In this instalment Town welcome their new manager to Leeds Road

Coming from our feature writer David A Wood

The Greaves formation.

No arrival fanfare for the new Manager that summer of 1968, well he was there already as Coach to the now former Boss Tom Johnston. But that is where any comparisons would end. The out going Scot was a wily old experienced campaigner, set very much in his ways which perhaps went against him at that final Board meeting.

Ian D. Greaves was very much the new kid on the block. That he was young with no managerial experience counted nothing in his own mind. What did, was his belief in himself, his own ability, and his hunger for the responsibility and challenge, enabling him to carry out the managers job his way. He was very much a man with his mission, a man in a hurry.

Statistics show that Town finished 6th from the top, with a first victory coming some five games into the campaign at Leeds Road against the eventual Champions Derby County 2-0. A win on our travels took until the end of October with a 3-2 success over Bolton. This coming in a ten game run which brought 8 victories and was to prove the basis for a season of promise but never really promotion potential. That only nine other victories were recorded in the 1968-69 season testifies to that.

Looking back the final thirteen fixtures had much more of a bearing on our season. Six wins, though three of those came in successive matches to take us into the close season, just two defeats with six clean sheets and just 6 goals conceded.

Cup magic eluded Mr Greaves in his first foray into the knockout competitions.

Semi-finalists last season falling at the first hurdle this - Though Manchester City did need a home replay to knock us out. We did a little better in the F.A. Cup. Defeat at home 0-2 to West Ham after beating the Shakers at Bury 2-1.

A 0-0 score line occurred some eight times in the season, equally divided between home and away fixtures and Huddersfield Town Nil appeared some further eight times in our results. Within these latter eight were 5 single goal defeats.

The entire fixture list shows just 53 goals from the 42 matches, with a meagre 16 on our travels these visits providing just 4 wins. Half of those came in 3 matches thus 8 only from the remaining 18 journeys.

Those statistics, I believe, would be the benchmark on which Town's new manager would frame his plans for the future.

Four victories on their travels were totally unacceptable to the manager as was the goals for column, particularly on visiting turf.

All top managers say you begin with the defence and if that is so Mr Greaves and his right-hand man Henry Cockburn certainly got that right by April with a little over a goal a game conceded. Visitors to Leeds Road finding things mightily tough, breaching the back line on only 14 occasions.

Within there my friends you have the two main factors to emerge in the opening season of Ian Greaves's managerial reign at Town, in my humble opinion!

Too few goals scored especially on our travels. Resulting as you might expect in too few victories on opposition soil.

After a more than reasonable start to his managerial career could IDG solve these problems and take Town onto glory.

We hope you have enjoyed our "Those Were The Days" articles, and find them an interesting look at some special memories of Town through the years. Memories that will not, and can not be forgotten - and memories only our beloved Town could have created