The 1969/1970 season

Coming from our feature writer.

AND so to that season 1969-1970 ... the final part!

Read on for the final part of this special look back at the 1969/1970 season.

To Town fans everywhere but especially those who followed their club up to Middlesborough that Easter Tuesday night, the 31st March 1970 will forever be a magical and historic night.

For Huddersfield Town Football Club reclaimed their rightful place back in the hierarchy of English Football, the First Division (top flight). Not since 1955-56 had the club been in such elevated company.

It was a triumph for a quite brilliant young squad, highly talented with a sprinkling of talent that would rightly gain International recognition. It was possibly one of the ‘journeymen’ of the side who claimed top billing, a local lad born just up the hill from the Town ground that scored the goal to get Town the one precious point needed for promotion.

Steve Smith has since gone on to do it all for Town but never has a deed been more historic than his goal that night. That the game finished 1-1 each seemed not quite to matter for we had got what we came for and the travelling fans turned the North East into a second Leeds Road. That we sang and danced and cheered and went totally and utterly bonkers is well chronicled, Huddersfield partied like never before.

Certainly not in mine or many others time.

The rail journey home was one long party of celebration, noise and absolute elation. That everybody who got off the train seemed to cadge a lift home in my car kindly brought to Mirfield Railway Station those early hours of Wednesday 1st April by my father may lead my memory to believe it was just a joke.

I kid you not; my Ford Anglia resembled a mini coach as we travelled Gomersal bound. Although I wasn’t to realise it at the time among my fellow rail passengers were my future in-laws!

Promotion secured with 56 points (2 points for a victory) only second placed Blackpool could pip us for the title as they could still reach 57 points having two games in hand. One point would probably see us crowned given our goal average of 1.75 to Blackpool's 1.35 but this was the Ian Greaves era of positive thinking and nothing but a win was ever considered when Town were playing.

The penultimate game of the season took us over the Pennines to Blackburn Rovers, the only team to triumph at Leeds Road yet revenge was never ever a factor. The Championship of the Second Division of the Football League was at stake.

Again the blue and white stripes made visiting territory seem like a home game and two Frank Worthington goals with no reply from the home side who really only made up the numbers in what was yet another excellent display on opposition soil and a 10th victory at that!

Town were Champions.

Blackpool by way of a win, two draws, one against Swindon being so vital to their promotion hopes, and a final match defeat at Oxford – where it had all started for us - in their last four games clinched the runner-up spot to Town just 2 points clear of Leicester City.

Town back in the elite as Champions and still more to come, what heady days for us Town fans. The final game of the season on Tuesday 14th March would bring a Watford side still fighting for their 2nd Division status (they did stay up, but only just. PNE & Villa were relegated) to Leeds Road.

What a night, over 27,000 came to party, (there were a few from Vicarage Road) and hail their conquering heroes and the team yet again rose to the occasion. There may have been a carnival atmosphere before the game as I went onto the Leeds Road park with Jimmy Nicholson, Town Chairman Frank Drabble and Longfellow/Alan Driscoll of the Examiner along with Mrs Fisher and Skippy the Town Terrier (Town had just adopted "The Terriers" as a nickname at the start of this season).

We were there to crown the Town Captain Player of the Year. The Skipper and his team them gave us evidence of their prowess for next season with a scintillating 3-1 victory.

Then it was on to the after match party, that I have no idea how or when I returned home those eight miles to Gomersal. Is not down to any over indulgence on my part, perhaps that wonderful father of mine, Kenneth - like with the ‘Boro trip - came and again played taxi for me?

The top of Division 2 looked like this in March 1970, and still does, incidentally:-

Huddersfield Town P42 W24 D12 L6 Gls F 68 A37 Pts 60 G Avg 1.8378

Home record W14 D6 L1 F 36 A10 34

Away record W10 D6 L5 F 32 A27 26

Remember the pre-season talk given to his squad by the Manager, "playing away is little different than Leeds Road", those ten wins show how they listened, believed and responded.

Mr Greaves wanted more goals and a young striker promised him 20 if he gave him a chance. Frank Worthington played in all 42 games and scored 18 League goals with 20 in all matches. The Boss and player as one.

Seven (7) players were ever-present. Goal-keeper Terry Poole, Full backs Denis Clarke and Geoff Hutt (that favourite of my Mum), No 4; right half, Northern Ireland International, skipper of the side and Town player of the Year Jimmy Nicholson,

Centre half Roy ‘kipper feet’ Ellam, Centre Forward Frankie Worthington and finally No 10 Scotsman Jimmy ‘Chopper’ McGill. Other regulars were Trevor Cherry, Jimmy Lawson, Colin Dobson, Bobby Hoy and that goal man Steve Smith.

Some stats: - we lost fewer games than any other side in the division, and 2 fewer than any side on their travels.

We scored more goals in away matches than any visiting side.

Other than Cardiff, who equalled our figure no one conceded fewer on their travels.

Only runners-up Blackpool equalled our away win tally.

Our goal average was only beaten by Sheffield United’s 1.9210 who eventually finished in 6^th place.

The average attendance at Leeds Road was 17,524 over 7,000 up on the previous season and % wise was the biggest increase, by far, of any other club in the Division.

So there we have it Town fans the end of a glorious season one I and many others will never, ever forget. We were fortunate to be there when our club regained their First Division status, with style, panache and sheer quality both on and off the field.

Hopefully history provides the credit due to Manager Ian Greaves that at the time was not truly recognised, certainly by me, for just what did go into the mental side of his preparation, the positive thinking, the problems of the away form and scoring goals. He came up with the goods along with Henry Cockburn and his staff.

An even greater challenge was now awaiting the Boss and his team but that’s for another time lets just enjoy the moment, the coronation of Huddersfield Town AFC

Champions of the Football League Division Two, 1969-1970.

Also promoted were Blackpool with Aston Villa and Preston North End relegated.

Could it be that it was this season when Town fans adopted Welsh singer Mary Hopkins "Those Were The Days" song as a popular anthem still sang today? The words rang true for the 1969/1970 season:

"Those were the days my friend we thought they never end, we won the league three times in a row, we won the FA Cup and now we're going up… we are the Town oh yes we are the Town" … certainly would have rung long and loud through the backs of the Popular Side (East Terrace) into the Cowshed and beyond!

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