1923–24 Huddersfield Town A.F.C. season

The 1923–24 Huddersfield Town season saw Town become the champions of English football for the first time. They beat Welsh side Cardiff City to the title by goal average.

Huddersfield Town
1923–24 season
ChairmanEngland Joseph Barlow
ManagerEngland Herbert Chapman
Football League First Division1st (champions)
FA CupThird round
(knocked out by Burnley)
Top goalscorerLeague: Charlie Wilson (18)
All: Charlie Wilson (20)
Highest home attendance33,178 vs Burnley (22 April 1924)
Lowest home attendance6,000 vs Newcastle United (27 February 1924)
Biggest win6–1 vs Arsenal (22 December 1923)
Biggest defeat0–2 vs Middlesbrough (1 September 1923)
1–3 vs Bolton Wanderers (17 November 1923)
1–3 vs Aston Villa (17 April 1924)

Squad at the start of the season

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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 Billy Cowell
-- GK   ENG Ted Taylor
-- DF   ENG Ned Barkas
-- DF   ENG Harry Cawthorne
-- DF   ENG Roy Goodall
-- DF   ENG Albert Smith
-- DF   ENG Norman Smith
-- DF   SCO David Steele
-- DF   ENG Sam Wadsworth
-- DF   ENG Billy Watson
No. Pos. Nation Player
-- DF   ENG Tom Wilson
-- MF   SCO Billy Johnston
-- MF   ENG George Richardson
-- MF   ENG Billy Smith
-- MF   ENG Joe Walter
-- FW   ENG George Brown
-- FW   ENG George Cook
-- FW   ENG Ernie Islip
-- FW   ENG Clem Stephenson
-- FW   ENG Charlie Wilson

Review

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After finishing 3rd the previous season and winning the FA Cup the season before, some thought that a championship under Herbert Chapman wasn't impossible. The season would see Town reach the pinnacle of football excellence and win the 1st Division.

This was done with Town only having 5 different scorers all season; George Brown with 8, George Cook with 9, Clem Stephenson with 11, Billy Smith with 13 and Charlie Wilson top-scoring with 18 league goals. (Billy Johnston did score an FA Cup goal). The title went down to the last match and Town's 3–0 win over Nottingham Forest giving Town their title by goal average.

Squad at the end of the season

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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 Leonard Boot
-- GK   ENG Billy Cowell
-- GK   ENG Ted Taylor
-- DF   ENG Ned Barkas
-- DF   ENG Harry Cawthorne
-- DF   ENG Roy Goodall
-- DF   ENG George Shaw
-- DF   ENG Albert Smith
-- DF   ENG Norman Smith
-- DF   SCO David Steele
-- DF   ENG Sam Wadsworth
No. Pos. Nation Player
-- DF   ENG Billy Watson
-- DF   ENG Tom Wilson
-- MF   SCO Billy Johnston
-- MF   ENG Ted Richardson
-- MF   ENG Billy Smith
-- MF   ENG Joe Walter
-- FW   ENG George Brown
-- FW   ENG George Cook
-- FW   ENG Clem Stephenson
-- FW   ENG Charlie Wilson

Results

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Date Opponents Home/
Away
Result
F - A
Scorers Attendance Position
25 August 1923 Middlesbrough H 1 - 0 C. Wilson 20,000 1st
27 August 1923 Preston North End A 3 - 1 B. Smith, C. Wilson, Stephenson 18,331 2nd
1 September 1923 Middlesbrough A 0 - 2 20,000 6th
4 September 1923 Preston North End H 4 - 0 B. Smith, C. Wilson (2), Stephenson 14,198 2nd
8 September 1923 Notts County A 0 - 1 20,000 6th
15 September 1923 Notts County H 0 - 0 16,000 8th
22 September 1923 Everton A 1 - 1 Brown 35,000 9th
29 September 1923 Everton H 2 - 0 Brown, Stephenson 16,500 4th
6 October 1923 West Bromwich Albion A 4 - 2 B. Smith (2), Cook (2) 17,041 4th
13 October 1923 West Bromwich Albion H 0 - 0 18,800 5th
20 October 1923 Birmingham A 1 - 0 B. Smith 18,000 3rd
27 October 1923 Birmingham H 1 - 0 Stephenson 12,000 1st
3 November 1923 Liverpool A 1 - 1 Stephenson 30,000 2nd
10 November 1923 Liverpool H 3 - 1 Cook (2), W. Wadsworth (og) 15,400 2nd
17 November 1923 Bolton Wanderers A 1 - 3 C. Wilson 17,630 2nd
24 November 1923 Bolton Wanderers H 1 - 0 Cook 18,000 2nd
1 December 1923 Sunderland A 1 - 2 C. Wilson 29,000 3rd
8 December 1923 Sunderland H 3 - 2 C. Wilson (2), B. Smith 18,600 3rd
15 December 1923 Arsenal A 3 - 1 C. Wilson (3) 25,000 2nd
22 December 1923 Arsenal H 6 - 1 Cook, C. Wilson (3), Stephenson (2) 15,000 2nd
25 December 1923 Tottenham Hotspur A 0 - 1 44,274 3rd
26 December 1923 Tottenham Hotspur H 2 - 1 B. Smith (2 pens) 28,600 3rd
29 December 1923 Blackburn Rovers A 0 - 1 18,000 3rd
5 January 1924 Blackburn Rovers H 1 - 0 Stephenson 16,300 4th
19 January 1924 Chelsea H 0 - 1 14,200 4th
26 January 1924 Chelsea A 1 - 0 Stephenson 33,500 4th
9 February 1924 Newcastle United A 1 - 0 Stephenson 25,000 4th
16 February 1924 West Ham United H 1 - 1 B. Smith 12,500 4th
27 February 1924 Newcastle United H 1 - 1 Stephenson 6,000 4th
1 March 1924 Cardiff City H 2 - 0 Brown (2) 18,000 3rd
15 March 1924 Sheffield United A 1 - 0 Brown 29,000 4th
22 March 1924 Sheffield United H 1 - 0 C. Wilson 19,500 3rd
27 March 1924 West Ham United A 3 - 2 B. Smith, C. Wilson (2) 15,000 1st
5 April 1924 Aston Villa H 1 - 0 B. Smith (pen) 26,280 3rd
12 April 1924 Manchester City H 1 - 1 Brown 11,000 2nd
14 April 1924 Cardiff City A 0 - 0 24,000 1st
18 April 1924 Burnley A 1 - 1 Brown 25,000 2nd
19 April 1924 Manchester City A 1 - 1 C. Wilson 30,000 2nd
22 April 1924 Burnley H 1 - 0 B. Smith 33,178 1st
26 April 1924 Nottingham Forest A 1 - 1 Cook 12,000 2nd
30 April 1924 Aston Villa A 1 - 3 B. Smith 33,000 2nd
3 May 1924 Nottingham Forest H 3 - 0 Cook (2), Brown 19,000 1st
Date Round Opponents Home/
Away
Result
F - A
Scorers Attendance
12 January 1924 Round 1 Birmingham H 1 - 0 Johnston 30,924
2 February 1924 Round 2 Manchester United A 3 - 0 C. Wilson (2), Stephenson 66,678
23 February 1924 Round 3 Burnley A 0 - 1 54,775

Appearances and goals

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Name Nation Position League Apps League Goals FA Cup Apps FA Cup Goals Total Apps Total Goals
Ned Barkas   England DF 21 0 2 0 23 0
Leonard Boot   England GK 5 0 0 0 5 0
George Brown   England FW 22 8 1 0 23 8
Harry Cawthorne   England DF 16 0 0 0 16 0
George Cook   England FW 25 9 1 0 26 9
Billy Cowell   England GK 2 0 0 0 2 0
Roy Goodall   England DF 14 0 1 0 15 0
Ernie Islip   England FW 3 0 0 0 3 0
Billy Johnston   Scotland FW 8 0 3 1 11 1
George Richardson   England MF 2 0 0 0 2 0
Ted Richardson   England MF 5 0 0 0 5 0
George Shaw   England DF 9 0 0 0 9 0
Albert Smith   England FW 8 0 0 0 8 0
Billy Smith   England MF 39 13 3 0 42 13
David Steele   Scotland DF 31 0 3 0 34 0
Clem Stephenson   England FW 40 11 3 1 43 12
Ted Taylor   England GK 35 0 3 0 38 0
Sam Wadsworth   England DF 37 0 3 0 40 0
Joe Walter   England MF 26 0 2 0 28 0
Billy Watson   England DF 42 0 3 0 45 0
Charlie Wilson   England FW 31 18 2 2 33 20
Tom Wilson   England DF 41 0 3 0 44 0