Emley first played Maltby in 1975, but it wasn’t until the 1981 season that the two teams were in the same division again.  The two teams met at Maltby on the first day of the season where Emley ground out a 1-0 victory with a goal from Dave Cook.  The return match at Emley in January was a much more entertaining affair.

Emley were second in the league, chasing leaders Scarborough and were unbeaten for 11 matches, having won all but one of them.  Maltby were struggling in the league but they did not show it as they participated in one of the best games at Emley all season, both teams providing non-stop action for 90 minutes.

Emley went ahead after 4 minutes following a free-kick.  Brookes played it short to Barry Lumb, his first effort was blocked, but the rebound came back to him and he chipped it neatly over the keeper into the top corner.  But Maltby were not affected by this early set-back and through their forwards McCormick and Batters they caused Emley’s defence no end of problems.  They equalised after 18 minutes when Batters laid the ball across from the left for Lucas to fire into the corner.

Neither defence was looking comfortable on the greasy surface and there was plenty action round both goals.  Emley went ahead once more when Tony Smith, who had replaced the injured Cook, and Dave Brook combined to win a corner.  From this Brookes had a shot blocked on the line, the ball was fed back into the area where a Brook header was glanced in by Smith.

Maltby struck back immediately.  They won 3 corners in succession and from the third Evans fired home through a crowded box into the corner.  Once again Emley came back and it was Smith again that gave them the lead with a header from a corner.  But Maltby refused to give in and as a pulsating first half drew to a close, they made it 3-3 when Emley failed to clear a corner, Waller burst through and despite Dennis’s best attempts to stop him, he fired home, injuring Dennis in the process.

The second half continued in the same vein, but this time it was goalkeepers who were on top.  Dennis in the Emley goal and Gee in Maltby’s pulled off a series of fine saves as both teams pressed for the win.  In the last minute Dennis saved a point for Emley, snatching the ball off the line to prevent a shock Maltby victory.

Emley went on to finish runners-up to Leeds Ashley Road that season whilst Maltby finished third bottom and were unlucky to be relegated on goal difference in what was a very tight league that year.

Team: Dennis, Bramald, Lumb, Quinn, Brookes, Fielding, Walsh, Mear, Brook, Cook, Marron. Sub: Smith

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