Huddersfield Town v Bradford City
Sky Bet League One
Saturday January 24th - 12:30 ko
at the Accu Stadium

Huddersfield Town welcome Bradford City to the Kirklees Stadium on Saturday lunchtime for the West Yorkshire derby, the first at our ground since March 2007, although we have had two League Cup games and a FL Trophy game since then. And the reason why it's been such a long time is that while we were high in the clouds of the Premier League, they were plunging the depths of League Two.

But, after all these years, here we are. Already humbled at the Chicken Shack, we now stand 7 points behind them in the League One table. Some fans think that manager Lee Grant should've been sacked on the spot after that dismal display, but it took a few months more to finally see him off. The defeat at Burton Albion was the last straw for the bumbling American millionaire businessman and club owner, Kevin Nagle and Grant was finally dismissed on Saturday night.

Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for the new man to be appointed, unlike last season. Since David Wagner left in January 2019, Liam Manning becomes out 11th permanent manager. Do you remember when we used to laugh at Watford for changing their managers three or four times a year? Oh how we laughed.

Are we the new Watford?

All images used in this thread are form Wikipedia.

A brief history of Bradford City: formed in 1903, when Manningham RFC, a rugby league club, switched codes to association football and was immediately elected into the Football League Second Division without having played a single game.

Early Success and Only Major Honour: Under manager Peter O'Rourke, the club quickly found success, winning the Division Two title in the 1907-08 season and earning promotion to the First Division. Their most successful period culminated in the 1911 FA Cup triumph, their only major honour to date. Captain Jimmy Speirs (pictured below) scored the single goal in a replay against Newcastle United at Old Trafford to secure the victory. This era also saw the club achieve its highest league finish of fifth place in the 1910-11 season.

The Post-War Years and the 1985 Fire: After relegation in 1922, the club spent decades in the lower tiers of English football. There they stayed until the 1980s saw them win the Third Division title in the 1984-85 season. However, this triumph was tragically overshadowed by the devastating stadium fire at Valley Parade on 11 May 1985, during the final match of the season, which claimed the lives of 56 supporters. The club played its home games at other stadiums for 19 months while Valley Parade was
rebuilt.

The Premier League and Financial Crisis: In the late 1990s, under chairman Geoffrey Richmond, the club rose through the divisions and reached the Premier League in 1999 after a 77-year absence from the top flight. They survived their first season in the Premier League with a crucial final-day victory over Liverpool but were relegated the following season. This was followed by a series of financial crises, leading to the club entering administration twice and dropping down to the fourth tier of English football.

Recent History: A notable resurgence came in the 2012-13 season when Bradford City, a fourth-tier club, reached the League Cup final at Wembley, ultimately losing to Swansea City. In the same season, they returned to Wembley and won the League Two play-off final to gain promotion to League One. In the 2014-15 FA Cup, they famously defeated Premier League sides Chelsea and Sunderland before being knocked out in the quarter-finals.

The club was relegated back to League Two in 2019 but achieved promotion to League One at the end of the 2024-25 season. They are the only professional English club to wear claret and amber colours, which are incorporated into their "Bantams" nickname and crest.

The first two matches against Bradford City were in our first ever season in the top flight of English football, games 5 and 6, playing back to back in September 1920. Fred Lunn, who only ever played six times for us, scored both of his Town goals in this one. A 1-0 win at Leeds Road, followed by a 2-0 win at Valley Parade, with Ernie Islip getting the second.

City got relegated at the end of the next season and so it was many decades until we played each other in the league. There was an FA Cup game in between, when Town won 2-1 at home, en route to a famous Final at Wembley against Arsenal.

Our next league meetings came in Division 4 and both games were drawn. There were some very dreary games in those days and I do remember going with my dad to Valley Parade and sitting in that old wooden stand and watching a goalless draw.

After we'd both been promoted, things got livelier. There was a famous 6-3 at Leeds Road on New Years Day in 1983. Brian Stanton got four goals in that one, alongside a penalty from Malcolm Brown and a goal from Phil Wilson.

The 1986/87 season saw a 4-3 defeat away and a 5-2 win at home. Duncan Shearer scored four times in that one. Any chance of a Town player scoring four in this one, please?

There was another 4-3 at Valley Parade in 1994/95, which we won. Andy Booth scored a couple, with Ronnie Jepson and ex Bantam Paul Reid getting the others.

In 1996/97, we played out an exciting 3-3 draw on a Friday night Sky Sports match at the McAlpine Stadium. Chris Waddle scored direct from a corner kick in the 6th minute and by the 38th minute, we were 3-0 down. Instead of crumbling though, our brave lads fought back and goals frpm Paul Dalton and Ian Lawson had us only one goal behind at the break. Gary Crosby completed the comeback just after half time and the rest of the game was a thrilling end to end encounter with Andy Payton fluffing a great chance to win it late on.

All the games in that era were always full blood and thunder occasions, with the names Kevin Gray and Gordon Watson being etched in the history of the rivalry. That's something that our current squad don't have and were clearly not as fired up as the Bantams were as the teams met earlier in the season when we wimped out with a 3-1 defeat. Zepiqueno Redmond (pictured), a name that I don't think will be remembered in years to come, scored our consolation.

Bradford in popular culture: Bradford's popular culture is a vibrant tapestry woven from its rich industrial heritage, profound literary and artistic roots, and a diverse, youthful population. The city's cultural identity has been significantly shaped by its status as the world's first UNESCO City of Film and its reign as the self-proclaimed "Curry Capital of Britain".

Cinema and Screen: Bradford has a long-standing history with film, dating back to the birth of cinema, which led to its UNESCO City of Film designation in 2009.

• Filming Locations: The city's diverse architecture, from the Italianate structures of the Little Germany quarter to the rugged Pennine moors, has made it a popular backdrop for numerous film and TV productions, including Peaky Blinders, The King's Speech, Downton Abbey, and Happy Valley. The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a particularly famous location, notably used in The Railway Children.
  
  
• National Science and Media Museum: This prominent cultural institution, located in the city centre, is the UK's largest visitor attraction dedicated to photography, broadcast media, and the internet, and is home to the first-ever IMAX screen in Europe.
  
  
• Film Festivals: The city hosts several film-related events and festivals throughout the year, celebrating all aspects of the moving image and nurturing local talent.
  

Arts and Literature: Bradford's literary and art scene boasts internationally renowned figures:

• The Brontë Sisters: The nearby village of Haworth was home to Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Brontë, where they wrote classic novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. The Brontë Parsonage Museum is a major literary pilgrimage site.
  
  
• David Hockney: One of the world's most influential living artists, Hockney was born in Bradford, and the city's Cartwright Hall Art Gallery and Salts Mill in Saltaire house extensive collections of his work.
  
  
• J.B. Priestley: The acclaimed novelist, playwright, and broadcaster was also a Bradford native, his work often reflecting the life and character of the city.
  
  
• Bradford Literature Festival: This internationally recognised event attracts a wide range of authors and audiences, further cementing the city's literary credentials.
  

Music and Entertainment: The city has produced several notable musicians and entertainers:

Zayn Malik: The singer-songwriter and former member of the global sensation One Direction was born and raised in Bradford.
Dynamo: Magician Steven Frayne, known globally as Dynamo, hails from the city.
Kimberley Walsh of the pop group Girls Aloud.
Smokie: The glam rock band most famous for Living Next Door To Alice.
Kiki Dee: Pop singer who had a number one with Elton John, Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

Food Culture: Bradford's reputation as the "Curry Capital of Britain" is well-established, a testament to its large and diverse South Asian community. The city offers a vast array of high-quality curry houses and Asian fusion restaurants, which are a cornerstone of its modern popular culture and social life.

Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture:
The city was been named the UK City of Culture for 2025, an accolade set to transform its cultural landscape further. The year-long programme included over 1,000 events, exhibitions, and performances, showcasing the city's vibrant diversity and creative spirit to a national and international audience.

1. Spank Ejector
   
2. Ken Charlatan
   
3. Winkle Lash
   
4. Jade Snot
   
5. Ruby Deluxe
   
6. Swine Boiler
   
7. Janus Gave Ham
   
8. Roy Retry Hat
   
9. Terry VCR Hero
   
10. He Tests Vim
    

what a made game that was

last minute pen against senegal
they then walked off the pitch in protest

came back eventually
penalty missed
senegal won in extra time


bizarre game

THE MATCH

TUESDAY 20TH JANUARY KO 7:45PM

v

LAST MATCH



Another home game and another home defeat as Portsmouth eased away from the relegation zone. Devlin fired just wide for Pompey and Ingelsson also fired wide as chances were hard to find. Onto the 2nd half and we had our only shot on target which was comfortably saved by the Pompey keeper. Pompey then went up the other end and got what turned out to be the winner, as Segecic fired in from a deflected cross. Pompey nearly added a second but the ball went over the bar. We didn't have one attempt after Pompey took the lead, which is beyond comprehension.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

THE MATCH



Next up and Birmingham make the journey north. Birmingham  started the season brightly but have gone off the boil recently and currently lie in 14th place. They are eight points off the playoffs and the relegation zone, if they spend some money in the transfer window they might be able to make a push for the playoffs, although if they finish around mid table that wouldn't be a bad return to the Championship. They are managed by Chris Davies, who has been in charge since June 2024, got them promoted in his first season, setting an EFL points record of 111 points. There leading scorer this season is Stansfield with 8 goals and 3 assists.

DEJPHON CHANSIRI, GET OUT OF OUR CLUB    

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 36
BRUM 40
DRAW 28

CURRENT FORM

OWLS     L L L D D L                                                             

BRUM    D W L D D L

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

LEIGH DOUGHTY
Richard Woodward and Paul Hodskinson
Fourth Official: Oliver Langford

THE TEAM

Cooper
Palmer McGhee Emery Otegbayo Johnson
Thornton Ingelsson Bannan
McNeill Cadamarteri

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-3 Stansfield

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

56

ATTENDANCE

21212

BML LEAGUE

Owlkev 16
Imre 16
SCO 10
Washington 9
Maddix 8

BMPL

Stateside 14
Pei 0
Wereham -11
Southey -12

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Charlton Athletic v Derby Co
Coventry City v Millwall
Ipswich Town v Bristol City
Oxford United v Queens Park Rangers
Preston North End v Hull City

HHHDH

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE.

2 points for correct result
4 points for correct score
2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score   (correct score on a joker would give you 8 points)
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Badger gives you 2 points

The prize for winning the league is one rep point.

Cup games: In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. However, if you do predict a draw and it's a match that won't be going to a replay, you can get a possible extra point by stating which of the two teams you think will eventually win.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  


At the end of the season, the winner of group 2 and the bottom of group 1 will swap places in what is commonly known as "promotion" and "relegation". It's something that most football fans will be familiar with, unless you're a fan of Liverpool or Arsenal or one of those other fashionable clubs.

The second placed player in group 2 will then have a play off with the player who finishes second from the bottom in group 1 to decide whether they will be going up, down or staying where they are.

We're going to have two seasons in one though, just to try and make it a bit more interesting and not so long drawn out. The first season will end on the Boxing Day fixtures, with the play offs being on the dates of the Twixtmas fixtures and the NYD fixtures.

The second season will start the following week, which is usually the FA Cup 3rd round, finishing on the last game of the League One season. Then another period of relegation/promotion play off games, taking in such fixtures as the EFL play offs, FA Cup Final, UEFA finals and such like.

Each group will have it's own set of fixtures. Both groups will have the Town games, with scorers to predict as before. Then it will be a split of League One fixtures and bonus matches, hopefully around ten, eleven or twelve games per Matchday.

The random badger is restricted to three goal scorers in any of the fixtures in your group.

Here's how that will appear at the end of the fixture list. All you have to do is fill in the blanks.......


*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

Any of those will score two points if correct. No minus points for getting it wrong.

Postponed matches will only count if the match is re-played before the next Matchday is under way. Abandoned matches will be awarded half the points for the score at the time of abandonment, so 1 point if you have the correct result, 2 points if you have the correct score.

Substitute or scorer in one of the Town games:- These will be only be allowed if you change them before the match involved has kicked off.

Prediction League Archive: https://www.sportsbabble.co.uk/showthread.php?tid=12830

Division One table after Matchday 2:

1. neonfoxinthebox = 41 pts
   
2. ritchiebaby = 41 pts
   
3. Baggiebob(BBB) = 31 pts
   
4. jjamez = 30 pts
   
5. Lord Snooty = 28 pts
   
6. theo_luddite = 27 pts
   

Friday 23rd January:
Championship:
Derby County v West Bromwich Albion (20:00)

Saturday 24th January:
League One:
Town v Bradford City (12:30)
Town scorers:
City scorers:

Scottish Premiership:
Falkirk v Hibernian

Monday 26th January:
Premier League:
Everton v Leeds United (20:00)

Tuesday 27th January:
League One:
Town v Luton
Town scorers:
Luton scorers:

Blackpool v Stockport County
Bolton Wanderers v Burton Albion
Cardiff City v Barnsley
Lincoln City v Bradford City
Plymouth Argyle v Mansfield Town
Port Vale v AFC Wimbledon
Rotherham United v Northampton Town
Stevenage v Peterborough United
Wycombe Wanderers v Wigan Athletic
Doncaster Rovers v Leyton Orient (20:00)
Reading v Exeter City (20:00)

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

1. themaclad = 40 pts
   
2. St Charles Owl = 38 pts
   
3. SHEP_HTAFC = 30 pts
   
4. Devongone = 24 pts
   
5. Amelia Chaffinch = 22 pts
   
6. WakeyTerrier = 18 pts
   

Saturday 24th January:
League One:
Town v Bradford City (12:30)
Town scorers:
City scorers:

Cardiff City v Stockport County (12:30)
Plymouth Argyle v Luton Town (12:30)
Blackpool v Northampton Town
Bolton Wanderers v Leyton Orient
Doncaster Rovers v Wigan Athletic
Port Vale v Exeter City
Reading v Barnsley
Rotherham United v AFC Wimbledon
Stevenage v Mansfield Town
Wycombe Wanderers v Peterborough United

Championship:
Middlesbrough v Preston North End (12:30)
Bristol City v Sheffield Wednesday

Sunday 25th January:
Premier League:
Arsenal v Manchester United (16:30)

Tuesday 27th January:
League One:
Town v Luton
Town scorers:
Luton scorers:

League Two:
Salford City v Chesterfield

*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***
*** scores for ***

Town transfer window: Just to let you who don't take in all the comings and goings at HTAFC, here's a brief summary of what's happened so far who you might want to think about when putting your scorers on.......

IN - Humphreys. Mumba. Alnwick (keeper).

OUT - Castledine. Taylor. Redmond. Wiles. Goodman (keeper). And the manager Lee Grant.

The 2025/26 Prediction League Cup will kick off next week, it was won by Zinman the last time we did it and he achieved the League and Cup double in the process, not likely this year I'm afraid!! The same set of fixtures and scores from each chosen week will count towards each round of the Cup. League points are not affected, they still count towards the league tables as they always do.

After our recent Board meeting we decided to once again make each round a random one on one, two legged match just like the real cup competitions.

Last 16 matches will take place over 2 legs during weeks 22 & 24.

Quarter Finals will be over 2 legs using weeks 26 & 28.

The winners of those then meet in 2 legged semi finals in weeks 30 & 32.

The final will be a straight sudden death result using the last weeks league fixtures for scoring.

An online random number sequence generator machine was used to determine the first round ties and will also be used for the random draw for each round, here are the first set of ties:

Round of 16

Stairs v BaggieVicar
Amelia v Salop
AAA v BaggieOne
Twerton v Themaclad
Zinman v 4eva
Lady Jane v SCO
BBB v Lord Snooty
Derby v Minizin

In the event of a tie between players, the number of Correct Scores over the two legs will determine the winner, followed by total points scored on the Bonus Ball. After that Zinman and I will toss a coin!!!!

Scores and the draw for each round will be updated on this thread as we go through the competition.

Cheers Zinman & SCO

Group A

B.B.B. 11
Stairs 7
BaggieVicar 6
A.A.A. 0
Zimnan 0
Minizin -1
Twerton -2
BaggieOne -2

Wow!! After lasts week’s 3rd highest score of the season, Group A decided to set a new lowest week of the season with just 19 points scored!! Not a single point was scored on the Gamball or the Bonus Ball, and only 3 players picked up the single scoreball point. Four games ended with negative scores and had it not been for the Swansea-Brum game this weeks total would have been in single figures!!

BBB definitely took advantage of everyone else’s woes and posted a decent 11 points. He scored 3 CSs but his season long weakness on the balls meant his score was lower than it could have been!! This is the first time he has topped the weekly table since week 1. Stairs is 2nd with 7 points mainly because of the 2 CSs he got. BaggieVicar is 3rd with 6 points, this is the 7th time in the last 10 weeks he has been in the top 3 and he is definitely the form player currently.

After the top 3, the remaining 5 players scored a combined -5 points!!! AAA and Zinman at least didn’t get a negative against them but Minizin, Twerton and BaggieOne all posted negative scores. AAA, BaggieOne and Minzin all set season low scores this week.

230 Minizin
221 Stairs
201 BaggieVicar
198 A.A.A.
185 BaggieOne
175 B.B.B.
171 Twerton
171 Zinman

A few changes this week, Minizin still leads but Stairs is now only 9 points behind, a gap that was 22 points a few weeks ago. BaggieVicar passes the double century and takes over 3rd spot with his fine recent form, relegating AAA to 4th. BBB’s top spot this week sees him jump 2 places over Zinman and Twerton, who now share last place.

Cheers
SCO


Group B

Lady Jane 11
Salop 8
SCO 8
Snooty 5
Themaclad 4
4eva 4
Derby 3
Amelia 0

After last week's scoring bonanza, it was back down to earth with a bump as Group B recorded their third lowest total of the season, amassing just 43 points. It was a very bad week for balls - no correct gamballs and just 1 correct bonus. I must admit to being surprised that the gamball came into play this week. When I saw that Sheffield United had had 2 players sent off in the first half, I assumed that they'd get 3 more players to walk off and get the match abandoned. Joining the gamball in providing a negative total are the Oxford/Bristol and Burton/Hudds fixtures - nobody scored on those games and they also blew a few bonuses.

For the 3rd time in the last 4 weeks, Lady Jane sits on top of the pile as the only player to reach double figures. She stood out gaining the equal highest number of correct scores (2) and the highest number of correct results (5). Unfortunately those balls prevented her from having a real stand-out week. Salop remains the only player not to top a weekly table but this was his 2nd week in 2nd place. He was the other player with 2 correct scores, but like most others his balls were a complete failure. Salop's joined on 8 points by SCO and once again it was his bonus ball that saved him. He now has 33 points from his bonus, 15 more than the next best and a whopping 57 more than Derby!

Not much to say about the rest. Snooty, Themaclad and 4eva matched SCO's split of 1 correct score/3 correct results but missed out on the main balls. Snooty edges ahead of the other 2 thanks to the extra scoreball point. Derby scored just 3 points, once again failing to get a correct score (the only player to miss out) - that's now 13 weeks with a zero in the correct score column for him, but he was kept off the foot of the table by Amelia. Zero points for her as she only scored on one game - fortunately, that was a correct score or she'd have firmly been in negative territory.

219 4eva
197 SCO
181 Lady Jane
162 Themaclad
157 Snooty
149 Derby
141 Amelia
140 Salop

No changes in the overall table though at the bottom Salop is just 1 point away from Amelia.

Zin


Keep an eye out for the start of the 2025/26 PL Cup Completion thread. No need to post scores on it as we will use the weekly scores in a head to head competition.

https://www.htafc.com/news/2026/january/...lee-grant/
Lee Grant has been relieved of his duties as Huddersfield Town Manager with immediate effect.

The decision was made following Saturday afternoon’s loss at Burton Albion, with the result extending a poor run of form that has seen the Club victorious just three times in our last 12 Sky Bet League One fixtures.

Appointed in May 2025, Grant took charge of 36 competitive matches in all competitions.

Huddersfield Town Owner and Chairman Kevin Nagle commented:

“Entering this season with renewed optimism and hope having proactively reshaped our First Team throughout the summer, we were clear about not only our ambitions but how we wanted to achieve them, and the type of team on the pitch we wanted to enjoy alongside our supporters.

“Sadly, on current form, none of those objectives are being met, and with just under half of the season remaining we feel no other option but to make a change to put the side back on track. I would like to thank Lee for his efforts and wish him nothing but the best for his future career. Our previously stated aims and desires for the season remain the same, and we will be making a change with those ambitions still firmly in mind.”

Sporting Director Chris Markham will lead the recruitment process to appoint a successor for our Men’s First Team.

Gamball:
QPR - Wrexham

Others:
West Ham - Sunderland
Burnley - Spurs
Fulham - Brighton
Birmingham - Stoke
Blackburn - Watford
Sheff Utd - Ipswich
Huddersfield - Bradford
Crystal Palace - Chelsea
Newcastle - Villa

New year, new manager: a situation that feels strangely familiar. Mercifully, this time the club have acted quickly and decisively to replace Ryan Mason, and so with a handy cup win under our belt to buoy the mood around the club, newcomer Eric Ramsay can at least approach tonight's baptism of fire with a dash of positivity.

He may need it, because even on home soil, second-placed Middlesbrough are liable to be a tough nut. Although Kim Hellberg struggled over the festive season to maintain the red-hot form Boro had enjoyed before the departure of Rob Edwards, beating Southampton 4-0 was the perfect start to their year, and having Ipswich hard on their heels will doubtless be all the motivation they need to keep the momentum going. Albion's best hope lies in Boro's makeshift defence, immensely depleted by injuries and perhaps vulnerable to a forward like Heggebo, but realistically we ourselves also have to be tighter at the back than we've been for months, and for that reason a draw is probably as good as we can hope for.

No such leeway can be afforded when Norwich visit on Tuesday night, where Ramsay has to aim for his first win and give Albion a little bit of breathing space for the remainder of the month. Anything less, and it'll be tough times ahead.