[Lord Snooty]

September 30:

Let's start with a big win. On this date in 1933, we beat Sheffield United 6-1 at Leeds Road. Having finished the last three seasons in 5th, 4th and 6th, Town would go on to finish 2nd, our third and final runners up position at the top of English football.

It would be Herbert Chapman and his Arsenal team who would win the league, the second of their hat trick of titles. But today we faced the Blades and not only were we the sharpest tool in the box, we blunted them so much that they ended up getting relegated as the bottom side.

Three goal scorers for the Town, managed by Clem Stephenson, each scoring twice. First up was Batley born Jack Smith, who went on to be a legend at Newcastle and Man Utd. George McLean got two as well. He came from Forfar but was a Bradford Park Avenue legend, scoring well over a hundred goals for them before joining us. He scored 46 goals in his time with us and is 31st equal in our all time goal scorers chart. Also scoring a couple was wing half Wilf Bott from Featherstone.

Moving on to after the war when Town were struggling in the First Division and a record defeat at Division One level. It was the actual heaviest club loss until Man City in 1987 in Div 2. Clem's younger brother, George Stephenson was now Town manager and on this date in 1950, he took his downward spiraling Town side up to Ayresome Park and they got hammered 8-0 by Middlesbrough.

This came after a pretty decent start and we were actually top after four matches. But a 6-0 reversal at Newcastle and a 6-2 defeat down at the Arsenal really put a dampener on the Town's red hot start. The week after Arsenal, saw the team lose 4-3 at home to Sheffield Wednesday and this Boro debacle was three defeats in a row.

There were some Town players in the team that I've written about on here before. Jeff Taylor the opera singer, Conway Smith the son of Town legend Billy Smith, Eddie Boot the future Town manager and Vic Metcalfe, who my auntie used to catch the bus from Mirfield with. I wonder if she gave him some stick on Monday morning.

Boro were managed by one of Chapman's Arsenal legends, David Jack and had the Golden Boy of England at inside forward, Wilf Mannion, who now has a statue at the Riverside Stadium, based solely on this performance against the mighty Huddersfield Town. He scored a hat trick in this match, as did Alex McCrae, with Johnny Spuhler and Geoff Walker getting one each.

On this date in 1967, we beat Blackburn Rovers at home 2-1. Brian Clark got the first, before going on to Cardiff later in the season, where he would become a European Cup Winners Cup scoring hero. Our winning goal came from John Coddington. He's 13th in our all time appearances chart, having played 356 matches for the blue n white stripes. Sadly for him though, by this stage of his career he wore the blue n white quarters of Blackburn and this was an own goal.


On this date in 1995, we beat West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at the Hawthorns. It was our first season back in the 2nd tier, with Brian Horton taking over from Neil Warnock, who had walked out on us after winning promotion to join south west giants Plymouth Argyle.

It was our first away win of the season and new signing Tom Cowan scored the first. Andy Booth got the second and Bob Taylor scored for the Baggies.


And in 2003/04, we had been relegated to the bottom tier again for the last time ever and the first time since we were promoted in 1980. Since we were last down there, automatic promotion and relegation had been introduced between the Football League and the Conference and so on this date in 2003 we had our first ever meeting with Kidderminster Harriers.

The game was played at the McAlpine Stadium and we won it 1-0. It was young scoring sensation Jon Stead who got the goal, his ninth so far in the season which would see him transferred to the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and the team, managed by returning hero Peter Jackson, promoted via the Play Offs.