[Lord Snooty]

September 26:

It's a happy birthday to one of our 2017 heroes today. Martin Cranie was born on this date in 1986, in Yeovil, making him 36.

He made 21 appearances in our promotion winning season, including a sub app at Wembley. Only three games in the Premier League though, his final match was in a 5-0 loss down at Arsenal and so was moved on in the January transfer window.

His next three clubs all did well. He must be some kind of lucky charm. He got to the Play Offs with Middlesbrough, got promotred with Sheffield Utd and last season made it to the Play Offs again with Luton.

He's unemployed at the moment though.

On this date in 1953, Town were second in the First Division and played Middlesbrough at Leeds Road in Division One in front of a crowd of 37,054.

We would finish the season in 3rd, our highest placing since the glory days between the wars. We won this game 2-0 and the scorer was Jimmy Glazzard, scoring them both. They were the 9th and 10th goals out of 29 he scored in the season.


During those twixt wars glory days, another of our prolific goal scorers was in form on this date in 1931. No, not Dave Mangnall, but Bob Kelly our veteran England international.

He scored twice, one from the penalty spot, in this 2-0 win at home to Bolton Wanderers. Only 12,901 came to see this though. Well, times were hard.

Bob was 37 by now and would leave the club in the summer, heading over to Preston after scoring nine goals in the season to help us finish in 4th in the First Division. Despite his ageing legs, he played in 40 of the 42 league games and all five of the FA Cup matches and so must've contributed a few assists for Mangnall's club record 42 goals in the season.

Bob's on the second row, sat in front of the goalie and Dave is sat next to him on the right as we look at it.