[theo_luddite]

I'd say The Great Western and The Lych Gates would be more in your usual line of sights to see Wakey.

[Lord Snooty]

June 15:

On this date in 2018, Huddersfield Town were represented at a World Cup for the first time since 1962. This was when our new signing, Ramadan Sobhi, who hadn't yet played a game for the club, came on as a sub for Egypt against Uruguay in a Group A match, played at the Yekaterinburg Arena.

He had earlier left the Egyptians training camp to go and take a medical ahead of his transfer from recently relegated Stoke City and then signed on for Premier League Town. He was still only 21 years old at the time and to say his time at the John Smith's would be underwhelming, would be an understatement.

However, a Town player he was and became the first Town player to represent Huddersfield Town since Ray Wilson did  for England against Brazil in the 1962 quarter finals. He came on in the 82nd minute to replace Amr Warda, with the score still 0-0. Within five minutes of his appearance from the touchline, Uruguay scored and won the game 1-0.

Goalkeeper Bob Hesford died on this date in 1982, aged 66. He was at the club for 17 years, between 1933 and 1950. His prime years, like so many other players, were stolen by the war and so he only turned out 220 times for the club in all that time. One of those games was the 1938 FA Cup Final against Preston, when he was beaten in the last minute of extra time by a penalty.

Bob had three sons who became professional sportsmen. One was a goalkeeper, mainly for Blackpool. One was a Rugby Union player, who played a couple of times for England. And one was a Rugby League player, mainly for Warrington, but also Fartown.

On this date in 1988, Huddersfield Ladies FC were founded. And just like the Huddersfield Town men's team did 80 years earlier, they joined the North-Eastern League. They won the 2nd Division in that first season and were promoted.

They have now become Huddersfield Town Women, after merging into the main Huddersfield Town club in 1993, but many years earlier there was another Huddersfield Ladies team, known as Huddersfield Atalanta. They played a match at Leeds Road in 1921 against Bath, that attracted a 15,000 crowd. Later that year, they played a match at Hillsborough against the Dick Kerr Ladies FC, including the famous Lily Parr, that saw 25,000 spectators turn up.

The Ladies football scene was getting very popular. Originally set up to play charity matches, with the proceeds going to help servicemen injured in the Great War, some at the FA were getting worried about the popularity of feminine footy. So they banned it!

Well, they banned women from playing on Football League grounds, which effected to the same thing. Atalanta's chairwoman, Constance Waller, was one of the vocal opponents of the ban, but it went on anyway.

The ban was such a ridiculous and unjust thing to do, that it only lasted for the next 50 years.

And so by the time the ban was lifted, Huddersfield Atalanta, Dick Kerr Ladies et al, had all long been disbanded. But by the time Huddersfield Town Ladies were founded, there were some forms of organisation in place. Nowt like they've got today and it really has come on a long way, even since HTLFC came on the scene.

In 2020, Huddersfield Town Women played their first match at the John Smith's Stadium, with 1,115 people coming down to watch an FA Cup match with Ipswich Town Women.

[WakeyTerrier]

I'd say The Great Western and The Lych Gates would be more in your usual line of sights to see Wakey.

We went to the BlueBrick Tavern as it was at the side of the Premier Inn that we were staying at. About 5 England fans and 500 Hungarians, Turns out it was the Hungary ticket collection point. Spoke to a chap and his lad who follow Hungary everywhere, really nice people. Some big nasty looking lads amongst them though but thankfully no trouble.

Found the Great Western afterwards, decent boozer with loads of space.

[theo_luddite]

It's not the longest walk from The Bluebrick as you'll have found Wakey.

It would have been packed with Wolves/England fans before the game. You used to be able to access it from a tunnel under the railway station but as they've rebuilt the station that's now gone. Fairly easy though if you come by train. Leave the station by the new front doors and keep turning left.

[WakeyTerrier]

It's not the longest walk from The Bluebrick as you'll have found Wakey.

It would have been packed with Wolves/England fans before the game. You used to be able to access it from a tunnel under the railway station but as they've rebuilt the station that's now gone. Fairly easy though if you come by train. Leave the station by the new front doors and keep turning left.

Aye we worked that out when leaving, looks like they are putting a tram system into to Town from the station going by the work outside the station.

[theo_luddite]

Aye, supposed to have been done for the Commonwealth Games, it might be finished by the next one. Millions spent on a couple of hundred yards extension from a terminus point where they originally installed 2 platforms, but only ever used one. They've also spent 100's of 1,000's removing the unused one and its tracks.
When finished, you'll then have to beware of the trams if you fancy a pint in or stagger back from The Great Western. That is, if they ever run. Our wonderful Mayor also spent untold millions on new trams, which haven't run for at least 3 months until this week because they're full of cracks in all those important safety places. You couldn't make it up.

[Lord Snooty]

June 16:

On this date in 2018, three players from Premier League club Huddersfield Town were involved in the World Cup in Russia.

First up was Aaron Mooy, who played the whole game for Australia against France at the Kazan Arena. After a goal less first half, Antoine Griezmann scored for the French just after half time. Aston Villa's Mile Jedinak equalised, only for Paul Pogba to give France the victory late on.

That was in the afternoon. Later on that evening, in the same group, we had two players in the Denmark squad for their match with Peru. Neither Mathias Jorgensen or Jonas Lossl were in the starting line up, but the boy known as Zanka did get on as a second half sub.

The Danes won the game 1-0.

Back in 1954, Town had another representation at the World Cup in Switzerland, but not on the playing side. That was because our manager, Andy Beattie had been chosen especially for the job, to become Scotland's first ever team manager.

He had taken Town from a recently relegated club, to a promoted side, to finish 3rd in the First Division at the end of the 53/54 season. And on this date in 1954, his Scotland team were beaten 1-0 by Austria, in Zurich.

But that doesn't give the whole story. FIFA had allowed each country 22 players per squad, which sounds fairly reasonable. However, the SFA had decided just to take a squad of 13, so the dignitaries on the SFA board could take their wives with them instead. The rest of the squad would stay back in Scotland awaiting call up, should they be needed.

Beattie was livid about this and after the match, he walked out in disgust. Without him, they lost the next game 7-0 against Uruguay and went home without a single point.

Stan Ternent was born on this date in Gateshead in 1946 and is 76 today. He only had six months as Town boss and had 18 games in charge. His first job at the club was to release Chris Brandon and Danny Schofield, as well as current Wales boss, Rob Page.

He did bring some good players in, most notably Gary Roberts. Andy Butler and Jim Goodwin were also good acquisitions for the club and would stay here longer than he did.

The trouble with Turnip was that he didn't talk a good game and was brought in by the previous board, while Dean Hoyle was taking over. And it was Dean who got shut of him, bringing in Norwich City's assistant manager, Lee Clark.

It all started well for Stanley though, with a thumping 4-0 League Cup win over Bradford City, but after four league games without a win, Town were bottom of League One. The last straw was probably losing the Johnstone's Paint Trophy match at Darlington, whimpering out of such an important and prestigious competition didn't go down well. That was followed by a 5-3 defeat at Hartlepool and a 4-0 defeat at Peterborough, with Stan complaining that you can't play champagne football on brown ale money.

The minute he was out of the door, things started to improve and we had a famous win at Bellend Road.

So do you think Stan should've had more time, given his excellent record at Bury and Burnley? Or was Deano right to get rid and bring in Clark?

[WakeyTerrier]

6 years ago today i was in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis to watch England 2 v 1 Wales in Lens.
England totally bossed this game


Poor Old Stan, he was right when he said we wanted Champagne football for beer prices but at the same time Dean obviously didn't trust him with his money so he made what ultimately was the right decision and fired him

[Lord Snooty]

I remember that day. I had a job interview for the job I'm doing now. Got home just in time for the match, but there was rumours going around about a stabbing in Birstall.
Switched BBC News on and never saw a minute of the football.
It was Jo Cox.

[Lord Snooty]

June 17:

On this date in 1954, Ron Staniforth became the first player from Huddersfield Town to play at the World Cup. Town, managed by Andy Beattie, had just finished third in the First Division and had two players selected for the World Cup squad. The other player was Bill McGarry, but he hadn't been picked for this match. Substitutes weren't allowed back then, so although he would've been sat there, he wouldn't have come on at any stage.

This World Cup had a peculiar format. Two seeded teams were drawn with two non-seeded teams in each of the four groups of four. Instead of the usual round-robin format the seeded teams only played the non-seeded teams and extra-time was used for group matches ending in a draw.

And so this game against Belgium, with the score at 3-3 after 90 minutes, became the first England international to go to extra time. England, skippered by Billy Wright, went a goal behind after five minutes, but had taken the lead by half time when Newcastle's Ivor Broadis and Bolton's Nat Lofthouse scored.

Broadis got another to put England 3-1 up after 63 minutes, but the Belgians rallied and by the 74th minute they were level. That's how it was at full time, but one minute into extra time, Lofthouse had given the English the lead.

However, Portsmouth's Jimmy Dickinson put the ball into his own net a couple of minutes later, becoming the first England player to score an own goal at a World Cup. Oddly, nobody has done so since.

So both teams took a point each. England's next game, the second and final group game, will be against the Swiss hosts, who beat Italy in their first group game.

Broadis's Newcastle team mate, Len White, is the third highest goal scorer for the Magpies, but he never gained any England caps for some strange reason. Probably because Lofthouse had the centre forwards jersey most of the time and if he wasn't playing, Len's Newcastle team mate Jackie Milburn would have it. And of course, there weren't as many meaningless friendlies back then. 

Anyway, Len left Sid James' Park in 1962 to join Huddersfield Town. He had two full seasons with us and two part seasons, scoring 39 goals.

On this date in 1994, Len died, in Huddersfield, aged 64.