Huddersfield Town's 1953–54 campaign is Town's best ever finish in a season since World War II. Following the previous season's promotion onslaught, Town and especially Jimmy Glazzard made sure that the previous season's achievements weren't forgotten in a hurry. They finished in 3rd place in Division 1 with 51 points, just 6 points behind the champions Wolverhampton Wanderers. The goalscoring feats of Jimmy Glazzard, who scored 29 goals and the assistance of Vic Metcalfe, who himself scored 11 goals helped Town finish in their highest post-war finish to date.
Squad at the start of the season
Review Andy Beattie's team were on an all-time high following their immediate return to Division 1 after just one season in Division 2. The start of the season continued where the previous season left off and after 4 games, Town were top of the table with 3 wins, including a 5–1 win over Portsmouth, where Jimmy Glazzard got the first of his 3 hat-tricks that he would achieve during the season. His other 2 came in the space of 3 matches against Sheffield United and Aston Villa.
The team's performances kept them up in the upper realms of the division, with the chance of winning the title, not being too unrealistic. The season ground to a halt near the end, when Vic Metcalfe was forced to miss the last 7 games of the season and many say this was the reason that Town failed to win the title for the first time in 28 years. They did however finish 3rd, just 6 points behind Wolverhampton Wanderers, who Town actually beat in their penultimate game of the season.
Squad at the end of the season
Results Division One DateOpponentsHome/AwayResultF - AScorersAttendancePosition19 August 1953Preston North EndA2 - 1Watson (2)35,9256th22 August 1953ArsenalA0 - 054,8474th26 August 1953Cardiff CityH2 - 0Watson, Metcalfe30,0891st29 August 1953PortsmouthH5 - 1Glazzard (3), Davie, Watson22,4741st2 September 1953Cardiff CityA1 - 2Glazzard29,4462nd5 September 1953BlackpoolA1 - 3Davie34,5076th9 September 1953Manchester CityH1 - 1Metcalfe24,3417th12 September 1953ChelseaH3 - 1Davie, Glazzard, Watson29,6313rd16 September 1953Manchester CityA1 - 0McGarry24,5803rd19 September 1953Sheffield UnitedA6 - 3Glazzard (3), Metcalfe (2), Davie40,0652nd26 September 1953MiddlesbroughH2 - 1Glazzard (2)37,0542nd3 October 1953Aston VillaH4 - 0Glazzard (3), Metcalfe36,5342nd10 October 1953West Bromwich AlbionA0 - 447,0434th17 October 1953LiverpoolH2 - 0Glazzard, Metcalfe30,1153rd24 October 1953Newcastle UnitedA2 - 0Glazzard, Brennan (og)46,6442nd31 October 1953Manchester UnitedH0 - 034,1753rd7 November 1953Charlton AthleticA1 - 2Glazzard23,7333rd14 November 1953Sheffield WednesdayH2 - 0Glazzard (2)30,6713rd21 November 1953Tottenham HotspurA0 - 142,5033rd28 November 1953BurnleyH3 - 1Glazzard, Davie (2)34,6663rd5 December 1953Bolton WanderersA0 - 036,0773rd12 December 1953Preston North EndH2 - 2Cavanagh, Metcalfe (pen)26,9723rd19 December 1953ArsenalH2 - 2Glazzard (2)34,0183rd25 December 1953SunderlandA1 - 1Watson36,7514th26 December 1953SunderlandH2 - 1Cavanagh, Metcalfe40,8983rd2 January 1954PortsmouthA2 - 5Mansell (og), Quested27,5333rd16 January 1954BlackpoolH0 - 025,7333rd23 January 1954ChelseaA2 - 2Glazzard (2)45,0413rd6 February 1954Sheffield UnitedH2 - 2Frear (2)27,3354th13 February 1954MiddlesbroughA3 - 0Metcalfe, Burrell, Glazzard18,7173rd20 February 1954Aston VillaA2 - 2Metcalfe, Glazzard24,1183rd27 February 1954West Bromwich AlbionH0 - 248,2373rd6 March 1954LiverpoolA3 - 1Burrell (2), Cavanagh46,0743rd13 March 1954Newcastle UnitedH3 - 2Cavanagh (2), Glazzard25,7103rd20 March 1954Manchester UnitedA1 - 3Metcalfe (pen)41,1843rd27 March 1954Charlton AthleticH4 - 1McGarry, Frear (2), Cavanagh20,8963rd3 April 1954Sheffield WednesdayA4 - 1Glazzard, Frear (2, 1 pen), Cavanagh31,1063rd10 April 1954Tottenham HotspurH2 - 5Glazzard, Shiner26,2323rd17 April 1954BurnleyA1 - 2Cavanagh26,1803rd19 April 1954Wolverhampton WanderersA0 - 442,8624th20 April 1954Wolverhampton WanderersH2 - 1Glazzard, McGarry35,8143rd24 April 1954Bolton WanderersH2 - 1McGarry (pen), Cavanagh25,6353rd
FA Cup DateRoundOpponentsHome/AwayResultF - AScorersAttendance9 January 1954Round 3West Ham UnitedA0 - 425,250
Appearances and goals NameNationalityPositionLeagueFA CupTotalAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsJohn BattyeDF300030Gerry BurrellMF19310203Tommy CavanaghFW29900299Willie DavieFW30610316Bryan FrearFW14600146Brian GibsonDF200020Jimmy GlazzardFW3729103829Alistair GunnMF23000230George HoweDF600060Laurie KellyDF36010370Don McEvoyDF35010360Bill McGarryDF42410434Vic MetcalfeMF3511103611Harry MillsGK38010390Len QuestedDF26110271Roy ShinerFW510051Ron SimpsonFW100010Ron StaniforthDF40010410Ken TaylorDF700070Jimmy WatsonMF30610316Jack WheelerGK400040
References