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| First County Visit: | Wednesday 4th April 1979 |
| Competition: | Football League Division 4 – (Tier 4) |
| Result: | Huddersfield Town 0 – 0 Stockport County |
| Attendance: | 2,267 |
| Away Trip: | 12 |
| Away Day: | 13 |
| County Line-up | 1 David Lawson; 2 Andy Thorpe; 3 John Rutter; 4 Paul Edwards; 5 Eddie Prudham; 6 George Armstrong; 7 Phil Henson; 8 Mike Summerbee; 9 Les Bradd; 10 Carl Halford; 11 Stuart Lee |
| Manager: | Mike Summerbee |
| County Visits: | 5 |
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ACROSS SADDLEWORTH MOOR IN QUIET CONTEMPLATION..
Eight days after discovering Darlington it was back over the Pennines again.
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Not too far this time and sandwiched between the Feethams trip and this one to Leeds Road County had failed to build on that win in the North East, falling to a single goal defeat at the hands of Torquay on the intervening Friday evening.
Ahhh … Friday night is County night, the call to arms for many years. Sadly, as far as I’m concerned Friday night football fell away many years ago, but a few more detailed thoughts on that short-sighted decision will appear at the appropriate time.
Huddersfield was always an easy trip, and indeed Leeds Road called me on many occasions in later years when a football fix was required and the Hatters weren’t in action.
It takes just 5 words to describe it – A magnificent, old fashioned arena – a proper football ground. Well, it was designed by Archibald Leitch – the true godfather of football ground design.
On my first visit in 1979 the ground will have been unchanged in its layout for many years. Yes there had been the replacement of the Main Stand following a conflagration in 1950. Twenty years later the paddock at the front had been converted to seating (thanks to Steven @htfcnostalgia for that info). In 1979 the stand was a dark and dingy affair, with but wooden benches for those not privy to the inner sanctum of the Board Room.
To its left was a barrel roof cover not unusually for that type of accommodation rejoicing in the name “Cowshed”, and at the opposite end a biggish terrace, (the Bradley Mill End), offering no protection from the elements, and visits to Leeds Road could be decidedly chilly and damp affairs. Opposite the Main Stand was the kingpin of the ground – a huge covered terrace, (Popular Side). It always reminded me of the original Kippax Street terrace at Maine Road, and on some occasions when I went on a non-County trip, (it being only 15 miles or so from home), there was a fair amount of atmosphere generated.
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Main Stand and Cowshed from the corner of the Popular Side
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I went to Leeds Road 5 times with County. Here’s what it looked like in those days. Its taken from the Vale Tarci You Tube Channel from “Demolished Football Stadiums”
The Terriers were of course a power in the land in the mid 1920’s under the guidance of Herbert Chapman. The architect of three league titles for Huddersfield had moved onto Arsenal when the Gunners came visiting in 1932. The FA Cup tie attracted a crowd of 67,037 to Leeds Road – a figure which more than adequately bears witness to the size and capacity of the arena. It must have been a wondrous sight, with more than a bit of atmosphere to boot.
That was some 64,770 more than bothered to turn up for that 4th Division encounter 47 years later. A miserly throng literally rattling round the old stadium like marbles in a tin can. Those who didn’t feel the call that Wednesday evening in April 1979 made the right judgement call. A goalless draw, and from memory precious little goalmouth action, left County in 9th spot and their hosts 5 places lower.
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Bradley Mill End, (left), just before the demise of Leeds Road. The McAlpine Stadium rising in the distance
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Leeds Road holds a special place for me. On Friday 25th October 1991 Arthur Brotherton, my travelling companion for a few years asked me if I had a spare place for the trip to Huddersfield that evening. And that was the first time that Jeff Lawrenson accompanied me to a game. A County fan since 1950, he still travels with me 25 years later – a bit frailer in body but still with a passion for the team he has supported for 66 years.
Indeed at the point of writing it’s only 10 days since we were at Nuneaton. We must have clocked up thousands of miles and hundreds of games, and at the same time forged a strong friendship. So thanks, Arthur, for the introduction!! Just as an aside Jim Gannon notched the winner that foggy evening – he now stands charged with resurrecting a County now languishing mid-table in the National League North.
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The Popular Side – a huge terrace – the type of which is definitely missed these days.
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The photo of the Popular side above was taken from the Bradley Mill End which was open to the elements and provided for some cold and damp afternoons!!
At this point it’s important to me that I sit back and reflect on any trip to Huddersfield, be it to Leeds Road or in later years the McAlpine Stadium.….
Three alternative routes presented themselves. Some would argue that the direct trip via the M62 was the preferred option. Not for me _ I always went over the Moors, either through Mossley; Marsden and Slaithwaite or for personal preference over Saddleworth Moor, and cutting back into Huddersfield by way of Holmfirth.
That personal preference was a product of my childhood. Born and brought up in Gorton, one of the less salubrious districts of East Manchester I celebrated my 9th birthday in July 1963. The following 27 months are etched vividly on my memory even to this day. 11 days after that birthday news emerged of the disappearance of a 16 year old girl, last seen on Froxmer Street, no more than half a mile from where I lived. She was never found, and I suppose that the passage of a few months caused most people locally to move on to dealing with other things.
Since being very young I had often been taken on shopping expeditions to Ashton Market by my Mum. It always seemed a bustling place and I was inevitably drawn to the roundabouts. They’re still there to this day, but the Market itself has changed. No longer the centre of retail in Ashton, it feels soulless – due largely, I suspect, to the drive by the Council over many years to create more out-of-town experiences. But to me at that time Ashton Market was a seemingly magical place, particularly as Christmas approached. And the festive season was almost on us, when a young boy disappeared late one Saturday afternoon……
Seven months later another 12 year old lad disappeared – this time from Longsight, a couple of miles from home …..
On Boxing Day 1964 a small girl went to a Christmas fair in Ancoats, a stone’s throw from Manchester City centre ….. and never came home
The arrest of the Moors Murderers, Brady and Hindley, about 10 months later, (but not before they had claimed another victim), not only uncovered some of the most heinous crimes ever perpetrated, but left me with a life-long emotion of “this could have been me…”. 50 years later, on the anniversary of Brady and Hindley’s trial the Tameside Reporter published a letter from me. Let it tell the tale of my thoughts:
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“Dear Editor,
The News Nostalgia item ”50 Years Ago Today” certainly brought back memories to me. For lads of 10 years old , as I was at the time, it wasn’t the norm to be aware of things outside the bubble of going to school and playing as much football as possible. I lived in Gorton throughout the 60’s and we all had an acute awareness that danger lurked the streets. For quite a while, from 1963 to 1965, playing out was strictly controlled and Debdale Park was a “no-go zone” without parental supervision.
I well remember the relief when the news broke of the arrest and charging of Brady and Hindley. And then the shock as the horror of their acts emerged. In the intervening years, with the publication of more detail, I have come to realise just how close to home this all was. Even with the passage of 50 years the memories are still vivid and my thoughts go out to those families who have borne what must be insufferable pain for a half century”
Martin Frost
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Every journey over Saddleworth Moor, (where the bodies of the victims lay, and indeed in the case of Keith Bennett, still does), evokes really powerful emotions. As I climb the hill from Greenfield the radio is always turned off, and as I cross the Moor, it is in silent contemplation.
November 2016
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VISITS
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| Day | Date | Competition | Tier / Round | Opponents | Res | F | A | Crowd | Away Day |
| Wed | 04/04/79 | Football League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Huddersfield Town | D | 0 | 0 | 2,267 | 13 |
| Sat | 16/02/80 | Football League Division 4 | Tier 4 | Huddersfield Town | L | 0 | 5 | 7,561 | 23 |
| Fri | 25/10/91 | Barclays League Division 3 | Tier 3 | Huddersfield Town | W | 1 | 0 | 9,229 | 218 |
| Sat | 08/05/93 | Barclays League Division 2 | Tier 3 | Huddersfield Town | L | 1 | 2 | 7,673 | 261 |
| Sat | 28/08/93 | Endsleigh League Division 2 | Tier 3 | Huddersfield Town | D | 1 | 1 | 7,053 | 265 |
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ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS
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Previously – FEETHAMS Next stop – EDGAR STREET
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