Huddersfield Town nostalgia 1953: Don McEvoy wed but still makes Town’s game against Birmingham

IT was a case of ‘get me to the game on time’ as Don McEvoy got married just two hours before Town’s Division II clash with Birmingham at Leeds Road.

However, the wedding plans did not disrupt the team, as McEvoy was in his usual position at centre-half at kick-off, alongside his Town teammates, most of whom had been at the church to form a guard of honour (with mock goalposts) when he and his wife emerged.

Sadly, McEvoy’s new wife was unable to watch his performance having left to visit her ill grandmother, but the ground did contain about 30 of McEvoy’s wedding guests, along with Donald Wade, the Liberal MP for Huddersfield West.

In the match, Birmingham keeper Merrick cleared an early raid, but he was rarely troubled in the first half despite Vic Metcalfe, Jimmy Glazzard and Roy Shiner being prominent in attack, although both Metcalfe and Glazzard struck the woodwork in the closing stages of the half.

And almost on the whistle, Bill McGarry came to Town’s rescue, when, at the other end of the field Jack Wheeler failed to clear a centre, and as Birmingham’s Stewart moved in to turn the ball into the net, McGarry rushed in to scoop the ball out of the danger zone.

After the break, the earlier leisurely pace was abandoned and each goal was threatened in turn, Trigg getting in a shot on Town’s goal, while Glazzard fired wide to waste an opportunity on the visitors’ goal.

But it seemed only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken, and so it proved, when on 55 minutes, Ferris gave Birmingham the lead, when he fired in from 10 yards after Wheeler hesitated in going out.

Brilliant goalkeeping from Merrick in the visitors’ goal prevented Town from levelling when he saved from Shiner, Ian Duthie and then diving to hold a Glazzard effort.

It was now an all-out effort from Town with Shiner the inspiration, and it was from his work which allowed Metcalfe to float in a centre which Glazzard headed home with five mintues remaining in the game.

Town almost took the points in the last minute, but Merrick showed his international form to cut out a dangerous Shiner centre in front of a crowd of 28,636.