[Lord Snooty]

June 15:

On this date in 2018, Huddersfield Town were represented at a World Cup for the first time since 1962. This was when our new signing, Ramadan Sobhi, who hadn't yet played a game for the club, came on as a sub for Egypt against Uruguay in a Group A match, played at the Yekaterinburg Arena.

He had earlier left the Egyptians training camp to go and take a medical ahead of his transfer from recently relegated Stoke City and then signed on for Premier League Town. He was still only 21 years old at the time and to say his time at the John Smith's would be underwhelming, would be an understatement.

However, a Town player he was and became the first Town player to represent Huddersfield Town since Ray Wilson did  for England against Brazil in the 1962 quarter finals. He came on in the 82nd minute to replace Amr Warda, with the score still 0-0. Within five minutes of his appearance from the touchline, Uruguay scored and won the game 1-0.

Goalkeeper Bob Hesford died on this date in 1982, aged 66. He was at the club for 17 years, between 1933 and 1950. His prime years, like so many other players, were stolen by the war and so he only turned out 220 times for the club in all that time. One of those games was the 1938 FA Cup Final against Preston, when he was beaten in the last minute of extra time by a penalty.

Bob had three sons who became professional sportsmen. One was a goalkeeper, mainly for Blackpool. One was a Rugby Union player, who played a couple of times for England. And one was a Rugby League player, mainly for Warrington, but also Fartown.

On this date in 1988, Huddersfield Ladies FC were founded. And just like the Huddersfield Town men's team did 80 years earlier, they joined the North-Eastern League. They won the 2nd Division in that first season and were promoted.

They have now become Huddersfield Town Women, after merging into the main Huddersfield Town club in 1993, but many years earlier there was another Huddersfield Ladies team, known as Huddersfield Atalanta. They played a match at Leeds Road in 1921 against Bath, that attracted a 15,000 crowd. Later that year, they played a match at Hillsborough against the Dick Kerr Ladies FC, including the famous Lily Parr, that saw 25,000 spectators turn up.

The Ladies football scene was getting very popular. Originally set up to play charity matches, with the proceeds going to help servicemen injured in the Great War, some at the FA were getting worried about the popularity of feminine footy. So they banned it!

Well, they banned women from playing on Football League grounds, which effected to the same thing. Atalanta's chairwoman, Constance Waller, was one of the vocal opponents of the ban, but it went on anyway.

The ban was such a ridiculous and unjust thing to do, that it only lasted for the next 50 years.

And so by the time the ban was lifted, Huddersfield Atalanta, Dick Kerr Ladies et al, had all long been disbanded. But by the time Huddersfield Town Ladies were founded, there were some forms of organisation in place. Nowt like they've got today and it really has come on a long way, even since HTLFC came on the scene.

In 2020, Huddersfield Town Women played their first match at the John Smith's Stadium, with 1,115 people coming down to watch an FA Cup match with Ipswich Town Women.