[Lord Snooty]

December 31:

The 1921/22 season, the second season in Division One, started with Jack Swann at centre forward. He was sold to Leeds in October and his place at number 9 went to the long serving Ernie Islip, who had been at the club since 1911. But Herbert Chapman was introducing some new players during the season who would go on to be club legends. Clem Stephenson and Sam Wadsworth were now regulars in the side and on this date in 1921, a name who's goals would fire Huddersfield Town to three successive league titles, made his debut away at West Bromwich Albion.

That was George Brown, who made his first Town start in an away game down at the Hawthorns in a 3-2 defeat. George got both goals for the Town, the first of his club record 159 goals (in all competitions). He followed that with two more goals in his next two games but was then out of the side again.

Chapman didn't really fancy him. He'd rejected him after his first trial and George went back to working at and playing for Mickley Colliery before eventually signing on professional terms in May 1921. He hardly featured in the first two seasons, despite those four goals in his first three games. But eventually he made himself the main man and the rest is history. A rather glorious thrice champions history.

Two of George's team mates were born on this date. Billy Watson, born on this date in 1893 in Bolton on Dearne and Roy Goodall, born on this date in 1902 in Dronfield, Derbyshire. Both of them were thrice champions.

Billy, a wing half, came to the club in 1912 and made his debut in January 1913 in a match away at Leicester Fosse, playing at right back in place of the injured Fred Blackman. That was one of only six appearances that he made before the First World War. It wasn't until the 1919/20 season that he became the regular left half, playing 41 of the 42 league games in that memorable season. He also played in every round of the FA Cup which ended in the Final, winning a runners up medal.

He was 27 by now, but stuck around until 1927, forming a formidable half back line with Tom Wilson and David Steele, and by the time he retired he had clocked up 322 appearances for the club, putting him now in 15th in the chart. Could very soon be overtaken by Jonathan Hogg (he's on 317).

His only goal for Town came in the first match of the Cup run that ended with him winning an FA Cup winners medal in 1922. It came in a 2-2 draw at Burnley.

Whilst playing for Town, Mrs Watson gave birth to two boys who would also play for Town, Albert Watson who played 18 games for us and Willie Watson who left for Sunderland after 11 games for us. He of course, went on to play for England at football, but more famously at cricket, helping to win The Ashes in 1953.

Billy died in 1962 aged 68.





Roy was signed by Ambrose Langley for the club in 1921 as an 18 year old, who was training to be an accountant. He didn't make his debut until the next season, standing in at left back when Sam Wadsworth was away playing for England. He didn't play again for a while after facing disciplinary action after lying to new manager Herbert Chapman, about getting injured in a motorbike accident.

The following season he got more regular games, making enough appearances to get a league champions medal. For the rest of his Town career though, he was the main man at right back.

He was capped by England 25 times, with 12 of those as captain. His first game was in 1926 against Scotland at Old Trafford, a 1-0 defeat in which his Town team mate Alex Jackson scored the goal. He was captain in 1930 when the FA rejected an invitation to play in the first World Cup (on the insistence of the Foreign Office), which is such a shame as we could've had a Huddersfield Town player being the first man to lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. Because that would definitely have happened.

Roy stayed at Leeds Road right up until he was 35 years old, by which time he'd clocked up 440 appearances, putting him 5th in the appearances chart.

After the war, he managed Mansfield Town, before returning to Leeds Road as trainer.

Roy died in 1982, aged 79 in Shepley. And quoting Where Are They Now by Lee Morris again, it was the undertaker, former Town player and World Cup winner Ray Wilson, who buried him.

Sadly, we also have the death of another of the thrice champions to report on this date, George Cook. A thrice champion, who's two goals (and one from George Brown) in a 3-0 win at home to Nottingham Forest in May 1924 secured us the first of our titles.

He had four seasons with us, playing at inside forward on 91 occasions, scoring 35 goals. He'd been signed by Herbert Chapman from Bishop Aukland after twice winning the FA Amatuer Cup with them.

In 1927, he was transfered to Aston Villa. After three good seasons at Villa Park, he dropped down to the Second Division to play for Tottenham Hotspur, just missing out on promotion in his final season before dropping another league to play for Brentford in Division Three South.

After that, he moved to Wales to play for Colwyn Bay United and then Rhyl. He must've liked the area, for after returning north to work in the civil service in Durham, it was in Colwyn Bay that he died on this date in 1980, aged 85.

There is one more birthday to celebrate today though. Another one who won the league three times, but not three times in a row and not with us. It was the Premier League with Manchester United and of course, it's our good old friend, manager and best selling author, Steve Bruce.

He was born in Corbridge, Northumberland on this date in 1960 and is 62 today. The second Town manager from that town, as Mick Buxton had been born there 17 years earlier.

Steve never looked like a footballer and despite being a promising schoolboy player, he faced several rejections as a kid before finally being taken on by Gillingham. Despite playing his entire playing days in central defence, he scored over a hundred goals in a twenty year playing career, 38 of them in his time at the Priestfield Stadium. This attracted Norwich City to fork out £125,000 for his services in 1984.

He won the League Cup with the Canaries and the Second Division title, before Alex Ferguson signed him for Man U in 1987. The Red Devils had gone years without winning anything, but now with Fergie in charge and Brucey boy in defence, the trophies started coming thick and fast after winning the 1990 FA Cup. Bruce has three FA Cup winners medals, three Premier League titles, one League Cup, three Charity Shield wins, one European Cup Winners Cup winners medal and the following seasons European Super Cup in his medals cabinet.

By the time United won the Champions League in 1999, Bruce was long gone and on the day they actually won it, Bruce was in his third day as manager of Huddersfield Town. His time with us ended badly, with dim witted owner Barry Rubery and his evil sidekick Iain Ayre sacking him and conspiring to blame him for the departure of Marcus Stewart.

But let's not end the year with the bad times, let's end it with the highlights of that glorious first half of the 1999/00 season, which saw such magnificent victories like the 7-1 win against Crystal Palace, the League Cup win at Chelsea and the brilliant victory at Maine Road against Manchester City.

Happy birthday, Brucey.

I'll just end though with saying thanks to everybody who's read, liked and contributed to this project over the last twelve months. I meant to ask a question on each days post, but most days I forgot. I've done it again today.

Anyway, thanks for reading.