150 For Andy Booth!

Huddersfield Town story posted by Sean Makin on 05/05/2009
Town legend Andy Booth rounded off his great career with getting his 150th goal for Huddersfield Town in the last game of the season away at Leyton Orient. Andy Booth will always be a Huddersfield Town legend, born in 1973 Booth joined Town as a trainee after Gerry Murphy nabbed the young Booth who was set to sign for Scarborough. It has since been known that there were other clubs watching Booth at the time, Doncaster Rovers, Derby County and Blackburn Rovers were all watching the striker.150 For Andy Booth!

Booth made his debut for his hometown club in March 1992 coming on a sub in 1-0 defeat at Fulham, in the old Division 3, aged 18. Booth went on to make another two sub appearances in the 1991/92 season. In November of 1992 He scored his first goal for Town in a 2-2 draw against Blackpool, scoring 2 goals in 3 appearances plus 2 as a sub in the 1992/93 league season. Booth was mainly a fringe player during the 1992/93 but in the 1993/94 season Booth forced his way in the Town first team scoring 9 league goals in 18 games (one of which was an absolute cracker against Cambridge United, one of the best goals I've ever seen), making 28 appearances in all that season. Under Neil Warnock, Booth started to take off and in the 1994/95 season and formed a memorable partnership with Ronnie Jepson.

Booth scored his first hat-trick for Town in a 3-0 win at Plymouth Argyle on the 10th September 1994. Manchester United and Liverpool were rumoured back then to be looking at Andy Booth aged 21, making 3 appearances for the England U21 scoring 2 goals. Another hat-trick that season scoring 30 goals in all competitions in 56 games, scoring one in the play-off final 2-1 win over Bristol Rovers at Wembley back in 1995 that saw Huddersfield Town promoted to Division One (now Championship).

The Jepson-Booth partnership was still going strong in Division One, Brian Horton has taken over from Neil Warnock in the summer of 1995. Scoring 21 goals in all competitions, 16 of them were in the league in 51 games as Town just finished outside the Division One play-offs.
In the summer of 1996 Booth left for then Premiership Sheffield Wednesday for a record £2.7 million, Town had rejected a £2 million bid for Crystal Palace during the 1995/96 season.
It was a day of mixed emotions for Town fans as Booth left for the Premiership, you didn't want to see the home-grown talent leave Town but you couldn't help to be proud of seeing Boothy play in the Premiership.

Booth finished Sheffield Wednesday's top scorer in the 1996/97 season scoring 13 in all competitions as Wednesday went on to finish 7th in the Premiership. Injuries took their toll on Boothy at Wednesday although he did score a Premiership hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers after coming back from injury. Also making 4 appearances for Tottenham on loan in the 2000/01 season, Booth stayed with Wednesday up to March 2001 when the then Town boss Lou Macari brought the prodigal son back to Huddersfield in a £200,000.

When Booth returned in the March of 2001, Town were struggling on and off the pitch, Town were in the bottom three of Division One fighting for survival, Booth did score on his return in a 4-1 win over Portsmouth but his 3 goals in 8 games wasn't enough sadly as Town slipped out of Division One.
In his first full season back at Town, Booth once again helped Town towards the Division Two play-offs scoring 14 goals in 38 games, the old enemy Brentford were the opposition again, Booth had two goals disallowed in the first leg with finished 0-0 but opened the scoring in the second leg after just 2 minutes but Town couldn't kill the game off as Brentford came back to win to break the hearts of Town fans.

Worse was to follow of the club in the 2002/03 season, Town went into administration and players weren't getting paid, Booth willingly took a pay-cut to help out his beloved club. On the field Town weren't much better, a poor manager and a poor team saw Town relegated to bottom division for the first time since 1980. Booth strived for the club, never giving up but sadly his 6 goals that season wasn't enough.

With the club in dire straits in the 2003/04 season, Under Peter Jackson, Town had to rebuild from scratch, Andy Booth was the experienced head in a team of youngsters as Town fielded their academy products as Town were promoted via play-offs, Booth had scored his 100th goal for the club in a 1-1 draw with Cheltenham. Scoring 14 goals in 43 games.
Booth chipped in with 10 goals the following season as Town narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs (was Division Two).
A superb hat-trick of headers in a 3-0 win over Rotherham United in the 2005/06 season saw Boothy finishing the season with 15 goals as Town finished in the play-offs only to be beaten in the semi-finals by Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.

In July 2006, Huddersfield Town granted the legend a testimonial match which was played at the Galpharm against Spanish opposition in Real Sociedad. The game finished 0-0 in which 7,000 people had turned up.

Town finished in mid-table mediocrity in League One in the 2006/07 season with Boothy chipping in with 8 goals in 31 games. The same was to follow in 2007/08 as Town were medico with Booth chipping in with 9 goals. The then manager Stan Ternent had Booth a one-year deal in the summer of 2008 but a persistent back problem saw Booth miss the first few months of the season despite scoring the opening game of the season against Stockport County.

On the 22nd of April 2009, Andy Booth announced that he was retiring from playing staff and to become the ambassador for the club but manager Lee Clark has held his registration just in case!
14,470 came out in force for Booth's final home appearance against Brighton and Hove Albion on April 25th, Boothy was made captain and scored his 149th goal for the club as he opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw.

Wouldn't you just know it, on the 2nd May 2009 Town travelled to Leyton Orient for their final fixture of the season and Andy Booth grabbed his 150th for Town, opening the scoring in 1-1 draw. He deserved that for the service that he has given to the club.

Scoring 150 goals for Town has put Booth 3rd in Town's all time scorers behind Jimmy Glazzard and George Brown and his 452 appearances for the club put in 4th in the all time appearances for the club.

A true legend who gave everything for the club, some players say he is Mr Huddersfield Town and that's what exactly he is. Will never have to buy a pint again in Huddersfield in his life! He will be sorely missed by every Town fans and the Terrier-Bytes team wish him all the best in his new ambassador role.
HTFC Tags: Andy Booth, Booth

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