Leeds Road

Leeds Road
Leeds Road in 1990
Full name Leeds Road
Location Leeds Road, Huddersfield, England
Owner Huddersfield Town F.C.
Operator Huddersfield Town F.C.
Surface Grass
Construction
Opened 1908
Closed 1994
Architect Archibald Leitch
Tenants
Huddersfield Town F.C. (1908–1994)
Huddersfield Giants (1992–1994)
Bradford City (1985)
Former Leeds Road centre spot

Leeds Road was a football stadium in Huddersfield, England. It operated from its construction in 1908 until the Kirklees Stadium was opened nearby for the 1994–95 season. It was the home of Huddersfield Town A.F.C. from 1908 to 1994 and was also the base for Huddersfield RLFC from 1992 to 1994.

History

The ground was opened in September 1908 with a friendly against Bradford Park Avenue.

The record attendance was 67,037 in a 1–0 FA Cup 6th Round defeat against Arsenal on 27 February 1932.

Bradford City also played six home games at Leeds Road during the 1985–86 season, while its Valley Parade home was rebuilt following the Bradford City stadium fire.

Manchester United also played a home match at Leeds Road in the 1948 FA Cup run while Old Trafford was being rebuilt following damage from German bombers in the Second World War.[1] A single international match took place at the ground, when England defeated the Netherlands 8-2 in a friendly on 27 November 1946. This was England's second home international match after World War II, the first having been held at Maine Road, Manchester two weeks earlier.

Huddersfield Town played their 1,554th and final League game at the Leeds Road ground on 30 April 1994, beating Blackpool 2–1, watched by a near capacity crowd of 16,195.[2] Town's oldest-surviving ex-player, Joe Walter, was guest of honour at the match.[2]

The ground was demolished soon afterwards and the site was redeveloped as a retail park. The point once occupied by the centre spot is now marked by a plaque in the car park, outside B&Q.

Notes

  1. ↑ Crick, Michael; Smith, David. Manchester United The Betrayal of a Legend. Pan. p. 23. ISBN 0-330-31440-8.
  2. 1 2 Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-905411-50-2.

References

  • Huddersfield Town - 75 years on - A History of Huddersfield Town by George S. Binns
  • Huddersfield Town - A Complete Record 1910–1990 ISBN 090796964X
  • "Leeds Road, Huddersfield Town". Old Football Grounds. Archived from the original on 10 March 2008.

Coordinates: 53°39′27.108″N 1°46′02.4276″W / 53.65753000°N 1.767341000°W / 53.65753000; -1.767341000

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