When Wijnhard fired Town to top of the table
TURN the clock back exactly 19 years and you will find Huddersfield Town sitting proudly on top of the Nationwide League Division One table.
That was courtesy of a 3-1 home victory against Grimsby Town in what is now the Championship.
On target for Steve Bruce’s side on December 18, 1999, were Marcus Stewart and Clyde Wijnhard, who netted twice.
Wijnhard had been signed from Leeds, who had visited Town in a pre-season friendly.
That match, in fact, attracted the second-highest gate for a home friendly, with the 18,850 attendance being the largest since 20,042 watched Independiente of Argentina in January 1954.
Town, in fact, were top of the division throughout December, but fell away following injuries to Steve Jenkins (broken ribs), skipper Chris Lucketti (broken leg) and Ken Monkou (knee ligaments).
Strike duo Stewart was also sold to promotion rivals Ipswich Town in February, scoring the winner on his home debut against Town!
Town eventually finished eighth, missing out on the play-offs with a 3-0 final-day defeat at Fulham, while Ipswich went up alongside Manchester City and champions Charlton Athletic.
A crowd of 14,065 watched the win over Grimsby, when Town’s team was: Nico Vaesen, Steve Jenkins,
Jon Dyson, Craig Armstrong, Kevin Gray, Scott Sellars, Kenny Irons, Dean Gorre, Ben Thornley, Clyde Wijnhard, Marcus Stewart. Subs: Barry Horne, Rob Edwards.