[WakeyTerrier]

Just the one game attended by me on this date

2006 Town 4 v 1 Rotherham Utd
Andy Booth hat-trick and Gary Taylor Fletcher
Att 15,264
That left Town 3rd in League 1

[Lord Snooty]

March 19:

On this date in 2016, we were four months into the David Wagner era at Huddersfield Town. Things were still a bit hit and miss, but behind the scenes, players were being eyed up and arrangements for the closed season were being made. In the meantime, on the back of a 3-1 home defeat to league leaders Burnley, Town made the short trip to Bellend Road to play Leeds Urinals.

It was a bit hit and miss during the game as well. We got a penalty early on when Joe Lolley got upended in the box. Unfortunately, we don't score many penalties during matches and Nahki Wells kept up that record by having his spot kick saved. To make matters worse they went up the other end and went one up through grossly over rated Irishman Stuart Dallas.

But we went into the break level, with skipper Mark Hudson getting his nut on the ball to score from a corner. We scored from another corner soon after half time. And this was in the days when we never used to score from corners. This one was cleared, but only as far as Harry Bunn, who volleyed back towards goal and it hit the inside of the post before hitting the back of the net.

Town 2-1 up, were soon 3-1 up when Nahki broke away and instead of shooting, squared the ball to the unmarked Karim Matmour, who scored from a yard out to register his only goal for the Terriers. And it was four just a few minutes later as Lolley set up Wells to blast past the keeper and then run over to the ecstatic fans.

Happy days!

[Lord Snooty]

March 20:

Terry Curran is 67 today. Born in Kinsley in 1955, he only had a short time with us, but is a legend at Sheffield Wednesday. His one season with us was the 85/86 season, signed by Mick Buxton, scored 8 goals from 35 games. One of those goals was in a 3-1 home win against the Bell Enders at Leeds Road.

He must have enjoyed his time at Town as he still comments on the club on Facebook, but like I said before, he is best remembered for his time at Hillsborough. Don't know how they feel about him going on to play for the Blunts later. If only we had a t'Owels fan who could enlighten us on this.

On this date in 2012, we had our first trip to Chesterfield's new ground. And a nice little stadium it was too. We were well on target for the League One Play Offs and with a chance of automatic promotion and this 2-0 win helped us along the way. Goals from Lee Novak and Jordan Rhodes in this one.

We also have wins in successful seasons in the glorious twenties to report on. In 1920, just a couple of days after winning away at Hull City, our brave lads travelled to Edgeley Park to play Stockport County in Division Two. This was game 4 of our 14 match unbeaten run and it was 2-1 to Town in this one. Sammy Taylor scored both goals, making it seven goals for him in the week.

And then there was a 2-1 win at Anfield against Liverpool in 1926. The season would end with us winning the title for the third time in a row and this win was the fifth in a series of six wins in a row. William Devlin, the newly signed Cowdenbeath striker, who I mentioned last week when he scored in the 5-0 win at home to Man Utd, scored one of the goals. Clem Stephenson got the other.

[Lord Snooty]

March 21:

Born on this date in Coleshill, Warwickshire in 1957, was Lloyd Maitland. That makes him 65 today. He was a speedy winger and became the first black player to play for Huddersfield Town's first team when he made his debut in 1975 in a home game against Hereford United as a 17 year old. Sadly, the win didn't lift us off the foot of the 3rd Division and we ended the season getting relegated.

Lloyd scored his first goal in another home win just a few weeks later. That was against Southend United and it was a 4-1 win. Young Lloyd has his name registered besides some greats of the game who scored that night in Alan Gowling, Roy Ellam and Rod Belfitt. But, like I said, in the long run, it stood for nowt as we went down in last place.

His only other Town goal came in the next season, an away win at Workington and after 38 appearances for the club, he was transferred to Darlington in 1977. It was there in 1979 though that his career was brought to an end by a team mate's prank that went wrong and he ended up getting both legs broke after being run over by a car.

Before all that though, he was part of the Town's youth team that made it all the way to the FA Youth Cup Final in 1974, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Spurs.

Another player born on this date, much earlier though, was Joe Robson, who was born in Gateshead in 1903. he only played 31 matches for Town between 1930 and 32, but he managed to score 20 goals. A good strike rate by anybody's standards. Eighteen of those goals came in 1930/31 as Town finished 5th in the First Division, including two hat tricks. The first of those was against Blackburn Rovers in a 5-3 defeat at Ewood Park. The second one was a much better day for the bright blue n white. It was the 10-1 win at home to Blackpool, which was then and still is today, the club record league victory.

Before he came to Town, he played for Grimsby Town, scoring 123 goals in 161 games for the Mariners.

A bit later on in that season, we beat Sheffield Utd at Bramall Lane, 2-0 on this date in 1931. Joe didn't play in this one though. The number 9 jersey was worn by Dave Mangnall, who scored both the goals.

Talking of Sheffield Utd, in 1952/53 we finished as runners up to them in the promotion campaign, and on this date in 1953 we beat Southampton 5-0 at Leeds Road. We were in 2nd place already and would stay there right to the end of the season, finishing two points behind the Blades. Goals against the Saints in this match came from Vic Metcalfe (2), Tommy Cavanagh, Jimmy Glazzard and Len Quested.

We had another home win in another promotion campaign on this date in 1970. That was in the 2nd Division against Birmingham City. We were already top of the league and stayed there right to the end of the campaign. Jimmy Lawson scored both of the goals.

I'll finish with a defeat. It was against Fulham at home, so obviously a loss was on the cards. This one was in 2015, Chris Powell was in charge and we absolutely battered them for 88 minutes. We had 68% possession and 31 shots. There was so much happening in this game, have a read of the BBC report.....

Nahki Wells missed two penalties and referee Richard Clark was involved in a second-half red card mix-up as 10-man Fulham beat Huddersfield.

Alex Kacaniklic put the visitors ahead when his corner swung into the net.

Confusion reigned when Fulham's Cauley Woodrow was red-carded for a handball but after protests, Clark changed his mind and sent off Shaun Hutchinson.

Wells missed the resulting spot-kick and then hit the post with his second before Seko Fofana made it 2-0 late on.

It was the second red card controversy of the day after Neil Swarbrick sent off West Brom's Gareth McAuley instead of Craig Dawson in the match at Manchester City.

Swarbrick later apologised for the mistake but, unlike the incident at the John Smith's Stadium, it was not corrected during the game.

Woodrow was accused of the deliberate handball in the area, and the Fulham forward refused to leave the pitch, before eventually being dragged off by his team-mates.

But further protests saw Clark consult the fourth official and he then rescinded the red card, before sending Hutchinson off for the offence.

Wells finally took the penalty - but it was saved - and more drama was to come.

The former Bradford man had the chance to make amends from the spot again, after Sean Scannell was felled in the box by Ashley Richards, but it came off the woodwork.

The Terriers were already behind from a bizarre goal which Kacaniklic scored in the second minute, direct from a corner.

Keeper Alex Smithies and Mark Hudson were defending the near post but both seemed to freeze and it dribbled home.

Town looked likely to grab an equaliser but Ishmael Miller twice hit the post, while Jacob Butterfield struck the bar with a 20-yard effort.

And late in stoppage time, substitute Fofana finished off from a quick break to give Fulham their first away win in eight games, and moved them up to 20th in the table.

Huddersfield are now without a win in six games and slipped to 18th.

Huddersfield manager Chris Powell:

"This game never ceases to amaze me.

"After minute two and before minute 96 it was one-way traffic. We hit the post, hit the bar and missed two penalties. We just couldn't get the ball in the net.

"You cannot start games like we did, giving away cheap goals. It was just one of those days where their keeper made saves or managed to get something on it."

Fulham boss Kit Symons:

"It was probably the most bizarre game I have ever been involved in.

"We scored at the beginning and at the end and in between Huddersfield were by far the better side.

"Marcus Bettinelli made some great saves and we had some good defending and some poor defending. We had a man sent off - the wrong one to start with - and the six minutes at the end felt like an eternity."

I think this was when Fulham became our bogey team.

[theo_luddite]

Makes you wonder how we win penalty shoot-outs when we barely find the net with a penalty in normal time.

[Lord Snooty]

I've often wondered that mi sen.

[Lord Snooty]

March 22:

Possibly the most flamboyant player ever to turn out in the bright blue n white stripes of Huddersfield Town, Frank Worthington, died twelve months ago today in 2021. He was 72 and had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Frank first came to Town as a junior in 1966 and became my favourite player when I attended my first game a year later when he scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win over QPR.

He was leading scorer in the 1969/70 promotion campaign with 18 goals and then in the next season with 9. But the next one, the relegation season, he only scored five times as his ambition to move to a bigger club took his eye off the ball. He was linked with Liverpool, but ended up at Leicester, finishing his Town career with 48 goals and is now in 26th position in our all time goal scorers chart, level with a couple of players who came after him, Duncan Shearer and David Cowling.

His career took off in the First Division with Leicester and he played for England gaining 8 caps and scoring twice, but he never really hit the heights that his talent should've and after Leicester, he teamed up again with his old Town manager Ian Greaves at Bolton, where he scored this wonder goal against Ipswich.

He had a spell over in America with Philadelphia Fury before coming back to play for Birmingham City. But then his career hit the buffers when he signed for a really poor Leeds Urinals team and was part of their line up that lost a famous League Cup defeat at the hands of 3rd Division Huddersfield Town in 1982.

He had a long and varied career and was still playing at 44 when he was manager of his home town club, Halifax Town. He told his tales on the after dinner speaking circuit, where his most famous quote came, which was often attributed to George Best.

All the money's gone. I've spent about 90% on wine, women and song. The rest I just frittered away.

Or words similar to that. But it was true. The money had gone and he spent his final days next door to an acquaintance of ours in a small terraced house in Outlane.

On this date in 1930, Town played Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup semi finals. The game was played at Old Trafford and after scoring in every round, Alex Jackson scored again to keep the record going. He had scored a hat trick against Bury, two against Sheffield United and one each against Bradford City and Aston Villa. This time he scored both goals in a 2-1 win over the T'Owels as Town reached the FA Cup Final for the fourth time and the second visit to Wembley Stadium.

The crowd at Old Trafford for this one was 69,292 and we would play Arsenal in the Final after they drew 2-2 on this day, but won the replay against Hull City.

That would be Town's second trip to Wembley. The third was in 1938 for the Final against Preston. On this date in 1994, we had the chance to make it a fourth trip there as we travelled up to Brunton Park for the second leg of the Autoglass Trophy Northern Area Final.

We had won 4-1 in the first leg a fortnight earlier and a crowd of 8,330 turned up to see this one, the Carlisle fans more in hope than expectation. But that hope was high when they went 2-0 up in the first half. What on earth did manager Neil Warnock say to the Town players at half time? The paint on the walls must've been blistering from the heat of his wrath.

Our brave lads did manage it though, playing out an estimated ten minutes of injury time, in a time before the fourth official would hold up a board telling us how long left. I didn't go, but listened on the radio and it seemed like they were playing an extra half hour.

So the game finished 2-0 but the Terriers won it 4-3 on aggregate and so after 56 years, Huddersfield Town would once more walk down Wembley Way. The opponents will be Swansea City, who had a similar Area Final. They beat Wycombe Wanderers 3-1 at home but then had to hold on to the aggregate lead as they lost the 2nd leg 1-0.

That Final will be played on the 24th of April.

[HerefordBull]

I see that "quote" is still on the George Best wiki page............didn't know it was big Frank who coined it, however it was certainly true and apt for both of them although I suspect George left more on his passing. Bests career ended up in a similar vain playing here there and everywhere ( America, Hong Kong, Australia) including a spell at Easter Road with Hibernian in perhaps one of the most bizarre deals in the clubs history!

Saw big Frank play a few times for Birmingham City and certainly liked him as a player.........except when Blues were playing Villa.

[Lord Snooty]

Missed one! Graham Bailey, our oldest living player is 102 today.

Happy birthday, young Graham.

[Lord Snooty]

Missed one! Graham Bailey, our oldest living player is 102 today.

Happy birthday, young Graham.

He officially played 36 games for Town, but he did play for three wartime seasons and the Football League North season immediately after the war, so many more than the official 36.

So his official debut was in the FA Cup match against Sheffield United, for whom he played 20 games after leaving Town in 1947.

Here's an interview with him from last year on the HTAFC Heritage website. https://htafc-heritage.com/posts/15/an-i...S3NiqkrHL4