Andrew Gale loves his cricket, but when the season comes to an end, he has one big consolation – the chance to watch his beloved football club.
The proud captain of Yorkshire comes from a long line of Huddersfield Town supporters, and once had dreams of pulling on the blue and white stripes himself.
“When I was a kid growing up in Gomersal, I preferred football to cricket, and I had a spell with Town between the ages of 12 and 13,” explained the 29-year-old.
“I desperately wanted to be a professional footballer, but I began to realise I wasn’t going to be good enough and concentrated on cricket instead.”
It turned out to be a wise decision, because Gale, who played for England as a junior, went on to make his first-class Yorkshire debut in 2004.
A left-sided midfielder when he played football and a left-hand batsman and occasional leg-break bowler, Gale skippered Yorkshire to Championship promotion last year.
That followed Town’s League I play-off success against Sheffield United at Wembley and completed a sweet double.
“It’s great that Town are back in the Championship, because it’s a fantastic division,” said Gale, a good mate of Town ambassador Andy Booth.
“My early memories of watching them are in the mid-Nineties, when we had two Wembley appearances under Neil Warnock and I went to matches with my dad Alan.
“He comes from a long line of Town supporters – my great grandad was secretary of one of the Heavy Woollen supporters’ club branches – so the club are in my blood.
“We played Swansea in the Autoglass Trophy final in 1994, losing on penalties, then went back the year after to beat Bristol Rovers in the League I play-off final.
“I can still see those goals by Boothy and Chris Billy in my mind’s eye, and while I’d never tell him to his face, Boothy and Ronnie Jepson were my heroes as a kid.
“Boothy was a very good player for both us and Sheffield Wednesday – just look at his goalscoring record – and now he’s doing a great job on the PR side.
“There have been quite a few joint initiatives between Town and Yorkshire, and the pair of us have become good friends.
“And Boothy loves his cricket. I remember us both playing in Anthony McGrath’s testimonial, and he did quite well.”
Booth, of course, did well in two different spells with Town, and Gale believes Jon Stead, back with his hometown club after a switch from Bristol City, will follow suit.
“I remember Steady coming into the team the season the club went into administration and were relegated to League II (2002-03).
“He showed promising signs, and really came into his own the season after, when we went straight back up through the play-offs.
“Steady left during that season, but his goals played a big part for us and I remember the impact he had when he first went to Blackburn and got his call-up to the England Under 21 team.
“He has a proven record in both the Premier League and the Championship, and like Boothy, you can tell Town mean an awful lot to him.
“He still has plenty to offer, and he’ll be very keen to continue his career back at the club where it all began for him.
“He left in positive circumstances, and I think the fans will enjoy having him back, particularly if he can get back on that scoresheet regularly!”
Last season was Town’s first at Championship level since 2000-01, and Gale thoroughly enjoyed what turned out to be a nerve-fraying campaign.
“We were a bit too close to the bottom for comfort, but there were some good moments as well,” he smiled.
“The pattern of our season spoke volumes about the division – on their day, any team really can beat any other.
“We had such a good start, and we were challenging for top spot after those great wins at Sheffield Wednesday and Blackpool, when we looked excellent.
“Then, of course, we had a dip which turned out costing Simon Grayson, another keen cricketer, his job.
“I know from cricket that sometimes you get into those situations where you suffer a collective dip in confidence.
“It can be very hard to put your finger on what has caused it, and very hard to put it right, and sometimes it takes an outsider to do it.
“Dean Hoyle made that decision when he brought in Mark Robins, and he made the vital step of keeping us in the Championship.
“Now it’s a case of kicking on and establishing the club at the kind of level it should be at, and it’s going to be interesting.
“We’ve got Jon Stead, and it’s great to have James Vaughan here on a permanent basis, because we all saw what he’s about last season.
“Martin Paterson is an international footballer who will provide another dimension up front, and hopefully Mark Robins can get Adam Hammill playing like he was a few years ago.
“I’ve got my season ticket again and as soon as the cricket season is over, I’ll be back at the stadium again cheering the boys on.”
