[Lord Snooty]

November 6:

It's a happy birthday today to our USA international midfielder, Duane Holmes. He's 28 today having been born in 1994 in Columbus, Georgia to an American father and an English mother. He moved to England at the age of 2 with his mum and was brought up in Wakefield.

He played for the Town Academy, making it all the way into our first team, but having had loan spells at Yeovil and Bury that didn't work out, apparently due to his attitude, he was released by new Town manager David Wagner in 2016. He signed for Scunthorpe.

His career was going nowhere and he was contemplating packing in all together when suddenly, Frank Lampard signed him for Derby. Duane was back in the Championship and played in the famous game at the Beeston Skip when the Ramsbottoms beat the BellEnders in the Play Offs.

But Lampard left and scrotum faced, granny shagger Wayne Rooney took over as boss. He and Duane had a fall out and so in January 2021, Carlos Corberan brought him back home to Huddersfield.

Happy birthday, Duane.

I mentioned an FA Cup match with South Kirkby Colliery the other day. It was played on this date in 1909 at Leeds Road, a 3rd qualifying round match (modern day 1st round proper). We'd already beaten Heckmodwike away and Mirfield United then Rothwell White Rose both at home and now the Kirkbyites came to Huddersfield with a reputation for "rough house" football.

Town won the match 5-2 with Jack Foster scoring his tenth goal of the cup campaign. William McCreadie got the second, James Roberts scored a penalty and Alonzo Drake, the chain smoking, future Yorkshire cricketing legend, scored twice.

But the story of the game was the dirty tactics from the opposition. The Town player/manager Fred Walker was deliberately kneed in the head, which had him carted off to hospital unconcsious, with a career ending injury. But the fact that their reputation was known beforehand and that the ref had been warned of such, led the Town Board of Directors to lodge an official complaint. Not about South Kirkby Colliery, but about the incompetence of the referee. Some things never change.

In a strongly worded letter to the FA, signed by the Chairman of Directors of Huddersfield Town AFC. It said that he had approached the ref ten minutes prior to kick off and warned him about them, to which the ref had replied that he knew all about their style of play.

After 12 minutes of roughness and deliberate kicking going unchecked, manager and centre half Walker spoke to the ref. Three minutes later he was knocked out. But that wasn't all. The Colliery team finished the game with eight men, not that anyone was sent off. Two of them injured each other trying to take out one of our players and another broke his own leg whilst deliberately trying to foul our outside left.

The letter finished with saying that the Directors considered this to be the worst ever exhibition of football they'd ever witnessed and that the referee was incapable of controlling such an important match and as such, in the interests of the good of the sport, it is our duty to report him.

Who'd be a ref? 

Next up, it's Rotherham Town at home in the 4th qualifying round.

One hundred years later, we had another FA Cup match at home, on this date in 2009. This was a 1st round match at the John McAlpharm Stadium against Dagenham & Redbridge of League Two. We were in League One at the time.

It was the Lee Clark side that should've won automatic promotion but ended up losing to Millwall in the Play Offs. It was a great, free scoring team and this game was another superb exhibition from our lads. We won it 6-1.

Robbie Williams entertained us and did take that first goal with no regrets after being given too much freedom as the defence were having one of their lazy days after ten minutes, well you win some lose some. (I apologise for that last sentence, it really is somethin' stupid  )

Gary Roberts and then Lee Novak scored to put us 3-0 up before Jordan Rhodes got on the score sheet in the 44th minute.

In the second half, Novak made it five and then Roberts made it six-nil in the 72nd minute. However, we declared at that stage and Paul Benson scored for the Daggers and the game finished 6-1.

Next up? A trip to Port Vale. Robbie's team. 

Another big win on this date, this time in Division 4 in 1979. It was a home game with Northampton Town, coming just a couple of weeks after a surprise defeat at their place.

No cock ups this time though, winning it 5-0 with goals from Ian Robins (2), Micky Laverick, David Cowling and Dave Sutton. The result kept us top of the table, but still the people of Kirklees weren't flocking back after the years of dross that had been served up. Only 6,552 came out on a Tuesday night.

And finally, that man Billy Price again. He would've been our all time goal scoring record holder, if the majority of his goals hadn't been discounted because they were played in the Wartime Leagues.

On this date in 1943, he scored 7 (seven) goals in a match against Crewe Alexandra. As far as I know, he's the only Town player to score that many in a Town match, even though it doesn't count.

Jimmy Glazzard scored the other goal in an 8-0 victory at Leeds Road.