Friday 20 October 2017

Opposition profile: Huddersfield Town

United travel to David Wagner's newly promoted Huddersfield Town team on Saturday for the first competitive meeting between the sides in more than 40 years. 

You have to go back to the 1971/72 season for the last time we played the west Yorkshire side.
The Reds won 3-0 at their Leeds Road ground before a 2-0 win at Old Trafford in the return five months later.

That victory proved the last time that the "United Trinity" of Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law all got on the scoresheet in the same game. 

Huddersfield and United have more in common than you might think.

There's the mutual loathing of the club's west Yorkshire neighbours Leeds, with the Elland Road side Huddersfield's derby game and fiercest rivals.
Arguably our greatest ever striker, Denis Law, began his career at Huddersfield and, like us, they've achieved the rare feat of three top division titles in a row.

Under the legendary Herbert Chapman, Huddersfield won the championship for three successive seasons - 1924/25, 1925/26 and 1926/27.
Arsenal and Liverpool have also got that unique record to their name, but United of course are the only team to do so twice (1998/99, 1999/2000 and 2000/01, and again in 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09). 

Huddersfield also won the FA Cup for the first and only time in their history in 1922, in an unprecedented period of success for the club. 

Nicknamed the Terriers, the club now ply their trade at the 24,169-capacity John Smith's Stadium, which they share with rugby league side Huddersfield Giants.
The Yorkshire dog breed was introduced to their badge shortly after "The Terriers" became their official nickname and mascot of the club. 

The club were relegated from the top flight in that 1971-72 campaign, and spent the next four decades in a nomadic existence in the bottom three divisions.

45 years on, and the Terriers are back for a first ever Premier League season after a fairytale rise under Jurgen Klopp protege Wagner.

Huddersfield began their 2016-17 campaign as one of the favourites to be relegated to League One.
Instead, and against all the odds, they defied the doubters and sealed a return to the elite with victory over hotly-tipped Reading on penalties in the play-off final.

The new boys began their Premier League adventure in superb style with impressive wins over Palace and Newcastle in their opening two games.
They've not won in the six games since, but with only one defeat at home in the league so far they shouldn't be underestimated. 



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