Death of Huddersfield Town's 'unsung hero' John Haselden 'a wake-up call,' says Mick Buxton

Former Doncaster Rovers and Rotherham United defender Haselden joined the Terriers as physiotherapist and coach in 1976. He served as manager for a short spell in 1977-78 as Tom Johnston stepped up to general manager.

Johnston took over team affairs again until being replaced by Buxton, another former physio, in October 1978. Buxton made Haselden his assistant but says he was much more than that.

“John might not have played for Huddersfield or come from Huddersfield but he poured his heart and soul into the town’s football club behind the scenes so he was a real unsung hero,” said Buxton of Haselden, whose death was announced on Monday.

“I could not have asked for a better right-hand man. We really hit it off. We knew exactly what we wanted to achieve at Leeds Road and we agreed on exactly how we were going to achieve our goals.

“We had a small backroom staff, which included Jimmy Robson and Steve Smith, and together we transformed the club.

“Like me, John did not one, not two but three jobs, which he relished when we were together as trainer, physio and scout but it’s just a shame he got one salary instead of three.”

Huddersfield were Fourth Division champions in Buxton's first season, and won a second promotion in 1982-83.

Buxton and Haselden were sacked in a 1986 cost-cutting drive. Haselden joined Reading, where he had a spell as caretaker manager in 1991.

“We were third-bottom of the Football League when we joined forces and by winning promotion twice and building three distinct teams we put ourselves in contention to win a place in the old First Division,” reflected Buxton.

“John went about his work with the minimum of fuss and I knew that I could trust him 100 per cent. We were always on the same page and even though we occasionally disagreed we clicked.

“He commanded the respect of the players, right from emerging talents like Mark Lillis, Julian Winter and Peter Butler to seasoned professionals like Steve Kindon, Sam Allardyce and Joey Jones.”

Haselden started his career at Rotherham in 1961 before moving to home-town club Doncaster in 1968. Like an alarming number of players from his generation, he suffered from Alzheimer’s in his later years.

“Even though John prided himself on physical fitness, he was deprived a long and enjoyable retirement with his beloved wife Eileen by dementia which is a real shame,” commented Buxton.

“When he should have been enjoying seeing Town reach the Premier League and playing golf, which he loved, it was very upsetting to see him develop Alzheimer’s and end up in a care after years of Eileen being an amazing wife and caring for him at home.

“John’s death is another wake-up call - it just shows the importance of the football authorities helping scientists find answers about the links between the game and this cruel disease.

“There are so many former footballers, people who mean a lot to me, who are losing their lives to dementia but for now it’s important for Town fans to pause and think about the huge legacy he left the club.”