Month: October 2026

An Unlikely Friendship

When I heard Sir Patrick Stewart had died, my initial instinct was to absorb the news like everyone else who learned of his death through the media.

I watched clips of his performances, eulogies from an array of famous collaborators and read the rightly valedictory obituaries for a man of spectacular achievement.

It didn’t take long for the grief to hit, however. This was a man I counted as an unlikely friend for 25 years.

Looking through photographs on my phone, I found mementos of great days spent in the company of a man of extraordinary range and an extraordinary voice, a man of strong principles and humanity, who found common ground with me for the simple reason that he enjoyed my amateur scribblings on Huddersfield Town, shared over an email list devoted to a largely unexceptional northern football club.

It should be stated firmly and clearly: Patrick Stewart loved Huddersfield Town, and that devotion never wavered.

Through a mutual friend, who had forwarded him my very early Town match reports, Patrick expressed an interest in meeting me. Entirely coincidentally, my wife, two close friends and I were touring California in the summer of 2002, and a meeting at his home in the hills of Los Angeles was arranged.

It was an extraordinarily exciting prospect for someone totally enthralled by California and its glamour and promise, even if I had never seen a minute of Star Trek: The Next Generation, had little interest in theatre or Shakespeare (despite what could only have been a fluke A-level in English Literature) and was largely indifferent to the whole concept of fame.

That first meeting set the tone.

It was difficult not to be dazzled by a house with a swimming pool, the blue LA skies and the prospect of meeting a world-famous actor. Despite some difficult personal circumstances surrounding that first meeting, he was charm itself to his four visitors from Huddersfield as we politely negotiated the niceties.

Before long, however, Patrick wanted to talk about Town. What was going on at the troubled club (they were about to be plunged into crisis)? He simply couldn’t wait to take me to the room where all his Huddersfield Town memorabilia was displayed.

For all the years we corresponded, socialised and interacted, Huddersfield Town underpinned a relationship which replicated my affinity with all the other people afflicted by that damned football team.

And that was the point. I’m quite proud of my match reports, and the fact that a world-class actor shared my passion for the subject of my writing made the relationship an easy one.

I was about as interested in his acting career (with some exceptions) as he was in my glittering insurance journey. In fact, I didn’t really know who he was until I saw him making a draw at half-time at Roker Park in 1996.

It was fortuitous that my older brother’s company had a box at the stadium, enabling us to host him away from the throng of interest inevitably surrounding him. He most definitely appreciated the sanctuary.

But it was the games away from home which resonate most strongly down the years. A friendly at Rochdale and a pint in The Cemetery with Lisa Stansfield in her local; Dagenham & Redbridge for an ignominious 1-1 draw on a dank Tuesday night; The Valley, where Lee Clark’s increasingly tedious unbeaten run was finally put out of its misery; a walk down to the New Den from his South Bank apartment with no fear in our hearts; and the play-off semi-final defeat at Griffin Park on the way to disintegration.

There were a couple of great highlights watching Town. A weekend in Cardiff for the restorative play-off win over Mansfield, and a night at Stamford Bridge which probably represented the zenith of modern Huddersfield Town as they avoided relegation from the Premier League.

On that night, as we counted down the minutes while seeing out a draw, I told Patrick to look at the clock only every five minutes to make time go faster, a story he repeated when interviewed by ITV the following day, rather thrillingly.

We met and ate at some great restaurants in London, New York and LA over the years, and the conversation revolved around Town for about 80% of the time. A full day at the US Open in 2014 remains one of the best experiences of my life, as Patrick gave me and my wife, Violet, a full introduction to the world of glamour and celebrity, which was fantastic to experience. Once.

I shared some wonderful lunchtimes in the California sunshine with Patrick and our great friend Richard Haigh. Relaxing in the company of two great raconteurs was joyful. Patrick once turned up at The Ivy in Santa Monica wearing his Town shirt and, of course, nobody dared question his dress choice.

An invitation to his 70th birthday party, which my brother and I were fortunate enough to receive, allowed us to witness the respect he had earned through his Chancellorship of the University. His commitment to the Academy at Town was another indication of his affection for the club, coming at a time when it really needed support.

Violet and I, my brother Howard and his family, along with various other friends, enjoyed the natural, relaxed company of a global icon who slipped effortlessly back into his West Yorkshire roots.

We will miss him very much and send our love and condolences to his family, friends and millions of admirers around the world.

Up the Town, Sir Pat.

A wet and windy lunchtime game against the bottom club in the league has usually conjured up a perfect storm for Huddersfield Town teams of the recent and not so recent past. A late concession added a familiar dose of anxiety, too.

It is no small indication of the club’s direction of travel that successfully navigating the combination of circumstances laid before them like rakes waiting to be stepped upon took them to the top of the League One table after a dozen games.

It was far from pretty, and Wigan belied their lowly position with a more than credible performance which tested Town throughout. If they could resolve the glaring flaw in their season and put the ball in the net more often, relegation might not be the certainty already feared in Lancashire.

A bright opening by the hosts, featuring a couple of dangerous corners, one of which Bowat headed on to the bar, and Joe Low missing the target after towering over the visitors’ defenders, faded too quickly as the tricky conditions mitigated against flowing attacking play.

The best move of a half dominated by the Terriers saw Fletcher cleverly played through by Sanches Fernandes, but the former Blackpool man had his goal-bound effort deflected over by a timely defensive block.

Space was at a premium against a dogged and determined Wigan, and it took a moment of high quality from Humphreys, whose touch and delivery of a back-post cross for Bronkhorst to bury made attending this otherwise rather dour encounter completely worthwhile.

A succession of corners, all delivered towards a gaggle of home players at the back post, caused some consternation for the Latics. Their diminutive keeper, Whitworth, made a brave double save while the game was still goalless to deny Low, while the remaining corners were accompanied by ridiculous levels of shirt-pulling from both sides.

As uninspiring as much of the half had been, Town deserved their lead. Wigan’s resilience and game plan had stifled the hosts, but the visitors were bereft of threat, and it was reasonable to expect a straightforward win to be confirmed in the second half.

That confidence evaporated during a second half of struggle for the Terriers. Wigan, with a series of substitutions, became a different proposition, even if their more expansive approach failed to create danger in the areas where they could hurt their opponents until it was almost too late.

Town spluttered for the most part, and even the tricky wind could not always be blamed for the missed opportunities to exploit the spaces Wigan were leaving behind as they took the game to their hosts.

Taylor, in particular, looked a forlorn figure at times, struggling with the accuracy of forward passes, while attempts to launch attacks from wide areas generally ended up in quagmire, despite the efforts of Mumba, who was impressive once again.

It was no surprise that the crucial second goal came with Harness on the pitch. As infuriating and careless as he can be, he offers more than the ponderous Fletcher, who really needed replacing far sooner than the 69th minute.

Harness set the quicksilver Sanches Fernandes on his way to yet another goal with a beautifully weighted pass, and the most entertaining player Huddersfield has seen for many years burst confidently towards goal, keeping himself between the defenders and the ball before stroking it home.

Harness also had the opportunity to deliver a carbon-copy pass to Taylor, as he had done against Peterborough, but fluffed his execution.

Perhaps this contributed to Taylor leaving the pitch too slowly for the referee’s liking in injury time, meaning Gooch was left waiting on the touchline for a compulsory minute. During that time, Wigan finally found the net when substitute Saydee, who had already brought a decent save from Young, whipped in a fine shot which curled into the top corner from an angle.

Though Town could point to being a little harshly depleted when Wigan scored their consolation, Young flapping at a ball he should probably have caught was the more likely immediate cause.

With only a minute left, the goal should not have been concerning, but those Sheffield Wednesday memories are not being erased anytime soon.

Bitty and unimpressive though it was, Town added another win to an excellent seven days, with individual quality proving the difference against a better than expected Wigan.

Defensively sound, Town were nevertheless a little disconcerting in their overreliance on backward passing. Hopefully, it was a one-off, and a welcome free week before another lunchtime engagement at Valley Parade against low-scoring Bradford gives Town time to prepare to sit their upstart rivals down.

Posh Savaged

Without ever reaching the heights of Saturday’s statement win in Devon, where Plymouth were comprehensively dismantled in the best performance of an increasingly interesting season, Town overcame a spirited and bravely naive Peterborough to join Stockport at the top of the League One table.

Despite a scoreline suggesting overwhelming dominance, the performance was flatter than inspiring, as fatigue permeated the team, who struggled to find any rhythm for long periods, particularly in a turgid first half which faded after the promise of an early goal.

Three games in a week are challenging for most teams, and though it was hardly akin to crossing the international dateline, Town’s furthest trip of the season seemed to have drained more than a few players and, tellingly, led to the exclusion of Radulovic altogether.

Though the opposition were lowly after a tough start to the season, the fabled new-manager bounce was evident in an enthusiastic Posh side who caused Town problems until they perhaps inevitably self-immolated at crucially inappropriate moments.

For the hosts, individualism was more to the fore than the impressive teamwork on display at the weekend, with flashes of inspiration proving the difference on a slick surface doused in autumnal rain.

The promise of a dazzling night under the lights seemed likely to come to fruition when an excellent delivery from a free kick evaded a flat-footed visiting defence, as any one of four unmarked home players could have converted. Bronckhurst beat them all to the ball and slotted home his first Huddersfield Town goal.

Sadly, that was the high point of a first half which became increasingly untidy, only occasionally lit up by the extraordinary skills of Sanches Fernandez, extricating himself from the pressure of multiple opponents in tight spots.

To their credit, Peterborough didn’t crack after the setback and carried some threat, even if their efforts tended to peter out on contact with Town’s defence, with Young having little to save in the home goal.

Interestingly, and indicative of a mindset which always seemed likely to be the catalyst for their downfall, the Cambridgeshire outfit left one or two men up front at Town corners – a tactic of old which has long needed reviving.

Despite the ploy going unrewarded, it did illustrate Robbie Savage’s intent to take the game to the higher-placed opponents, and a similar approach against lesser opposition could well reward the much derided pundit-provocateur in the future. If he is to succeed at London Road, however, his touchline theatrics need quashing.

An unconvincing first half finished with Town in the lead, but far from comfortable, and Radulovic was certainly missed as his replacement, Fletcher, lumbered through proceedings to little discernible effect.

While Town started the second half brightly (despite the new and annoying rugby-union style kick-off into touch), with Humphreys hitting a promisingly placed free kick over the bar, Peterborough began to cause some consternation among an unconvinced home crowd and seemed the more likely next scorers.

Taylor, however, who had cast a sulking shadow when things didn’t go his way in the first half, brilliantly pounced on an errant pass just over the halfway line and darted into the wide, inviting space between him and the goalkeeper before slipping the ball past the floundering Bass.

It was a slightly undeserved lead, but the exploitation of an arguably over-expansive opponent had always felt possible, and Taylor’s dynamic opportunism was exactly what should be demanded from a high-priced acquisition. With eight goals to date, the frustrations he can bring can be forgiven.

Irritatingly, doubling the advantage did not subdue Posh, who continued to press for a goal and were rewarded just a couple of minutes later when a slip at the back allowed the ball to reach Leonard, who squeezed a good effort past Roughan’s half-hearted attempt to block and beyond Young’s reach.

True to form, through bitter experience, anxiety crept into the home crowd. Their discomfort wasn’t to last long, though, as a great move begun by Sanches Fernandez set substitute Harness free down the right, and his sweeping ball into the box was met by Taylor to complete his brace.

This time, the visitors were subdued by the gap that had opened up, and Town punished them further when a final flourish from Sanches Fernandez dazzled: he controlled an errant clearance, immediately and threateningly pivoted, and drove towards retreating and terrified defenders before slipping in Mumba for a fourth.

The scorer was one of the individual successes of the evening, capping a defensively sound performance with a well-deserved goal and finally showing some of the form for which he was acquired in January.

Mumba’s efforts, along with those of the constantly involved Collins, another individual standout, the predation of Taylor and the magic of DSF, secured Town the three points and continued their good start to the season.

A more convincing home victory against strugglers Wigan on Saturday would be very welcome before the looming showdown at Valley Parade.

If Huddersfield Town were ever to be the subject of an episode of Sesame Street, it would surely be brought to us by the letter B.

Town’s aversion to beating teams whose name begins with B away from home had become such an odd affliction that this alphabetical anomaly has become an illogical, paranoid data point which was finally laid to rest at the 13th time of asking on a sunny afternoon in Burton.

The Staffordshire town had been the scene of 2 particularly painful and damaging defeats in the recent past, serving to illustrate how far the Terriers had fallen in a few, short years.

Coming off the back of a horrible and memorable for all the wrong reasons defeat at Bromley, a trip to the Pirelli stadium offered little comfort to those who feared another autumnal slump was upon us.

Burton’s neat and tiny home is a location resonant of meek defeats to upstart clubs punching above their weight, and the encounter seemed pivotal, more for the easy comparisons to the past two disappointing campaigns than any particular logic.

As it transpired, the match couldn’t have been much more different to the mood music beforehand, with Town putting in a display of energetic competence which imposed their superiority, forced errors and effectively blunted the hosts’ offensive ambition.

More dogged than artful, the performance was, nevertheless, a vast improvement on Bromley with dominance translated into a convincing victory with one or two encouraging flourishes in and amongst the hard work.

A bright start should have seen Town take the lead, but Fletcher and Mumba both spurned one-on-one chances by taking an extra touch when instinct should have prevailed.

Radulovic was also denied when his header from a good cross by Balker was tipped over acrobatically, if routinely, by Addia.

Fluffing chances has become a major issue for Drury and his team, and one which was not entirely erased here, even in a game where 3 goals were scored. Further chances went begging towards the end of the game, too, and it seems unlikely that future opponents will give Town as much assistance as the hosts did on this occasion.

However much credit can be given to Town for pressing at the right time and place, Finn Delap’s awful attempt to pass to a teammate owed more to a brain fart than any undue pressure. Sanchez Fernandes was the grateful recipient and calmly tucked away the opener, for a deserved if fortuitous lead.

Town’s grip on the game was total by this point, with the hosts unable to get near the final third and only a vital header off the line prevented Murray Wallace from doubling the advantage, which would not have been undeserved.

Instead, the visitors managed to claw themselves back into the game with their first meaningful attack just after the half hour mark.

Although Town could point to a poor non decision when Bowat was clearly tripped while conceding a corner, Delap was given far too much freedom to atone for his earlier error by striking a very good effort into the top corner for an unlikely and ill deserved leveller.

Though some have been critical of Young’s attempt to save it, the shot was rising, powerful and exceptionally well placed, and he could only brush it with his fingertips.

To Town’s credit, the setback was rectified quickly.

Burton briefly stirred after the equaliser, but the effervescent Sanchez Fernandes found the inexplicably unmarked Mumba in the box and, this time, the former Plymouth man finally opened his Huddersfield account with a smart and, crucially, instinctive finish.

Heading into half time with the advantage deservedly restored, Town had dominated without dazzling though a more ruthless edge could have seen them out of sight.

Perhaps unsurprisingly for a Gary Bowyer team, Burton started the second half with a little more adventure and threat and if Young had to atone for Delap’s equaliser, he did so by denying the same player with his legs as the ball broke loose in the area.

The slightly improved response from the home team was short lived, however, and Town reestablished control as the promising pairing of Collins and the excellent Humphreys dominated midfield and constantly set the tempo.

Humphreys brought a good save out of Addai from a free kick won by a strong run from the much improved Mumba, but the on loan keeper was just a few minutes away from disaster to hand Town a two goal advantage.

Though it wasn’t the best pass to him that he could have expected from a teammate, Addai took an age to decide how to handle the situation unfurling before him and seemed to decide that hesitation and procrastination would make his problem disappear.

It would be hyperbolic to suggest Fletcher pounced. He lightly jogged forward to take advantage of the custodian’s non decision making for the easiest goal he is ever likely to score.

The Brewers, already subdued, now drooped.

Addai, constantly abused by a raucously cruel following behind the goal, managed to thwart Collins after some lovely play by Sanchez Fernandes, but it was scant consolation as Town comfortably negotiated the final minutes to earn an important and cathartic victory.

Banishing voodoos is no bad thing, and while the performance was competent rather than spectacular, a defeat would have been accompanied by confidence draining despair – it remains far too early in the season to draw conclusions from one win, but avoiding the ramifications of defeat seems just as important.