HUDDERSFIELD United sprang a knockout surprise.
The Division IV side put out the then Division III leaders Holme Valley Academicals in the Groom Cup.
The scoreline of 2-0 to the visitors, United, tells only part of the story.
Manager Jamal Jaber almost called the match off. Some of his squad were injured, others were absent for varying reasons and three of them had played only one League match and so were not eligible for the cup.
He decided to fulfil the fixture and they kicked off with just nine men. He can be excused for playing a very defensive formation and, as they soaked up the pressure, he was more than delighted when they reached half time at 0-0.
The second didn’t differ much from the first, except that in a rare breakaway, Jason Robinson beat his marker and gave the nine men a 1-0 lead.
The Accies continued to attack and must have expected to equalise at some stage, but a burst of speed from Jordan McLeod gave Huddersfield a 2-0 lead.
McLeod is normally a striker but with only the nine men, he was given a position in the heart of defence.
When the Accies took a corner, it was McLeod’s clearance that sent the ball some 30 yards from United’s goal. McLeod chased his own clearance and got there just before the covering Accies defence.
He then went the length of the field before beating the keeper to score a truly remarkable goal.
The reward for winning the game is a tie with Honley, the side who overtook Holme Valley Academicals at the top of Division III after beating Scissett 7-0.
The quarter-final draw is Thornhill Utd v Linthwaite; Huddersfield Utd v Honley; AFC Waterloo v Grange Moor and AFC Lindley v Upperthong.
The Groom Cup (for teams in Division III and IV) has only one team from the top five in Division III still in, and that is leaders Honley, whose strongest challenge may come from last season’s winners Linthwaite, who beat Brighouse OB 6-0.
