Chairman Keith Longbottom FA Cup Third Round Full Members Cup First Round | Division Two 17th Littlewoods Challenge Cup Second Round | |
Manager Mick Buxton (until 22 December 1986) Steve Smith (from 13 January 1987) | ||
Huddersfield Town's 1986-87 campaign saw the end of Mick Buxton's reign as Huddersfield Town manager, a job he had had for 8 years. Only Clem Stephenson has had a longer reign as manager of the Terriers. He was replaced by Steve Smith in early January 1987, but Town only survived relegation by 3 points, which became a sort of precursor to the debacle that the next season's campaign would bring.
Contents
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.
Review
The start of the season was mixed, with no win until 20 September, when they beat Oldham Athletic 5-4 at Leeds Road. The main highlight of the early part of the season was a Littlewoods Cup tie against Arsenal, in which Town only lost 3-1 on aggregate.
The middle part of the season didn't prove to be much better, a run of 4 consecutive losses including a 4-3 loss at Bradford City, but that was reconciled when they beat them 5-2 on 27 December. Just before beating Bradford, Mick Buxton's tenure as Town manager ended after 8 years in charge. He was replaced by coach Steve Smith.
Smith's tenure started with a 4-2 defeat by Norwich City, but during March, Town went on a run of six consecutive draws - a club record. Town finished the season in 17th, just 3 points and 3 places above the drop zone. Little did Town fans know what was going to happen to Town the following season.
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.