John Smith’s Stadium records and a 52-year drought facing Huddersfield Town in new season

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At the John Smith’s Stadium

Huddersfield Town will go into the new campaign looking for John Smith’s Stadium victories over two sides they have not beaten on their own turf since the move from Leeds Road in 1994. Coventry City’s three trips have ended in a pair of 1-1 draws and a 0-4 victory for the Sky Blues. The last time Town won on their own turf against Coventry was in March 1971 – though they didn’t play each other at all between 1977 and 2020.

Sunderland have meanwhile won two and drawn two of their visits to the ‘new’ ground, with their trip last November the first time they had visited since 1998. Town have taken fewer points per game against Sunderland since moving home than against any of the rest of their upcoming Championship opponents (just half a point per game). Town’s last league victory over Sunderland home or away was in March 1986, making it the longest-standing non-venue-specific league jinx they can break in the new campaign.

Town have beaten Leicester City once at the John Smith’s, or the McAlpine as it was known: they took a 3-1 victory over the Foxes in November 1995. But Town have claimed just one point in five home league meetings with Leicester since then (as well as drawing in the FA Cup in 2013), giving the East Midlands side the best record at the John Smith’s Stadium of any of this year’s Championship crop (2.17 points per game).

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At the other end of the scale, Town have won all three of their league meetings with Plymouth Argyle at the John Smith’s Stadium. The last of those wins saw Town go two goals down to ten men inside 15 minutes, only to come back to lead 3-2 another 17 minutes later. That final scoreline was reversed when Plymouth visited in the FA Cup in 2021, however, with Carlos Corberan fielding a very youthful side that included senior debuts for 17 year olds Pat Jones and Etienne Camara.

Town also have very positive JSS records against Rotherham United (W7 D1 L1) and Millwall (W9 D2 L2), with Town taking more total league points against the south London outfit (29) than against any other side to have ever visited the ground since its opening. Last season’s 1-0 victory for Mark Fotheringham’s side pushed Millwall ahead of Tranmere Rovers, Barnsley and Wolverhampton Wanderers on that score.

Away from home

Town finally ended the longest-standing away hoodoo they had against any of their Championship rivals last Boxing Day, with the comeback victory over Preston North End representing their first victory at Deepdale since 1969. But there’s a few more of those to tick off the list now.

The last time Town won away to Southampton in any competition was all the way back in September 1971, making that the longest-running away drought they have the chance to rectify this season.