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The Marvellous, Magical, Mad Football League Tour

Ben Dirs | 22:23 UK time, Thursday, 29 January 2009

Unfortunately, because of the adverse weather conditions, we have had to postpone our visit to Huddersfield for a couple of weeks. Not sure when we'll be heading up now, but we'll keep you posted...

This may have been the week the until 2013, but with last season, we know where most of your hearts lie.

That being the case, maybe it's time to clamber aboard for the Marvellous, Magical, Mad Football League Tour, piloted by me and my old travelling partner Tom Fordyce. Actually, I can't drive, so strictly speaking it will be piloted by Tom, who was also kind enough to drive me round France for the Rugby World Cup back in 2007.

tour.jpg

This time, we're trying out something a bit different and the plan is to produce a short show about a Football League club that you'll be able to watch on the website, kicking off with .

We had to have a starting point, and our first choice was inspired by stories of an old wooden toilet seat which once belonged to the Terriers' late, great boss , and which once resided behind glass at Huddersfield's former Leeds Road ground.

We need other great stories along the lines of Shankly's toilet seat from Terriers fans. Tell us what makes your club special; regale us with tales of former legends who went on to greater things - or forever stayed loyal; stories of great cup nights, giant-killings, improbable escapes or goals that are indelibly stamped on your memory.

Maybe you've got some more quirky stories to tell. Of match-day rituals, mascot misbehaviour, famous fans, the best local boozers or the poshest local pies. Or perhaps you're Huddersfield's ? If you are, then get in touch, attach a photo, and we could well end up having a natter outside the .

The hope is that Huddersfield is only the first leg, which is why we want you to get in touch and tell us why Tom and I should swing by your club in our Marvellous, Magical, Mad Football Tour bus at some point down the line.

If you think you're Huddersfield's most obsessive fan, send your contact details and attached photo to: benjamin.dirs@bbc.co.uk

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Will you be visiting other grounds throughout the season then?

    I would suggest you place Ninian Park on your list, as it is our last season at this old school ground fit with terracing.

    What ya thinking?

  • Comment number 2.

    Pay attention to Coronation Street - Reece Dinsdale is a big HTFC fan and has a Town car sticker on the windscreen of his works van on the programme!! "Marching on Together"!!

  • Comment number 3.

    If you want unforgettable Town goals Ben,

    Look no further than this Tony Carrs effort against Torquay...

  • Comment number 4.

    Grand idea!
    A few years ago me and a mate embarked upon a random trip from Bristol to Huddersfield to see the Terriers take on Luton Town in a rather eventful 1-1 draw at the impressive Galpharm Stadium.

    We weren't holding too many expectations for Huddersfield as a town but our pre-conceptions were soon corrected. A friendly and compact town proved lots of fun for the evening after the game. Lots of fun was had in the Rat and Ratchet, Yates' and some other bar I cant remember the name of. Then there was some rather cheesy but good natured discotheque called Jumpin' Jacks, but disapointingly I've heard a rumour it has since closed down.

    I would recommend to anyone to visit as many 'random' grounds/towns as possible as some very novel times can be had (except Leigh - it's a dive!).

    Enjoy!

  • Comment number 5.

    Floodlights where installed at Leeds Road in 1961. The floodlights were dubbed the "Dennis Law floodlights" with Law's transfer to Manchester City rumoured to have helped pay for them. The first ever 'floodlit' match in Huddersfield was a brilliant 2-1 FA Cup 3rd Round reply victory over high flying Wolverhampton Wanderers. 46,155 turned up on Wednesday January 11, 1961 to see the Terriers beat Wolves in cold and frosty conditions.

    The floodlighting system cost £23,000 to install (installation was by local company John Cooke and Son), and were ready just 3 or 4 hours before the start of the Town v Wolves match.

    It was a proud night for Huddersfield in which then manager Eddie Boot said "I am really proud of my team. They were magnificent". Derek Stokes on three minutes gave Town the lead, but the visitors equalised. The Wolves goal came from Murray via the penalty spot (43 minutes), 8 minutes after Town could have taken a 2-0 lead with Stokes missing a penalty - after Mike O'Grady was pulled down.

    The first floodlit winner came from Mike O'Grady in the 76th minute of the Leeds Road cup-tie, following a period of sustained Wolves pressure.

  • Comment number 6.

  • Comment number 7.

    Grand idea... Though it'll test me to think up some 'Marvellous, Magical, Mad' facts for my beloved Macclesfield Town, if you ever visit.

    The terriers have a lot of history and were the best team in the land at certain points of their history. I keep getting told they walloped Man United at OT once and Liverpool.

  • Comment number 8.

    One assumes you know Huddersfield Town are...

    ...the first team to win the English football league thrice consecutively

    ...the team that Herbert Chapman masterminded before he moved on to Arsenal (hence Arsenal's visit to the Galpharm this summer)

    ...the only team to score 6 goals and still LOSE a football league match (While Bill Shankly was in charge -

    ...the first team to score a Golden Goal -

    There's hundreds of good stories about the club - one about Eddie Boot and the team wearing different boots during a snowy fixture stands out - but I can't GET to Huddersfield easily, so you won't be able to meet me.

  • Comment number 9.

    I'll second the Ninian Park request, as we are the 'second most intimidating ground in Europe, after Galatasaray'!

    If you are looking for a particular game to attend, try the last ever Ninian Park South Wales derby against Swansea on April 4th :)

  • Comment number 10.

    Try again captainsniffer there is no way that Reece Dinsdale would have "marching on together" on his van - it says "all together now".

    One of the most popular Town forums is


    You'll find plenty on there to talk about!

  • Comment number 11.

    Sounds like a fantastic project mate.

    you have to go to Bradley mills working mens club on leeds road for a pre match pint mate.

    get all sorts of weird and wonderful locals in there even a guy who looks like spencer from pheonix nights!!!!

    if you stand out side and look at the reatil park across the road, that is the site of the old leeds road.

    Most of all enjoy your visit to the Galpharm, it is a nice stadium and the meat and potato pies are very good.

  • Comment number 12.

    The Dangle - That's the plan, and you've just put Cardiff near the top of our to-visit list...

    H of H - Jeez, that's some goal. As someone has pointed out on YouTube, "I feel sorry for that net!" That's almost as good as Frank Worthington's famous goal for Bolton... another Terriers old boy.

    rushers82 - Thanks for the tip off, we'll give Leigh a miss (although I hear it's got a fully functioning Brannigans).

    dmonz - Nice one, lovely tale.

    greatgazgreen - May well pop in there... and you're making me very hungry with all this talk of meat and potato pies...


  • Comment number 13.

    This could be quite a cool idea. I would love to see my local and beloved Bristol City in this. Would be nice to get some publicity for the club, as we were so quickly written off last season during our promotion push, got all the way to the play-off finals and still pundits and commentators were speaking about us like the unwanted smelly kid in the class. Not good enough, how on earth did they get here, they wont get any further etc etc. I did find myself shouting some obcenities at particular people on the TV last season, purely for their closed minded points of views on a club that has made such a turnaround under Gary Johnson

  • Comment number 14.

    Nice one Ben, be sure to attend I think you will really enjoy it.

    As Clartmaster suggested, you should probably get tickets to the home game versus Swansea at the beginning of April.

    Not a game for the faint-hearted. A must-see.

  • Comment number 15.

    Another quality goal that has to surely go down as the best team goal scored by the Terriers, is Rob Edwards against Man city live on tv in 1997.

  • Comment number 16.

    There's a great Kiwi comedian who was on 5Live a few months back whos a massive HTFC fan. Would be great to see him on there. His names Al Pitcher

  • Comment number 17.

    1. At 12:58pm on 30 Jan 2009, The Dangle Formerly Known as Sir - (CCFC - Social Events Officer) wrote:

    Will you be visiting other grounds throughout the season then?

    I would suggest you place Ninian Park on your list, as it is our last season at this old school ground fit with terracing.

    What ya thinking?

    Complain about this comment


    -----------------------------------------------

    I think I will complain about this post! Why would anyone want to go to Ninian Park?!

  • Comment number 18.

    My Mother's Grandmother used to run the Huddersfield Town 'Cafe' many years ago and had the job of building-up a very young (and tiny) Denis Law with massive steaks and other gut busting foods. Whatever she fed him obviously worked as he proved himself to be one of the best of his era and I've never seen anyone head a ball as good as he could.

    Anyway, my Mother got on so well with Denis and his family that she was invited to Aberdeen to visit his parents. She actually slept in his bed but unfortunately he wasn't there at the time or this would have been a completely different story if you get my drift!!

  • Comment number 19.

    huddersfield town through and through!

    the greatest goal i have seen is gary taylor fletcher, the 500,000th league goal scored by him at the galpharm

    patrick stewart is a famous blue and white fan.

    selling over 17,000 season tickets this season, more than some premier league clubs.

    the town is known for its castle on top of the hill, (Castle Hill) the grade 1 listed train station and the town has the 3rd most amount of listed buildings in the UK behind london and bath.

    best pints in the town are served at an indepentant bar called zephyr bar on king street.

    any match that is a must see this season is the west yorkshire derby at the galpharm stadium on the valentines day, labelled the 2nd valentines day masacre!

  • Comment number 20.

    1st reason to recall Huddersfield beat my local team Mossley in the FA Cup 1st rnd in about '84.

    2nd I went watching Manchester City scrape a 2-2 draw at Leeds Rd after being 2-0 down and this after we had beaten them 10-1 a few weeks earlier.

    3rd It was the 1st time I had ever bben in an exectutive box at (then) the McAlpine.

    Now I'm at Uni in Huddersfield doing my post-grad, I love the town despite me being a Lancastrian, from the Head of Steam pub on the station to picking new jeans in Bronx.

    Yeah, great town Huddersfield

  • Comment number 21.

    Haven't been to Huddersfiled in donkeys years, but I used to stop there almost every monday night when I was driving long distance. The cinema used to have a cheap night on mondays, remember seeing Highlander there (yes I know its sad going to the pictures on your own) and there was a running shop there where I used to have my trainers re-heeled every 6 weeks!

  • Comment number 22.

    Former Primeminister Harold Wilson was a Huddersfield Town fan. He carried a photo of the Three in a Row team from the 20's in his wallet.

  • Comment number 23.

    Great choice for the first stop on your tour and i'm not just saying that as i'm a town fan but because of the history of the club. THis comes from almost mergin with the then Leeds City in 1914 due to financial problems, the last team to win the FA cup before wembley was used to stage it (obviously before the use of cardiff when old wembley was knocked down), the first team to win 3 league titles in a row and as previously mentioned the only team to score 6 and still lose along with the first team to win through the use of a golden goal!

    Also Huddersfield has had some of the greats play for and manage the club over its history with Chapman, Shankly and the late Ian Greaves all managing the club and players such a Denis Law, Jimmy Glazzard, Billy Smith, Trevor Cherry, Frank Worthington and Andy Booth. Obviously we have had cult figures over the years at town the biggest in my opinion being Iain Dunn now working for york council along with a local legend in Andrew Booth! I would also hope for some mention to the academy over the last few years which has produced a number of first team players as well as one going to play in the prem, Jon Stead.

    The best goals i have seen in my life-time have been
    1- Gary Taylor-Fletcher V Rotherham (500,000th Football league goal)
    2- Gary Taylor-Fletcher V Bristol City
    3- Michael Collins V Chelsea (FA cup)
    4- Gary Taylor-Fletcher V Chelsea (FA cup)
    5- Tony Carss V Torquay
    6- Rob Edwards V Man City

    and to the the most obsessive fan well In my opinion that has to be jimmymac! famous fans include Patrick Stewart, Chris Fountain (who wore his town shirt whilst doing a half time draw at bradford!) and of course the great Harold WIlson.

    Good luck with this project!

  • Comment number 24.

    As somebody mentioned, if you look at the retail park thats where the old Leeds Road Stadium used to be... and in the car park there was a glass-case made for the old centre spot- but as far as I believe it was nicked?!!

    My personal cult hero... Chris Billy and his Wembley winner in the play off final.

    I'm not the bigget town fan, just have a soft spot (soft spot NOT centre spot!) for my local team, but my uncle might just be!! I let him know about this.

    Good banta.

  • Comment number 25.

    While you're visiting the new ground, take a walk down towards the Leeds Rd. If you turn right into the retail park you should be able to find the centre spot of the old Leeds Rd ground indicated by a large metal disc on the ground.

  • Comment number 26.

    Ashton Gate.

    Best Looking girls serving the best cuppa tea in the west... warm welcome to one and all. been here about 90 years but moving in the next 3-5 years so come on down to a west country welcome. there is nothing like it my babbers.

  • Comment number 27.

    Most town fans will remeber the tough little full back we had Tom Cowan, he was very popular with the fans and a great player.
    At the end of every game we won, Home or Away Cowan had a tradition of of gowing over to the town fans and giving them a 'pumping fist' salute which would be greated with a big roar from the town faithfull.
    While at town Cowan suffered a serious injury and was out for an exceptionally long time ( he wrote a book about )
    well when Cowan made his debut back from injury it was a home game and town won, but after the final whistle blew the players started filling off the field, but something was missing, something had not been done.
    The town fans began to boo and hiss and shout, when almost into the tunnel the town players realised what was happening and sent Cowan back onto the field to give his first 'salute' in a long time...the crowd roared.

  • Comment number 28.

    Would love to meet you, but it’s a long way from NZ!
    When I was a kid I was one of the locals that Bill Shankley used to take on a Sunday morning for a kick about. He would bring along theTown kids, including Denis Law and Kevin McHale. Wonderful memory.
    Quirky traits of that time included big red headed centre half JOHN CODDINGTON taking penalties. His run up was at least 20 yards – must have scared the hell out of the goalies.
    Ray Wilson, of the 1966 World Cup winning team was of course a Town player never to be forgotten, as was Bill McGarry, an England player who went on to have a fine managerial career. Goalkeeper Ray Wood was sold by Man U to Town after Munich and had a great second career. Ken Taylor and Chris Balderstone were about the last of the professional footballing cricketers.
    Bob McNab, another England international was captain of Arsenal in their 1971 double winning side and was of course, Huddersfield born and bred.
    Harold Wilson, probably the most famous supporter, was also born and bred in the town.
    Huddersfield fans might feel a bit disgruntled in recent times, but they are luckier than most, having a wonderful history to look back on – and hopefully a successful future to look forward to.
    I look forward to seeing the film.

    Cheers

  • Comment number 29.

    BCChris - Don't worry, we'll treat you like The Kinks' David Watts rather than the unwanted smelly kid in the class.

    robsanjapan - Smashing stuff. My mum once went on a date with Bobby Charlton in Jersey, except her mate was with Bobby. My mum was with full-back Shay Brennan. Still, he won a European Cup.

    frenchtownterrier - Top stuff on the listed buildings... well I never...

    Wash-CARU FC (17) - Thanks mate, although not sure we'll be able to shoe-horn your trainer re-heeling story in...

    havanatopia - Thanks for the invite, sounds promising

    FartownKiwi - great memories from Down Under. And of course you're right, and as Shakespeare might have put it, it's better to have won the odd trophy and then gone downhill than never to have any trophies at all...

    Thanks agains for all your chat, much appreciated.

  • Comment number 30.

    huddersfield town have had some memorable days out i remeber being at wembley when we beat bristol rovers 2 goals to 1 to win promotion in neil warmocks final game in charge in the season sunday 28th may 1995. Goals from the Legend Andy Booth and local born hero Chris Billy sending us up the leagues.

    Also the Division 3 Play-Off final at Cardiffs Millennium Stadium on the 31st May 2004 when we won promotion against Mansfield Town on penalties with the final penalty being scored by local cardiff Hero Lee Fowler.

  • Comment number 31.

    A fan for over 45 years I now follows the Town from the other side of the Atlantic. Lots of great stories from following the Town up and down the country for 25 years. @0 years or so ago we drew Luton Town away in the F.A. Cup and the Town supporters we penned into a small section behind the goal. Things started to heat up both on the pitch and in the crowd and suddenly coins started to rain down on the Town fans being thrown from the Luton supportors to the side of us.

  • Comment number 32.

    A fan for over 45 years I now follows the Town from the other side of the Atlantic. Lots of great stories from following the Town up and down the country for 25 years. @0 years or so ago we drew Luton Town away in the F.A. Cup and the Town supporters we penned into a small section behind the goal. Things started to heat up both on the pitch and in the crowd and suddenly coins started to rain down on the Town fans being thrown from the Luton supportors to the side of us.
    My mate got hit on the arm by a coin and when he picked it up found it was some sort of foreign currency. I was standing about 5 yards away and he decide to throw it to me to look at. However John was never able to throw staright and his attempt hit a policeman 15 yards away. This resulted in John being hauled off, spending the night behind bars and me sleeping in the car outside the police station. Town lost.
    Also must metion Ian Greaves passing recently. He built and managed the Town I grew up with and produced some excellent players; Frank Worthington and Trevor Cherry to name just a couple. A sad day when Ian passed.



  • Comment number 33.

    I wont be meeting anyone with a name like Benders - Ben Dirs xD.

  • Comment number 34.

    Theymounty

    I remember that game. I think that the trouble on the pitch resulted in Brian Laws being sent off.

    It was probably his last game for Town before he went to Middlesbrough. His performances there and at Forest often made me wish we had been able to hang on to him. The best Town player I've seen in the No 2 shirt in my 25 years of watching.

    We could have done with his managerial skills as well once or twice over the last few years - hopefully the current management team will put an end to that wish.

  • Comment number 35.

    First game was 66/67 season and we lost two-nil to Northampton I think. Best memories; winning the 2nd Division back in 69/70, winning three-one at Hereford to get promotion, then beating Hartlepool two-one in the last game of the season - Champions and 101 goals - the Cowshed went wild. Favourite players - Fred Robinson, Frank Worthington and a special mention to big Sam Allardyce. Looking forward to the double over Leeds!

  • Comment number 36.

    Huddersfield Town is a great start; Huddersfield is the largest town in Europe (pop approx 150,000) and has a proud history. I moved to the area in the early 90's and my first ever live football match was Town v.Swindon in the mid 1990's. The stadium is a great reflection on the size of the town and its history. The locals are great; honest, down to earth and the salt of the earth. Having lived in a number of ostensibly more salubrious places I am delighted to have come here. Come on Town!

  • Comment number 37.

    - Ray Wilson, the England full-back who won the 66 World Cup with England, was a Huddersfield lad, and played for Town before going off to play for Everton. Last I heard he was an undertaker back in Huddersfield.
    - The 1938 FA Cup Final between Huddersfield and Preston was the first broadcast by ´óÏó´«Ã½ television. I'm sure I read something about the Preston keeper moving shamefully early to save a penalty in this game, which prompted the FA to change the rules so the keeper couldn't move till the kick was taken.
    - The 29/30 final was between Huddersfield and Arsenal, Herbert Chapman's former team vs his current one. As a mark of respect to Huddersfield, he had both clubs come out side-by-side, which became the way teams enter the pitch at all big games.

  • Comment number 38.

    Trevor Cherry anyone?

  • Comment number 39.

    Town got promoted back to Div 1 in 1953. But the team that won promotion fielded exactly the same set of 6 defenders in every one of the 42 matches...is this is a record?

    I travelled from Prague for the first match after bankruptcy when Peter Jackson started his job with only a handful (6 or 7) players. Got talking to a couple at the Rope Walk pub. They were so moved that someone had gone to so much trouble the guy gave me his Town shirt. I took it on holiday to Sri Lanka and met a local lad, a tuk tuk driver, who knew all about Town...so I passed it on. Then came the Tsunami

    Has any team ever scored 6 and lost in a league match? Charlton 7-6 winners were 5-1 down to us.

    Town have had the same PA announcer for over 25 years now. Well done Robert. and his dad (now 88) has been a stadium guide ever since the old Leeds Road days...and if you want a character, meet him and try and get a word in edgeways.

    Best match? Town v Wolves under lights way back when.

    Its a family club. When Robert's mother died in December they sent dad a beautiful bouquet/wreath

  • Comment number 40.

    The first game I ever paid to see was when I was 13 years old and it was the last game at the Leeds Road Ground. We beat Blackpool 2-1 and there was a pitch invasion at the end of the game. I remember running onto the pitch with my mates and joining in ripping up bits of Turf to keep as memento's. They didn't last long though without water.
    I say first game that I paid to see because previously to that game we used to stand on top of Kilner bank and watch the game, well half of it anyway.

    Loads of good info on the old Leeds Road ground here - especially about the Cowshed and Denis law's Floodlights.


    P.S. Terry the Terrier is a Legend.

  • Comment number 41.

    There used to be a 'Golden Goal 'competition in the 60's/70's and me and my school mate Alan Walker had the job of carrying a black board around the side of the pitch when ever their was a goal scored.For this we got free entry into games,pelted with coins by the away fans and access to where the players played snooker before the game.Never forgot Frankie Worthington coming in one day with this patch work quilt jacket on looked like Joseph and the amazing technicolor dream coat!That was a great day at Hereford when we won 3-1...Never forget the look on that policeman's face when he grabbed a town fan by the hair and was left holding a wig!!! The noise in the train station tunnel ,when we had just won promotion at Middlesbrough..Memories!

  • Comment number 42.

    Town are top in the hierarchy of the Aristocracy of the Football League.

    Only four teams have ever won the League three times in a row, and Town did it first - (admittedly) in the 1920's. Arsenal did it in the '30's, Liverpool in the '70's and Manchetser United in the '90's.

    I am the co-ordinator (self-appointed) of the Town Supporters of NSW, Australia, based in Sydney. We are an active and patriotic group.

    Australians often ask me why I support Huddersfield Town, and get very confused when I explain we are currently in League 1, which is in fact Division 3.

    I always talk of the time when we were the first 'Thrice Champions', and try to position this by explaining quite correctly that we were the Man Utd of the 1920's.

    I was recently corrected by a lifelong Town fan - correctly " Man U are the Huddersfield Town of the present day'.

    Stuart Sykes

  • Comment number 43.

    I suggest everyone has a good look at

  • Comment number 44.

    intimidation at ninian park up there with galatasaray?both teams fans dont travel to well...attacking families and kids going to watch england...so impressive...where were they at roker park....then banned england fans going to watch the game over there.. fanatical at home....gone awol for away game

  • Comment number 45.

    reece dinsdale is a town fan....but maybe a bigger beatles fan

  • Comment number 46.

    just commenting on a few things....the plaque that was stolen from the centre spot of the old ground got returned i think. yes i was at that luton game 1985 i think, terrible view,freezing cold,pelted by coins, we lost.. then on the `special` train...all the way home there was no heating on the train at all...frozen for 2 hours.probably my worst away day ever....a few of the best... bury 4 town 4...coming from 4-0 down...we got a point but it was like winning the FA cup. blackburn were top of the premier league when we drew them in the cup...within a few minutes town went 2-0 down.... with 10 minutes to go town were 2-3 up.... amazing memories

  • Comment number 47.

    Can't wait to see the documentary. I have lots of fantastic memories of going down to watch the town in the cowshed.
    I have been living in Sydney for the past 12 years, so haven't been to game in all that time, but still an avid Town fan. I have got that car sticker in my car(all together now) over here and my 2 young kids love wearing the blue and white stripes.
    I started watching them with my dad and brother in the early 1980's every week and later going down with my mates, especially to watch Boothy who I played in the same team with as a junior and watched him become Town's major striker, yes we won alot of trophys in them days thanks to his goals too. I was very sad to see the old ground go, but the new one made up for it big time. My favorite times where when we were in the play offs to get to Wembley. It seemed always to be on a hot summers evening and everyone went wild after a few thirst quenching pints, no come to think of it it was wild every week in the cowshed especially as it was all standing. I remember on the terrace all the stomping and singing and ending up 20 rows further down after we scored. It was great. One of my favorite players was Phil Starbuck, but there were so many, Tom Cowan, Chris Marsden, Colin Russell and who can ever forget Iffey Onoura.
    Are memories, let me know when it will be aired as I may not get to see it over here.
    Cheers Andy

  • Comment number 48.

    On the subject of toilet seats, what happens to all those, used and unused, after she has been on walkabout (or Rolls about) ?

    Do they remain at the venues in which they were installed and left for posterity ?

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