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A taste of summer as the football season ends and Town fans remember the old Leeds Road

By Martin Shaw Editor Huddersfield Hub






Don’t we all feel so much better when the sun shines?


After such a cold and wet spring it’s been great to have some warm sunshine and the chance to get outside without a big coat or waterproofs.


OK, it’s not exactly been wall-to-wall sunshine this week but it’s a huge improvement on what we’ve had so far.


It’s been so wet the Huddersfield Cricket League had to delay its start by a couple of weeks. The first matches went ahead in the Premiership last Saturday but even then three of the games were lost to the soggy conditions.


I even managed to sit in the garden with a lunchtime sandwich this week! Let’s hope summer is here to stay.


While the cricket season is back, the football has finished and it’s been a tough old season for Huddersfield Town fans.


The Terriers have been relegated to League One and that’s not just a blow to the club and its supporters, it’s a blow to the wider town and the local economy.


Football puts Huddersfield on the map and cash in the tills and - just like the sunshine - puts a spring in everyone’s step when it’s all going well.


Huddersfield is a great club with a great history and Town will be back, though patience may be needed in the short term.


Some of you may not know that I covered Town home matches for 25 years, working as a freelance sports reporter for many of the national newspapers.


I first started covering Town in 1995, the first season at what is now called the John Smith’s Stadium.


I never reported on a game from the old Leeds Road ground but I was privileged to attend an event last week which marked the 30th anniversary of the final game at the old stadium.


It was great to hear lots of memories from the panel which included Town legends Andy Booth and Peter Jackson and former chairman Graham Leslie CBE, who was the man with the drive and vision to create the new stadium.


Graham used all his entrepreneurial zeal and passion to give Town and rugby league neighbours Fartown a bright new future.


The event offered some insights into what was happening behind the scenes at Town in the late 80s and early 90s and if you haven’t read my story yet there’s a link towards the bottom of this newsletter.


Graham, incidentally, will be publishing his autobiography in July and I, for one, can’t wait to read it. I’m sure there’ll be a few revelations about the stadium and his time at Town as well as some priceless advice and inspiration from Graham’s business career.


This summer Town owner Kevin Nagle will press the reset button and it’s time for a fresh start.


Hope I haven’t tempted fate by welcoming summer too early. If I have, don’t write to me, blame Paul the Weatherman. Or Michael Fish, perhaps.


Until next time…

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