In 1976 Stocksbridge Works visited Emley in the Yorkshire League Cup as a Yorkshire League Division 3 side.  They were a long way from the Stocksbridge Park steels side we see today riding high in the Northern Premier League Eastern Division.  Emley were the Division 1 league champions from the previous season and were pushing for another league title so this was always likely to be an uneven contest.

But, as we often see in football, things started out in an unexpected fashion.  Stocksbridge took the game to Emley, who were slow to start and possibly underestimated their opponents’ enthusiasm.  Sharp had a number of saves to make in the early part of the game as the Emley defence looked none too certain.  Emley did mount their own attacks and Fielding had a goal turned down from a cross that appeared to cross the line.

Nevertheless, it was Stocksbridge who took the lead on the half-hour.  The home defence failed to clear after a break down the left and the ball was hammered past Sharp.  Sadly for the visitors this just served to shock Emley into life and they equalised a minute later.  Pamment got the goal, turning quickly to hammer a fierce shot from a narrow angle into the roof of the net.

Soon afterwards, SB Greaves was scythed down in the area and the penalty was converted by Stuart Greaves, and Emley could relax.  This game marked the full senior debut for Dave Cook, who was to go on and become a legend at the Club, playing 14 seasons and scoring around 200 goals before retirement in 1990.  He got the next goal, firing home from close range from a corner.  And, before half-time, it was 4-1 as Stuart Greaves got his second ramming the ball home after good work from Pamment.

The second half was the Mick Pamment show.  He made it 5 when he latched on to a free-kick by Fielding to thrust the ball home from 15 yards.  His hat-trick came soon afterwards as with a deft header from a corner, and his fourth of the afternoon came as he accepted a pass from the ever-excellent Stuart Greaves to beat two men and slot a shot past the ‘keeper.

At 7-1 Emley had the confidence to enable the injured Kettlewell to leave the pitch with 15 minutes left to reduce the team to ten men, having already used the substitute Clayton to replace the injured Barker.  This didn’t stop the flow of goals though, with Brookes playing an unusual central midfield role, Fielding and SB Greaves on the wings providing plenty for Cook and Pamment to feed on.  SB Greaves provided a cross for Cook to make it 8 with a header for his second goal.  Pamment got his fifth and Emley’s ninth with a header from a corner.

When the whistle finally went Stocksbridge breathed a sigh of relief and were just happy to avoid double figures.

Team: Sharp, Kettlewell, Barker, Skirrow, Burke, S Greaves, Brookes, SB Greaves, Pamment, Cook, Fielding. Sub. Clayton

Headlines and some photographs courtesy of Huddersfield Examiner and the Huddersfield and District Chronicle