15 March 1960 - Sometimes, You Have To Spend Money To Make Money

On 15 March 1960, Manchester City paid a club record fee of £55,000 to acquire Denis Law for the first--but not last--time.

Twenty years old at the time, Law had spent the previous five years at Huddersfield Town, who were in the top flight when he signed for them in 1955, but were relegated to Division Two the following year. The drop opened up playing time for Law, who earned his first start in December 1956 and went on to score a total of  19 goals in 91 appearances for the Terriers.

That was enough to attract the interest of several clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool (whose manager, Bill Shankly was the boss at Huddersfield Town from 1956 to 1959). But City got his signature in March 1960 for £55,000, more than doubling the club's previous record of £25,000 set in 1950 when they bought Roy Paul from Swansea City.

Law spent a little over one year at City, scoring 21 goals in the 1960-61 season. In the summer of 1961, he left for Torino, who paid a then-British record fee of £100,000.

He returned to Manchester one year later to play for United, spending eleven seasons at Old Trafford, where he was named the 1964 European Player of the Year. But he rejoined City on a free transfer in 1973 for his last season. While there, he scored his last competitive goal in an April 1974 match that helped seal United's relegation that year.

1 January 2008 - A Sound In The Forest

On 1 January 2008, Nottingham Forest hosted Huddersfield Town in a League One match that delivered controversy before the opening whistle.

Several clubs across the UK started their matches that day with a moment of silence for Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who collapsed during a match three days earlier and died. Forest manager Colin Calderwood, a former teammate of O'Donnell's, elected not to join them, however, saying "The fact that it was a boy in Scotland, does that make it any different to a boy in Colombia?"

Forest proceeded to win the match, 2-1, and subsequently earned promotion to the Championship for the 2008-09 season.

Calderwood later had cause to regret his comments. In October 2010, he became manager of Hibernian less than a month before Motherwell were scheduled to visit. Before that match, played on 13 November, the Motherwell supporters demanded an apology from Calderwood. He duly obliged, saying "It's something that has caused offense and for that I can only apologize."

10 October 2009 - Now That's Getting His Head In The Game

On 10 October 2009, Huddersfield Town defeated Exeter City 4-0 with a record performance from striker Jordan Rhodes (pictured). Rhodes scored a header-only hat-trick in a span of 8 minutes, 23 seconds - the fastest time anyone has accomplished that feat in an English match.

Playing before a home crowd of 13,438 at Galpharm Stadium, the Terriers went up 1-0 when forward Lee Novak scored in the 17th minute. The visitors squandered a couple of opportunities for an equalizer when Rhodes doubled the lead with a near-post header in the 44th minute. After the break, he picked up where he had left off, scoring another header in the 49th minute, then another in the 52nd--three goals in a span of just over 8 minutes.

He was denied another goal only by Huddersfield manager Lee Clark, who replaced him in the 64th minute with forward Theo Robinson.

8 August 2006 - Huddersfield Hits The Half-Million Mark

On 8 August 2006, Huddersfield Town winger Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored the 500,000th goal in Football League history, capping a 3-0 victory over League One rivals Rotherham United.

It took over 107 full seasons and 170,000 matches to reach the half-million milestone, which came late in the game on the second matchday of the season for both teams. Playing before a crowd of 10,161 at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, the Terriers were already up 2-0 thanks to a Luke Beckett penalty kick (36') and a goal from Pawel Abbott (45'). Then, in the 79th minute, Taylor-Fletcher sent the record strike into the top left corner of the net from 25 yards out.

Taylor-Fletcher's goal was the 63rd of the day in a total of 32 league matches. It was also the first such milestone to be attributed to a specific individual, as the Football League's records did not identify scorers for the previous hundred-thousand marks.

In recognition of his achievement, the Football League presented a commemorative trophy to Taylor-Fletcher the next day.

21 December 1957 - A Summers Day In December

On 21 December 1957, Charlton Athletic staged a record-setting comeback to beat Bill Shankly's Huddersfield Town in a Second Division match at the Valley.

The hosts got off to a difficult start when center half Derek Ufton went off injured in the 17th minute. The rules at the time did not allow for substitutes, so Charlton had to play on with only 10 men. Visiting Huddersfield took the advantage and were up 2-0 by halftime.

At the half, Charlton left winger Johnny Summers (pictured) moved to center forward. He also switched boots, throwing out his old ones for a new pair. The changes appeared to help, as, in the 48th minute, he scored to close the gap to 2-1. But Huddersfield responded and, by the 62nd minute, had extended their lead to 5-1. Then the momentum shifted. Within 19 minutes, Charlton were unbelievably in front 6-5, after four more goals from Summers and one from Buck Ryan.

Still, the drama had not ended. Huddersfield scored an 86th-minute equalizer, then, right before the whistle, Ryan powered the game-winner past the Huddersfield keeper. Charlton got the win, 7-6. It was the first and only time that an English league team scored 6 goals and lost.

After the match, Summers told reporters that he would hold on to those boots for the rest of his life. Sadly, he died five years later from leukemia. He was 32 years old.

1 December 1959 - Liverpool Gets It Right The Second Time

On 1 December 1959, Liverpool FC announced the appointment of Bill Shankly as the club's new manager. He would go on to become one of the Reds' most successful managers.

After a distinguished playing career that included spells at Partick Thistle, Carlisle United, Preston North End, and the Scottish national team, Shankly turned to management in 1949. His first post was a return to Carlisle, followed by moves to Grimsby Town (1951-54), Workington (1954-55), and Huddersfield Town (1956-59), before joining Liverpool. He had interviewed for the Liverpool post in 1951, but had been rejected in favor of Don Welsh.

When he arrived on Merseyside, Liverpool were sitting in tenth position on the Division Two table and had not been in the top flight since 1954. Shankly steered them to consecutive third-place finishes in his first two seasons, then earned promotion in 1962 by winning the division. He subsequently guided Liverpool to three league titles (1964, 1966, 1973), two FA Cups (1965, 1974), and one UEFA Cup (1973).

Shankly retired in 1974 at the age of 60 and died in 1981.

10 June 1925 - The Greatest Gunner

On 10 June 1925, Herbert Chapman resigned as manager of Huddersfield Town to accept the same position with Arsenal.

Chapman enjoyed a long but itinerant playing career as a forward in England from 1895 to 1909, changing clubs every couple of years. In 1907, he started his managerial career as player-manager of Northampton Town before moving to Leeds City in 1912.

Chapman left Leeds City in 1918 amid a brewing scandal about illegal player payments. The club refused to allow the Football League to examine their financial records, which led the League to expel Leeds City in October 1919. The League also issued lifetime bans on five club officials, including Chapman. The club dissolved and its Elland Road grounds were soon taken over by the newly-formed Leeds United.

After a brief period out of football, Chapman successfully appealed his ban and joined Huddersfield Town as assistant manager in February 1921. He became the full manager in March and led the club to the FA Cup trophy in the 1921-22 season and the league titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons.

In 1925, Arsenal lured Chapman away by doubling his salary to £2,000. Arsenal finished second that year, five points behind Huddersfield Town. In 1930, Chapman's Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final, claiming the Gunners' first major trophy. Additional successes soon followed, with league titles in 1930-31 and 1932-33.

He is credited with introducing several innovations to the game, including early adoption of the 3-2-2-3 "WM" formation, putting numbers on the players' shirts, and encouraging physical fitness through the use of strict training plans and physiotherapists. At Arsenal, he is perhaps best known for adding white sleeves to the Gunners' red shirts.

Chapman stayed with Arsenal until his death on 6 January 1934 from pneumonia.

30 April 1938 - London Gets A Different Kind Of Tube

On 30 April 1938, Preston North End defeated Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the FA Cup Final before a crowd of 93,497 at Wembley Stadium. The match is notable for being the first FA Cup final to be broadcast live on television.

The first 90 minutes were scoreless, so the teams went to extra time. In the last minute of extra time, the match was still scoreless and a replay seemed inevitable when BBC commentator Thomas Woodrooffe famously said "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat." Seconds later, Preston North End were awarded a penalty, which forward George Mutch scored by bouncing it off the underside of the crossbar, giving Preston the win. 

Woodrooffe later kept his word, eating a hat made from cake.

19 January 1878 - Chapman Checks In

On 19 January 1878, innovative Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman was born in Yorkshire.

As an inside forward, Chapman enjoyed a long but itinerant playing career in England from 1895 to 1909, changing clubs every couple of years. In 1907, he started his managerial career as player-manager of Northampton Town before moving to Leeds City in 1912.

He left Leeds City in 1918 amid a brewing scandal about illegal player payments. The club refused to allow the Football League to examine their financial records, which led the League to expel Leeds City in October 1919. The League also issued lifetime bans on five club officials, including Chapman. The club dissolved and its Elland Road grounds were soon taken over by the newly-formed Leeds United.

After a brief period out of football, Chapman successfully appealed his ban and joined Huddersfield Town as assistant manager in February 1921. He became the full manager in March and led the club to the FA Cup trophy in the 1921-22 season and the league titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons.

In 1925, Arsenal lured Chapman away by doubling his salary to £2,000. Arsenal finished second that year, five points behind Huddersfield Town. In 1930, Chapman's Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final, claiming the Gunners' first major trophy. Additional successes soon followed, with league titles in 1930-31 and 1932-33.

He is credited with introducing several innovations to the game, including early adoption of the 3-2-2-3 "WM" formation, putting numbers on the players' shirts, and encouraging physical fitness through the use of strict training plans and physiotherapists. At Arsenal, he is perhaps best known for adding white sleeves to the Gunners' red shirts.

Chapman stayed with Arsenal until his death on 6 January 1934 from pneumonia.

24 December 1956 - Denis Makes His Debut

On 24 December 1956, Denis Law made his professional debut for Huddersfield Town in a 1-2 away win over Notts County.

Manager Andy Beattie signed Law in April 1955 despite reportedly calling him an unlikely prospect who was "weak, puny, and bespectacled." Unsurprisingly, the young forward failed to get playing time for his first season there, which ended in relegation. But as the team struggled in Division Two at the start of the 1956-57 season, Beattie resigned in November and was replaced by his assistant Bill Shankly, who apparently had a higher opinion of Law.

Law made his first professional appearance at the age of 16 years and 303 days, making him the youngest first-team player in club history. Huddersfield went on to win 1-2 over Notts County, with both of their goals scored by forward Ron Simpson.

Law went on to star for Huddersfield over the next three seasons. Shankly left for Liverpool in 1959 and tried to bring Law with him, but Liverpool could not afford him. In 1960, he moved to Manchester City for a British-record fee of £55,000, then broke it when he moved from Torino to Manchester United for £115,000 in July 1962. There, he went on to win domestic and European trophies, including the 1964 Ballon d'Or.

15 March 1960 - Sometimes, You Have To Spend Money To Make Money

On 15 March 1960, Manchester City paid a club record fee of £55,000 to acquire Denis Law for the first--but not last--time.

Twenty years old at the time, Law had spent the previous five years at Huddersfield Town, who were in the top flight when he signed for them in 1955, but were relegated to Division Two the following year. The drop opened up playing time for Law, who earned his first start in December 1956 and went on to score a total of  19 goals in 91 appearances for the Terriers.

That was enough to attract the interest of several clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool (whose manager, Bill Shankly was the boss at Huddersfield Town from 1956 to 1959). But City got his signature in March 1960 for £55,000, more than doubling the club's previous record of £25,000 set in 1950 when they bought Roy Paul from Swansea City.

Law spent a little over one year at City, scoring 21 goals in the 1960-61 season. In the summer of 1961, he left for Torino, who paid a then-British record fee of £100,000.

He returned to Manchester one year later to play for United, spending eleven seasons at Old Trafford, where he was named the 1964 European Player of the Year. But he rejoined City on a free transfer in 1973 for his last season. While there, he scored his last competitive goal in an April 1974 match that helped seal United's relegation that year.

1 January 2008 - A Sound In The Forest

On 1 January 2008, Nottingham Forest hosted Huddersfield Town in a League One match that delivered controversy before the opening whistle.

Several clubs across the UK started their matches that day with a moment of silence for Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who collapsed during a match three days earlier and died. Forest manager Colin Calderwood, a former teammate of O'Donnell's, elected not to join them, however, saying "The fact that it was a boy in Scotland, does that make it any different to a boy in Colombia?"

Forest proceeded to win the match, 2-1, and subsequently earned promotion to the Championship for the 2008-09 season.

Calderwood later had cause to regret his comments. In October 2010, he became manager of Hibernian less than a month before Motherwell were scheduled to visit. Before that match, played on 13 November, the Motherwell supporters demanded an apology from Calderwood. He duly obliged, saying "It's something that has caused offense and for that I can only apologize."

10 October 2009 - Now That's Getting His Head In The Game

On 10 October 2009, Huddersfield Town defeated Exeter City 4-0 with a record performance from striker Jordan Rhodes (pictured). Rhodes scored a header-only hat-trick in a span of 8 minutes, 23 seconds - the fastest time anyone has accomplished that feat in an English match.

Playing before a home crowd of 13,438 at Galpharm Stadium, the Terriers went up 1-0 when forward Lee Novak scored in the 17th minute. The visitors squandered a couple of opportunities for an equalizer when Rhodes doubled the lead with a near-post header in the 44th minute. After the break, he picked up where he had left off, scoring another header in the 49th minute, then another in the 52nd--three goals in a span of just over 8 minutes.

He was denied another goal only by Huddersfield manager Lee Clark, who replaced him in the 64th minute with forward Theo Robinson.

8 August 2006 - Huddersfield Hits The Half-Million Mark

On 8 August 2006, Huddersfield Town winger Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored the 500,000th goal in Football League history, capping a 3-0 victory over League One rivals Rotherham United.

It took over 107 full seasons and 170,000 matches to reach the half-million milestone, which came late in the game on the second matchday of the season for both teams. Playing before a crowd of 10,161 at Huddersfield's Galpharm Stadium, the Terriers were already up 2-0 thanks to a Luke Beckett penalty kick (36') and a goal from Pawel Abbott (45'). Then, in the 79th minute, Taylor-Fletcher sent the record strike into the top left corner of the net from 25 yards out.

Taylor-Fletcher's goal was the 63rd of the day in a total of 32 league matches. It was also the first such milestone to be attributed to a specific individual, as the Football League's records did not identify scorers for the previous hundred-thousand marks.

In recognition of his achievement, the Football League presented a commemorative trophy to Taylor-Fletcher the next day.

21 December 1957 - A Summers Day In December

On 21 December 1957, Charlton Athletic staged a record-setting comeback to beat Bill Shankly's Huddersfield Town in a Second Division match at the Valley.

The hosts got off to a difficult start when center half Derek Ufton went off injured in the 17th minute. The rules at the time did not allow for substitutes, so Charlton had to play on with only 10 men. Visiting Huddersfield took the advantage and were up 2-0 by halftime.

At the half, Charlton left winger Johnny Summers (pictured) moved to center forward. He also switched boots, throwing out his old ones for a new pair. The changes appeared to help, as, in the 48th minute, he scored to close the gap to 2-1. But Huddersfield responded and, by the 62nd minute, had extended their lead to 5-1. Then the momentum shifted. Within 19 minutes, Charlton were unbelievably in front 6-5, after four more goals from Summers and one from Buck Ryan.

Still, the drama had not ended. Huddersfield scored an 86th-minute equalizer, then, right before the whistle, Ryan powered the game-winner past the Huddersfield keeper. Charlton got the win, 7-6. It was the first and only time that an English league team scored 6 goals and lost.

After the match, Summers told reporters that he would hold on to those boots for the rest of his life. Sadly, he died five years later from leukemia. He was 32 years old.

1 December 1959 - Liverpool Gets It Right The Second Time

On 1 December 1959, Liverpool FC announced the appointment of Bill Shankly as the club's new manager. He would go on to become one of the Reds' most successful managers.

After a distinguished playing career that included spells at Partick Thistle, Carlisle United, Preston North End, and the Scottish national team, Shankly turned to management in 1949. His first post was a return to Carlisle, followed by moves to Grimsby Town (1951-54), Workington (1954-55), and Huddersfield Town (1956-59), before joining Liverpool. He had interviewed for the Liverpool post in 1951, but had been rejected in favor of Don Welsh.

When he arrived on Merseyside, Liverpool were sitting in tenth position on the Division Two table and had not been in the top flight since 1954. Shankly steered them to consecutive third-place finishes in his first two seasons, then earned promotion in 1962 by winning the division. He subsequently guided Liverpool to three league titles (1964, 1966, 1973), two FA Cups (1965, 1974), and one UEFA Cup (1973).

Shankly retired in 1974 at the age of 60 and died in 1981.

10 June 1925 - The Greatest Gunner

On 10 June 1925, Herbert Chapman resigned as manager of Huddersfield Town to accept the same position with Arsenal.

Chapman enjoyed a long but itinerant playing career as a forward in England from 1895 to 1909, changing clubs every couple of years. In 1907, he started his managerial career as player-manager of Northampton Town before moving to Leeds City in 1912.

Chapman left Leeds City in 1918 amid a brewing scandal about illegal player payments. The club refused to allow the Football League to examine their financial records, which led the League to expel Leeds City in October 1919. The League also issued lifetime bans on five club officials, including Chapman. The club dissolved and its Elland Road grounds were soon taken over by the newly-formed Leeds United.

After a brief period out of football, Chapman successfully appealed his ban and joined Huddersfield Town as assistant manager in February 1921. He became the full manager in March and led the club to the FA Cup trophy in the 1921-22 season and the league titles in the 1923-24 and 1924-25 seasons.

In 1925, Arsenal lured Chapman away by doubling his salary to £2,000. Arsenal finished second that year, five points behind Huddersfield Town. In 1930, Chapman's Arsenal defeated Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup Final, claiming the Gunners' first major trophy. Additional successes soon followed, with league titles in 1930-31 and 1932-33.

He is credited with introducing several innovations to the game, including early adoption of the 3-2-2-3 "WM" formation, putting numbers on the players' shirts, and encouraging physical fitness through the use of strict training plans and physiotherapists. At Arsenal, he is perhaps best known for adding white sleeves to the Gunners' red shirts.

Chapman stayed with Arsenal until his death on 6 January 1934 from pneumonia.

30 April 1938 - London Gets A Different Kind Of Tube

On 30 April 1938, Preston North End defeated Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the FA Cup Final before a crowd of 93,497 at Wembley Stadium. The match is notable for being the first FA Cup final to be broadcast live on television.

The first 90 minutes were scoreless, so the teams went to extra time. In the last minute of extra time, the match was still scoreless and a replay seemed inevitable when BBC commentator Thomas Woodrooffe famously said "If there's a goal scored now, I'll eat my hat." Seconds later, Preston North End were awarded a penalty, which forward George Mutch scored by bouncing it off the underside of the crossbar, giving Preston the win.

Woodrooffe later kept his word, eating a hat made from cake.