# 2004–05 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

Huddersfield Town's 2004–05 campaign was their first competitive campaign in the restructured Coca-Cola League One. They finished 9th with 70 points, just one point less than Hartlepool United in 6th, the lowest playoff position.

## 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 |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Ian Gray |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Andy Holdsworth |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Anthony Lloyd |
| 4 | MF | WAL | Lee Fowler |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Yates |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Nathan Clarke |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Chris Brandon |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Tony Carss |
| 9 | FW | POL | Pawel Abbott |
| 10 | FW | MSR | Junior Mendes |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Danny Schofield |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Rob Edwards (Club captain) |
| 16 | DF | NGA | Efe Sodje (Team captain) |
| 17 | DF | ENG | David Mirfin |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Jon Worthington |
| 19 | FW | NGA | Akpo Sodje |
| 20 | FW | IRL | John McAliskey |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Phil Senior |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| 24 | DF | ENG | John McCombe |
| 25 | MF | PAK | Adnan Ahmed |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Nat Brown |

## Review

Town beat Stockport County on the opening day, but then failed to score in their next 4 games, including a 1–0 defeat to Leeds United in the first round of the League Cup at Elland Road. The season included victories away at eventual champions Luton Town and at home over runners-up Hull City but also included two derby defeats against Bradford City. However, a disastrous mid-season spell of form (including seven successive away league defeats and having Efe Sodje stripped of the captaincy after his red card against Blackpool in the Football League Trophy) saw the side slump and in real danger of a relegation battle.
Jon Worthington was made captain after the Blackpool game, but then Huddersfield gained a recovery in form with the loan signing of Luke Beckett from Sheffield United, but he was then recalled by Sheffield in mid-February.
The team were in deep trouble in mid-March, with relegation being a big possibility, but the play-offs were still possible, although Town had to win all their final 10 games to have a realistic chance of reaching the play-offs and all was going well, until Town played Colchester United at the Galpharm Stadium. With 1 minute to go, Town were leading 2–1, but then a goalkeeping error by Paul Rachubka (signed earlier in the season from Charlton Athletic) let Colchester equalise the game. That proved to be fatal, Town did win all the other 9 games and they missed out on the play-offs by one point.
During the season, many graduates from Town's own academy started to cement first-team places, such as Andy Holdsworth, David Mirfin, Nathan Clarke, Tom Clarke, Adnan Ahmed and Michael Collins. Beckett departed to join local rivals Oldham Athletic before the transfer deadline.

## 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 |
| 2 | DF | ENG | Andy Holdsworth |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Anthony Lloyd |
| 4 | MF | WAL | Lee Fowler |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Steve Yates |
| 6 | DF | ENG | Nathan Clarke |
| 7 | MF | ENG | Chris Brandon |
| 8 | MF | ENG | Tony Carss |
| 9 | FW | POL | Pawel Abbott |
| 10 | FW | MSR | Junior Mendes |
| 11 | MF | ENG | Danny Schofield |
| 14 | DF | ENG | Rob Edwards (Club captain) |
| 17 | DF | ENG | David Mirfin |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 18 | MF | ENG | Jon Worthington (Team captain) |
| 20 | FW | IRL | John McAliskey |
| 21 | DF | ENG | Danny Adams |
| 22 | GK | ENG | Phil Senior |
| 23 | FW | ENG | Andy Booth |
| 24 | DF | ENG | John McCombe |
| 25 | MF | PAK | Adnan Ahmed |
| 26 | GK | ENG | Paul Rachubka |
| 27 | DF | ENG | Nat Brown |
| 29 | MF | IRL | Michael Collins |
| 36 | DF | ENG | Tom Clarke |

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Bristol City | 46 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 74 | 57 | +17 | 70 |
| 8 | Bournemouth | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 77 | 64 | +13 | 70 |
| 9 | Huddersfield Town | 46 | 20 | 10 | 16 | 74 | 65 | +9 | 70 |
| 10 | Doncaster Rovers | 46 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 65 | 60 | +5 | 66 |
| 11 | Bradford City | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 64 | 62 | +2 | 65 |

## Results
### Pre-season matches

| Date | Competition | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 12 July 2004 | Friendly match | Wakefield-Emley | A | 2 - 1 | Mirfin, Holdsworth | 1,589 |
| 17 July 2004 | Friendly match | Middlesbrough | A | 1 - 2 | Booth | ? |
| 19 July 2004 | Friendly match | Ossett Town | A | 2 - 0 | A. Sodje, McCombe | 1,000+ |
| 21 July 2004 | Friendly match | Bradford Park Avenue | A | 2 - 1 | McAliskey, Carss | 800+ |
| 24 July 2004 | Friendly match | Harrogate Town | A | 2 - 2 | Abbott (pen), Brandon | 704 |
| 27 July 2004 | Friendly match | Rotherham United | A | 2 - 0 | 2 og | 1,720 |
| 28 July 2004 | Friendly match | Farsley Celtic | A | 1 - 1 | A. Sodje | ? |
| 31 July 2004 | Friendly match | Macclesfield Town | A | 1 - 0 | Brandon | ? |
| 3 August 2004 | Friendly match | Guiseley | A | 2 - 0 | Brown, Fowler | c. 500 |

### Coca-Cola League One

| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance | League position |
| 7 August 2004 | Stockport County | A | 3 - 2 | Carss [45], Booth [87], Abbott [90] | 7,473 | 4th |
| 10 August 2004 | Chesterfield | H | 0 - 0 | | 11,942 | 6th |
| 16 August 2004 | Hartlepool United | H | 0 - 2 | | 9,968 | 14th |
| 21 August 2004 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0 - 1 | | 26,264 | 17th |
| 28 August 2004 | Peterborough United | H | 2 - 1 | McAliskey [16], Worthington [48] | 9,531 | 14th |
| 30 August 2004 | Doncaster Rovers | A | 1 - 2 | Worthington [83] | 7,068 | 16th |
| 5 September 2004 | Hull City | H | 4 - 0 | Abbott [7], Edwards [14], Brandon [74], Booth [87] | 13,542 | 11th |
| 11 September 2004 | Port Vale | A | 3 - 0 | Abbott [62, 67, 65] | 6,298 | 5th |
| 18 September 2004 | Barnsley | H | 0 - 2 | | 14,794 | 9th |
| 25 September 2004 | Bristol City | A | 3 - 3 | Schofield [28], Abbott [35], Brandon [60] | 10,783 | 10th |
| 2 October 2004 | Walsall | H | 3 - 1 | Abbott, [29, 68], Mendes [30] | 11,324 | 7th |
| 9 October 2004 | Torquay United | A | 1 - 2 | Mendes [39] | 3,033 | 9th |
| 16 October 2004 | Luton Town | A | 2 - 1 | Mendes [14, 36] | 8,192 | 7th |
| 19 October 2004 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 1 - 3 | Abbott [33] | 10,324 | 8th |
| 23 October 2004 | Milton Keynes Dons | H | 3 - 0 | Abbott [33, 45 (pen)], Mendes [45] | 10,709 | 7th |
| 30 October 2004 | Blackpool | A | 1 - 1 | Booth [15] | 7,676 | 8th |
| 7 November 2004 | Brentford | H | 1 - 1 | Abbott [71] | 10,810 | 9th |
| 20 November 2004 | Colchester United | A | 0 - 0 | | 3,972 | 11th |
| 27 November 2004 | Wrexham | H | 1 - 2 | Schofield [41] | 11,127 | 14th |
| 8 December 2004 | Swindon Town | A | 2 - 1 | Abbott [19], Brandon [34] | 4,828 | 10th |
| 11 December 2004 | Oldham Athletic | A | 1 - 2 | Abbott [7] | 8,389 | 11th |
| 18 December 2004 | Bradford City | H | 0 - 1 | | 17,281 | 13th |
| 26 December 2004 | Port Vale | H | 2 - 1 | Schofield [4], Abbott [8] | 12,243 | 12th |
| 28 December 2004 | AFC Bournemouth | A | 2 - 2 | McAliskey [38], Mirfin [60] | 8,448 | 12th |
| 1 January 2005 | Hull City | A | 1 - 2 | Brandon [40] | 22,291 | 13th |
| 3 January 2005 | Bristol City | H | 2 - 2 | Orr [18 (og)], Abbott [58] | 11,151 | 13th |
| 8 January 2005 | Torquay United | H | 1 - 1 | E Sodje [24] | 9,194 | 13th |
| 15 January 2005 | Barnsley | A | 2 - 4 | Abbott [55 (pen)], Booth [70] | 11,725 | 14th |
| 22 January 2005 | AFC Bournemouth | H | 3 - 2 | Abbott [8 (pen)], Beckett [35, 45] | 9,754 | 13th |
| 29 January 2005 | Walsall | A | 3 - 4 | Booth [7], Beckett [11, 33] | 5,727 | 14th |
| 5 February 2005 | Luton Town | H | 1 - 1 | Beckett [90] | 12,611 | 14th |
| 12 February 2005 | Milton Keynes Dons | A | 1 - 2 | Booth [30] | 4,793 | 15th |
| 19 February 2005 | Blackpool | H | 1 - 0 | Beckett [2] | 10,614 | 14th |
| 22 February 2005 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 0 - 3 | | 7,613 | 14th |
| 26 February 2005 | Oldham Athletic | H | 2 - 1 | Abbott [4, 29] | 11,161 | 13th |
| 5 March 2005 | Bradford City | A | 0 - 2 | | 15,417 | 14th |
| 12 March 2005 | Chesterfield | A | 1 - 2 | Mirfin [79] | 4,827 | 15th |
| 19 March 2005 | Stockport County | H | 5 - 3 | Booth [4], Abbott [51], Mirfin [82], Ahmed [83], Dolan [90 (og)] | 11,180 | 14th |
| 25 March 2005 | Hartlepool United | A | 1 - 0 | Booth [42] | 6,205 | 13th |
| 29 March 2005 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 1 - 0 | Worthington [7] | 17,292 | 13th |
| 2 April 2005 | Peterborough United | A | 2 - 1 | Brandon [21], Schofield [84] | 3,976 | 12th |
| 9 April 2005 | Doncaster Rovers | H | 3 - 1 | Abbott [1], Booth [43], Brandon [56] | 12,792 | 8th |
| 16 April 2005 | Colchester United | H | 2 - 2 | Abbott [20], Schofield [62] | 10,831 | 9th |
| 23 April 2005 | Brentford | A | 1 - 0 | Abbott [26] | 7,703 | 10th |
| 30 April 2005 | Swindon Town | H | 4 - 0 | Abbott [62, 80], Booth [79], Edwards [85] | 13,559 | 9th |
| 7 May 2005 | Wrexham | A | 1 - 0 | Mirfin [43] | 7,151 | 9th |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 13 November 2004 | Round 1 | Stockport County | A | 1 - 3 | Abbott [90] | 3,479 |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 24 August 2004 | Round 1 | Leeds United | A | 0 - 1 | | 30,115 |

### Football League Trophy

| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away | Result F - A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 28 September 2004 | Round 1 North | Morecambe | H | 3 - 0 | Mirfin [47], Mendes [84 (pen)], Fowler [90] | 3,831 |
| 2 November 2004 | Round 2 North | Blackpool | A | 3 - 6 (aet, 90 mins: 2 - 2) | McAliskey [47], Schofield [53], Ahmed [105] | 3,533 |

## Appearances and goals

| Squad No. | Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | League Cup Apps | League Cup Goals | FLT Apps | FLT Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
| 1 | Ian Gray | England | GK | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| 2 | Andy Holdsworth | England | DF | 38 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 (2) | 0 |
| 3 | Anthony Lloyd | England | DF | 10 (1) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 (1) | 0 |
| 4 | Lee Fowler | Wales | MF | 8 (12) | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 10 (13) | 1 |
| 5 | Steve Yates | England | DF | 15 (2) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 (2) | 0 |
| 6 | Nathan Clarke | England | DF | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 0 |
| 7 | Chris Brandon | England | MF | 42 (2) | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 (2) | 6 |
| 8 | Tony Carss | England | MF | 23 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 (4) | 1 |
| 9 | Pawel Abbott | Poland | FW | 36 (8) | 26 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 38 (9) | 25 |
| 10 | Junior Mendes | Montserrat | FW | 13 (12) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 (13) | 6 |
| 11 | Danny Schofield | England | MF | 21 (12) | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 24 (12) | 6 |
| 12 | Luke Beckett | England | FW | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 12 | Delroy Facey | Grenada | FW | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 14 | Rob Edwards | England | DF | 21 (3) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 (3) | 2 |
| 16 | Efe Sodje | England | DF | 24 (4) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 (4) | 1 |
| 17 | David Mirfin | England | DF | 38 (3) | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 (3) | 5 |
| 18 | Jon Worthington | England | MF | 39 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 3 |
| 19 | Akpo Sodje | Nigeria | FW | 1 (6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 2 (7) | 0 |
| 20 | John McAliskey | Republic of Ireland | FW | 7 (11) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 (1) | 0 | 1 (1) | 1 | 8 (13) | 3 |
| 21 | Danny Adams | England | DF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 22 | Phil Senior | England | GK | 5 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 |
| 23 | Andy Booth | England | FW | 25 (4) | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 27 (4) | 10 |
| 24 | John McCombe | England | DF | 4 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 (1) | 0 |
| 25 | Adnan Ahmed | Pakistan | MF | 16 (2) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 (2) | 1 | 18 (4) | 2 |
| 26 | Paul Rachubka | England | GK | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| 27 | Nat Brown | England | DF | 7 (10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 (10) | 0 |
| 29 | Michael Collins | Republic of Ireland | MF | 7 (1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 (1) | 0 |
| 36 | Tom Clarke | England | DF | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 |