[Lord Snooty]

August 12:

On this date in 2017, Huddersfield Town had it's best ever opening day win. Yes we may have had better scores, but in it's context this was the one. A 3-0 win away at Crystal Palace on our Premier League debut.

David Wagner led his team down to Selhurst Park, backed by 3,000 Town fans against a Palace team managed for the first time by Dutch legend Frank de Boer. Those fans were treated to probably the best performance by a Town team in living memory as Town took the lead in the 23rd minute. From a corner, flicked on by Christopher Schindler at the near post, his central defensive partner Mathias Jorgensen knocked it back across goal, where Palace defender Joel Ward could only deflect into his own net.

Three minutes later we were two up when a pinpoint cross from Aaron Mooy was met superbly by the head of Steve Mounie, who powered it past the stranded keeper.

It was 2-0 at half time after Jonas Lossl had denied Wilfred Zaha just before the break. Palace never threatened again though and Wagner had the luxury of taking a defender off, when Danny Williams replaced Tommy Smith. But it was that other super sub, Collin Quaner, who set up the third goal. He came on for Kasey Palmer in the 72nd minute and had only been on the pitch five minutes when he tricked his way down the right wing and played a perfect low cross in for big Steve to score his second and Town's third goal.

Mounie almost got a hat trick but was denied by a last ditch tackle from Timothy Fosu-Mensah. It didn't matter. At the end of the match we were top of the Premier League. What a way to start a season. 

Oooooooooooooooohhh - yay - yay - yay - yay -yaaaaaay!!!!

It's a good day all around on this date. We've had some unusually good League Cup wins as well as that fantastic win at Palace.

We've had first round EFL Cup victories in 1997, 2003 and 2014, which very much bucks the trend of how we usually perform in that competition.

The 1997 win was against Bradford City, who were a league below us, but we beat them 2-1 at home in the first leg on this date. Andy Payton scored for us as well as an own goal. The second leg is in a couple of weeks time at the Manningham Tip.

The 2003 game was at home to Derby County, a team two divisions above us as we were beginning life in the basement division for the first time since the end of the 70s. It was a team packed with kids as manager Peter Jackson had arrived at the end of last season with the club in admin with only seven players on the books.

He selected Jon Stead up front after he had scored twice in the opening league game, a 2-2 draw at home to Cambridge. Liverpool reject Jon Newby was up front with him. USA international, John Thorrington came in to replace Tyrone Thompson. Danny Schofield, who was by now 23 years old and the only survivor from Jacko's last stint in charge, played in midfield as did Rob Edwards, who Jacko had just brought back to the club after he'd been released by Chesterfield.

Derby led at half time through a goal from Ian Taylor, but then goals from Stead and Thorrington gave us an unlikely win and the prospect of another Championship team to play in the next round. That will be a trip to the Stadium of Light to play Sunderland in six weeks time.

The 2014 win was against Chesterfield and was with Mark Lillis in as caretaker manager after Mark Robins had resigned/been sacked (?) after the disastrous defeat against Bournemouth at the weekend.

It was a high scoring game at the Proact Stadium against the Spireites who had ex Town star Gary Roberts, in their line up. We were 3-1 down with only six minutes left, with Nahki Wells scoring our goal. He scored us a second, this one a penalty, in the 84th minute. Jon Stead, who had just returned to the club, equalised in the last minute to send the game into extra time.

Nahki completed his hat trick just after the restart and Joe Lolley completed a 5-3 win in the 98th minute to set up a second round game against Nottingham bloody Forest.