As we approach Valentine’s Day I thought I would write a short piece on how my two loves combined one faithful day down at the John Smith's Stadium.
For as long as my girlfriend and I have been together, every game I have attended, I’ve always asked “Do you want to come?” to which a polite “no, I’m ok” would generally be her reply.
I’ve never hidden my love for Huddersfield Town and it has never been an issue between us; I understand that football isn’t for everyone, but to me, football and Huddersfield Town is everything.
Game after game, the pattern would repeat itself: “Fancy it?” “Nah, you go though”, “Town are at home?” “It’s too cold”
This became part of my Matchday routine, until one sunny day, and must emphasise the importance of the sun, that routine was broken….“It’s the first game of the season; it’ll be fun?” to my surprise said replied “Go on then, I'm in.”
So I got her out an old shirt that I could no longer squeeze into too, and with the promise of a pie at half time we were on our way.
The moment we set off I immediately became a nervous wreck, the importance of this fixture had now become about more than just three points.
For just 90 minutes, I wanted Town to be everything I knew they could be, so that she could see for herself why it matters, and why I love the club the way I do.
The day in which my two loves combined was the 14/15 season opener, which saw Huddersfield Town host AFC Bournemouth . The team we had beaten 5-1 in the repeat fixture the season previous , something my girlfriend would come to learn during the drive to the game.
We arrived at the ground in good spirits, however the disappointment was making its way into her experience long before a ball had even been kicked as she exclaimed-“This hot chocolate isn’t very chocolatey?”
If she thought the hot chocolate was bad, it wouldn’t get much come 3pm - Town and the footballing Gods had not answered my prayers and with less than a minute on the clock we were already a goal behind.
I began to squirm on my seat, she turned to me and just smiled; it hurt me more than the goal itself. Sympathy rubbed straight into the goal shaped wound, left by Bournemouth winger Marc Pugh.
The displeasure would continue throughout the afternoon, Town were lacklustre and the flavour of pie she had spent 45 minutes with her heart set on had sold out, even 'Terry the Terrier' could not cheer her up.
2-0. 3-0. 4-0. The best moment we had to cheer was a saved penalty. As the game entered the dying stages, we were treated to a rendition of “We’re gonna win 5-4, we’re gonna win 5-4”, after some clarification of the lyrics she would enjoy the lighter side of football’s dark days.
As the final whistle came, it brought sweet relief with it for us both. My girlfriend, despite not necessarily caring herself, she understood its significance to me, and allowed me 15 minutes of sulking before asking “What’s for tea?”
With the recent success enjoyed by David Wagner and Huddersfield Town I hope that she will one day revisit the John Smiths Stadium so that she can, at least, in her limited knowledge of Huddersfield and football in general, see for herself just how the attitude, endeavour and application has changed for the better.
She is, if only be association, still a Terrier, much to my delight and annoyance of her Leeds United supporting father.
Born and raised in Ossett into a family of Huddersfield Town fans, 27-year-old Matt Beaumont is a season card holder in the Britannia Rescue Stand.
An account manager at an advertising agency based in Wakefield, Matt's spare time is also taken up writing the HTAFC fan blog Give Us An H.
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