Month: August 2025

Tangled up in ecru

For the second successive away trip in the league, Town self-immolated in bizarre fashion, handing their hosts a deserved, but not particularly hard-earned, victory.

The majority of the blame, rightly, will rest with loanee keeper Goodman, who never recovered from a shaky start to proceedings which, ironically, began with a fine double save (though the follow-up he prevented would have been ruled offside), but soon descended into Tim Clark-levels of clownishness.

Underlying the frailty between the sticks, however, was a curious approach to a Yorkshire derby: intricate, terror-inducing play across the back that always looked liable to collapse.

Meticulous planning, theoretical strategies and drilled coaching can easily crumble in the intensity of a derby, and the over-playing merely acted as a trigger for a relentless and effective Barnsley press, who clearly understood that you have to earn the right to be fancy-Dan.

The huge and loud away support watched on with an anxiety which must have been felt by players whose confidence in the tactics looked, if not shaky, then at least on edge. Mistakes crept in early, with a Roughan slip leading to danger and several attempts to get up the pitch strangled at birth in the middle of the park.

Barnsley dominated the crucial early stages and were gifted an opener when Goodman spilled a routine cross to Keillor-Dunn’s feet before ten minutes were up.

The error clearly preyed on the young keeper’s mind and he looked decidedly uncomfortable from that point, including nearly carrying the ball out of his area when he came out to meet a long through ball. Only a linesman’s generous interpretation prevented further trouble for Goodman.

Sadly, the warning wasn’t heeded and his next impetuous gallivant to deal with a situation in which he should have had no part completely derailed his team.

A ball down the line lifted over Feeney, who was covering for an advanced Gooch, towards McGoldrick was mildly threatening but heading towards the corner rather than directly on goal. Goodman took it upon himself to summon his inner Harald Schumacher and assault Barnsley’s veteran striker.

A red card was inevitable and, just as Town are incapable of taking advantage of playing against ten men, examples of heroics when similarly denuded are very rare.

The omens surrounding Town’s trip to Oakwell, a destination of decidedly mixed fortunes, had not been helped by the club deciding to cock a snook at the football gods by debuting the second iteration of an ecru kit.

The first, as supporters of a certain vintage will recall, was donned by a Peter Jackson XI who were 6-0 down on a bleak Friday night at half-time, eventually conceding seven. Thankfully, the yellow-and-black checkerboard kit won’t be brought back for the visit of Manchester City.

Before the sending-off, Town had settled down to an extent and Wiles should have levelled when one-on-one with the keeper, having been found by Harness with an excellent ball. Lacking composure, his effort was reasonably easily saved.

More frustratingly, however, Town regularly found Roosken in space on the left only for the Dutchman to waste several very promising attacks. A reassessment of his efficacy as a winger is now long overdue — a fit Miller, or a new recruit, would have exploited those opportunities far more clinically.

This is not to suggest, in any way, that Town were ever on top. Barnsley’s rearguard solidly dealt with any attacking ambition of their rivals.

Nicholls replaced the wretched Goodman and could now reclaim his number-one position in his rival’s enforced absence, but he could do nothing to prevent Barnsley doubling their lead just before the break, effectively settling the contest.

If there was a hefty slice of good fortune in a strike from the edge of the area heavily deflecting off Roughan following a corner-clearing header, leaving Connell unmarked and then failing to get out quickly enough to him contributed to Town’s undoing.

A disastrous first half, then, and one which had only been seconds old when May went down with an injury which looked serious and took some time to resolve. He played on but was replaced at half-time by Taylor, hopefully as a precaution.

A dour and forgettable second half saw Town put in a decent effort with depleted numbers but they rarely looked like scoring to put some doubt in the minds of their hosts.

The efforts were acknowledged by a loud away end who did their best to raise the ten men, but Barnsley quelled the attempts with some comfort. They were helped, however, by a sub-par second-half performance from the referee, who missed several home infringements, including a clear pull-back on Taylor and a bizarre interpretation of a foul on Sorensen where he punished the Dane.

His ineptitude was not the reason for Town’s demise, as the damage had already been done, but it was a little cruel for them to fall further behind late on when Nicholls parried a shot to the feet of the blessed Keillor-Dunn, who bagged surely the easiest brace of his career.

A late Taylor consolation, latching on to a loose back-pass, gave the defeat a more respectable hue but couldn’t erase the pain of a day that needs to be resigned to history very quickly.

Grant will no doubt take stock, learn lessons and reassert his faith in “the group”, as he should, but sometimes the basics can be lost amidst the theories — and earning the right to play, which may be a cliché but is true for a reason, should be the first thing drilled home.

The supporters have clearly not lost faith in the promise of this season given the noise they made unwaveringly, but there cannot be a repeat of this in the next Yorkshire derby in two weeks’ time.

Town topple table-toppers

A second hard-earned win in the space of a few days, against in-form opposition, thanks to the predatory instincts of Alfie May, lifted Town above all except Cardiff in the table as the promising start to the season continued.

Stevenage posed a very different challenge to the lively and expansive Doncaster in midweek, offering a physical and resolute performance which rarely threatened but could easily have frustrated a home side still in the process of establishing patterns and rhythms.

Anticipating the visitors’ likely aerial approach looking to extend their 100% start to the campaign, Grant fielded three centre-halves in his back four, with Wallace—somewhat surprisingly—keeping his place on the left after a less than convincing midweek display, even if his selection made sense tactically.

Town began brightly, Kane firing over with a decent effort and May forcing a good save, but the half soon descended into an attritional contest in search of inspiration. Neither Roosken nor Harness could unlock a solid visiting defence, while Stevenage offered little attacking threat themselves.

Fans were, however, treated to the first application of the new law restricting goalkeeper possession to eight seconds in open play, as Marschall in the visitors’ goal conceded a corner for delaying his kick a fraction too long.

It seemed a little harsh—particularly when Goodman later flirted with the limit without sanction—but the novelty at least added some interest to an increasingly dour game.

Town promptly wasted the corner.

Despite the lack of thrills, yet another half had passed without a goal conceded, and those 12 manic minutes at Blackpool are beginning to look increasingly like an outlier.

A brighter start to the second half saw a move begun by Sorensen, who has started the season well, end with a May shot on the turn that was routinely saved.

Perhaps sensing that Stevenage’s reputation for long-ball dominance was overstated, Grant made an early and positive switch, replacing Wallace with the more adventurous Roughan, before Ashia and Taylor came on for the ineffective Roosken and—more surprisingly—Harness.

The changes injected dynamism, and a short spell of intensity finally broke down the previously obdurate defence.

Wiles and Kane, both very good throughout, worked their opponents around before Kane exchanged passes with Roughan, releasing the Irishman into the area.

Roughan cut the ball back; Taylor either swung and missed or cleverly dummied—injuring himself in the process—allowing May to pounce. The striker sat one defender down with a feint before seeing his first shot blocked on the line, only to bury the rebound.

It was an instinctive first open-play goal of the season for the prolific May and, hopefully, a portent of another fruitful year.

Taylor, hampered by the knock picked up in the buildup, managed a reasonable strike that was comfortably saved, but Town inevitably spent much of the closing stages on the back foot, testing the nerves of the home crowd.

Stevenage’s ascendancy amounted to little, with the excellent Low – well assisted by Feeney—marshalling a defence that rarely looked troubled.

Kane cynically brought down Kemp just outside the box to prevent a rare moment of danger, rightly earning a yellow card from the quietly impressive referee. From the free-kick, substitute Patterson curled well over.

Goodman made one smart save from a deflected shot near the end, and the subsequent corner saw Stevenage keeper Marschall join the attack to sow late confusion, but Town held firm to register a satisfying if unspectacular win over a tough but quite limited on the day, opponent.

May’s predatory strike will be the most remembered moment of an otherwise largely forgettable encounter, but the flawless Low was again outstanding at the back, while Sorensen, Wiles, and Kane— rightly maligned in last season’s disgraced campaign—were the pick of the rest.

We have, of course, been here before with a strong start, but the performances so far have been more convincing than last year’s false dawn. The squad looks significantly deeper, and there remains plenty of room for improvement.

What this latest victory lacked in entertainment and style, it more than made up for in defensive solidity, comfortably quelling a potentially dangerous opponent as Grant continues to find ways to win.

An intriguing Yorkshire derby with an improved Barnsley awaits next week, but first comes a trip to Sunderland—a stern test of Town’s resources as they look to complete a very successful August.

Donny kebabed

For at least 70 minutes of a keenly contested game, Doncaster Rovers displayed all the characteristics of a team in fine form: momentum, sharpness, and a desire to compete in this division after promotion.

In the first half hour in particular, Rovers ran Town ragged with a highly effective press, forcing error after error as the hosts failed to find any rhythm. They were hugely fortunate not to concede on several occasions.

Outplayed in all areas of the pitch, Town had to strain to stay in a game that seemed to be constantly slipping away as Rovers’ crisp and incisive passing created threat after threat.

Defensively fragile, the Terriers were at least resilient. Feeney made an excellent block, the otherwise shaky Goodman produced saves of varying difficulty, and, most notably, Castledine made a fantastic recovering tackle on Sbarra, who was clean through on goal following a counter-attack from a Town corner.

With Murray all at sea at left-back, the midfield barely functioning, and an isolated May posing no threat, it was a torrid opening 30 minutes. The spell was only interrupted by a strategic “injury” to Goodman, allowing Lee Grant time to make adjustments to a game plan which emphasised the lack of developed partnerships in a squad still working each other out.

That break — cynical, and something that really ought to be outlawed — seemed to partially do the trick. Town began to more effectively quell their superior opponents, and the game became more even. The home side finally created a reasonable chance when a long ball to Harness saw the ex-Ipswich man turn a hopeful punt into a good shot, which was well saved.

The calmer final 15 minutes couldn’t erase the very poor start, but Town went into the break with the consolation that they hadn’t conceded. While they had plenty of room for improvement, their visitors may already have peaked.

As it turned out, the winds of change came slowly and almost imperceptibly for much of the second half. Rovers weren’t quite the force they had been, and Town reduced their error count and began to edge towards some coherence.

It was far from perfect — and barely counts as redemptive — but Billy Sharp could still have made it a miserable evening. His customary threat against Town saw him spin cleverly in the box, only for his shot to be blocked by the well-positioned Low.

At nearly 40, the hugely experienced striker continues to ply his trade admirably in an attractive and successful side. Less admirably, his tendency towards over-aggression earned him a booking for a cheap, late challenge on Low.

Pleasingly for Grant, the game turned on his substitutions. Sorensen, Wiles, and Taylor replaced the less-than-convincing Murray (who found Molyneux a handful), the otherwise heroic Castledine, and the far-too-isolated May.

Ten minutes later, Roosken fed Harkness, whose cleverly disguised and perfectly weighted pass found Wiles’s run into the box. The substitute finished smartly to give Town an undeserved but welcome lead.

Fellow substitute Taylor, full of running, latched onto a long ball down the channel minutes later and ran at the visitors’ defence with intent. Inexplicably, O’Riordan grabbed the Town striker’s shirt. While it looked fairly innocuous, it was an easy penalty for the referee to give.

Taylor stepped up and buried his third spot-kick of the season. After so many years of rarely getting home penalties, to earn one in each of the home games so far is quite remarkable. Attacking the box brings rewards, it seems.

A hugely flattering scoreline does, however, need context.

Doncaster hadn’t been beaten since March. The familiarity of their side, coupled with their established, eye-catching style, spoke of a unit with momentum and a winning mentality. Town had to dig very deep to hang in, and while it was visibly uncomfortable, they stuck to the task.

Goalkeeper Goodman had an evening he may wish to forget. Though he made one or two decent saves, his distribution was generally poor and included presenting the opposition with a good chance they might have capitalised upon.

He wasn’t alone in being below par, and Grant acknowledges it will take time for this talented squad to truly gel. Three wins — including this one against a very good side — while that development continues is encouraging, even if the last two performances haven’t been great.

There was much to admire about Doncaster. Emulating their winning mentality and highly motivated teamwork would serve Town well this season. It may take time, but with the quality of players at the coaching staff’s disposal, it is surely achievable.

Another tough challenge awaits next, against yet another side with momentum and belief.

Blackpool Rock Town Back

Within 12 minutes of a torrid first half by the seaside, Huddersfield Town’s encouraging, if not flawless, start to the season was called into serious question as the home side exploited errors in a previously solid defence and thwarted the visitors with some comfort for around an hour, despite being a player short.

It had all looked very different in the opening stages as Town completely dominated their under-pressure and vulnerable hosts, taking the lead early and justifying their top spot in the nascent league table.

The home support must have believed that their woeful start to the season was about to deteriorate further as a deflected Wiles effort beat their under-fire keeper, Peacock-Farrell.

Scenting blood, Town flowed forward with confidence and rhythm, ready to exploit their hosts’ lack of belief and turn the jittery home crowd against them.

Alarmingly, at the first sign of a setback, Town crumbled.

Whatmough, who has previously escaped punishment for some errors, notably in the opening game, entirely misjudged a ball that looped towards him from a Ledson swipe at a loose midfield pass. Rather than dealing with it by simply meeting it with his head, the ex-Preston man, presumably to the delight of the tangerine faithful, allowed the ball to bounce and Ennis was presented with a clear path to goal.

With Whatmough beaten, Low inexplicably decided not to move towards the ball to challenge the Blackpool striker, and by the time he did, he only succeeded in making the situation worse by deflecting a shot that was probably going wide, completely negating any action Goodman was taking.

Other than putting a question mark over the two centre-halves—and with plenty of time to recover from the errors, given the numerous options available to Lee Grant—the equaliser was also a test of the team’s previously unquestioned resilience.

That test was failed, quite horribly.

A collective panic seemed to settle over the whole team, and while Blackpool’s hungry grasp of the lifeline presented to them was admirable, Town’s implosion was immediate and worrying.

All control, which had been established and held so firmly that the concession marked the first time Blackpool had entered Town’s penalty area (indeed, the first time they had gone anywhere near it), evaporated.

The lack of composure and poor decision-making spread like a particularly virulent virus. Though the home side’s second goal was very well struck, and had been set up by a delicate touch, the half-hearted attempts to quell Blackpool’s threat contributed to the home side’s resurgence and lead.

Worse was to follow. A clearly rattled away side continued to encourage their opponent’s exuberant release from early-season struggles, and a lost contest on the edge of the area saw the ball land at Ennis’s feet, who had the simple task of beating Goodman one-on-one.

Shell-shocked, the players took a water break as the seaside sun belted down onto the playing area, and the intermission seemed to benefit the Terriers as they re-established control to an extent and soon reduced the arrears owing much to Roosken’s determination on the left.

Alfie May scuffed an attempted shot, but the ball squeezed through perfectly into the path of Gooch, who slammed home.

The American had been ridiculously ignored too many times given the space he regularly found, but the goal was a reward for his persistence.

At this point, a goal fest seemed inevitable with both defences showing glaring fragility, but the nature of the contest was about to change dramatically as double goalscorer Ennis launched a reckless challenge on Whatmough, earning him a well-deserved red card.

Veteran Town supporters know that having a man advantage has rarely been a precursor to an easy victory, but this was an opportunity for the latest group of players to change that perception.

With about 10 minutes to go until halftime, Town had the chance to capitalise on the home side’s readjustment, but their best opportunity was squandered by Alfie May, who chose to try an audacious lob from just inside Blackpool’s half rather than exploit a three-on-one attack. His effort was wastefully harmless.

It should have been no surprise that the hugely experienced Bruce—who has lost only one encounter against Town since escaping the car crash of the Rubery era—would implement a disciplined and effective low block to thwart the numerically disadvantaged visitors.

A half of ponderous, inaccurate, and barely threatening torpor duly ensued.

Despite calling upon every scrap of creativity at Grant’s disposal, with Castledine and McGuane introduced for their league debuts, there was a complete lack of imagination across the pitch as Town failed to register a shot of any note until a late effort by Castledine went narrowly wide.

If anything, the home side looked more likely to score through either a breakaway or an error at the back by Town. Low had to rescue more than one dangerous situation caused by misplaced passes from his central defensive partner, who also gave away an entirely avoidable corner when set pieces were the most obvious threat from a depleted opponent.

Frustrating barely covers a second-half performance devoid of guile or intensity. While there is an argument that the dismissal focused the home side’s energy and purpose—something they carried out admirably—Town’s approach of doing the same thing over and over, like trying to thread a needle in a storm, was entirely predictable and manageable.

On the rare occasion a cross was attempted, it invariably found a home defender’s head. Surely, even as a last resort, changing Low’s role from strolling forward to make the same sideways pass into an attacking disturbance in the area was worth a try?

In these days of statistics, meticulous planning, and over-coaching, is such a solution to Town’s ineffectiveness considered gauche?

By the last 15 minutes, the away support’s ire turned to an admittedly fussy referee, but it was hardly his fault that Town players made it ever so easy for opponents to win free kicks through their predictable and ponderous play.

A first defeat of the season held too many parallels with last season’s reversal at Rotherham—a game that should have been won but was deservedly lost, leading to a collapse in form which was never truly rediscovered.

Grant needs to ensure that Saturday’s setback does not set the tone in the same way, with two tricky upcoming home games.

Changes should be expected, with perhaps Whatmough paying the price for a far-from-convincing performance, even if Low probably survives scrutiny. Kane’s lack of pace and intermittent carelessness also puts him under threat from potentially better midfield options, while the ever-quiet Wiles may also have to make way.

Lots of issues for Grant to grapple with, then—with solutions needing to be found very quickly.

It seems that all the values conspicuously missing for at least two years have begun to flood back into this Huddersfield Town incarnation as they entertainingly overcame a strong Leicester side in the League Cup.

The two league games have delivered togetherness, some flair, a clearly likeable squad, a clear tactical plan, and, importantly, hope. To that list, you can add entertainment, resilience, and credible depth, following a hard-fought tie resolved with a penalty shoot-out.

With nine changes to the side that beat Reading at the weekend — including two young prospects making their full debuts and an entirely different defence — the annual capitulation to cup opponents seemed more likely than not. But the new Grant era has already seen surprising team changes, and it is clear, from his words and deeds, that he will preside over a very interchangeable squad.

Defensively, his options are looking very good indeed. Feeney and Wallace comfortably slotted into roles already filled with distinction by Low and Watmough, with the returning Wallace particularly impressive throughout.

The two full-backs, Gooch and Roughan, are arguably a stronger pair than those on display at the weekend, notwithstanding Gooch’s torrid examination by 16-year-old Monga in the first 25 minutes.

It was a regular, however, who caught the eye most in a mostly dull first half, as Roosken provided most of Town’s threat in a much more confident performance on the left, and was the subject of a baffling decision by a ridiculously poor referee when clearly fouled as he cut back from the byline.

To compound matters, the referee later gave a penalty for a carbon copy of the early incident, while also turning down two other, less clear-cut penalty shouts.

Despite the first-half fare being less than inspiring, there was some very good pressing by Town, which created the odd opportunity. Dion Charles worked very hard and, in one instance, dispossessed a City defender but lacked the confidence to shoot, instead choosing to set Ashia on a path of quickly diminishing returns.

A hurried clearance from the same incident fell to Roosken, who fired over with a decent effort — the closest either side came to a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

With Gooch, assisted by Ashia, finally controlling the dangerous Monga — who was rightly booked for simulation after falling over following the slightest contact — the East Midlanders were rather blunted until a flurry of late corners caused mild consternation among the home defence and support, but no massive threat.

A half that had begun promisingly for the hosts trudged towards the break, but that early denial of a penalty left Town the more aggrieved of the two sides.

The second half was to prove the diametric opposite, as both sides upped their game to create a genuinely excellent and hugely entertaining cup tie.

First blood went to the visitors, as a hurried clearance — following good defensive work in the box — fell to Choudhury, who hit a fabulous and unstoppable strike past Nicholls. It was due reward for the Foxes’ domination of the opening stages of the half and, in the past, would usually have predicted heads dropping at best and capitulation at worst.

To their credit, Town were far from fazed by the setback and didn’t take long to get back into the game. One of a selection of excellent long balls forward by Roughan found Roosken, who took the ball smoothly, advanced into the area, and — as he had done in the opening minutes — turned back and tempted Leicester’s scorer, Choudhury, into a challenge that brought him down. All eyes were on the referee to see if he could embarrass himself again.

After years of no penalty being awarded at home, and even longer since one was scored, Town have now gained two in consecutive home games. The clock on successfully converting a home penalty, which was reset on opening day, continues, however, as a potentially confidence-boosting opportunity for Dion Charles was spurned. His spot-kick was well saved by Stolarczyk, only for debutant Vost to react first to the looped ball and head in the equaliser.

A great moment for another youngster making his way in the game — but Charles continues to disappoint despite his evident work rate. Not only was his penalty saved, he failed to shoot in the first half when it was undoubtedly the best option, and in the second half, a lovely Town move fell to his feet and cried out for a first-time shot. He took a touch, and the opportunity disappeared in a flash. He may well be Lee Grant’s biggest challenge at present.

The list of positives from this game is much longer than the concerns, not least the number of youngsters who acquitted themselves very well — adding the later substitute Sway to Vost and Ashia.

Defensively, too, the Terriers came away with a lot of credit against a pacy and dangerous Leicester side, but they may not want to dwell too much on the visitors’ second goal, when a player of the quality of Winks — who will surely be heading back to the Premier League — was allowed far too much room to plant an excellent side-footed effort past Nicholls, who might have done a little better himself.

The restoration of City’s lead so soon after the equaliser would, without a shred of doubt, have sunk last season’s thankfully, mostly, departed squad. The fact that Town rallied after another second-half setback notches the confidence in them just a little higher, building on the promising start to the league campaign.

With a great interception on the halfway line, the impressive Wallace set Town on the path to goal on the three-quarter mark, playing the ball out to Cameron Ashia. Saturday’s late hero advanced with minimal Leicester interruption, looked up, and curled a magnificent equaliser that surpassed even Choudhury’s effort for skill and execution.

The contrast between Cameron’s brimming confidence and the desperation of poor Dion is stark. Ashia has grabbed his opportunities with relish and joy and looks set to play a big part in the season ahead, if utilised sensibly.

The final stages of the game were mainly dictated by the visitors — nobody wants to take on Huddersfield Town in a penalty shoot-out, after all — and Nicholls had to back up some resolute defending with a good late save to guarantee the spectacle of a penalty competition.

Rarely beaten in such competitions (the last time was in 2011, itself a rare event), the only relevant omen was the fact that Leicester’s keeper had already saved a spot-kick, and there was no possibility of a redeeming follow-up this time.

Nicholls, hailed as England’s number one when he isn’t even Town’s number one, stepped up to save the first effort, only for Taylor to see his shot well saved.

May, Castledine, and Sorensen scored their kicks, while a very powerful El Khannouss effort crashed off the post to put Town back in the lead. Nicholls then saved Leicester’s final, poor effort, and an enjoyable evening was capped off with progression in the cup and an attractive away tie at Sunderland as the reward.

There was a lot to like about Town on a warm summer evening, with a continuation of the early-season positives: exciting young players introduced, strength in depth (particularly at the back), positive football with good pressing as a feature, new players still to come in (Castledine looked an interesting player on first sight), and the development of a squad with character.

On to the seaside.

However good it was, and Johnnies Night Club will hold a special place in the hearts of Huddersfield people of a certain age who experienced their 1970s/1980s heyday, it could sometimes be a little dull through repetition.

This led to such larrikins as setting off fire extinguishers, trying to buy them out of matches, “escaping” over the fence in the open bit, playing Jesus and Mary Chain’s “April Skies” over and over to annoy and delight in equal measure and other harmless japes (unless there was, you know, an actual fire).

But on one Friday night in early May 1980, talk was dominated by Huddersfield Town. 

For context, the people involved had seen their football club floundering in hell for much of the previous decade after starting it in spectacular style. Now, Town stood on the verge of redemption and were to escape the bottom division at long last – it is hard to overstate just how dismal the preceding years were.

Buxton’s side of rejects, misfits and journeymen had rekindled interest, excited the supporters and were writing themselves in to HTFC folklore yet, and yet, all of their efforts were in danger of being diluted by not being crowned Division 4 champions and confirming their deserved status as the best in the division. An Alan Buckley inspired Walsall threatened the coronation and victory over Hartlepool United in the last game was needed.

The occasion, it was agreed in the Jungle Bar, demanded a gesture and a banner was decided upon. In these days of the NSL and their wonderfully creative efforts, it is easy to forget that this expression of support was rare and amateurish.

Fuelled by a typical pre night club town centre pub crawl – Shoehorn, Painted Wagon, Plumbers, West Riding et al – talk turned to a slogan. Alternative ideas were scorned and spurned before consensus was reached with “Ian Robins lays on more balls than Fiona Richmond”. The identity of the author has been lost in the mists of time (it was me, actually), but it was seized upon despite its lack of brevity, and mostly because of Fiona.

The easy availability of porn, overt sexuality of celebrities (some of whom are celebrated solely because of it) and all pervasive sexual imagery would render Fiona pretty redundant, or, at best, run of the mill, these days but in the late 70s she built herself a fortune through the medium of sex.

A vicar’s daughter (thank you Wikipedia), she defied convention and portrayed herself as a woman who didn’t give a hoot that people would attack her relentlessly for her choices but, more importantly in the context of our banner, she was football related because of an escapade involving that arch self publicist Malcolm Allison and the Crystal Palace players’ bath.

Ian Robins, meanwhile, was not only the club’s leading scorer in that memorable season, his partnerships with, first, Peter Fletcher and then Steve Kindon were symbiotic. Between the 3 of them, they scored 56 goals with Ian bagging 25. Assists were not routinely recorded back then as they are now, but it isn’t difficult to imagine Robins’ contribution to the tallies of his strike partners and others.

Having chosen the words for the placard, the rather more difficult feat of actually creating it was discussed. Drunken agreement of a time and place – fairly early morning at the offices of one of the participants with access to materials – was achieved but likely attendance still dubious.

Perhaps the fervour excited by that Buxton team was too visceral to miss; enough hands appeared and work began with extra strong paper and black paint. 

One or two had a pretty decent design background allowing the space to be filled with some precision and no words were left off or scrunched in to space – it was a damned good effort in which I took no part whatsoever.

The paper was then nailed to strategically aligned four by twos and the banner, in all its glory, was complete.

Practical considerations, which perhaps should have been thought about before embarkation, started to kick in and mainly concerned how to get the bloody thing in to the ground. Which part of the ground should have been a simpler question, but that particular Saturday was blighted by quite strong winds – the banner was aesthetically pleasing but hardly engineered to stringent standards.

Out came the nails as it became obvious that the component parts would have to be smuggled in to Leeds Road – the large pieces of wood could, conceivably, be perceived as weapons even if the visitors’ support would be minuscule at best – and reassembly would have to take place in the ground.

Then came location. Obviously, the main stand was out and the Cowshed was going to be rammed, but the East terrace and the open end were both viable. The terrace offered shelter from the wind but, with the roof, less visibility so it was decided that despite its exposure to the elements, the Bradley Mills end would host the spectacle.

With less than military precision, the wooden poles were stuck down trouser legs, the banner furled under a jacket and stiff legged approaches made to the turnstiles. Remarkably, the odd policeman encountered was more Clouseau than Poirot and the parts were in the arena.

With assembly already practised, all be it uninterrupted by wind or authorities, the banner was ready quite quickly and laid out on the concrete steps at the back of the open end.

As the match started in front of nearly 17,000, the call was made for the big reveal. The choreography proved flawless and up it went to appreciative noises, lasting a few minutes before the “extra strong” paper easily lost the battle with the now raging nor’easter.

We felt we had done our bit, the Examiner got a (unpublished but archived) photo, and Town secured a 2-1 victory (after going in at half time one down).

Naturally, Ian Robins scored both goals. Walsall lost and the League title was secured.

Fiona is now a hotelier.

 It feels different.

Last season’s attempt at revitalisation crashed against the rocks of years of mostly bad — and far too numerous — managerial choices, a naïve new owner compounding those errors, and the legacy of a rancid, decaying squad reeking of failure.

Vestiges remain, with one or two subtle reminders in a hard-earned win over another club desperately searching for a momentum change, but in just two games Town have the look of a club that may — just may — have found a path to redemption.

It wasn’t a pretty win and hinged on moments going in the visitors’ favour, but Reading is never an easy place to go and gain points, even if the Royals are only just starting their own rebuild under new American (of course) ownership.

For the most part, Town were the better footballing side in a feisty and committed encounter, but too little of their play created threat and, one glorious chance for Joe Taylor aside, an open-play goal seemed elusive throughout.

The appearance of Sorensen in a defensive role on the right caused some alarm to those of us with even minimal exposure to the Dane’s body of work, and rather smacked of a manager believing he could unlock the player who shone at Sincil Bank, in contrast to our amateur scepticism. He did a reasonable, if not entirely flawless, job of containing the dangerous Kyerewaa.

His forays forward flattered to deceive, particularly in the first half, and he became the latest in a sad list of Town would-be long-throwers with an embarrassing effort that barely reached the penalty area.

After a promising opening 20 minutes, where the Terriers’ passing and movement looked sharp and crisp, the performance dipped and became a little ragged despite occasional threat down the left, with Reading disrupting their opponents’ flow more effectively.

That nullification by the home side came, ironically, after their best player, Wing, departed injured. What they lost in potential creativity, they seemed to gain in tighter aggression, and the increased attrition severely restricted the quality of entertainment as both sides played out a largely forgettable first half.

Other than an early effort from Kyerewaa, following the Royals’ best move of the half, Town’s defence contained them with some comfort as Low and Whatmough impressed both with and without the ball, physically dominating their somewhat lightweight opponents and winning the vast majority of their battles.

Typically of lunchtime kick-offs, the entertainment was at a premium, and though Town strived for combinations, breaking the hosts’ back line proved too difficult, with minimal threat from either side.

The visitors had the first opportunity of the second half when a smart ball from Ledson sent Taylor bursting through against a back-pedalling defence, but he hit a tame shot rather than squaring to the better-placed Wiles.

Reading, who were a little more threatening in the second half, created a chance at the far post with a teasing cross that was headed well over by Lane, who had to make contact with a ball that had bounced up, determining its trajectory.

This heralded the home side’s best spell of the match, culminating in Goodman having to make one of only two challenging saves of the contest to smartly keep out a deflected effort. The other, more routine, came at his near post and led to the pivotal moment of the game, when an unmarked Burns glanced well wide from the subsequent corner.

Immediately after the miss, the same home player gave away a cheap corner for Town, which Miller swung in. Whatmough competed for the ball and, as it dropped off a home body, managed to poke in the opener.

The goal came as something of a surprise given the lack of opportunities for the visitors, but it spurred them on against a visibly demoralised Reading, and the lead never looked like being relinquished.

Before the goal, and on the hour, Grant made three changes — the impressive Low making way for Feeney to make his debut — while changes to both flanks added more impetus as Gooch and Roughan, surely the first-choice options, replaced Sorensen and Roosken.

With a spring in their step, the rejuvenated visitors dominated the final 15 minutes, epitomised by the outstanding work rate of May, who is quickly establishing himself as the stark contrast to some of last year’s employees, despite a bout of cramp.

Town squeezed any ambition from their opponents with a smothering blanket in the increasing heat. The quietly impressive Ledson marshalled the team to a victory that had never looked glaringly obvious from a committed but rather average first 75 minutes, but once in front the depth and quality of the squad shone through.

Worryingly, Miller went down clutching his hamstring after attempting to push and run past an opponent, and could play no further part. Having used all their allowed substitutes, Town had to see out injury time with 10 men — and not only did so with ease, but also conjured up a second goal to seal the win.

With Dion Charles having replaced Taylor, Cameron Aisha made his debut, replacing Wiles (who rather disappeared again after a bright start) to provide some energy in the closing stages.

Charles won a free kick in a good position with some clever play, and Kane curled in a decent ball into the box that was half-cleared to Aisha, who stroked the ball into the far corner of the net with a perfect first-time strike. He was quite pleased with it, on the evidence of his ecstatic celebrations — as were his delighted team-mates.

Town’s record in lunchtime kick-offs has been abysmal of late, though that is probably more down to the abysmal part than the hour of day, and a solid win at a historically tough venue provides Grant and the squad a great foundation upon which to build.

The manager’s predecessor also had good results to start with last year, but Duff still had a squad of losers and could only construct the flimsiest of foundations, as it turned out.

What has happened — probably more quickly than expected, and obviously helped by winning — is regaining the trust of a support who were thoroughly sickened by last season’s shambolic events. Even with six starters who were part of that horror show, and only two games in, solid progress has been made.

It is possible that the first two opponents have been played at the right time — Reading now have a chance to build under new ownership, and Orient’s play-off hangover didn’t last long, judging by their good win yesterday.

However, with new players yet to play, old players looking more comfortable with a better squad around them, and plenty of headroom to grow, an encouraging start shouldn’t be sniffed at — and if it were, it would likely smell far sweeter than in recent years.

 It feels different.
Last season’s attempt at revitalisation crashed against the rocks of years of mostly bad — and far too numerous — managerial choices, a naïve new owner compounding those errors, and the legacy of a rancid, decaying squad reeking of failure.

Vestiges remain, with one or two subtle reminders in a hard-earned win over another club desperately searching for a momentum change, but in just two games Town have the look of a club that may — just may — have found a path to redemption.

It wasn’t a pretty win and hinged on moments going in the visitors’ favour, but Reading is never an easy place to go and gain points, even if the Royals are only just starting their own rebuild under new American (of course) ownership.

For the most part, Town were the better footballing side in a feisty and committed encounter, but too little of their play created threat and, one glorious chance for Joe Taylor aside, an open-play goal seemed elusive throughout.

The appearance of Sorensen in a defensive role on the right caused some alarm to those of us with even minimal exposure to the Dane’s body of work, and rather smacked of a manager believing he could unlock the player who shone at Sincil Bank, in contrast to our amateur scepticism. He did a reasonable, if not entirely flawless, job of containing the dangerous Kyerewaa.

His forays forward flattered to deceive, particularly in the first half, and he became the latest in a sad list of Town would-be long-throwers with an embarrassing effort that barely reached the penalty area.

After a promising opening 20 minutes, where the Terriers’ passing and movement looked sharp and crisp, the performance dipped and became a little ragged despite occasional threat down the left, with Reading disrupting their opponents’ flow more effectively.

That nullification by the home side came, ironically, after their best player, Wing, departed injured. What they lost in potential creativity, they seemed to gain in tighter aggression, and the increased attrition severely restricted the quality of entertainment as both sides played out a largely forgettable first half.

Other than an early effort from Kyerewaa, following the Royals’ best move of the half, Town’s defence contained them with some comfort as Low and Whatmough impressed both with and without the ball, physically dominating their somewhat lightweight opponents and winning the vast majority of their battles.

Typically of lunchtime kick-offs, the entertainment was at a premium, and though Town strived for combinations, breaking the hosts’ back line proved too difficult, with minimal threat from either side.

The visitors had the first opportunity of the second half when a smart ball from Ledson sent Taylor bursting through against a back-pedalling defence, but he hit a tame shot rather than squaring to the better-placed Wiles.

Reading, who were a little more threatening in the second half, created a chance at the far post with a teasing cross that was headed well over by Lane, who had to make contact with a ball that had bounced up, determining its trajectory.

This heralded the home side’s best spell of the match, culminating in Goodman having to make one of only two challenging saves of the contest to smartly keep out a deflected effort. The other, more routine, came at his near post and led to the pivotal moment of the game, when an unmarked Burns glanced well wide from the subsequent corner.

Immediately after the miss, the same home player gave away a cheap corner for Town, which Miller swung in. Whatmough competed for the ball and, as it dropped off a home body, managed to poke in the opener.

The goal came as something of a surprise given the lack of opportunities for the visitors, but it spurred them on against a visibly demoralised Reading, and the lead never looked like being relinquished.

Before the goal, and on the hour, Grant made three changes — the impressive Low making way for Feeney to make his debut — while changes to both flanks added more impetus as Gooch and Roughan, surely the first-choice options, replaced Sorensen and Roosken.

With a spring in their step, the rejuvenated visitors dominated the final 15 minutes, epitomised by the outstanding work rate of May, who is quickly establishing himself as the stark contrast to some of last year’s employees, despite a bout of cramp.

Town squeezed any ambition from their opponents with a smothering blanket in the increasing heat. The quietly impressive Ledson marshalled the team to a victory that had never looked glaringly obvious from a committed but rather average first 75 minutes, but once in front the depth and quality of the squad shone through.

Worryingly, Miller went down clutching his hamstring after attempting to push and run past an opponent, and could play no further part. Having used all their allowed substitutes, Town had to see out injury time with 10 men — and not only did so with ease, but also conjured up a second goal to seal the win.

With Dion Charles having replaced Taylor, Cameron Aisha made his debut, replacing Wiles (who rather disappeared again after a bright start) to provide some energy in the closing stages.

Charles won a free kick in a good position with some clever play, and Kane curled in a decent ball into the box that was half-cleared to Aisha, who stroked the ball into the far corner of the net with a perfect first-time strike. He was quite pleased with it, on the evidence of his ecstatic celebrations — as were his delighted team-mates.

Town’s record in lunchtime kick-offs has been abysmal of late, though that is probably more down to the abysmal part than the hour of day, and a solid win at a historically tough venue provides Grant and the squad a great foundation upon which to build.

The manager’s predecessor also had good results to start with last year, but Duff still had a squad of losers and could only construct the flimsiest of foundations, as it turned out.

What has happened — probably more quickly than expected, and obviously helped by winning — is regaining the trust of a support who were thoroughly sickened by last season’s shambolic events. Even with six starters who were part of that horror show, and only two games in, solid progress has been made.

It is possible that the first two opponents have been played at the right time — Reading now have a chance to build under new ownership, and Orient’s play-off hangover didn’t last long, judging by their good win yesterday.

However, with new players yet to play, old players looking more comfortable with a better squad around them, and plenty of headroom to grow, an encouraging start shouldn’t be sniffed at — and if it were, it would likely smell far sweeter than in recent years.

Omens and Demons

The last time Town dispatched an opening day opponent who had soundly defeated them on the last day of the previous season was in 2016. 

This may seem portentous, but Lee Grant would be better advised to look back a little more recently when an opening day win at Peterborough proved a false dawn, to say the least, as a thankfully largely dismantled squad of serial, unlikeable losers proceeded to deliver a disgusting campaign.

Like Peterborough, Leyton Orient come into the season with play off disappointment lingering and the inevitable changes to their personnel.

Grant, unlike his hapless predecessor, has had the luxury of seeing the back of players who condemned Town to their worst league position in 17 years, though the clear out is still, hopefully, ongoing. On the evidence of just one game, their replacements look capable of reviving fortunes, but any optimism must come with a heavy load of caution.

An entirely new defence was tested early when Watmough under hit a simple ball to Gooch, allowing Connolly to break, skip through some negligible challenges and hit the post with a good effort before blazing over the rebound.

Not long after, Town disrupted the O’s in the middle of the park and debutant May fed Wiles who emulated the visitors’ effort by hitting the far post with the keeper well beaten. The rebound fell into the keeper’s hands.

Playing at a good tempo, the Terriers soon began to dominate and several sorties down the left showed promise, with Miller in particular proving a menace to the Londoners, but the opening goal came from the right when an attempted challenge by the otherwise impressive Adaramola on Ledson gave Town a free kick from a nice angle.

Herbie Kane, who had a good influence on the game throughout, curled in an excellent ball beyond the defensive line but far enough from the keeper and Joe Low attacked the space, heading powerfully from short range for a debut goal and just reward for the hosts’ aggressive response to the early scare.

Including the goal, the Wiles attempt and progressive attacking, the opening 15 minutes provided more entertainment than the whole second half of last season. While that is a particularly low bar, it was necessary to get the supporters back onside quickly and they did respond – it really doesn’t take much.

Wiles had another decent attempt, routinely saved, and Town could have benefited from Orient failing to clear a very poorly delivered corner (by Miller, who was excellent other than this blip) but May couldn’t find enough power to shoot through several legs.

Orient played their part in a half of positive endeavour, but should have capitalised more on a rather nervy performance by Whatmough and, to a lesser extent, Low, in the first 20 minutes. Both were very good thereafter.

The only disappointment of an encouraging first 45 minutes was an injury to Roughan which appeared quite serious, evidenced by heavy strapping round his knee post game. The menace of injuries remains a worry after last season’s disastrous toll, and for a previously unscathed player to succumb so early in his Town career seems ominous.

Roughan’s departure brought Roosken on to the field to play in front of Miller, a not entirely convincing partnership on paper but it worked reasonably well despite something of a mixed performance from the substitute.

Another of the slew of debutants, Harness, provided creativity down the right with Gooch before coming off with a slight knock in the second half, while Ledson produced a very solid display to allow others, notably Kane, to play.

Though Orient remained a threat, particularly Connolly who could have equalised shortly into the second half when Goodman was forced into his first save of note to smother the attempt, Town effectively sealed the points with, of all things, a penalty, at home and converted.

Wiles, who looked trimmer, fitter and far less sulky than last season and should have made more of a good chance when through minutes earlier, made a run into the box for a Harness ball and was bundled over. 

1,984 days since Karlan Grant converted a penalty at the stadium, Alfie May, who had worked tirelessly for the cause, stepped up and calmly slotted his kick to the keeper’s left as the custodian went the other way. May later revealed that he usually puts penalties to the other side but he had watched 10 clips of Simkin facing penalties. Who would have thought such research was anything but redundant?

Town could have extended the lead several times in an encouraging second half – Roosken’s failure to play a first time ball over to an unmarked May was especially egregious, though he did later set up his teammate with a deft cross over retreating defenders but May couldn’t generate enough power in his header which was easily saved.

Orient weren’t without chances of their own. After an entirely anonymous first half, the returning Koroma wasted a free kick opportunity with a rising effort over the bar, before producing a probing run and cross towards Connolly, who rather messed things up when the ball arrived at him.

Substitute Charles had a good effort tipped over before a late third cake topper arrived following good work between Sorensen and the ex Bolton man who fed another substitute, Taylor whose attempted shot turned into a perfect ball for Roosken to crash home.

The Roughan injury aside, it was a satisfying afternoon at the newly named Accu stadium. With the addition of creativity from Castledine, the possibility of McGuane recapturing his early career quality and the end of Feeney’s suspension one game away, the omens seem positive.

While Orient displayed all the features of a defeated play off finalist trying to recover from disappointment, they were still a dangerous and capable opponent.

With the penalty curse finally lifted, maybe the football Gods will smile down kindly on the injury front as well, but it wasn’t a great start on that score.

Two tough away games in the League will test the optimism emanating from a solid opener, but it did feel more convincing than the one at London Road 12 months ago, and this squad may even be quite likeable as the months pass.