[Lord Snooty]

February 18th:

On this date in 2017, little Huddersfield of the Championship almost beat the multi millionaires of Manchester City in the FA Cup 5th round, instead drawing 0-0. To say we did well would be an understatement. We were really unlucky not to win, with Phillip Billing having a goal disallowed for a marginally offside decision. Not himself, but Rajiv van La Parra blocking the keeper in an offside position. That goalie, Claudio Bravo kept Citeh in the game, saving twice from Rajiv and then a rasping free kick from Jack Payne.

It was a record crowd for the JSS of 24,129 and the Blue Mancs had the likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne on the pitch, who were outshone by the bright lights of Huddersfield in big Jon Stankovic, Collin Quaner and man of the match Billing.

The Terriers were just the sixth team to stop Citeh from scoring in all competitions in that season after Barcelona, Man United, Everton, Tottenham and Liverpool.

The replay is due on the 1st of March at the Emptihad Library. Should be good. How will we get on in this one?

Seventeen years earlier, in the year 2000, we also drew with Man City at home. This was a league match, in the 2nd tier, and against a City team that would finish the season getting promoted as runners up to Charlton Athletic. There were 18,173 in the stadium for this one and it was Clyde Wijnhard who scored for us in a 1-1 draw.

We've had some big scores on this date. In 2006 we walloped the MK Dons 5-0 at home. Martin McIntosh, Gary Taylor-Fletcher, Jon Worthington, David Mirfin and Michael Collins on target for the mighty Terriers.

There were another five players scoring in 1995 as we set a new scoring record for the new stadium by beating Cardiff City 5-1. Andy Booth, Tom Cowan, Ronnie Jepson, Paul Reid and Gary Crosby were the scorers in this one.

Back to the FA Cup and a couple of 5th round ties, both on the way to the Final. Firstly in 1922, one hundred years ago today, we played Blackburn Rovers in front of 45,068 spectators at Ewood Park and Frank Mann scored in a 1-1 draw.

And in 1928, we hammered Middlesbrough at Leeds Road 4-0 with a massive crowd of 55,200 there. Future Town manager David Steele scored the first, with more regular scorers George Brown, Alex Jackson and Billy Smith adding the others. We've got Spurs at home in the quarter finals on the 3rd of March.

Finally, it's a happy birthday to young Kieran Phillips. Born in 2000, he's 22 today and will be celebrating it down in Exeter where he is out on loan. He's been on loan at Walsall this season, but apparently he was recalled because the Saddlers ahd saddled him out on the wing, whereas our management wanted him to play as an out and out striker. Exeter have done that and he rewarded them last weekend with his first goal, the only goal of the game against the Chickens at the Utilita Energy Stadium, aka the Manningham Dump.

He played in ten matches for us last season, all of them as sub, and I reckon he's one with a future at Town, unless we get promoted and fill the side with over priced foreign mercenaries again.