Match report: Leyton Orient 1 Huddersfield Town 1

May 4 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IAN BOOTH’S perseverance in teaching son Andy to kick with his left foot paid dividends as the retiring striker chalked up the goal every Town fan was willing him to score.

The 35-year-old’s father last week told the Examiner how being able to use both feet was the one footballing tip he drilled home when the natural right footer was a youngster.

And as Andy played his 452nd and final game for his hometown club – Saturday’s 1-1 season-ending draw with Leyton Orient in East London – it was the left which forced home goal number 150 for Town, and the 184th of his 610-match club career.

Booth defied his operation-scarred back and creaking knees to run through unchallenged and steer the ball round Jamie Jones’ lunge to poke the ball past the Orient keeper, who was left exposed after a weak back header by midfielder Jimmy Smith.

There were 23 minutes and 56 seconds on the clock as Booth – pursued by his teammates – raced towards the 1,191 Town fans, who had a great view of the goal, to lap up the deserved acclaim.

Even some Orient supporters, all of who later gave the Town man a standing ovation when he was replaced by Lionel Ainsworth in the 80th minute, applauded and few in the ground can have been more excited than Booth’s own son Harrison.

The six-year-old was present for the entire trip to the capital, with manager Lee Clark explaining: “We wanted him to see his Dad play one more time, and he didn’t let him down.”

It was just a shame that Town, having bossed the first half, lost their way in the second and allowed Orient to equalise through Dean Morgan’s simple 65th-minute tap-in past Simon Eastwood, who was making his debut in place of the injured Alex Smithies.

However, at least the 19-year-old England junior international couldn’t be blamed for a goal created by full-back Charlie Daniels’ well-placed pass and on-loan Chelsea player Smith’s great run down the left and unselfish square ball to the scorer.