Town fans had barely got over the festivities before the New Year welcomed FA Cup football to Leeds Road with the visit of Birmingham City. The boys from the Midlands having a record in the Second Division exactly mirroring that of Towns of 15th in League 1 from 23 games played earning them 20 points.

Though their season had thrown up one more win than our five. A crowd of 26286 watched as neither side could gain the initiative in a 1-1 draw. Bobby Hoy scoring what would be his last for the season. Brian Greenhalgh again given the number 8 shirt for an eighth successive match, as yet again Town tried to find that goal scoring formula, though he was left out for the replay.

Indeed the striker signed not from Aston Villa as memory told me, but Leicester City would never find the net for Town in a two year stay that saw him wear the Town colours on just 15 occasions + 2 cup-ties. The visitors goal coming from a twice taken spot kick, Town keeper Poole adjudged to have moved on making a fine save for the first one. Both taken by Phil Summerill who would later in his career come to Town.

So it was the following Tuesday that a very good away support saw Town triumph 2-0 with goals from Greenhalgh's replacement Dick Krzwicki, particularly sweet for the former West Brom man and Worthington. The crowd was just 72 up on that of the previous Saturday but here the story really begins.

20 year old Terry Dolan made his debut for Town in this F A Cup 3rd Round replay from the substitutes bench. Sadly, for stretched off Town number 1 Terry Poole who had his leg broken in a challenge by home centre forward Bob Latchford. I was behind that goal and in no way do I believe the home striker intended any injury to our keeper whatsoever.

But it was an unpleasant and in my opinion unnecessary challenge. Now young Dolan was a talented player who turned out to be one of the most versatile players Town ever had but he was not a goalkeeper. Thus Steve Smith still filling Jimmy Nicks number 4 shirt took over in Goal. After the final whistle he too joined Terry Poole in hospital as he broke a finger whilst playing between the sticks yet somehow he managed to see the game and the City forwards out as Town recorded a superb win.

A win that can be gauged against Birmingham's record after facing us which saw them go on an unbeaten 11 match run, winning 6 on the bounce. Eventually finishing in 9th place in the Second Division.

A fairly respectable placing in the First Division table and now a great win to take us into the 4th Round of the F A Cup. Things were looking bright down Leeds Road way with a long trip to the South Coast to come on Saturday to meet 8th placed Southampton. On the long journey down despite their quite lofty placing we were quietly confident, especially remembering our home midweek match back in August.

The Dell was all that was written about it. The crowd crammed right in, up to the field they could almost take the corner kicks with a seating area that rose so steeply you almost felt you would fall to the floor if you leaned that little bit too far forward. The 19422 crowd seemed more like treble and despite another good performance our inability to find the net meant the one goal the home side scored was all they needed to take both points.

When you looked at how the hosts were doing on home soil 8 wins, 2 draws and just one defeat with 20 goals scored and only 4 conceded we had put up another good show. But to no avail, without goals we were giving ourselves a really hard job to pick up any points. Defensively we were sound and even without broken leg victim Terry Poole. Disruption was kept to an absolute minimum as debutant David Lawson proved a more than able deputy, remaining ever present for the remainder of the season.

But what a huge fortnight we had coming up. Arsenal and then Manchester United to visit Leeds Road, in-between a 4th Round FA Cup tie at the Victoria Ground to face Stoke City. Just over 30,000 welcomed the Londoners to Yorkshire and as Frank Worthington in his book, 'One hump or Two' says, "The highlight had to be our 2-1 win against champions and FA Cup winners Arsenal. The 'Match of the Day' cameras were there to capture me scoring the winner from the penalty spot against Bob Wilson". Les Chapman back in the side at 11, replacing Jimmy Lawson, got the other, his only contribution to the League scoring charts. It was only the Gunners 3rd defeat of the season all on away soil and was their first loss in 18 games in the League.

We were well worth the victory though the Gooners and particularly their keeper Bob Wilson was very upset about the awarding of the penalty. I believe his comment was ball to hand something he will never change his mind about and when challenged will still argue the award as long as this fixture is remembered.

Two points and two goals, nearly two months since that combination had turned up for Town but it took us back up the one place we had dropped following the defeat in Hampshire to 15th with 22 points.

Was it a coincidence that this fine performance had seen skipper Jimmy Nicholson return at number 4 with Steve Smith again occupying the outside right position with Bobby Hoy dropping out. One other notable fact from the Arsenal fixture was the debut at 8 of teenager Brian Mahoney, a native of the same pit village, Tantobie, as the legendary Billy Smith.

Cup fever could certainly be found around Huddersfield as the build up to the 4th round tie really gained momentum on the back of the Arsenal win and how we had showed the watching TV audience what our Terriers were really about. Not that Stoke were short on confidence as it had been them that had inflicted the last league defeat on the Gunners prior to their crash at Leeds Road. The margin of defeat at City, had been 5-0!

Several thousand Town fans travelled down to the Potteries and their journey was well rewarded as they saw their favourites build up a commanding 3-1 lead in front of a very impressive 34,231 attendance. This against a Stoke side whose international goalkeeper Gordon Banks was very much at his prime. Worthington, Chapman again and a first for the youngster Mahoney found the back of England's No 1's net.

Town on top, playing well and cutting through the home defence at will. An incredible attacking display when you consider how hard we had found it to score goals in League football. It seemed all over when another scintillating forward move put Frank clean through and certain to score when for some unknown reason the, a, whistle blew. Frank stopped and urgently the home keeper gathered the ball and after a slight hesitation continued play.

What on earth had we just witnessed why, oh why had big Frank just stopped and then allowed their keeper to pick up the ball. I believe he had heard the same whistle that I thought I had heard. Others say our number 9 on been put clean through thought he was offside and duly stopped. But there was no raising of the Linesman's flag, as he weren't offside! What are you told as a bairn play to the whistle. Well as I say, and thought at the time, Frank had heard the whistle hence stopping.

Another Town goal and surely Stoke were out of the Cup as it was they came back to earn a replay at Huddersfield as the game finished 3-3.

It was a big disappointment only earning a replay for had we not got the game won and done with so the journey back vied between it feeling like a loss and confidence having gained a home replay.

What a night Tuesday 26th January was. Leeds Road seemed to glisten even more than usual with her huge brilliantly lit floodlights reaching out for miles around welcoming all her Town fans to a very special night of Cup football. Over 40,000 packed in, I was very late getting there and found myself at the top of the East Terrace having climbed those many railway sleeper steps trying to get in with less than five minutes to kick off.

By 7.30 I was there or there about in my usual spot but it had taken some getting to. Heather tells me it was one of her first ever visits to the stadium having gone with her father Cedric. Given the pushing and shoving - perhaps that was I - she said 'never again'. Obviously at this time my future wife and I had never met.

A 0-0 draw was not what we had hoped for and so it was we would have to replay again, this time at neutral Old Trafford but before that we had Manchester United to come to Town on my 21st birthday. This time the sadness was immense as our Terriers failed to build on the draw we gained over the Pennines and went down 1-2.

A second successive home match penalty from Worthington gave us our consolation goal. Just as a further goal from Frank would again prove a consolation in our next game as we went down by a similar scoreline at Everton.

With the FA Cup 4th Rd Replay with Stoke City coming on the Monday the Town players and fans had barely time to gather breath. Despite the game been on neutral territory both clubs travelled to Manchester in great numbers drawing a crowd only 698 short of a further 40,000. There was just one goal in it but it went to the men from the Potteries and we returned over the Pennines rather disconsolate. Again firepower had let us down despite Mr Greaves trying various partners for Worthy up front.

The last week in January proved a terrific milestone in Leeds Road attendances with the Cup Replay 40,363 and the First Division fixture four days later drawing 41,464. Magnificent, quite superb figures for Huddersfield Town Football Club if we can but only build on them, who knows what the future might hold.

We followed our League visit to Merseyside with a 1-1 draw at Leeds Road v Newcastle United before a season low of 15,580. So no building there! Cherry with his first of the season, then losing 1-2 at West Bromwich a 9th of the season for leading scorer Worthington. This defeat saw us 17th in the table on 23 points with our hosts one place above but with a three point gap between us. 18th and 19th were Ipswich and Nottingham Forest. Both 2 points behind but having played two games less, 27.

One place about the relegation places were West Ham 28 played with 18points. In the drop zone was Blackpool and Burnley 29 and 28 played both with 14 points. So there was a cushion of some 9 points between 21st and us, which with just under a third of the season to go was a comfortable situation to be in.

At the end of February Stoke returned to Leeds Road, not many of the cup crowd did with an attendance of 15626 only slightly up on the previous lowest for the visit of the Toon. Again we failed to score against our cup foes on home soil losing to a solitary goal. Now we were 18th in the table still 6 points above the drop zone but the gap was narrowing and our next match saw us pitted against 20th placed Forest just 2 points behind us but with 2 games in hand.

Nottingham had put us out of the FL Cup and gained a point in the league at Leeds Road all with out reply from our front line. Greavsie changed things around again with Hoy left out for Lawson to take the 11 shirt, Krzywicki replaced Mahoney though he was to come on as sub in a similar switch and eureka Town hit 3 for the first time in the league, since Burnley away in mid November. Mahoney, good substitution that, Worthy and Jimmy Nick finding the net.

Now this was to be Franks last contribution to the scoring charts which history shows a total of 11, 9 in the league plus 2 cup goals. Somewhere along the season I have credited Frank with 10 league goals, one of which I think belonged to our Northern Ireland international Nicholson.

What a fine result now putting daylight between us and the Forest, who though still with those games in hand were now 4 points behind us with a GA of 0.75 to 0.62 in our favour. Even more important we were eight clear of Burnley in 21st spot and a huge 10 clear of Blackpool at rock bottom. Both played same as us 31games. Just below us was Ipswich Town with two games in hand and two points worse off.

Things suddenly looked so much brighter, a reasonably comfortable league placing, scored a few and next to bottom Burnley the next visitors to Leeds Road as we looked to record our first League Double of our First Division campaign. The crowd was over three thousand up on our last home game. Mr Greaves named an unchanged side from that which finished the last match and Town lost 0-1.

Somehow it says it all about our Town.

Perhaps, just perhaps within this is the reason why the Town fan can take so long to get going in the supporting stakes. When over the years they have been built up to start to hope, believe even and then dumped down. If you don't get your hopes up you can't get too hurt if you have not far to fall.

Ipswich now leapfrogged us into 17th spot level on 25 points but with two games in hand and a 0.21GA difference. Forest one place behind in 19th with 23 points and a game in hand but worse GA, whilst our victorious visitors from Turf Moor now were 6 pts behind on same games played 32.

Coming up was a double header in London with a trip on the Saturday to Chelsea followed by a visit to the Palace on Tuesday.

On Saturday morning the West Londoners were 4th in the table with 42 points, whilst Crystal Palace occupied 15th position and four points to the good of us.

Again Mr Greaves named an unchanged side and an exceptional performance, perhaps deserving after the robbery of two points Chelsea returned from Yorkshire with in November saw Town gain a very creditable 0-0 draw before 28,207 spectators and a good few from the West Riding. Cherry & Ellam were again immense at 5 and 6 with Jim Nicholson well back to his best in an imposing mid field role.

Up front star number 9 Worthington added to his growing reputation whilst our Tantobie youngster improved with every game. Smith and Lawson were effective on the wings providing support and cover for the fullbacks Clarke and Hutt whilst David Lawson made double figures in League appearances and gave the look of a man who had kept goal for ever. Last but not least 'Chopper' McGill. What a bargain buy from nearby Highbury.

It was to get even better come final whistle in Croydon with the Terriers boarding the team coach home, not only with the two points, but three goals scored and none conceded. Jimmy Lawson, Cherry and the youngster up front, Brian Mahoney again on the scoresheet.

Wednesday morning the papers showed a First Division table that had Huddersfield Town in 17 position played 34 with 28 points, Palace were just two points better off in 15th spot. Reading from 18th down were Ipswich 32/26, Forest 32/25 and WHU 33/23. Only the East Anglians with 0.92 of these clubs had a better GA than our 0.80.

Taking the two relegation places, as they had for the greater part of the season were Burnley 33 played with 20 points and Blackpool 33/16.

Now as March was coming to an end could we take advantage of our fabulous 'London Break'?

Could we just. As we beat visitors Coventry City by a single goal scored by Mr Dependable himself our Big Centre Half Roy Ellam. The one disappointment was the very poor turnout of just 15141 by over 400 our lowest attendance of the season to see us nil an opponent in both home and away fixtures for the one and only time in 70-71.

April opened with a visit to 14th placed Derby County, who from 33 games played, two fewer than Town had the same 30 points. For the first time in five games Manager Greaves had to make a change in his line up with another of our up and coming youngsters Mick Barry replacing injured Jimmy McGill in midfield.

Mick would only go on to make 21 full league appearances for Town during his three-year stay at Leeds Road. Why so few we will never know because as he showed in this his debut he had all the makings of a top class player. Skill in abundance, vision, passing ability and he could put his foot in with equal ability and a temperament to match. He eventually moved to Carlisle from where I lost touch with a man whom I felt sure we would hear much more about.

The result was a 2-3 reversal before a Rams crowd of 24194 with both sides putting together an excellent match that could well have gone either way. Roy Ellam again scored with full back Denis Clarke, getting the other.

Easter beckoned and a home double with Manchester City the visitors on the Saturday whilst Easter Monday saw our rivals from down the A62 attract a season top attendance of 43,011 to watch both sides cancel one another out leaving a blank scoresheet. When you consider the visitors came to Town 4pts clear at the top and we lost ever present Geoff Hutt injured, Mick Barry substituting, Jimmy McGill fit again to return to the number 10 shirt.

Just like when highflying Arsenal came to Town and was sent packing with nothing to show for their endeavours it was very much more of the same in this fixture but again finishing proved too much for us. Yet only a couple of days before mid table City were beaten 1-0 with again a defender scoring the all important goal as Trevor Cherry got his second in four matches.

With 33 points from their 38 games played Town had all but sealed their First Division place, as there now was a ten-point gap between 21st Burnley and us, though the Lancashire side had two games in hand. But still Town fans that Easter Monday could happily go across the road to Canker Lane and the traditional Easter Fair to enjoy the CandyFloss, brandy snap and try and win a coconut or goldfish.

That Town were mathematically safe with games to spare was more down to the form of others as the season entered its final four games. The first two of which at Ipswich and at home to Wolves were both lost 0-2 and 1-2.

A pitiful crowd of just 13580 witnessed our final home match of a season which had seen the return of First Division football to Huddersfield. Skipper Jimmy Nicholson's third goal of the season providing some cheer. Alan Jones replaced Hutt at 3 as he saw out the campaign for our injured left back and yet this young man also, like Mick Barry, would be destined not to build on the exciting talents he also possessed. I say pitiful on two fronts.

Yes Town had been down the bottom half of the table for most of the season but at no time had we realistically looked like we would go down. It was our first time in the elite for many a year yet only 13,000 could turn up for a final match and this against a side who were 4th in the Division. This shows to me that no matter what division Town are in if we fail to win consistently then our crowds will fall.

We had some tremendous gates when you consider two of over 40,000 in the League at home and a Leeds Road Cup-Tie attracting a further one of this figure. But put this against the Wolves gate of less than 14,000 and several more of less than 20,000 leaving an average for the Home campaign in 1970-71 of a little over 23,000.

With 40 matches of the season played Town were in17th position with 33 points. Burnley and Blackpool were already relegated having just 25 and 20 points.

Our home record showed Town had won 7, drawn 8, losing 6, conceding just 16 yet only scoring 19. It does not need a mathematical genius or a Manager or Coach, even a Football Club Director to see where the problem lay. Should that be better described by saying it was easy to see what needed to be done to rectify the shortcomings of a very young Town side?

Easy to see but proving very difficult to put right.

Was it the pressure off, the thought of a further two visits to the Capital in the last week of the season. Or was it the freedom of been away? Whatever it was Messrs Greaves and Cockburn could have done with bottling it, especially when you note of our five visits to London we returned beaten on just the one occasion and none in the second half of the season.

Won two drawn two losing just the once early season in August at Highbury.

The sequence of draw win, draw win, repeating itself as Town brought down the curtain on their season back at the top division with a 1-1 draw at Spurs. Cherry with his 4th of the season. Our final fixture had us blowing bubbles and making the most of them in a 1-0 win at West Ham. Jimmy Lawson notching his 4th of the season at Upton Park to give Town a 4th away win of the season to go with 6 draws and 11 defeats. 21 goals scored some 5 more than at home with 33 conceded.

All told from 42 matches played Town secured 36 points to finish in 15th place, well clear of the bottom two and with much to look back on with pride. Although knocked out in the 4th Round of the FA Cup the five games played had provided Town fans with tremendous enjoyment and goals. More than could be said for our FL Cup exploits.

A further cup tournament was entered at the season's end with a place in the Anglo-Italian competition. Yes it is true Town did play in Europe recording a double, a feat they failed to achieve in the First Division campaign, over Sampdoria. But their Italian counterparts, Bologna doing the same to us.

Roy Ellam was ever present for the second successive season again scoring twice. He only missed one match in 68-69 again bagging a couple of goals. Frank Worthington also was ever present with 9 goals from his 42 league games as well as scoring twice in the cup.

Both played in all 7-cup ties. Missing just one league game but playing in all cup ties also, were Steve Smith and Jimmy McGill. The former also scoring on 6 occasions to the Scotsman's once. Full Backs Denis Clarke made 39 appearances whilst Geoff Hutt only missed the final 4 league games due to the injury sustained in the Easter derby fixture.

Cherry on 35 and Nicholson 33 gave us seven team members who played a great majority of the season giving us much by way of stability. That four were defenders says much for our goals conceded column. If we could have found a partner for Frank who could have got near his double figures for goals who knows what position we could have been looking at. History and the final league table will tell you that just 5 or 6 more points would have seen us in the top half of the table and mixing it with the Manchester boys.

Manager Ian Greaves had intimated that the Board had cash available if the Boss felt he needed to strengthen the team so as the supporters and indeed the club went into the close season of 1971 we all waited expectantly in the hope of a proven goalscorer been signed.

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