Huddersfield Town's 1983–84 campaign was Town's first season in the second tier since the 1972–73 season under the management of Ian Greaves. They finished in 12th place.
| 1983–84 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman |  Keith Longbottom |
| Manager | Mick Buxton |
| Second Division | 12th |
| FA Cup | Fourth round (knocked out by Notts County) |
| League Cup | Third round (knocked out by Stoke City) |
| Top goalscorer | League: Mark Lillis (11) All: Mark Lillis (14) |
| Highest home attendance | 25,101 vs Newcastle United (7 May 1984) |
| Lowest home attendance | 5,190 vs Mansfield Town (13 September 1983) |
| Biggest win | 5–1 vs Mansfield Town (13 September 1983) 4–0 vs Cardiff City (28 April 1984) |
| Biggest defeat | 2–5 vs Newcastle United (10 December 1983) |
Squad at the start of the season
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Review
editFollowing their impressive promotion campaign the previous season, many Town fans were hoping that Town would return to the promised land of the First Division and Town had a fairly good start to the season, with the exception of losing their 34 match unbeaten home record, which went back to the end of the 1981–82 season, when they lost 3–2 to Chelsea in September.
Following Christmas, Town suffered a dramatic lost in form, going on a run of 9 matches without a win, which seemed to put Town in a downward spiral right back to the Third Division. So Mick Buxton decided to bring in some more strikers on loan to help Town in their time of need.
Peter Eastoe (on loan from West Bromwich Albion) and Mel Eves (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers) helped bring up a mini-revival which eventually got Town clear of the relegation mess and finished in a respectable 12th place with 57 points, the same number of points as Fulham and Charlton Athletic.
Squad at the end of the season
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Results
edit| Date | Opponents | Home/ Away |
Result F–A |
Scorers | Attendance | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 1983 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 2–2 | Lillis, Stonehouse (pen) | 7,739 | 9th |
| 3 September 1983 | Charlton Athletic | H | 0–0 | 8,113 | 16th | |
| 6 September 1983 | Crystal Palace | H | 2–1 | Lillis (2) | 7,814 | 10th |
| 10 September 1983 | Oldham Athletic | A | 3–0 | Stanton, Cowling, Lillis | 8,543 | 5th |
| 17 September 1983 | Swansea City | H | 1–0 | Stanton | 10,116 | 3rd |
| 24 September 1983 | Carlisle United | A | 0–0 | 5,461 | 3rd | |
| 1 October 1983 | Chelsea | H | 2–3 | Stanton, Lillis | 13,280 | 7th |
| 8 October 1983 | Grimsby Town | H | 0–0 | 8,897 | 7th | |
| 15 October 1983 | Barnsley | A | 2–2 | Lillis, Russell (pen) | 14,096 | 8th |
| 18 October 1983 | Cambridge United | A | 3–0 | Lillis, Stanton, Russell (pen) | 3,513 | 6th |
| 22 October 1983 | Derby County | H | 3–0 | Lillis, Russell, Cowling | 10,752 | 5th |
| 29 October 1983 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0–0 | 27,824 | 5th | |
| 5 November 1983 | Brighton & Hove Albion | A | 1–3 | Sutton | 11,063 | 5th |
| 12 November 1983 | Shrewsbury Town | H | 1–0 | Wilson | 8,798 | 5th |
| 19 November 1983 | Fulham | H | 2–0 | Stanton, Russell (pen) | 8,914 | 5th |
| 26 November 1983 | Cardiff City | A | 1–3 | Russell | 6,067 | 5th |
| 3 December 1983 | Portsmouth | H | 2–1 | Pugh, Stonehouse | 8,724 | 5th |
| 10 December 1983 | Newcastle United | A | 2–5 | Wilson, Jones | 25,747 | 6th |
| 17 December 1983 | Middlesbrough | H | 2–2 | Cowling, Stonehouse (pen) | 7,889 | 8th |
| 26 December 1983 | Leeds United | A | 2–1 | Russell, Lillis | 23,791 | 6th |
| 27 December 1983 | Manchester City | H | 1–3 | Stonehouse | 23,497 | 8th |
| 31 December 1983 | Charlton Athletic | A | 2–1 | Hanvey, Russell | 5,972 | 8th |
| 2 January 1984 | Carlisle United | H | 0–0 | 10,621 | 9th | |
| 14 January 1984 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 0–2 | 8,203 | 9th | |
| 18 January 1984 | Swansea City | A | 2–2 | Pugh, Lillis | 4,944 | 9th |
| 4 February 1984 | Chelsea | A | 1–3 | Doyle | 17,922 | 9th |
| 11 February 1984 | Oldham Athletic | H | 0–1 | 8,162 | 9th | |
| 25 February 1984 | Derby County | A | 1–1 | Stanton | 13,525 | 9th |
| 3 March 1984 | Brighton & Hove Albion | H | 0–1 | 6,985 | 10th | |
| 10 March 1984 | Shrewsbury Town | A | 0–1 | 3,627 | 11th | |
| 17 March 1984 | Crystal Palace | A | 0–0 | 5,003 | 12th | |
| 24 March 1984 | Cambridge United | H | 3–0 | Eves (2), Jones (pen) | 6,037 | 11th |
| 31 March 1984 | Grimsby Town | A | 1–2 | Jones (pen) | 7,541 | 12th |
| 7 April 1984 | Barnsley | H | 0–1 | 9,657 | 13th | |
| 14 April 1984 | Fulham | A | 2–0 | Lillis, Eves | 5,265 | 12th |
| 21 April 1984 | Leeds United | H | 2–2 | Eves, Doyle | 16,270 | 13th |
| 23 April 1984 | Manchester City | A | 3–2 | Jones (pen), Pugh, Wilson | 23,247 | 10th |
| 28 April 1984 | Cardiff City | H | 4–0 | Jones (3, 2 pens), Pugh | 5,599 | 11th |
| 1 May 1984 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 0–1 | 18,488 | 11th | |
| 5 May 1984 | Portsmouth | A | 1–1 | Robinson | 7,738 | 12th |
| 7 May 1984 | Newcastle United | H | 2–2 | Cooper, Carney (og) | 25,101 | 12th |
| 12 May 1984 | Middlesbrough | A | 0–0 | 5,687 | 12th |
FA Cup
edit| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away |
Result F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 January 1984 | Round 3 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 2–1 | Lillis, Stonehouse | 11,984 |
| 1 February 1984 | Round 4 | Notts County | H | 1–2 | Stonehouse | 13,634 |
League Cup
edit| Date | Round | Opponents | Home/ Away |
Result F–A |
Scorers | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 1983 | Round 1 1st Leg | Mansfield Town | A | 2–1 | Sutton, Russell | 3,734 |
| 13 September 1983 | Round 1 2nd Leg | Mansfield Town | H | 5–1 | Lillis (2), Jones, Stanton, Sutton | 5,190
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| 4 October 1983 | Round 2 1st Leg | Watford | H | 2–1 | Cowling, Bolton (og) | 10,631 |
| 25 October 1983 | Round 2 2nd Leg | Watford | A | 2–2 | Sutton, Jones | 13,006
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| 8 November 1983 | Round 3 | Stoke City | A | 0–0 | 14,175 | |
| 22 November 1983 | Round 3 Replay | Stoke City | H | 0–2 | 14,191 |
Appearances and goals
edit| Name | Nation | Position | League Apps | League Goals | FA Cup Apps | FA Cup Goals | League Cup Apps | League Cup Goals | Total Apps | Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Bird | England |
DF | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| David Burke | England |
DF | 42 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Graham Cooper | England |
FW | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| David Cowling | England |
MF | 40 (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 48 (1) | 4 |
| Brian Cox | England |
GK | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Steve Doyle |  Wales |
MF | 34 (2) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 40 (2) | 2 |
| Peter Eastoe | England |
FW | 8 (2) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (2) | 0 |
| Mel Eves | England |
FW | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Roy Greenwood | England |
DF | 1 (3) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (3) | 0 |
| Keith Hanvey | England |
DF | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Paul Jones | England |
DF | 36 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 42 | 9 |
| Brian Laws | England |
DF | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Mark Lillis | England |
MF | 36 (1) | 11 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 44 (1) | 14 |
| Keith Mason | England |
GK | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Daral Pugh | Wales |
MF | 19 (10) | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 (1) | 0 | 24 (11) | 4 |
| Liam Robinson | England |
FW | 4 (1) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 (1) | 1 |
| Colin Russell | England |
FW | 23 (2) | 7 | 0 (1) | 0 | 6 | 1 | 29 (3) | 8 |
| Brian Stanton | England |
MF | 33 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 7 |
| Kevin Stonehouse | England |
FW | 15 (2) | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 (1) | 0 | 19 (3) | 6 |
| Steve Stoutt | England |
DF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Dave Sutton | England |
DF | 34 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 42 | 4 |
| Phil Wilson | England |
MF | 41 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 49 | 3 |