Leeds Road, Huddersfield Town - Old Ground Remembered (vi)

[jdrobbo]

Today, the 6th instalment of Old Grounds Revisited, takes us over the border into West Yorkshire. Leeds Road was a long-standing ground, surviving until the mid 90s.

I recall a 1-1 draw there in our promotion season of 93/94 and the atmosphere with its Longside ‘lookalike’ Cowshed, was often great.

What are your memories of trips to Leeds Road? Any standout games or anecdotes?

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PREVIOUSLY…

1. Burnden Park, Bolton Wanderers: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=77997

2. Boothferry Park, Hull City: viewtopic.php?style=2&t=78030

3. Ninian Park, Cardiff City: viewtopic.php?t=78417

4. Millmoor, Rotherham: viewtopic.php?t=78578

5. Baseball Ground, Derby Co: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=78841

[KlyBfc]

Can’t remember the year but i remember heading over with the then Keighley Clarets and seeing Marlon Beresford at the top of his game, including one great save, Nick Pickering looking abysmal and John Francis either returning or just about to leave (i cant remember which, though I thought the first)

[DCWat]

Can’t remember the year but i remember heading over with the then Keighley Clarets and seeing Marlon Beresford at the top of his game, including one great save, Nick Pickering looking abysmal and John Francis either returning or just about to leave (i cant remember which, though I thought the first)

That’s my main memory of Leeds Road. Beresford put in an amazing performance.

[steve1264b]

Always reminded me of the turf.

1982 down to 10 men, was it steve taylor? Great season!

[JohnDearyMe]

Can’t remember the year but i remember heading over with the then Keighley Clarets and seeing Marlon Beresford at the top of his game, including one great save, Nick Pickering looking abysmal and John Francis either returning or just about to leave (i cant remember which, though I thought the first)

My main memory is also of Nick Pickering playing for us there and failing to impress.

[FCBurnley]

1957/8 cup tie. Won 2-1 Ian Lawson. Massive crowd 50k plus Sat on my dads shoulders first half and a Town fan shoulders in second half. Great days. Never thought one day I would work there !

[Boss Hogg]

A proper old ground and not unlike ours was previously. Remember watching us there when the goalie got held up and we had to swap last minute ( Crichton / Mikopolous?). It was a good atmosphere.

[MalaysiaMo]

Always reminded me of the turf.

1982 down to 10 men, was it steve taylor? Great season!

"Ten men two- 'uddersfield 1" was the chant ..... I was a student at Leeds University at the time and traveled to the game with a couple of Huddersfield fans. I think Steve Kindon was playing for them. After the match I thought there was a chance that we might just get promoted back to Division 2 that season ....

[Herts Clarets]

I remember going there in Jan 1982, my Dad picking up his mate Albert Cunliffe who was suffering from a heavy night in the Shooters. We drove over Thursden Valley and didn't help Albert's hangover with some enthusiastic driving causing him to whack his head on the roof of the car.

We won the game 2-1, a brace from Stevie Taylor and i recall a shot from Kevin Young that flew over the bar, hit a crush barrier in the open end and rebounded onto the spikes on the fence,bursting the matchball and leaving it impaled on the spike.

[Quicknick]

Designed by the same architect as Turf Moor, or so I read once. Looks just like the old Turf. Good ground, then.

[CharlieinNewMexico]

Don’t remember what year but driving over with my dad and being terrified of what Kindon might do but Dobson had him in his pocket all night.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Think it was John Francis’s return match at Huddersfield. As above Nick Pickering was awful (this is being generous) and receiving abuse from the away end to which he looked up and just laughed.

[Dressinggown]

Their 'Longside' was very similar to ours but looked a bit bigger as there was no segregation unlike the Turf had in later years.

The open end was for the away support and was much like the Bee Hole End.

I think that their floodlights were virtually identical to ours having been crafted at Watson's Steelworks in Bolton.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

A proper old ground and not unlike ours was previously. Remember watching us there when the goalie got held up and we had to swap last minute ( Crichton / Mikopolous?). It was a good atmosphere.

The goalkeeper late change was at the new ground.

[morninbob]

Just like 1950s turfmoor before the beehole extension.

[Claret1205]

First visit was for a night match in October 1980 that ended 0-0. This was the game mentioned by CharlieinNewMexico when Dobson put Kindon in his pocket.

Always remember it fondly as where I saw my first ever away win the following season. A few posters have mentioned this game when we went down to 10 men. Can’t recall if it was 0-0 or we’d gone one up when Kevin Young got sent off. Steve Taylor scored both, down at far end. They scored a very offside looking goal in last minute.

[Dressinggown]

Anecdote:

A mini bus trip was organised to Hudds during the early 90's.

My online moniker is taken from one of our away trips during that time where the participants just had to turn up in anything that you might not expect from a mini bus full of 20 year old lads.

Yes, there was always the likelihood that the home support would immediately target us but mostly that was fun apart from going to Mansfield and Cardiff.

There was a theme for Huddersfield. We all had to wear full suits, shirts and ties in an attempt to get into the main carpark as 'corporate' visitors.

One of our party arrived for the bus in his 'civvies' and was told that if he didn't aquire the full designated attire by Hebden Bridge then he would be left to rot.

The Oxfam shop in HB was rammed with idiots offering fashion advice to the victim which actually resulted in him wearing a rather natty Harris tweed suit, combined with a neckerchief which appeared to be made from a domestic animal. The style was rounded off with an extremely short inside leg..

Our attempt to get into the carpark had mixed results but mainly involved in all the passengers running away and to evade the Police whilst the driver tried to execute a few moves from the Dukes of Hazzard.

I've not the foggiest what the result was but there was an added bonus on the way back:

Mytholmroyd Fair:

Like most fairs it was basically a travelling mêlée of substandard attractions which generally involves fighting, horses, overpriced toffee apples and attractive but largely scary young ladies.

Our first 'ride' consisted of being thrown off a circular spinning motorbike contraption where the operator seemed to be engaging some form of 'death gear'. A number of our party skidded to a halt over 100 yards away.

The remaining survivors embarked upon the gentle 'Umbrella Ride' which was quite sedate until the bloke running it screamed 'Get your legs up'. It was only on the next circuit that we saw rubber marks and shredded footwear on top of a touring caravan that appeared to be supporting the whole ride.

Shaken and stirred we made our farewell, coming to an agreement with the owners that if we didn't make a formal report to the authorities then they wouldn't kill our families.

[bfcjg]

Agree with the other posters who said it was just like the Turf especially pre Bob Lord stand. I vaguely remember the 1982 game, as with a lot of games those days the beer makes them all rather hazy.

[Dressinggown]

It was the same day that a large number of Burnley fans congregated in a pub not far off the M62.

Sprits were high and there was a jovial atmosphere.

Plenty of songs were being belted out and then the daftness started. One bloke grabbed a wicker basket containing around 300 individual portions of butter and scoffed the lot including the foil wrappers.

The crowd were going mental until another bloke stood up and stated that he could do better.

He began drinking a pint but as the beer was going down he was also eating the glass as well. He even chewed through the thicker bottom of the glass.

A strangely quiet situation then unfolded.

[LeadBelly]

My top memory is of a visit in that 1972/3 promotion season. A 2-0 win that all but secured promotion I think. As well as the plus of an important win there was the negative of a Mick Docherty injury. Plenty of clarets there I recall.

[fatboy47]

My top memory is of a visit in that 1972/3 promotion season. A 2-0 win that all but secured promotion I think. As well as the plus of an important win there was the negative of a Mick Docherty injury. Plenty of clarets there I recall.

Including me....

[NottsClaret]

Only went once but was also struck by the similarities to the Turf. I actually quite like their 'new' ground, as it's still close to town centre and is actually four stands rather than a bowl. Definitely one of the better new builds.

[ClaretLoup]

Can you imagine any club officially naming a stand the "Cowshed" these days?

[ClaretTony]

Can you imagine any club officially naming a stand the "Cowshed" these days?

Huddersfield still do don't they? It's the end where the away fans also go.

[ClaretTony]

This is a ground I liked but possibly because I never saw us lose there in six visits - and as LeadBelly said, we all but clinched promotion there in 1973 which set us up for that wonderful night against Sunderland.

[mdd2]

I went in the 1950’s with my Dad to the FA Cup game when Ian Lawson played
Think he scored and we won 2-1
I was struck by how much like the Turf it was with its stand like out Longside

[Leisure]

Their 'Longside' was very similar to ours but looked a bit bigger as there was no segregation unlike the Turf had in later years.

The open end was for the away support and was much like the Bee Hole End.

I think that their floodlights were virtually identical to ours having been crafted at Watson's Steelworks in Bolton.

I can remember being both behind the goals for a game but then on the 'Longside' at the back for a different game The big car park wasn't for the feint hearted after the game!

[Claretforever]

Their “Cowshed” was actually behind the goal rather than their version of our Longside, and named so when the barrel roof went up.

Their East Terrace (aka Popular Side similar to the Longside’s original name as a terrace), and seemingly like our Longside, was slightly bigger than ours. It went back further to some 120 steps deep, versus our ~80 step terrace. Although theirs did taper down at one side.

Their version of our Bee Hole End was shallower, so smaller in capacity.

I really liked Leeds Road and it’s one ground I wish I’d visited as it was so similar to the old Turf.

[Woodleyclaret]

I was there for our 2 0 win in the promotion season great times we seemed to win everywhere that season

[NL Claret]

Only went once for a 1-1 draw which will have been 1994 as Kevin Russell was playing, couldn’t get in the away end so stood on terrace on the long side of the pitch. Not much to remember about the game apart from a local on the terrace repeatedly calling The Rooster a rather unpleasant name .

[Dark Cloud]

Designed by the same architect as Turf Moor, or so I read once. Looks just like the old Turf. Good ground, then.

Always seemed clear to me that The Longside, The Kippax (Maine Rd) and the covered side at Udders were built by the same people as they were pretty much identical.

[Pickles]

In the eighth photo, I'm pretty sure you can see the then new Kirklees Stadium.

Been to that one a few times, it's a lovely little ground and the sort of size and design I wouldn't be against Burnley playing in if the unthinkable happened and we left the Turf.

[Boss Hogg]

The goalkeeper late change was at the new ground.

You’re correct I’m getting matches muddled up. Think I’ve seen us there about 3 or 4 times and once at the old ground. I seem always remember the cup tie when papadopoulos scored but that was the new stadium. The old ground had character like old Turf Moor the new one doesn’t just like Reading and Bolton.

[Buxtonclaret]

Very much the Yorkie version of the Turf.
That '73 win was my first ever visit.
Another great old ground sadly gone.

[dougcollins]

Always reminded me of the turf.

Absolutely. Their longside stand was almost identical.

[Quicknick]

Always seemed clear to me that The Longside, The Kippax (Maine Rd) and the covered side at Udders were built by the same people as they were pretty much identical.

I don't know the exact size of Leeds Road terrace, but the Longside had 80 terraces and the Kippax had 100.

[beeholeclaret]

I was at Leeds Road in the 1972-73 promotion season and Clarets won 2-0. My dad took these pictures from our vantage point in the "Longside". I think Casper and Dobson notched for Burnley (one of whose goals had just hit the net on the photos).

[jdrobbo]

Fantastic pics

[beeholeclaret]

Fantastic pics

I’ve nearly choked on my breakfast hurriedly posting these pics after hearing that my 11:25 train to Burnley is cancelled. Legged it to station just in time to catch the 10:25.

I was going to show Martin Dobson as he is featured in one of the pics. We will hopefully meet him at Burnley library at lunchtime.

Hope all good with you. I’m enjoying these ground reviews.

[Dressinggown]

You’re correct I’m getting matches muddled up. Think I’ve seen us there about 3 or 4 times and once at the old ground. I seem always remember the cup tie when papadopoulos scored but that was the new stadium. The old ground had character like old Turf Moor the new one doesn’t just like Reading and Bolton.

That day was another bizzare occasion. The train to Halifax was mobbed. Manny Road train station was engulfed with Police and heavily drinking Burnley supporters.

A change of train was required at Halifax where another battalion of officers refused to let anyone off the platform and escorted around a few hundred of us onto the train to Huddersfield. British Rail Police accompanied us as far as the stop before Huddersfield and left the train stating that there would be a huge welcoming party from the Huddersfield Police and Football Intelligence Officers.

Everyone on board were making plans on avoiding arrest and incarceration. These included borrowing identities from locals on the train and having direct contact with the authorities to just the whole of us just legging it past the Old Bill by virtue of bigger numbers.

It was tense as we pulled into the station.

We quietly embarked with a sense of purpose. Here we go !

All plans immediately went out of the window as we realised that there was no Police presence at all.

Hundreds of Burnley fans descended on the town centre. Some made a charge to take over their 'main' pub. I saw many others having a free lunch after looting the open air food market.

Whilst this sort of occurrence was commonplace you don't regularly see your own goalkeeper running past you, boots in hand, around half a mile from the ground about 15 minutes before the match.

Nick the Greek filled in and was the first choice from then on. I think that Andy P scored the winner that day.