Harrogate Town Vs Huddersfield Town

We embarked on Matchday 1 of the 2024/2025 season, but it marked Matchday 57 for our challenge. With Chesterfield and Bromley joining the league, the original 92 now becomes 94. This year, our goal is to complete the remaining 39 games, and let’s not forget, we still need to revisit Cambridge United.

Our journey to Harrogate was longer than anticipated, taking just over 3 hours. As Liam had his school leavers’ prom the night before, Grandad Steve kindly agreed to drive us to Harrogate in my car. The Saturday traffic was quite heavy at times, and we had to stop a few times for various reasons, including animals on the motorway.

Despite the traffic, we arrived in Harrogate after about 3 hours and 15 minutes, with over an hour to spare. Parking proved to be a bit challenging due to the location, but we eventually found a spot in a nearby housing estate.

During our short 10-minute walk to the stadium, we noticed a large number of Huddersfield Town fans already queuing to get in. With plenty of time before the game, we tried to explore the stadium but were informed by a security guard in a nearby car park that this wasn’t possible. We had to wait on Wetherby Road and enter through the turnstiles, which would give us access to walk around inside the stadium. So, that’s what we did.

After a brief wait, the turnstiles opened an hour before kick-off. Once inside, we discovered a very small club shop near the entrance. Liam chose his matchday scarf, and we picked up a program covering all of Harrogate Town’s preseason games for £5.

We continued to stroll around the stadium to our stand, admiring its beauty. Along the way, we decided to visit the restroom. The facilities were impressively clean. Our seats were conveniently located just around the corner from the toilets, in the second row behind the wheelchair spaces.

We sat, admiring the stunning pitch, which was immaculate, like a carpet. Liam went off to record his VLOG while we waited for the game to start, watching the players warm up in front of us. Just before the game began, Liam wanted a hot chocolate, so we headed to one of the refreshment stalls and got one for £2.50.

Returning to our seats, we eagerly awaited the kickoff of our first game of the 2024/2025 season. Preseason friendlies usually lack tempo and can often be a bit dull, but this game was anything but. A thrilling encounter with end-to-end action saw both teams score two goals in the first half. Huddersfield Town fans were very vocal throughout, creating an atmosphere more akin to a league match than a friendly. This seemed to spur their team on, and they proved a bit too much for Harrogate Town, winning the game 3-2.

Exiting the ground and leaving Harrogate was smooth, and taking a different route home meant we arrived back in 3 hours. It was fantastic to dive back into the challenge, and a busy preseason means we have another 8 games before the season officially starts.

Next game: Doncaster vs Hull on July 23, 2024.

• Foundation: Harrogate Town AFC was founded in 1914, making it over a century old
  
• Promotion to EFL: The club was promoted to the English Football League for the first time in its history in 2020 after winning the National League play-offs.
• Stadium: The team’s home ground is the Exercise Stadium, also known as Wetherby Road, which has a capacity of approximately 5,000.
• Club Colours: Harrogate Town’s traditional colours are yellow and black, which are prominently featured in their home kit.
• Cup Success: In the 2019-2020 season, the club won the FA Trophy, marking one of the most significant achievements in its history.