[Lord Snooty]

November 15:

Yesterday I wrote about Fred Bullock and the rumours around his death being that he actually committed suicide. Today we have another Town player who tragically did the same thing. Fred had poisoned himself in 1921. But on this date in 2016, Bobby Campbell was found dead after hanging himself in his garage.

He was 60 years old at the time and was born in Belfast in 1956. Starting out at Aston Villa, he came to Town in 1975 when we were on that great downer from the First to the Fourth Division. He stayed for a couple of seasons before he was sold to Sheffield United.

Known for being a bit of a daft lad, he was always leading the lads astray. One famous incident talked about a lot at the time was when he led the mud soddened team, out on a training run, through the back seat of the car belonging to manager Tom Johnston, a brand new white Rover 2000. That was in his second spell, which didn't last long after he broke his leg in a match with Newport County at Leeds Road.

He then played for Halifax Town before going to Billy Bantam's Circus and becoming a Manningham legend, twice. He scored 76 goals for them in his first spell there and another 45 after a short time away with Derby County.

Earlier in his career, he'd been picked for the Northern Ireland u18s but was banned for life after another prank that went wrong and caused a car crash. However, following a petition by fans to get his ban overturned, he was picked for his country in 1982, only gaining two caps though, but getting a place in the squad for the 1982 World Cup. He didn't get a game.

After retiring from the game, he took up stewardship of Lindley Working Men’s Club, but in 2013, he was dismissed by the club after he and his wife were accused of fraud, but the charges were dropped after the case was taken to court. Did this have any bearing on his decision to take his own life? Don't know. Sad end to a great character of the game.

His funeral was attended by hundreds at Huddersfield Parish Church, with coachloads coming across from Bradford. Former team mates and friends, Alan Starling, Peter Jackson, Terry Yorath, Stuart McCall, Terry Dolan and Andy Booth were there.

So Bobby was a Bradford legend, more than a Town legend. This next player, who died on this date in 1946, was definitely a Huddersfield Town legend, but also a Scotland legend after scoring a hat trick against England. I talk of course about Alex Jackson.

He revolutionised the role of the winger in the 20s and the media gave him the nickname The Gay Cavalier. Born in 1905 in Renton, West Dunbartonshire, he played for Dumbarton. But then he and his brother went out to the States to visit another brother and ended up staying and playing for Bethlehem Steel.

On a trip back home after a couple of years, he ended up staying again. He signed for Aberdeen. And that's when Herbert Chapman stepped in. It was days before Herbert left to join Arsenal, so this was like a leaving present for the people of Huddersfield.

In those days, players didn't have agents, so Chapman travelled north to meet Alex's dad in Renton. After talking the old man round, they all went to the pub to celebrate, and on hearing that this famous football manager was in town, the entire population, it is said, were in the pub and good old Herbert bought a round of drinks for everybody.

Alex had a fantastic career with us, winning the league title in 1926 and by the time he left, he'd scored 89 goals for us, placing him now in 8th place in the all time goal scorers chart, having recently been overtaken by Jordan Rhodes.

He'd gone to Chelsea after us and it didn't work out. And sadly by the age of 28 his game was over.

When the 2nd World War started, Alex joined the Army. He fought with the Eighth Army in north Africa, but was injured in Libya. He stayed on in the army once the war had finished and was in Egypt on this date in 1946 when tragedy struck. He was in the Suez zone and whilst driving an army truck, it over turned and he was killed, dying of the head injuries he sustained before arrival at hospital. And so the Gay Cavalier, the greatest footballer in the world, was no more.

He is buried in the Fayid War Cemetery, a patch of land on the western shore of Egypt’s Great Bitter Lake. He was Major AS Jackson by this time. He was only 41 years old.

And now to the latest in the saga of the proposed Leeds takeover of 1919. On this date, Town played Coventry City at Leeds Road in Division Two. The last home game had seen less than 3,000 turn up for the 3-0 win against Fulham. The crowd was almost doubled for this one, just over a week after the Examiner declared that the club was dead.

It was another fantastic win, to follow up last week's 2-0 win away at Coventry, we beat them 5-0 this time. Sammy Taylor and Jack Swann both scored twice to add to an own goal. After the game, a meeting was held on the pitch in front of the main stand where the crowd was addressed by a couple of directors and the Chief Constable of the Police. It was announced that Amos Brook Hirst had taken the role of chairman after John Hilton Crowther had gone to Leeds.

It was also announced that a bond scheme would be introduced. Club skipper Fred Bullock was one of the main men in this scheme, as were directors Harry Rayner and Dick Parker (who was later chairman and was still on the Board in the 1970s). They would tour the district, drumming up support for the club and selling hundreds of one pound shares.

So Leeds United were the despised ones trying to steal our club. By the time this date came around in 2008, they were still despised but for probably different reasons. We all hate Leeds scum, yeah?

This was our centenary season. We'd made it, despite all those shenanigans back in the eleventh year of our club's existence. And today we went over to Bellend Road where a massive crowd of 32,028 came out to see the 'Udders.

It didn't start well for us with yond wierd prick, Robert Snodgrass scoring after only four minutes. Town levelled in the first minute of the second half though with hare lipped hero Joe Skarz scoring his first ever (and only) Town goal.

Gerry Murphy was caretaker manager on this occasion, standing in in between Stan Ternent and Lee Clark and he made the master stroke of bringing the ice cream man, Danny Cadamarteri on. The game was drawing to a conclusion as a draw when Caddy got the ball in the last minute of injury time. But instead of going to the corner flag to settle for a well earned point, he set off for the penalty area, squared the ball to the unmarked Michael Collins shinned it into the net, wrong footing the Leeds goalie.

Absolute scenes! I jumped higher than I've ever jumped at a football ground. The bloke behind must've jumped even higher as he landed on top of me.

What a finish and the first win at the Big Yellow Skip since 1983. Get in!

Have a look at this.......