[Lord Snooty]

December 30:

One of the funniest own goals seen at the John McAlpharm Stadium happened on this date in 1995. It was a home game in the Championship (or Division One as it was known then), the season after we had been promoted, the first one with Brian Horton at the helm.

Town were having a really good season and despite losing at home to Derby on Boxing Day, we were still up in 7th. The opponents were Stoke City and they took the lead through the prolific striker Mike Sheron, who they would later sell to QPR for two and a half million quid. It was looking very much like two holiday home defeats on the trot until the intervention of Stoke goalkeeper Mark Prudhoe.

Under pressure from Town sub Paul Dalton, a Stoke defender was forced to pass the ball back to the keeper. It was now three years since the back pass rule had changed, meaning that keepers were no longer allowed to pick up a pass from one of their own team mates and by now, most of them had got used to this and had developed some decent footwork.

Prudhoe though, made a complete mess of a soft back pass and sliced the ball into his own net.

He later denied touching the ball and said the own goal should be awarded to his team mate. Still your cock up, matey.

Fast forward to this date in 2006, Town were back in the 3rd tier, now calling itself League One. We still had Peter Jackson as the boss, but were going through a sticky patch of nine games without a win that had seen us drop from 5th in the league to 17th. By half time of today's match, at home to Swansea City, it looked like ten games without a win as a Lee Trundle double had us 2-0 down.

The Terriers were booed off and Jacko received a lot of undeserved stick from the crowd. This was still a young team, many of who were dressed as cowboys earlier in the year for a promotional gig that a lot of fans didn't like.

Sheriff Jon Worthington led the comeback, scoring in the 67th minute. Judge Jacko had picked Andy Booth and Gary Taylor-Fletcher in the front line of attack as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and they had been joined by Pawel Abbott, the Rumpo Kid after 34 mintes when Andy Holdsworth went off injured and it was Pav who equalised in the 73rd minute.

As injury time approached, we were still going ten games without a win, but then the referee, the short sighted Wyatt Twearp, who had given the Swans a first half penalty, gave us one in added on time. Unbelievable! Who had the courage to step up and win it for us? It was the sharp shooter Pav. And did he score? Yes siree! Yeehah!

Three-two to Town, game won. But not before The Ugly Trundle received his marching orders for an offence I can't recall. Might've been for rustling or something like that. 

Sadly, it was a false dawn for the team and dodgy Ken Davy eventually sacked Judge Jacko and replaced him with the Man With No Brain, Andy Ritchie.

Twelve months ago, on this date in 2021, we won away at Nottingham Forest. A result well deserved, but made more galling by what happened at the end of the season at Wembley.

Sorba Thomas hit the crossbar in the first minute, before Duane Holmes scored in the 30th minute, after playing a one-two with Harry Toffolo and ran to the Forest fans, cupping his ears after being booed all game.

Brice Samba in the Florist goal, stopped Lewis O'Brien from making it 2-0 in the second half and then Brennan Johnson missed the easiest of chances to equalise. The result meant nothing in the end as we both made it to the Play Off Final, which we won't talk about, thank you very much.

Tom Johnston was born on this date in 1918, in Coldstream. He's the only man to have managed Town in three separate (permanent) spells, though he's best remembered for his first spell rather than the other two in the 4th Division.

In that first one from October 64 to May 68, he had us nearly promoted to Division One, just missing out by losing at home to Coventry on the final day. And then in 68 he got us to the League Cup semi finals for the only time.

After finishing his first spell with Town, replaced by his number 2, Ian Greaves, he went to Bootham Crescent and became a York City legend by winning them promotion from the 4th Division and then getting them up into the 2nd Division for the only time in their history, in 1975.

Tom died in 1994 in Nottingham, aged 75.