We've signed James Berry from Macclesfield. I mentioned him before on here. He's a very very good player and could play at an even higher level than the National League.

Huddersfield Town v Leicester City
The Sky Bet Championship
Saturday August 12th - 15:00 ko
at the old Leeds Road Stadium

Head to Head



Town lead the head to head with 28 wins to Leicester's 24, with 10 draws.

Match no.7 in the history of Huddersfield Town's Football League career was on the 22nd of October 1910 against Leicester, who were still known as Leicester Fosse back then. It was played at Leeds Road in front of a crowd of 6,800 and the Fosse won it 2-1. Henry Hamilton, who earlier in the season had scored our first ever league goal, scored in this one. Leicester won the reverse fixture to do the double over us. Our first victory came the following season when we won 2-0 at Filbert Street with goals from Ellis Hall and Arthur Cowley.

The first top flight meetings came in 1925/26, the season we became the famous Thrice Champions. Leicester had just been promoted and we beat them 3-0 at home with two George Brown goals and one from Joey Williams. Leicester won the match at theirs 2-0. The 1920s and 30s saw us gain the upper hand in the head to head, winning six matches consecutively as Huddersfield Town continued to dominate English football.

We had 18 seasons together up to the start of the 2nd World War, but since then this is only the 13th time we have shared league status. One of those was the 1969/70 season when we won the 2nd Division (Championship) title. Both games ended in 1-1 draws with Jimmy McGill scoring in the away game and Frank Worthington scoring at Leeds Road.

Leicester didn't come up with us, but did so the year after and therefore we met again in the top division in 1971/72. The home game was the opening match of the season and again finished in a draw. Two all this time with Frankie getting on the scoresheet again as well as Trevor Cherry. Leicester won the away match 2-0.

Meetings between the two clubs became rarer and rarer until 2012/13 when we met each other four times in the Championship and FA Cup. We lost the first one 0-2 at home with two brilliant goals from Anthony Knockaert and then got stuffed 6-1 at theirs on New Year's Day. Two more from Knockaert, two from the lanky streak of piss, Chris Wood that day. Scott Arfield getting our consolation.

But we did get our own back in the next few weeks after drawing 1-1 at ours in the Cup, after Wood had equalised a Lee Novak penalty late on, we went down to the Monster Munch Stadium for the replay and came back with a shock 2-1 win. Adam Clayton put us ahead early doors with a superb free kick only for Michael Keane to draw level a couple of minutes later. But with extra time looming super Sean Scannell dribbled his way from the wing past the entire Leicester defence to poke the ball home, through the legs of Kasper Schmeichel to give us victory and the prospect of being humiliated live on TV in the next round against Wigan.

Sunday's line up at home to Coventry:


30 Mads Hermansen - Danish u21 keeper, signed from Brøndby.
21 Ricardo Pereira - Portuguese international full back.
3 Wout Faes - Belgium international centre back.
23 Jannik Vestergaard - Denmark international centre back.
5 Callum Doyle - 19 year old defender on loan from Man City.
25 Wilfred Ndidi - Nigeria international, now in his 8th season at Leicester.
8 Harry Winks - Signed from Spurs for 10 million.
22 Kiernan Dewsbury Town-Hall - Scored twice on Sunday against Coventry.
35 Kasey McAteer - 21 year old midfielder was on loan at Wimbledon last season.
9 Jamie Vardy - Ex Halifax and Fleetwood striker.
10 Stephy Mavididi - Derby born, ex Arsenal striker, signed from Montpellier for 7 million.

Subs:
2 James Justin - Full back, capped once by England.
11 Marc Albrighton - 33 year old wing back, been there since 2014.
14 Kelechi Iheanacho - Paid Man City 25 million for him in 2017.
15 Harry Souttar - Aussie international defender, paid Stoke 20 million for him.
17 Hamza Choudhury - Spent last season on loan at Watford.
20 Patson Daka - Zambian international striker.
26 Dennis Praet - Belgium international midfielder.
27 Timothy Castagne - Belgium international defender.
41 Jakub Stolarczyk - Polish keeper spent last season on loan at Fleetwood and then Hartlepool.


So that was the team that played in the Championship. They made a few changes for the League Cup tie at Burton, a total of seven changes to the starting line up. That is totally disrespecting the competition and I for one am thoroughly disgusted by that. You wouldn't get a proper football club like Huddersfield Town doing such a disservice.

One of those changes was a forced one, with new goalkeeper Mads Hermansen getting injured in training and he's a doubt for the game at the JSS. Still no place for Wardy or Smithies.

That League Cup line up was as follows; Stolarczyk, Albrighton, Faes, Doyle, Justin, Ndidi, Winks, Choudhury, Praet, Iheanacho, Marçal-Madivadua. Subs: Vardy, Daka, Ricardo Pereira, Dewsbury-Hall, Vestergaard, Castagne, Iversen, McAteer, Nelson.


Club connections:

Frank Worthington was absolutely brilliant for both Town and Leicester. His flamboyant style of play was loved by the fans, not so the management of the England team though. He only got 8 full international caps, all in 1974, after Sir Alf Ramsey had left the job and with Joe Mercer in temporary charge. An impressive unbeaten record for both Mercer and Worthington, with big Frank scoring twice in this run, which included winning the Home Nations Championship. But then the FA took on some knob from Leeds called Don Revie and Frank never played for England again.

These England caps came as a Leicester City player, but it was at Huddersfield Town that Frank started his career and won his only title. That was the 1969/70 Second Division (Championship) title, under the leadership of Ian Greaves. He scored 41 goals for us in 171 matches and then went to Leicester in 1972 following our relegation, via a rather unsuccessful medical at Anfield.

At Leicester he stayed for five seasons and scored 71 goals for them from 210 matches, before moving on to play for Greaves again at Bolton and scoring the goal of the century in a match at Burnden Park against Ipswich Town. A perfect bit of keepy uppy with his back to goal and as the defenders rushed out, flipping the ball over his head and volleying the ball into the net. If one of your modern day players could score a goal as good as this one, the internet would explode!

Anyway, that was his playing career peaked, but he still went on playing for years, still going in his 40s at Halifax Town in 1992. He had one job in management, a couple of seasons at Tranmere Rovers in the 1980s.

Sadly, Frank got Alzheimer's a few years ago and died in March 2021.

1. Font Worth Ranking 
   
2. Hemisphere Clacks 
   
3. Better Trifles 
   
4. Be Dirty Trev 
   
5. Cocoon Yard 
   
6. Ohioan Wally 
   
7. Ridicule Oriana 
   
8. Moral Diane 
   
9. Knock Throaty Anne
   
10. Sheilas Timex 
    

THE MATCH

SATURDAY 12TH AUGUST KO 3:00PM

v

LAST MATCH



It proved to be a difficult night against "Premier League" Southampton as they took the win in our opening game. The Saints took the early lead when Tella cut in from the right and bent one in to the corner. The Saints continued to control the game though any chances were comfortably saved by Dawson. Onto the 2nd half and we leveled form a corner, Gregory firing in from 8 yards. The Saints were still controlling the ball but we were defending fairly well and any saves for Dawson were again comfortable. Just as we thought we might escape with a point ex Pig Chez Adams fired home to deny us a point.

THE MATCH



Our first away game of the season sees us make the short trip to Hull. Hull like us lost there first game 2-1 @ Norwich, the winner coming in the 96th minute, then they lost 1-2 at home to Doncaster in the Cup. They are managed by Liam Rosenior who took over in November 2022. Can only see them struggling this season, a bit like us and like us will be quite happy to finish 21st.

ALL TIME H2H

OWLS 21
HULL 15
DRAWS 20

CURRENT FORM

OWLS              -                                                                                   

HULL               -                                                                    

EFL STOOGES

DOES IT MATTER THERE ALL CORRUPT  

MATTHEW DONOHUE
Paul Hodskinson and Mark Russell
Fourth Official : Benjamin Speedie

THE TEAM

Dawson
Palmer Bernard Ihekwe James
Vaulks
Delgado Bannan Windass Musaba
Gregory

SCORE & SCORER (HOME TEAM SCORE FIRST)

1-1 Musaba

WEDNESDAYS FIRT GOAL TIME

34

BML LEAGUE

Owlkev 1
Imre
Maddix
SCO
Washington

BMPL

Stateside
Wereham
Pei -12

OTHER GAMES OF MILD INTEREST

Everton v Fulham
Southampton v Norwich
Leyton Orient v Portsmouth
Notts Co v Grimsby
Hartlepool v Gateshead

HHAHH

THE MUPPETT LEAGUE




KATE BECKINSALE TRIBUTE PIC

Fylde 1-3 Chesterfield
Boreham Wood 1-1 Halifax
Dag & Red 3-0 Southend
Dorking 4-0 Maidenhead United
Eastleigh 1-2 Wealdstone
Ebbsfleet 2-0 Solihull Moors
Hartlepool 2-2 Gateshead
Oldham 0-1 Aldershot
Oxford City 2-1 Rochdale
Woking 0-1 Altrincham
York 2-1 Kidderminster
Bromley 0-3 Barnet


League Table After Matchday 1

Dancing - 23
St Charles - 23
Spireitematt - 19
Lord Snoots - 17
SaltergateBorn - 15
Amelia - 9
Devon - 9

I've just heard that a lady has died, from one of our churches, who was the last person I knew who was alive when WBA won the league in 1920/21. (She was 104)
It's getting harder to find folk who were around when we won the cup and got promotion in 1931, though there are some (including my mum).
Sad to lose those links. Would make it better if we had any remote chance of winning anything these days.

Hands up who likes ladies/women's football better than the men's?
I CERTAINLY DO!
I can't stand top level men's football any more - inflated salaries, egos and petulance; passing back, nil adventure.
Women, to my mind, play the game how it USED to be - little/no diving/cheating, taking a chance for that searching pass, even taking on an opponent instead of just out manoeuvring them.....
.... very much less girlie behaviour generally!

Professional MALE coaches and Player's - take note!!

Overwhelming excitement about this competition, then.
Not even a shaft of light in the darkness from a Ska'd preview.
I'm going 6-0 Stoke.

Welcome back to the WBA Prediction League for the 2023/24 season!!

Looks like nearly all the players from last season have returned.  Amelia has decided to take early retirement, we wish her well!!

For those of you who do not take part but are reading this, why don't you give it a try??  There really isn't anything to fear from this group of predictors and who knows you may do what Blue Baggie did and gain promotion in your rookie year!!  But seriously, all are welcome and it would be great to see a couple of new names fighting it out in the tables each week.

As you will see Zinman and I have switched divisions with regards to which one we score after I was good enough to get relegated last season and put us in different leagues. It will be good to see us switch back next season when Zinman does the honorable thing after I set the precedent!!


Premier League

Zinman 16pts 1CS 3CR 8GB 3BB 1SB
Minizin 14pts 1CS 5CR -1GB 3BB 0SB
Dingle 14pts 0CS 5CR 4GB 3BB 1SB
Derby 13pts 1CS 4CR -1GB 3BB 1SB
Stairs 11pts 0CS 5CR -1GB 3BB 1SB
Lady Jane 10pts 1CS 2CR 8GB -3BB 1SB
Blue Baggie 9pts 1CS 4CR -1GB -3BB 1SB
B.B.B. 5pts 1CS 2CR -1GB -3BB 1SB

Good solid start from the players in the Premier League with a total of 92 points scored and 6 players in double figures. Zinman off to a flyer at the top of the table courtesy of a maximum on the Gamball and positive scores on all his balls (he has obviously been practising playing with his balls over the summer!! ).  Just behind him is Minizin and Dingle with 14 points, with our reigning Champion Derby a point behind them.

Stairs held true to what he said on the thread and played his Gamball, and then promptly got it wrong!!  Lady Jane had a solid first ever week in the PL with 10 points including a spot on Gamball and Blue was just a point behind her.  BBB started this season like he played all last season by missing on his balls, he needs to get that sorted if he wants to stay more than one season in the top flight!!

As in traditional football fashion, no table needs to be shown the first week, if only someone would tell Sky and the BBC that as well!!

Cheers
SCO


Championship

Twerton      15pts 1CS 6CR -1GB 3BB 1SB
Themaclad  11pts 1CS 4CR -1GB 3BB 1SB
SCO            9pts 1CS 5CR -1GB -3BB 1SB
Snooty        9pts 1CS 4CR 4GB 3BB 0SB
AAA            9pts 0CS 4CR 0GB 3BB SB
Baggie1        5pts 1CS 3CR -1GB -3BB 1SB
Sanjay - no submission

So unfortunately we have a rather truncated Championship this year. Amelia has withdrawn and Sanjay was a no-show (hopefully a one-off?) so we had just 6 participants.

A fairly steady opening week for all. Once again the gamball proved hard to predict (though I thought it was entirely predictable myself) with only one player, Snooty, correctly foreseeing Albion's inability to defend (or attack for that matter). Twerton heads the pack with 15 points from a week's high of 6 correct result predictions, one of them gaining a maximum. Themaclad also reached double figures helped by a positive bonus ball. 3 players are stuck together on 9 points, all getting there by different routes though AAA was helped by being the only player not to play the gamball - a good decision in his case.
At the foot of the table is BaggieOne scoring from just 3 games and missing on both his gamball and bonus.

Hopefully Sanjay will reappear this week, but if anyone else there wants to join, please do so, if only to reduce SCO's chances of promotion!

Zin