Emley and Hallam have a long history of rivalry stretching back into the 1970s when both were in the Yorkshire League.  In the 1976-77 season the clubs met in a fourth round Yorkshire League Cup tie at the Welfare Ground as Emley went for a league and cup double.

The game was a dour affair with defences largely on top, but Emley’s quality in front of goal eventually made the difference.  Emley had most of the early play without troubling Hallam ‘keeper Garlick and it was in fact Hallam who came closest through Ellis.  Hallam’s tough tackling restricted Emley and there were few goalmouth incidents.  Finally, as half-time approached, Emley managed to fashion a chance.  Pamment hit the crossbar with a header and Brookes, following up, hammered the rebound over the top.

Emley continued to press in the second half, but Hallam fiercely resisted and it was not until the sixty-fifth minute that the breakthrough came.  Cook played a ball through for S.B. Greaves to run on to.  With the Hallam defenders screaming for offside, Greaves curled a left-foot shot into the corner of the net.

Now with the deadlock broken, Emley finally found their rhythm.  This time it was Stuart Greaves who was the creator for Cook.  Greaves weaved his way through several Hallam tackles to get to the byline and pull the ball back for Cook to head home.

Hallam didn’t give up and now they had to commit players forward.  Sharp in the Emley goal was kept busy with a series of shots from Hallam, but Emley restricted them to mainly long-range efforts.

In the last minute, Emley put the icing on the cake of the victory, when Cook made a solo run through the centre of Hallam’s defence before sliding the ball past the advancing Garlick.

Emley went on to reach the final of the competition but lost 2-1 to Ossett Albion at Leeds Road.  Emley also knocked Hallam out of the Sheffield Cup, winning 2-0 at Sandygate.

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

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