[Lord Snooty]

I remember that Walsall game. A belter.

[Lord Snooty]

April 14:

It's a happy birthday today, a 30th birthday, to our former captain, Tommy Smith, now of course playing at Stoke City. He was born in Warrington in 1992 and played junior football for Tranmere and then Man City before joining us in 2012.

He captained the side at Wembley in 2017 in the Play Off Final with Reading, but had gone off injured before the penalty shoot out. He did however, manage to hobble his way up all of them steps to lift the trophy alongside club captain Mark Hudson. Tommy took over the club captaincy in the Prima Donna League when Huddy retired.

Now just a few weeks before "oh what a night, late in May in 2017", Town played Preston North End at the JSS on this date, which was Good Friday, and Tommy's 25th birthday.

PNE scored first, but Elias Kachunga equalised just before half time. Tommy then got an assist, crossing for the smallest lad on the pitch, wee Jack Payne to head Town into the lead. Yond prick Jordan Hugill went and levelled it up though, before he became involved in the match's defining moment.

Well into injury time, he punched Kachunga in the penalty area. The ref missed it. Half the crowd hadn't seen it either. I saw it and thankfully, so did the Russian linesman. Penalty to the Terriers.

Up stepped Aaron Mooy. It was now six minutes into added on time. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife as he approached the ball. There were groans of despair as Chris Maxwell saved his shot. But then what followed can only be described as absolute scenes, as the crowd went wild with delight when Collin Quaner got to the rebound and slammed it home.

Cor blimey!

And that's not all. Twelve months later. More scenes. It was this date in 2018, we were now in the Premier League and Watford were the visitors. Tommy's 26th birthday and he spent it sat on the subs bench for this one with Flo Hadergjonaj playing right back that day. It was a pretty nondescript game, but in added time again, Town won it. The boy called Zanka had a great little assist as he found Tom Ince to fire the ball into the net. Did he fire it or tap it? I can't quite remember now.

Anyway. Absolute limbs!

It was an important three points as well. Moved us up to 14th and with Everton, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal left to play, we won't get owt from any of those.

Now going back a few more years and Watford are the opponents again. This time in another celebration. It was a Tuesday night in 1970, but it was the final match of the season. A glorious season when Huddersfield Town won the Second Division championship. And on this date, at this match against the Hornets at Leeds Road, we lifted the trophy.

Me and my dad went. I was still no'but a nipper. Nine years old and only in my second season and we'd won a trophy already. Town won 3-1 on the night. Jimmy Lawson got one of the goals. Our new Welsh international winger, Dick Krzywicki got two. He had another big game lined up for Saturday, playing for his country against England at Ninian Park.

And talking of Ninian Park, we'll finish with a goal less draw. Why? Well this was 1924 and the significance of the result wouldn't be so obvious yet, but by the end of the season, Town and Cardiff would be level on points at the top of the League, but it would be Town crowned champions on goal average. More of that later.......

[HerefordBull]

Always quite liked Tom Ince as a player but never of course reached the playing heights of his dad.

[theo_luddite]

Here you go Snoots.

[Lord Snooty]

Smashed it. 

---

Always quite liked Tom Ince as a player but never of course reached the playing heights of his dad.

Another one who's scored more against us than for us. 

[Lord Snooty]

April 15:

We'll start with a death notice today. It was on this day in Doncaster in 1952, that former Town manager Jack Chaplin died, aged 69. He was born in Dundee and was the first Scot to manage Town. He played for Dundee in two spells, between playing in the Southern League for Tottenham Hotspur, where he was a team mate of Herbert Chapman.

He later became assistant to Chapman at Leeds City and after Herbert's appointment at Leeds Road, became trainer for the bright blue n whites. He was eventually elevated, reluctantly apparently, to manager of Huddersfield Town in 1926 after Cecil Potter resigned following the third successive league title.

He had three seasons in charge. Poor lad must've felt like a failure after what had gone before, but finishing twice as runners up in the First Division, finishing as runners up in the 1928 FA Cup Final and then reaching the semi finals in the next season as well, would be a bloody good CV for any football manager and his win percentage of 43.97% has only been bettered since by Lee Clark.

He resigned his post in 1929 and reverted back to his role as trainer. He stayed with the club until the war started. His manager's job went to Clem Stephenson.

Talking of Clem, he was manager in 1929/30, which was the last time we did the double over Leeds Urinals before we completed another one in 2008/09. The year before that, on this date in 2008, we had our first victory over the twats for 22 years when we beat them at the Galpharm Stadium in League One. That was a 1-0 win with the goal coming with quarter of an hour left, from Andy Holdsworth.

That was a really long 15 minutes! But what a great win it was. Gerry Murphy was in charge that night, following the recent departure of Andy Ritchie, before Ken Davy, in his wisdom, appointed Stan Ternent.

Old Gerry would be back in charge again when we beat them at Bellend Road in the next one, on the way to that double I mentioned.

Another night time game on this date, this time in 1980 at Leeds Road. The opponents were Scunthorpe United and victory would mean that we were all but promoted from the 4th Division, after five years in the basement league. We did win it, 2-0 with two goals from Ian Robins, which left us just about there. Bradford City could still catch us on points, but we were summat like 30 goals better off in the goal difference, so we celebrated.

My dad couldn't go that night, so I went on my own. And for the one and only time in my life, I joined in the pitch invasion. I remember being right close to Mick Buxton. Not sure, but that could be me hiding just behind that copper's shoulder on this iconic photo taken on that great night.

So it's all down to Hereford on Saturday, where a single point will confirm promotion.

I'll close today's thread with a draw in 1922. It was the first of three matches against Preston North End in the month of April. The one on this date, a Saturday, was at Deepdale and was drawn 1-1. Jack Byers scored it. He went on to play for Blackburn Rovers and West Bromwich Albion and this was his only goal of the season.

The next one will be at Leeds Road next Saturday and the third in this series will be played at Stamford Bridge a week after that, the FA Cup Final.

[theo_luddite]

Those were the days my friend, but it looks like Scunny's run in the League is coming to an end.

[Lord Snooty]

Looks that way. And the National League is a really tough one to get back from.

[HerefordBull]

Tough to get into from the other end too.

[Lord Snooty]

April 16:

Four birthdays today to mention. I'll do them in the order they were born in.

First up, it's Tom Wilson. Born on this date in 1896 in Seaham, County Durham, he started out with Sunderland just before the war, then signed for Town in 1919 as a replacement for Tiny Fayers.

By the time he left, he had three League titles, an FA Cup winners medal, three FA Cup runners up medals and a Charity Shield winners medal. In fact it was he who scored the winner in the 1922 Charity Shield victory against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Many of those games he played as club captain, eventually handing the job over to Clem Stephenson. He only had one England cap though, despite all his club trophies. That was in the infamous defeat at Wembley against the Scots when Alex Jackson scored a hat trick.

He was transferred to Blackpool in 1932 when he had lost the centre half's jersey to Alf Young and his final game for Town, a 0-0 draw at home to Everton, was his 500th Town appearance. That puts him in 2nd place in our all time appearances chart, behind Billy Smith.

Here he is leading the side out at Wembley for the 1930 FA Cup Final against Arsenal.

Next up is Mel Machin, who only was with us for a short time in 2003. He was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1945 and so is 77 today. he played for Port Vale, Gillingham, Bournemouth and Norwich, before taking a managerial career with Man City, Barnsley and Bournemouth. He then came out of retirement to be assistant to Mick Wadsworth. Following Wadsworth's sacking, Mel took over for the end of the disastrous 2002/03 season.

He lost his first game in charge, but then looked like he might be able to turn it around by beating Chesterfield and then winning away at Swindon. But it wasn't to be and when we went down, the club went into administration, Mel left and eventually Peter Jackson took over.

Jon Worthington is 39 today, having been born in Dewsbury in 1983 on this date. He first came to the club as a 9 year old, working his way through the ranks all the way to being made club captain in 2004 and now, back as a first team coach.

He was part of the "Young Guns" set up that went on to win promotion under Jacko in 2004. He made a total of 207 (with 30 subs) appearances before Lee Clark let him go in 2009.

And then we have Chris Löwe. Born on this date in 1989 in Plauen, which at the time was still in East Germany. He's 33 today and playing for Dynamo Dresden. He's been here very recently and so we all know all about him, so would just like to say, we couldn't ask for a better penalty taker to get a shoot out under way. Mr Ice Cool.

On the pitch, we beat Millwall 1-0 in 2010 with a goal from Peter Clarke. We would meet them again a month later in the Play Offs..........

In 1989, we beat Bury 6-0 at Gigg Lane. The next season, on this date in 1990, we lost 6-0 against Bury at Gigg Lane.

We've had four trips to Ewood Park to play Blackburn Rovers on this date, with results getting gradually better from a 3-0 defeat in 1932. We had a 2-0 defeat in 2001, a 1-0 loss in 2013 and then finally, in 2016, we beat the buggers 2-0. Nahki Wells scored first, then we got an own goal from Matthew Kilgallon.