How long it takes to forget? In 1970 Huddersfield Town was a familiar, if not famous name to those excited by English football – a first division club. By 1978 the name was almost unknown exotica… they slipped down to 4th division.
(Back) Buxton (manager), Hanvey, Mellor, Watson, Brown, Starling, Sutton, Taylor, Fletcher, Topping, Haselden (coach).
(Middle) Hart, Gray, Holmes, Sandercock, Armstrong, Gartland, Cowling, Lillis, Branagan.
(Front) Heptinstall, Shepherd, Brook N., Reid, Howey, Brook (D).
And there was no coming back… Huddersfield Town finsihed 9th in 1978-79. The past was already everything they had. As for the future, it belonged to the winners. Those finishing with promotion.
Wimbledon was 3rd .
Grimsby Town – second. Goal-difference determined positions – three clubs finished with 61 points and Barnsley had the worst and the 4th place in the final table. But they also earned promotional spot. Comfortably above all were the winners with 65 points.
Reading – proud champions of 4th Division.
At the bottom of 3rd Division were small clubs – Peterborough United, Walsall, Tranmere Rovers, and Lincoln City dead last. Their near future was 4th division, quite familiar to all of them, but the near future of familiar name was 3rd division:
Sheffield Wednesday, down on their luck, were 14th.
Five clubs competed for promotions – Gillingham and Swindon Town lost the race.
Swansea City finished 3rd and up they went. They had 60 points – one more than Gillingham and one less than the winners. But goal-difference placed them bellow the club of Elton John, also with 60 points.
Not a squad to brag about, but the rise of Watford had began. Better get familiar with this club, for they will play large role in English football by mid-1980s. Hard to imagine it in 1978-79.
Shrewsbury Town were the champions of 3rd Division. 61 points were simply beter than anybody else’s record. For Shrewsbury second division football was perhaps the highest possible level of achievement.