[theo_luddite]

Got mine without the logo - somehow.

I had a blue'n'white striped one from some years back where the logo wasn't so much printed as stuck on. That eventually fell apart big time.

[Lord Snooty]

April 3:

Nothing outstanding to report on today. One match that I went to though that was an absolutely fantastic win in what was a disappointing season, was a 5-1 win at Swindon in 1982. After winning the 4th Division, then missing another promotion by one place, Town were struggling a bit, but were in comfortable mid table by the time this one came around.

Me and my mates went down early to catch the pub opening time, travelling down in a clapped out Ford Escort van, with a couple of us sat uncomfortably in the back, which is a long way. I can't believe it now, but at the time, thought nowt of it. Oh the folly of youth! We went all over in that van.

Anyway, the news was all about Argentina invading Falkirk. Very strange! Why were the Argies in Scotland? The what? Falkland Islands? Never heard of it!

We were all in our late teens/early twenties and so some of the lads were speculating if we would be called up. As it turned out, no we weren't, but that's the background to the match. And what a match. We did make opening time. Parked up in the car park at the ground and got in the local next to it. Having a good laugh with the locals and then absolutely battered them on the pitch.

First on the score sheet was Keith Hanvey. Not sure, but I think they equalised, so when Tim Hotte got our second, I remember getting knocked over in the excitement that ensued. It got better and better. Hotte got another, David Cowling scored and Micky Kennedy got one as well.

After the match, we had a fight in the car park. Happy days!

The most recent match on this date was last year. In 2021 we played at home to the all conquering, media darlings, Brentford. Obviously nobody was there to witness it, but we actually drew with the team that went and won at Chelsea yesterday. We took the lead early on through Lewis O'Brien, but they equalised in the second half through Mads Bech Sørensen. Still it was a good point in our fight against relegation and should give us hope for the midweek trip to Norwich.     

[Lord Snooty]

It's Doris Day day. Born on this date in 1922, just a few weeks before Huddersfield Town lifted the FA Cup, here she is singing the song that became famous as Huddersfield Town's club anthem, although with different lyrics.

Happy birthday, young Doris. Well obviously she won't be around to enjoy it, having died in 2019, but nonetheless, here she is......

[Lord Snooty]

April 4:

Another day, another fight! Sounds like I'm a right hooligan, but I'm not really. This one was a year and a day after that fight in the car park at Swindon and this one was at Chesterfield in 1983. We'd gone on the Millbridge bus this time. The van must've clapped out for good by now. As usual, it was a monumentous piss up and for some reason we ended up in the wrong part of the ground. I can't remember much about it, but Town won 1-0 with a goal from Mark Lillis. That goal might've been the spark that kicked it off, but I think I sobered up quite sharpish.

Anyway, we went up that season, in 3rd place in the 3rd Division. The Spireites went down, bottom of the table.

Two years before that, in 1981, we were in another promotion battle. Chesterfield were one of our rivals, alongside Portsmouth, Rotherham, Barnsley and Charlton Athletic. On this date, we were away at Charlton. Me and my mates went down on one of the official coaches then, we hadn't discovered the Millbridge bus yet.

Anyway, we won, coming from a goal down to win 2-1, with Malcolm Brown and Steve Kindon scoring. The ITV cameras were there for this, for the Big Match. Yorkshire telly had their own version on Saturday night, I think the Beeb had lost Match Of The Day at the time, so when the coach dropped us off, it was a mad rush to get home to watch the highlights.

I got home in time, but mum n dad were watching Bucks Fizz winning the Eurovision Song Contest!

Luckily, as per usual, the Town game was the last on and so I got to see the goals. That was all, just the goals. But now you, yes you lucky Sportsbabble readers, can watch the full 15 minutes of highlights from the Big Match, with good old Brian Moore commentating. Enjoy.....

Now I've just realised that I missed reporting on a momentous occasion in Huddersfield Town's history on March 31st. That was the day, or more accurately, the night that we won promotion with a draw at Ayresome Park against Middlesbrough in 1970. My excuse for missing it was that it was so early in the year. Promoted before April! Who does that?

Well it wasn't that early really. It was game 40 out of 42. I think the league may have finished early to prepare for the upcoming World Cup. So on this date, game 41, we beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park 2-0 to win the 2nd Division championship. Frank Worthington scored both goals.

And finally for today, another Town player who died young. Tony Leighton was born in 1939 in Leeds. He started out his playing career with them down t' road in 1956 as a junior striker. He never made the first team there, but had a great scoring record at Doncaster and then Barnsley before he came to Leeds Road in 1964. He was still at Town when I first started going, but due to the emergence of a certain Frank Worthington, he was not getting the games his scoring record would suggest he ought to. He was sold to Bradford City in 68 and then finished his football career as manager of Bradford Park Avenue in the Northern Premier League.

He had a Sports shop in Heckmondwike whilst he was at Town, or maybe just after he left and when he left Town he had scored 44 goals from 97 games. He is now in 37th place in our all time goal scorers list.

The sad part of his story then came to light. He got motor neurone disease, a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. This eventually causes paralysis and early death, usually from respiratory failure.

He was given a testimonial match at Leeds Road in 1978, when a couple of all star teams turned out to play for the charity in his name. His ex team mate Frank was there, as were stars like Jimmy Armfield, who managed one of the teams, Nobby Stiles, Billy Bremner, Jack and Bobby Charlton, Bobby Collins and a young Barnsley lad called Mick McCarthy.

Me and my dad went and it was a real tear jerker when Tony was wheeled out onto the pitch. That game was in January. He died not long after, on this date in 1978, aged 38.

[HerefordBull]

Aye M.N.D. is a dreadful disease where at present there is still no cure. A number of patients I used to treat suffered from it and it is heartbreaking especially for their families.

A number of high profile footballers and rugby players have been diagnosed with it over the last few years and one of the last to succumb to it and pass was Fernando Ricksen, the dutch footballer who played up here for Rangers for 5 to 6 years.

[Lord Snooty]

I was going to say that Don Revie was the highest profile one that I could think of who died of this. But he was much older.

I've just looked at his Wiki page and he was 61. Same age as me.    

[Lord Snooty]

April 5:

First of all, it's happy birthday to Danel Sinani. He was born on this date in 1997, in Belgrade, making him 25 today. His parents moved to Luxembourg when young Danel was just five years old and that's why he now plays his international football as a Luxembourger.

He is on loan from Norwich, who will be back in the Championship next season. Would you like him back as a permanent signing next season, if the Canaries don't fancy him?

Talking of Norwich. Do you remember this brilliant performance against the Canaries on this date in 2017 on our way to promotion? Second half goals from Elias Kachunga, Aaron Mooy and Nahki Wells gave us a 3-0 win. Have a look at this....

We had a big win in a doomed battle against relegation in 2003. It was at home to Chesterfield, the second match with Mel Machin in charge after he took over from Mick Wadsworth. We beat the Crooked Spires 4-0 and the goals came from two apiece by Martin Smith and Jon Stead.

The win lifted us from bottom of the table to 22nd, but it didn't help in the end, as we went down. Chesterfield survived though, finishing 20th.

We had a big win back in 1980 for the free scoring team under the leadership of Mick Buxton. It was a 5-0 win at home to our neighbours, Halifax Town, which left us 2nd in the 4th Division table behind leaders Walsall. We had goals that afternoon from Ian Robins and Steve Kindon, who both scored twice, and one from Dave Sutton.

Another question, I've been wondering while I've been doing these. Why do we never get team photos these days?

[theo_luddite]

I think I read somewhere we have an option to buy at the end of the loan. I guess the question is for how much and which division? If we're still in The Chumionship, we've had a lot worse and to be honest he needs at least another season at this level in my opinion. If we're up with the Prima Donnas then it's another big step for him which may see us loan him out. Seems to know his way to Norwich.

[Lord Snooty]

April 6:

Yesterday, we had the magnificent win against Norwich in 2017. On this date, last year in 2021, we had the other side of the coin. Away at Norwich City, we lost 7-0.

We've had a lot of changes in the last 12 months and after this result, if you'd told me that in a year's time that we would be on the brink of replacing Norwich in the Premier League, I'd o' said arseholes!

Let's have a look at the Town line up. In goal we had Joel Pereira. It was his last game for us and I think we can all agree that that role has now been adequately filled. In defence, Demeaco Duhaney, Richard Stearman, Richard Keogh and Naby Sarr. Midfield, Jonathan Hogg, Lewis O'Brien, Duane Holmes and Juninho Bacuna and then Isaac Mbenza and Danny Ward up top.

So it's easy to see why we've improved since. What a defensive line up that was!

We also got hammered in the Premier League on this date as well, 4-1 at home to Leicester in 2019. so I'm going to have to go back to the roaring twenties for some good news.

We beat Stoke on this date in 1920. It was a 3-0 win and was about half way through the magnificent unbeaten run to the end of the season, a season that ended with promotion. This game was at Leeds Road and was the second win in two days against the Potters, having beaten them 1-0 at theirs the day before. Sammy Taylor scored that one and he scored twice in the one on this date, with Frank Mann getting the other.

And then in 1926, the terrific Town, a team of renown, beat Blackburn Rovers 3-0 at Leeds Road as the boys closed in on that magnificent third league championship in a row. George Brown got two of the goals, his 34th and 35th goals of the season. He declared on that number, which left him equal with Taylor for the 1920 season as the highest number of league goals in a season. They held that record until 2011/12 when Jordan Rhodes got 36. George's goals were in the 1st Division though. Sammy's were in the 2nd and Jordan's were in the 3rd. Just saying!

Almost forgot to mention the third goal scorer in that match with Blackburn was Smith. No, not Billy, but Albert Smith, scoring his one and only goal for the club.

Now then, it's a happy birthday today to skipper and manager, Peter Jackson. Born in 1961 in Bradford, he's 61 today. I haven't got the time to write up all that he's done in his career and I think we all know it anyway.

One word. Legend!

Well he's a living legend. Another club legend died on this date in 2003. That was Vic Metcalfe who died in Huddersfield aged 83.

He played 459 games for the mighty blue n whites, leaving him in 3rd place in our all time appearances chart. And he's still in 6th place in the all time goal scorers chart with 90 goals for us. I say still there, because he's only two goals ahead of Jordan Rhodes, who I expected to overtake him this season.

[HerefordBull]

Remember Pereira at Hearts up here. I think he was with the JTs just before joining you.

He was criticized for a number of mistakes by the manager, Stendel, who replaced him after 20+ matches............sounds like he took that form down to Kirklees!