While the fixture release has dominated the last 24 hours, James Fryer has been busy submitting his heroes for the HTSA Legends list.

He started following Town in the early 1980s and takes up the story here:

“My Mum and Dad took me and a load of my schoolmates down to Leeds Road for a Division Two match against local rivals Barnsley.

“We ended up losing the game 1-0, but from that moment I was hooked, even if it did take me what seemed about 15 attempts at watching them to finally witness a victory!

“There was something about the place – maybe it was the ground, the atmosphere, the smell of Bovril or even tobacco drifting around the terraces, I’m not sure – but I found a sense of belonging.

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“I remember Mark Lillis, Malcolm Brown, Dave Cowling, Dale Tempest and Brian Cox in that side, so you could say that some of that team were my original heroes, but my first proper hero was in the form of a powerful ginger lad who hailed from Fort William in Scotland, his name – Duncan Shearer.

“Big Dunc as he was fondly known, joined the Terriers from Chelsea in 1986, scoring a hat trick in his first full appearance (against Barnsley actually!) and he went on to score 38 goals in a Town career which spanned 2 years.

“It wasn’t just his presence in and around the box, it was his intelligent play and hammer of a shot which made him a fans favourite.

“The familiar chant of ‘Shearer, Shearer’ rang around the Cowshed long before it ever did at Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle, and I seem to recall him forming a great partnership with other Town players like Ian Banks, David Cork, and Graham Cooper.

Duncan Shearer - HTAFC Legends

“My other legend is the one and only Marcus Stewart.

“Town fans will recall ‘Stewie’ from the 1995 Wembley play-off final where the Terriers faced Bristol Rovers, and he scored “that goal”.

“He was a class act, with a great football brain, and could be lethal with either foot.

“Some of the goals he scored in his tenure at the McAlpine (as it was known back then) were sublime and many Town fans acknowledge that he was probably one of the most skilful players ever to wear our blue and white stripes.”

Moving on, the European Championships continue with the last of the group games.

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To date, the matches have largely been a bit of a disappointment, as the decision to extend the tournament to 24 teams means some sides think that three draws might be enough to get to the knockout stages and set up not to lose.

There have been highlights – Wales are having an excellent campaign – but far too many superstars have yet to turn up (Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic), and England have dominated games without the killer instinct.

Here’s hoping that the knockout stages make the games more entertaining – good luck to all the home nations that made it through.

HTSA are your voice as Town Fans, and we are always available for advice and guidance – if you’d like to know more and get involved with us, email our Chairman, Ian Lawrence, chair@htsa-online.co.uk, and we’ll give you more details – we are active on your behalf all the year round.

Until next week, UTT!

John Sealey, Treasurer, HTSA