Terriers played two games on Christmas Day

thought, Town actually twice played two matches on Christmas Day!

Those were during the Second World War, when the regular Football League matches were replaced for Town by the Wartime League (North).

In 1940-41, Town played Bradford City home and away on Christmas Day and, the following season, they marked the 25th by playing at Leeds United in the morning and Bradford Park Avenue in the afternoon.

Against Bradford City, Town won 5-0 away with goals from Vic Metcalfe, Eddie Boot, Jimmy Isaac and a Billy Price double.

Later in the day at Leeds Road, they lost 4-3 despite goals from Price, Bobby Barclay and Lewis Brook.

With Price netting in both matches, it gives rise to the question: “Which Town player scored three goals against Bradford City with just over two hours between the second and third?”

The following season, Town lost 2-1 at Leeds (again Price on the scoresheet) and won 3-1 at Park Avenue.

While wartime football tends to get shelved as a topic, the 1940-41 season featured the emergence of a young winger who was to play a significant part in the club’s future in regular Football League action.

That was Metcalfe, who played for England in an era of outstanding wingers and still stands third in Town’s all-time appearance list with 459 peacetime matches to add to the 65 he played during World War Two.

Town - who played on Christmas Day in their first year of existence, 1908, when they lost 6-1 at Bradford Park Avenue Reserves - regularly played on that date through to the Second World War.

Indeed, in their hat-trick of English title seasons, they played on Christmas Day in the first two.

After hostilities finished in 1945, the League remained regional in 1945-46 and matches were played on a home and away basis at Christmas - one on the 25th and the return on either Boxing Day or the 27th.

Town doubled up against Blackburn, Aston Villa, Blackpool, Wolves and Derby county and, crazily, when they won promotion in 1952-53 with the famous unchanged defence of Wheeler, Staniforth, Kelly, McEvoy, Quested and McGarry, they played Swansea as their holiday opposition.

The Welsh club were then known as Swansea Town and visited Leeds Road on Christmas Day 1952.

Town won 3-0 with goals from Willie Davie, Metcalfe and Jimmy Glazzard.

Only two days later on the 27th,

A member of Town’s final Christmas Day side

was Dennis Law