would finish 19th in Division 1, but they had another brilliant FA Cup run, following from the previous season's runner-up spot, by reaching the semi-finals, before losing to Portsmouth.

## 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 | Bob Hesford |
| -- | DF | ENG | Eddie Boot |
| -- | DF | ENG | Alan Brown |
| -- | DF | ENG | Benny Craig |
| -- | DF | ENG | Robert Gordon |
| -- | DF | EIR | Bill Hayes |
| -- | DF | ENG | Reg Mountford |
| -- | DF | ENG | Albert Watson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ken Willingham |
| -- | DF | ENG | Alf Young |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Bobby Barclay |
| -- | MF | ENG | Pat Beasley |
| -- | MF | ENG | Tom Hinchcliffe |
| -- | MF | ENG | Jack Johnson |
| -- | MF | ENG | Robert Perrett |
| -- | MF | RSA | George Wienand |
| -- | FW | ENG | Lewis Brook |
| -- | FW | ENG | Jimmy Isaac |
| -- | FW | SCO | Willie Mills |
| -- | FW | ENG | Billy Price |

## Review

Town continued their downward spiral, which saw Town fighting in a relegation battle for a major part of the season, but luckily most of the season was highlighted by Town's successes in the FA Cup, following their 5th final appearance the previous season. They reached the semi-final against Portsmouth. They lost the match 2–1 at Highbury. This to date, is their last ever FA Cup semi-final appearance. Town's final league placing was 19th just ahead of Chelsea, Birmingham and Leicester City.

## 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 | Bob Hesford |
| -- | DF | ENG | Eddie Boot |
| -- | DF | ENG | Alan Brown |
| -- | DF | ENG | Robert Gordon |
| -- | DF | EIR | Bill Hayes |
| -- | DF | ENG | Reg Mountford |
| -- | DF | ENG | Albert Watson |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ken Willingham |
| -- | DF | ENG | Alf Young |
| -- | MF | ENG | Bobby Barclay |
| -- | MF | EIR | Pat Barlow |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Pat Beasley |
| -- | MF | ENG | Jack Mahon |
| -- | MF | SCO | Andy McCall |
| -- | MF | ENG | John Shiel |
| -- | MF | ENG | Willie Watson |
| -- | FW | EIR | Harry Baird |
| -- | FW | ENG | Lewis Brook |
| -- | FW | ENG | Jimmy Isaac |
| -- | FW | SCO | Willie Mills |
| -- | FW | ENG | Billy Price |

## Results
### Division One

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
| 27 August 1938 | Brentford | A | 1–2 | Price | 26,638 | 14th |
| 31 August 1938 | Derby County | A | 0–1 | | 13,375 | 19th |
| 3 September 1938 | Arsenal | H | 1–1 | Mills | 26,126 | 19th |
| 7 September 1938 | Derby County | H | 3–0 | Brook, Hayes (pen), Isaac | 11,293 | 13th |
| 10 September 1938 | Portsmouth | A | 0–4 | | 26,302 | 20th |
| 14 September 1938 | Sunderland | H | 0–1 | | 9,724 | 20th |
| 17 September 1938 | Leeds United | H | 0–1 | | 19,793 | 22nd |
| 24 September 1938 | Everton | H | 3–0 | Hinchcliffe (2), Isaac | 27,710 | 19th |
| 1 October 1938 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 0–3 | | 21,213 | 20th |
| 8 October 1938 | Aston Villa | H | 1–1 | Callaghan (og) | 20,639 | 20th |
| 15 October 1938 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–2 | Price | 28,038 | 21st |
| 22 October 1938 | Bolton Wanderers | H | 2–1 | Baird, Beasley | 18,027 | 20th |
| 29 October 1938 | Liverpool | A | 3–3 | Beasley, Baird, Price | 33,734 | 19th |
| 5 November 1938 | Leicester City | H | 2–0 | Beasley, Barlow | 16,102 | 16th |
| 12 November 1938 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–4 | Price | 19,630 | 19th |
| 19 November 1938 | Birmingham | H | 3–1 | Barclay, Beasley, Baird | 14,637 | 18th |
| 26 November 1938 | Manchester United | A | 1–1 | Price | 23,164 | 15th |
| 3 December 1938 | Stoke City | H | 1–4 | Mills | 17,953 | 18th |
| 10 December 1938 | Chelsea | A | 0–3 | | 23,257 | 21st |
| 17 December 1938 | Preston North End | H | 3–0 | Price (2), Beasley | 8,916 | 18th |
| 24 December 1938 | Brentford | H | 1–2 | Baird | 11,493 | 20th |
| 26 December 1938 | Blackpool | A | 1–1 | Price | 18,955 | 19th |
| 27 December 1938 | Blackpool | H | 3–0 | Beasley (2), Brook | 27,113 | 17th |
| 31 December 1938 | Arsenal | A | 0–1 | | 34,146 | 19th |
| 14 January 1939 | Portsmouth | H | 3–0 | Price, Beasley, Isaac | 9,006 | 16th |
| 25 January 1939 | Leeds United | A | 0–1 | | 3,896 | Match abandoned after 61 minutes due to snow. |
| 28 January 1939 | Everton | A | 2–3 | Beasley, Price | 37,269 | 18th |
| 4 February 1939 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 1–2 | Hayes (pen) | 20,405 | 18th |
| 15 February 1939 | Aston Villa | A | 0–4 | | 27,500 | 20th |
| 18 February 1939 | Charlton Athletic | H | 4–0 | Price, Hayes (pen), Mills, Barclay | 16,163 | 17th |
| 25 February 1939 | Bolton Wanderers | A | 2–3 | Price, Beasley | 19,332 | 18th |
| 11 March 1939 | Leicester City | A | 1–0 | Isaac | 13,898 | 19th |
| 15 March 1939 | Liverpool | H | 1–1 | Price | 7,704 | 19th |
| 18 March 1939 | Middlesbrough | H | 0–1 | | 16,011 | 19th |
| 29 March 1939 | Birmingham | A | 1–1 | Barclay | 12,000 | 20th |
| 1 April 1939 | Manchester United | H | 1–1 | Barclay | 14,007 | 19th |
| 7 April 1939 | Grimsby Town | A | 3–3 | Mills, Price (2) | 18,835 | 19th |
| 8 April 1939 | Stoke City | A | 2–2 | Boot, Mountford | 26,014 | 19th |
| 11 April 1939 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | Brook (2) | 21,747 | 19th |
| 15 April 1939 | Chelsea | H | 3–1 | Mills (2), Price | 11,731 | 18th |
| 19 April 1939 | Leeds United | A | 1–2 | Isaac | 12,006 | 18th |
| 22 April 1939 | Preston North End | A | 0–3 | | 13,093 | 19th |
| 29 April 1939 | Sunderland | A | 0–0 | | 7,729 | 19th |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 11 January 1939 | Round 3 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0–0 | | 5,442 |
| 16 January 1939 | Round 3 Replay | Nottingham Forest | A | 3–0 | Isaac (2), Price | 22,304 |
| 21 January 1939 | Round 4 | Leeds United | A | 4–2 | Price (3), Barclay | 43,702 |
| 11 February 1939 | Round 5 | Walsall | H | 3–0 | Price (2), McCall | 33,543 |
| 4 March 1939 | Round 6 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1–1 | Price | 56,518 |
| 9 March 1939 | Round 6 Replay | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–1 | Mahon, Beasley | 54,400 |
| 25 March 1939 | Semi-Final | Portsmouth | N | 1–2 | Barclay | 60,053 |

## Appearances and goals

| Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
| Harry Baird | Ireland | FW | 19 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 21 | 4 |
| Bobby Barclay | England | MF | 28 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 34 | 6 |
| Pat Barlow | Ireland | MF | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Pat Beasley | England | MF | 34 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 41 | 10 |
| Eddie Boot | England | DF | 36 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| Lewis Brook | England | FW | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
| Alan Brown | England | DF | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Benny Craig | England | DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Robert Gordon | England | DF | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Bill Hayes | Ireland | DF | 41 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 48 | 3 |
| Bob Hesford | England | GK | 42 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 49 | 0 |
| Tom Hinchcliffe | England | MF | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Jimmy Isaac | England | MF | 19 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 7 |
| Jack Johnson | England | MF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jack Mahon | England | MF | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Andy McCall | Scotland | MF | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Willie Mills | Scotland | MF | 23 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 27 | 6 |
| Reg Mountford | England | DF | 42 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 49 | 1 |
| Robert Perrett | England | MF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Billy Price | England | FW | 33 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 40 | 24 |
| John Shiel | England | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Albert Watson | England | DF | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Willie Watson | England | MF | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| George Wienand | South Africa | MF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Ken Willingham | England | DF | 33 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| Alf Young | England | DF | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 37 | 0 |