Following on from last night's excellent 81st Barlow Cup Final at the Huddersfield Town ground, John Smith's Stadium, between Hepworth United and Heyside FC, I knew Barlow had some history. As Huddersfield Town's and Liverpool's famous former manager Bill Shankly once said: "Football is not life and death, it's far more important than that".
League football, disrupted by the demands of the First World War, resumed in 1919. In Huddersfield, the Town's directors were full of optimism for the new season but they also realised they would need to attract the crowds. In the words of one official at the time, quoted in the Club's history, 'Leeds Road': "We shall have to get into the first division to attract the gates necessary to support the club properly".
Two months into the 1919-20 season, though, and the club was rocked by the sale of centre forward Jack Cock to Chelsea. Jack was the pin-up of the time - he became Town's first international, scoring what at that time was England's fastest goal ever in the Victory International against Ireland in 1919 and scored a second against Scotland the following year. The Terriers were finding it difficult to attract gates over 4,000 while down the road at Fartown the rugby league crowds were often close to 10,000.
Jack Cock's transfer brought in some much needed finance but following a 3-0 victory over Fulham, watched by a crowd of just 3,000 and with gate receipts totalling a meagre £100, on November 6th 1919 the Huddersfield Examiner announced to the world: "TOWN CLUB DEAD"! What was even more galling was the reported "transfer of the club in its entirety to Leeds"! The Football League gave Town just one month to raise £25,000. Another £5,000 was also needed just to keep the club operating.
The problem was that Town was in debt to J Hilton Crowther, the Abramovich of his day, and it was he who had proposed the move to Leeds. He went on to invest £30,000 into the foundation of Leeds United. It was hoped the money could be raised by the issue of £1 shares. It's hard to nail down an average wage for the time but it's likely the fans would have had to sacrifice what might be half a week's wage in a time of economic uncertainty and tight budgets for working class families. Some of these shares had even got as far as Holland. An ex-pat Town fan over there got in touch to say he has the shares his granddad bought hanging in a frame in his hall. Known on the web boards as Dutch Town Fan, he proudly told me how his grandfather had travelled to the Leeds Road ground by bicycle and - as an avid Town fan - was keen to lend his support to the cause. He had to support his young family from his wages so, not to be beaten, he sold the bike for £3, bought the shares and walked to and from the ground until he had saved enough for another bike the following season.
Despite these efforts, by December 1919 - with the deadline approaching - the rescue fund had only reached £9,000. But it was at this point that Huddersfield lawyer - and one of the club's founders - Amos Brook Hirst emerged as the hero of the hour. Not only did he manage to gain Town more time but he showed everyone the fight was still on by forming the Huddersfield Town Retention Fund. With this new burst of optimism over £3,000 was raised in one day and 1,500 pledged to buy season tickets for the following year.
This still wasn't enough but Huddersfield Town was about to be saved by that most English of institutions, tea and toast! Even back in 1919 it would seem that the fates of countries, businesses and even football clubs could be settled over a working breakfast. Hilton Crowther - the gent that Town owed the money to - was at Liverpool's Adelphi Hotel, enjoying such a meeting with Arthur Fairclough, the manager of newly formed Leeds United. As well as discussing matters at Elland Road they talked about the situation at Town. However, their conversation was overheard by woollen merchant Joseph Barlow who returned to Huddersfield immediately and, along with two friends, told Amos Brook Hirst they would invest in the fund. Together they negotiated new terms with the receiver and by June 17th 1920 final terms had been agreed. A month later the matter was settled with a final payment of £6,000.
Meanwhile, although the season off the pitch had been traumatic, the players had done their jobs on it and the gates had swelled. The 1919-20 season saw Town win promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history, coming second to the previous year's cup winners Tottenham. A 3-0 victory at home against Stoke saw the promotion sealed and was watched by a record 28,000 crowd. If that wasn't enough they reached the Cup Final for the first time, losing out 1-0 to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. The cup run had seen even bigger crowds - 47,527 turned out to see Town dispatch Liverpool 2-1 in the quarter finals. In just a few months - and having nearly vanished from existence - Town had secured its place in big time football and in the history books by making it to the Cup Final and achieving financial stability off the pitch.
Although the Terriers struggled initially in the First Division the 1920-1921 season saw both the appointment of legendary manager Herbert Chapman and the arrival of talisman Clem Stephenson from Aston Villa. Together they were to lead Huddersfield Town to FA Cup victory and the glory of becoming "thrice champions"! Councillor Joseph Barlow was appointed President of the Huddersfield and District League upon its re-formation in 1935. He served on the HTFC board from 1020-29 and was Chairman during their first FA Cup victory and Division One Championship. He represented the Lindley Ward and was Mayor of the Town for two years, being appointed Freeman of the Borough of Huddersfield in 1949. He retired from the League committee in 1944 and died in 1956. Hepworth lost their final 0-2 to a decent opposition who have not won the cup before. Hepworth held it in 1993 and 2013.
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