Town going all-ticket for first showdown

The two Yorkshire rivals are among the leading pack in the League One promotion race and the February 14 meeting is set to attract the Galpharm Stadium’s biggest gate of the season so far, beating the 15,629 that watched October’s 3-1 win over Preston North End.

United’s visit is one of four for Town at home to a promotion-chasing rival with MK Dons due in West Yorkshire on February 4, followed by Charlton Athletic (March 24) and Sheffield Wednesday (April 7). The Valentine’s Day game against the Blades will be Category A.

Town chairman Dean Hoyle has spoken about his frustration at the collapse of a deal that would have seen the club reclaim their shares in the Galpharm Stadium.

The Terriers chief had thought towards the end of 2011 that agreement had been reached over the football club reclaiming the 40 per cent share that, when they were in administration in 2003, was transferred to a new company called Huddersfield Sporting Pride. Ken Davy, then Town chairman, also transferred the Giants rugby league club’s 20 per cent share to HSP. Since then, HSP has held 60 per cent with Kirkless Council retaining their original 40 per cent holding.

Hoyle said: “(Giants chairman) Ken Davy then proposed a further change. He wished that the formula for calculating the rent payable by Huddersfield Town and Giants be changed from what he had put in place, and had been the accepted practice by all parties for the previous seven years.

“The proposal in itself was not an unreasonable request and in financial terms immaterial.

“Rent is one of the many stadium arrangements which could be considered in need of revision. Critically to single out just that one issue and then seek to change it after a deal had been agreed was unacceptable to me.

“It was something extra on top of all the other terms and conditions I had already agreed to.”