Huddersfield Town and Millwall will have that loving feeling before tomorrow’s John Smith’s showdown.
Home chairman Dean Hoyle will invite one of the visiting directors to take a drink from the club’s three-handled Loving Cup.
It’s a tradition that goes back more than three quarters of a century.
Town’s Loving Cup was presented by Stoke City president Sir Francis Joseph to mark the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in May 1937.
Thirty were produced, with the mould then being broken.
Recipients included the King himself, all Stoke’s fellow First Division clubs in the season just finished – among them were Brentford, Grimsby, Preston, Portsmouth and Wolves as well as Town – the two promoted from Division II (Leicester and Blackpool) as well as Glasgow Rangers, who had played a charity match at the Victoria Ground, which was of course situated in the heart of the Potteries.
Manchester City had just won the title – Charlton were second – while Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday were relegated.
Sir Francis asked recipient clubs to fill the cup and drink a toast to the reigning monarch each January 1.
Town now perform the ceremony before their first home league game of the year.
