# 1958–59 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 1958–59 campaign was a season under Bill Shankly, which saw Town make little progress up the Division 2 table, with the team finishing in 14th place.

## 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 | Harry Fearnley |
| -- | GK | RSA | Sandy Kennon |
| -- | DF | ENG | John Coddington |
| -- | DF | ENG | Jack Connor |
| -- | DF | ENG | Tony Conwell |
| -- | DF | ENG | Brian Gibson |
| -- | DF | SCO | Gordon Low |
| -- | DF | ENG | Bill McGarry |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ken Taylor |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ray Wilson |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Bob Ledger |
| -- | MF | ENG | Kevin McHale |
| -- | FW | SCO | Alex Bain |
| -- | FW | ENG | Tony France |
| -- | FW | ENG | Derek Hawksworth |
| -- | FW | ENG | Stan Hepton |
| -- | FW | ENG | Stan Howard |
| -- | FW | SCO | Denis Law |
| -- | FW | SCO | Les Massie |

## Review

Bill Shankly attempted to improve on Town's 9th-place finish the previous season. Their form was mixed for a large portion of the season with many wins, draws and losses at exactly the wrong time of the season. Their best wins were a 5–0 win over Liverpool, a 5–1 win over Middlesbrough and a 5–2 away win at Leyton Orient.
They finished in 14th place with just 40 points, although they were 12 points clear of relegated Grimsby Town, but they were 20 points behind promoted Fulham.

## 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 | Harry Fearnley |
| -- | GK | ENG | Ray Wood |
| -- | DF | ENG | John Coddington |
| -- | DF | ENG | Jack Connor |
| -- | DF | ENG | Tony Conwell |
| -- | DF | ENG | Brian Gibson |
| -- | DF | SCO | Gordon Low |
| -- | DF | ENG | Bill McGarry |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ken Taylor |
| -- | DF | ENG | Ray Wilson |
| -- | MF | ENG | Bob Ledger |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| -- | MF | ENG | Kevin McHale |
| -- | FW | SCO | Alex Bain |
| -- | FW | ENG | Tony France |
| -- | FW | ENG | Derek Hawksworth |
| -- | FW | ENG | Stan Hepton |
| -- | FW | ENG | Stan Howard |
| -- | FW | SCO | Denis Law |
| -- | FW | SCO | Les Massie |
| -- | FW | SCO | Willie Sinclair |
| -- | FW | ENG | Brian Tickell |

## Results
### Division Two

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance | Position |
| 23 August 1958 | Derby County | H | 1–1 | Massie | 16,977 | 8th |
| 27 August 1958 | Cardiff City | H | 3–0 | Malloy (og), Massie, Hawksworth | 13,266 | 4th |
| 30 August 1958 | Barnsley | A | 0–1 | | 17,684 | 11th |
| 3 September 1958 | Cardiff City | A | 2–3 | Hawksworth (2, 1 pen) | 13,078 | 12th |
| 6 September 1958 | Rotherham United | H | 3–0 | Massie (2), Law | 14,330 | 8th |
| 9 September 1958 | Bristol City | H | 0–1 | | 13,884 | 9th |
| 13 September 1958 | Sheffield United | A | 0–0 | | 22,980 | 11th |
| 16 September 1958 | Bristol City | A | 1–2 | Massie | 29,148 | 12th |
| 20 September 1958 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 3–2 | McGarry, Burtenshaw (og), Massie | 13,244 | 12th |
| 27 September 1958 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | Jobling (og) | 14,401 | 15th |
| 4 October 1958 | Liverpool | H | 5–0 | Hawksworth (2), Massie, Taylor, Wilson | 15,934 | 11th |
| 11 October 1958 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–2 | McHale | 16,753 | 14th |
| 18 October 1958 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–0 | | 14,578 | 13th |
| 25 October 1958 | Swansea Town | H | 3–2 | McGarry (2), McHale | 15,629 | 10th |
| 1 November 1958 | Leyton Orient | A | 5–2 | Howard, McKnight (og), Massie, Hawksworth, McHale | 13,828 | 8th |
| 8 November 1958 | Sunderland | H | 1–1 | Massie | 20,301 | 9th |
| 15 November 1958 | Lincoln City | A | 1–1 | Hawksworth | 9,361 | 9th |
| 22 November 1958 | Fulham | H | 2–1 | Hawksworth, Massie | 19,778 | 9th |
| 29 November 1958 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 1–4 | Massie | 25,394 | 9th |
| 6 December 1958 | Scunthorpe United | H | 0–1 | | 13,888 | 11th |
| 13 December 1958 | Stoke City | A | 1–5 | Hawksworth (pen) | 12,761 | 11th |
| 20 December 1958 | Derby County | A | 1–3 | Howard | 13,874 | 14th |
| 25 December 1958 | Charlton Athletic | H | 1–0 | Howard | 14,295 | 11th |
| 27 December 1958 | Charlton Athletic | A | 1–2 | Massie | 20,381 | 13th |
| 1 January 1959 | Middlesbrough | A | 1–3 | Howard | 28,154 | 16th |
| 3 January 1959 | Barnsley | H | 2–1 | Massie, Hawksworth (pen) | 17,933 | 12th |
| 31 January 1959 | Sheffield United | H | 0–2 | | 17,402 | 15th |
| 7 February 1959 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 0–2 | | 18,828 | 16th |
| 14 February 1959 | Grimsby Town | H | 2–0 | Bain, Hawksworth | 11,389 | 15th |
| 21 February 1959 | Liverpool | A | 2–2 | McHale, White (og) | 28,860 | 15th |
| 28 February 1959 | Sunderland | A | 0–1 | | 27,264 | 16th |
| 7 March 1959 | Ipswich Town | H | 3–0 | Low, Bain, Howard | 9,604 | 14th |
| 14 March 1959 | Swansea Town | A | 1–0 | Bain | 8,176 | 14th |
| 21 March 1959 | Leyton Orient | H | 0–0 | | 10,065 | 14th |
| 28 March 1959 | Bristol Rovers | A | 1–1 | McHale | 16,029 | 15th |
| 30 March 1959 | Middlesbrough | H | 5–1 | Howard, Low, Sinclair, McHale, Massie | 14,671 | 13th |
| 4 April 1959 | Lincoln City | H | 2–1 | Low, Howard | 12,646 | 12th |
| 11 April 1959 | Fulham | A | 0–1 | | 24,000 | 15th |
| 18 April 1959 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1–2 | Sinclair | 19,960 | 15th |
| 22 April 1959 | Stoke City | H | 1–2 | McGarry (pen) | 9,819 | 15th |
| 25 April 1959 | Scunthorpe United | A | 3–0 | Law, Howard, Wilson | 9,035 | 15th |
| 30 April 1959 | Rotherham United | A | 1–0 | Massie | 10,553 | 14th |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 10 January 1959 | Round 3 | Ipswich Town | A | 0–1 | | 14,521 |

## Appearances and goals

| Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
| Alex Bain | Scotland | FW | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 |
| John Coddington | England | DF | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| Jack Connor | England | DF | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Tony Conwell | England | DF | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Harry Fearnley | England | GK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tony France | England | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Brian Gibson | England | DF | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Derek Hawksworth | England | MF | 33 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 11 |
| Stan Hepton | England | MF | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Stan Howard | England | MF | 40 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 8 |
| Sandy Kennon | South Africa | GK | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Denis Law | Scotland | MF | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 2 |
| Bob Ledger | England | MF | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Gordon Low | Scotland | DF | 36 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
| Les Massie | Scotland | FW | 42 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 15 |
| Bill McGarry | England | DF | 32 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 4 |
| Kevin McHale | England | MF | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| Willie Sinclair | Scotland | FW | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Ken Taylor | England | DF | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
| Brian Tickell | England | FW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ray Wilson | England | DF | 42 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 |
| Ray Wood | England | GK | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 0 |