90 minutes that changed my life!!
Thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to view my humble site today, via my bit of advertising on Down At The Mac - we are approaching a record number of hits in one day - I'm grateful, and hopefully most of you will return at some point!
I was thinking though that I haven't really said an awful lot of my Town supporting past, mainly concentrating on the here-and-now of course - so a brief(ish) summary. Here goes.....
I started following Huddersfield Town in 1990. Now, back in the day I used to go and watch Crewe a lot (haven't seen them play anyone but Town in over 10 years now) - particularly round about the time I left school (1988/1989) as the vast majority of my Mums family are Alex mad. It was generally accepted I would turn out the same way, even though I didn't go to games until my late teens.
In March 1990 (3rd of March to be precise), the game that changed my life. I travelled with a car-full of my family to Leeds Road to watch Crewe against Huddersfield in a Division Three game. I had never been to an away game in my life, so visiting such a big ground (it looked massive to me compared to Gresty Road) was exciting. When we arrived I remember clearly walking up to the ground and going "..wow, I like this place..". Even though I had only recently started going to matches, I always had an interest in football, and was pretty clued up on most clubs histories (including Towns), so while we were watching the game I remember looking all around the ground, quietly musing that the old ground must have seen some marvellous times in the past. I was almost daydreaming to be honest!! Then - and I as good as missed it - Crewe scored - pandamonium around me, but strangely I wasn't really bothered - didn't know why at the time to be honest, but something wasn't right with me.
The game ended up 1-0 to Crewe, everyone travelling with me was buzzing - I was non-plussed - as we left the ground I looked back and had a random thought - that I wished this was my local ground because I wanted a return visit and soon!!!
When I returned home I did my homework!! It wasn't long before I was more clued up on Towns players and history than I was with Crewe!! When I announced my intention that I was now a Huddersfield Town fan first and Crewe would have to be my second team (they are not even that now) I was treated with astonishment and derision (unsurprisingly). Everyone thought I had lost my marbles ("...its not like you even live near there..."), but I was determined - and what started as a casual interest became a full blown obsession that continues to this day.
In September 1990 Town signed a centre-half from Bradford - chap by the name of Peter Jackson! He soon became my favourite player, my hero (can't think why **blushes**). Unfortunately for me though I only visited Leeds Road one more time before the bulldozers moved in, again when Crewe were the visitors (couldn't afford the train fare back then - even though I made many plans). In fact, the early visits I made to the "...McAlpine..." were when Crewe played there because I could always grab a lift (I admit sitting amongst the Alex supporters at the time, as I was a bit too shy to sit with a load of strangers back in the day).
Sad fact time - after Jacko left the club in 1994 I did make more than one trip to Chesters Deva Stadium to watch my hero in action - I think I went either 3 or 4 times, something like that - one night I saw Crewe put 6 past them in an Autoglass Trophy tie one very cold night (but that is another story).
Started to travel over for games on my own in the late 90s (during PJs first spell as manager unsurprisingly), and the LB Lower is now my spiritual home. Due to the nature of my job (in the betting industry), Saturdays are fairly hard to come by, and coupled with the increasing costs in both admission and train fare I don't get over as often as I would like - but as regular readers will confirm I do get when it is possible.
So thats about it really. Not really a lot more to tell, only to say that in terms of a journey - supporting Town has been a trip of a lifetime. And long may it continue - TTID!!!
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