Can Terriers dig way out of trouble again?
IT’S tough for Huddersfield Town fans right now with their team anchored at the foot of the Championship and unable to win.
The 4-2 defeat at West Brom - after twice leading at The Hawthorns - left Town six points adrift of safety after eight matches and extended their league run to 18 without a win.
In fact, Town have won just once in their last 32 League outings – at home to Wolves in February – a run spanning their relegation from the Premier League, the departures of two head coaches in David Wagner and Jan Siewert and the appointment of Danny Cowley.
Few teams have survived such a harrowing run. But should anyone need inspiration, they should maybe look back to 1997-98, when Town managed to survive in the same division (then known as Nationwide League Division One) despite not winning until November.
It wasn’t until the 15th match of the league campaign that Town managed to win – 3-1 at home against Stoke City when a late breakaway goal from Paul Dalton finally sealed the points.
Lee Richardson and Marcus Stewart had earlier been on target for Town, who were under the guidance of popular ex-player Peter Jackson following the sacking of Brian Horton in October (after a 2-0 home defeat by eventual champions Nottingham Forest which left Town with four points from nine games).
Jackson had brought in Richardson from Oldham, Barry Horne from Birmingham and, not long after the win over Stoke City, added Wayne Allison from Swindon.
The big striker was to play a key role in what became known as ‘The Great Escape’, as did goalkeeper Steve Harper when he arrived on loan from Newcastle United in the December.
Highlights of the campaign included a televised win at Manchester City in which Rob Edwards - a boyhood City fan - scored a stunning volley to seal the win.
And a six-match unbeaten run towards the end of the season put Town in position to survive - something which had looked impossible with a third of the season played.
Survival was finally guaranteed with a 1-0 home win against West Brom when Simon Baldry got the only goal of the game in front of 11,704 at the stadium.
Despite closing defeats to Portsmouth and Port Vale, Town finished 16th - and Jackson celebrated the achievement by playing one last match for the Reserves before hanging up his boots for good.
Coincidentally, it was against West Brom, and Jackson scored from a penalty in a 5-1 win - his career bow being watched by 5,012.