By Greg Hobson

The Terries continue their unbeaten in 2011 run after a trip to promotion rivals Bournemouth. Huddersfield did well to return home with a point, after the performance of the town side lacked energy and firepower.

As the game began the ball stayed in a midfield battle with Alan Lee looking a lonely figure alone up top. From the off the South Coast side looked to press Town high up the pitch congesting the centre of the pitch.

A scrappy section of play was broken up by a fair amount of free kicks early on. In second minute Town skipper Peter Clarke picked up an early yellow outside the area to stop Michael Symes getting into a scoring position uncontested.

Wingers Anthony Pilkington and Gary Roberts failed to get the service to kick start Terriers’ attacks, while other players looked to be struggling to keep up a consistent pace. Bournemouth began to look dangerous and forced Bennett into making a number of saves.

The Cherries came close on a number of occasions in the first half, but failed to get the final touch on several dangerous crosses. Both teams entered the tunnel for half time even, though Bournemouth would have been the happier side, having at least flexed their own attacking muscle.

As the second half commenced, the visitors looked to have had the ears bent at half time by boss Lee Clark, with wide players looking to instantly bomb forward and deliver into the box, both youngster Jack Hunt and Pilkington provided. The home side coped defensively, clearing the ball to safely.

In the 51st minute Clark made his first substitution, directly swapping big man Alan Lee for the pace of Danny Cadamarteri. The ex-Everton trainee continued to play in the same position as the larger framed Lee, to little avail, though did look lively.

Shortly after, Clark was this time forced to make a chance with left-back Gary Naysmith picking up another injury. He was replaced by Anthony Kay coming from the bench. Within ten minutes of his arrival pitch Kay picked up his tenth booking for the term, meaning he now has to face a two-game suspension.

Bournemouth’s Marc Pugh stepped up to a dangerous free-kick outside the Town box. He bent the ball brilliantly, which looked destined for the top corner until Bennett produced an equally brilliant save to deny the home side the lead.

With the scores still locked in the 72nd minute, Pilkington made way for Arsenal young gun Benik Afobe. He took up position alone up front with Cadamarteri primarily taking up Pilkington’s role on the wing.

Bournemouth finally broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute, with forward Michael Symes taking his seasons tally to seven. He met Liam Feeney’s ball in with power to beat an immaculate Bennett.

1-0.

After the Cherries took the lead, Cadamarteri looked to try and produce a more of a two up front next to Afobe. His efforts were rewarded in the 88th minute when arguably Town’s best period of football produced the equaliser.

Roberts was the creator playing a weighted ball through to Cadamarteri, who was in space after Afobe made a powerful run to split the Bournemouth defence. He guided the ball past the home side’s keeper Shwan Jalal to the travelling supports relief.

1-1.

Stoppage time was then not without incident, as both sides pushed on to try and grab a winner. Bennett again made several vital saves in the dying moment of the game. While at the other end the likes of Afobe and Kay make the Bournemouth defence uncomfortable at best.

Full Time

Post Match

After the game, with what has to be said was a slightly lacklustre performance from the West Yorkshire side, a point was a good reward. Town manager Lee Clark labelled the game to be: “the worst performance of the run this year.”

Clark believed: “We’ve been quite average today at best and got a point.

“What it has showed is I’ve got a group of players with a never say die attitude.”

Now approaching the end of February, town are still unbeaten in the League this year. Clark admitted: “We knew we would have to be at our very best to get something from it here.” A point is a good result considering the opposition and the game on the day.

Clark went on to comment: “I didn’t think we were great, but my lads have shown fantastic character and great attitude to keep going right until the end.”

There was definitely no lack of effort what so ever from the players, yet Clark pointed out: “We looked a little bit mentally and physically drained, we looked really tired.”

The manager believed: “The amount of games the lads have had have caught up with them. We have tried to rest them this week but it hasn’t worked greatly.”

To summarise the town boss honestly felt:”It’s pleasing that we have continued the run but it was far from the perfect performance.”

Never forget you’re a Terrier

The difference in ability man for man was often evident and they made some very simple errors. But they closed down, chased, at times passed well and had the best chances in the first half. In the second half they weathered the storm until extra time by throwing themselves in the way of shots, clearing off the line, and their keeper making some excellent saves, two of which were one on one with a Town striker.

All that has to be kept in mind when trying to assess Town’s play.

In the first half the good things were that at times we passed very well, through a crowded midfield and yet mixed it up by sometimes playing long to target man Lee. We were patient. The bad things were that sometimes (Kay in particular) we gave the ball away (Kay with his Goodwinesque long passes); we passed along the back line and backwards too much for it all to be labelled patient play; we didn’t seem to be able to get to Lee knock downs and Lee sometimes tried fancy flicks and touches which didn’t come off, when simple would have been better.

In the second half we did more passing and until the last quarter when Utd had their backs to the wall, did less long ball stuff. It was as Utd tired and Town got more desperate that they finally increased their urgency to match the urgency of Utd. Utd were lucky not to concede earlier, given our late pressure and the number of blocks, clearances off the line, good goal keeping etc. (Our strikers should have done better on the one to ones.)

Bennett. Another good game, saved us going further behind and distributed sensibly.
Ridehalgh. Excellent first half, still very sound second. Did get thoroughly done for pace once in the first half but made up for that by positioning thereafter.
Peltier. Played well, spent a lot of the first half almost as a right winger.
Clarke. Couple of mistakes but overall had a very competent game.
Kay. Did well as a defender – I just wish someone would convince him he’s not a midfielder who can pass.
Arfield. Poor first half, excellent second half.
Johnson. Man of the match for me. Showed the others what was needed by running at the defence – particularly first half.
Carey. Very poor finishing/crossing but was ok in other aspects. Deserved to come off.
Roberts. Spent far too much time in midfield in the first half. Was much more like his old self and much more effective as a winger second half.
Lee, won a lot of balls in the air but his flicks often weren’t collected by a Town player. Over elaborated when he should have kept it simple and deserved to go off. Disappointing.
Afobe. Struggled through lack of service but when he did get the ball showed his class and potential but failed to be effective. Second half was unlucky not to score.
McCombe – as usual, can defend but couldn’t hit a barn from the inside.
Joey. A couple of misplaced passes but played well and made a difference.
Rhodes. Looked our most dangerous and inventive striker. After Lee’s disappointing performance again, ought to start with Afobe on Saturday.

So, why you may well ask, given that appraisal, did we struggle so badly? See Cambridge’s performance above. We really should have beaten them more easily and by a bigger margin, given the difference in class. But it was another example of the magic of the cup where the favourite side just can’t quite get it together and the underdogs over perform.

I just can’t quite make up my mind about Town’s performance tonight. Either they passed it sideways and backwards too much, or, they were patient and moved the ball around trying to look for openings. (If it’s the latter, at times the midfield were slow to move and show for the ball).

I’d welcome any considered responses – how bad or good were we?

Written by cj01

Comments can be left HERE

Town went into the game on the back of a good away win at Wycombe, but having struggled at home in recent matches, so it was anyone’s guess how this game would play out. Lining up in an unchanged 442 formation, the Terriers faced an Oldham side battling with the shadow of a relegation dogfight; on paper Town were the clear favourites, but paper rarely takes into account the fact that Town are, well, Town.

From the off, Lee Clark’s men started as they meant to go on. Badly. Oldham, who had a 5 man midfield sat behind ex-Town favourite Pawel Abbott, took the early initiative, working the ball around well and creating numerous half chances. Most noticeable was their work ethic and drive to close down Town men at every opportunity. Nobody in blue and white was afforded any time on the ball, leading to mistakes, constantly surrendered possession and obvious frustration. The Latics should probably have taken the lead on the quarter hour mark, when a neat ball put Abbott through one on one with Smithies, but luckily for the Town faithful, he could only chip the ball straight into the arms of the young keeper.

As the half progressed there were no signs of improvement, and Oldham continued to hold the ball and press for an opener – it was only the aerial prowess of Clarke and Trotman at the back that kept them at bay. I am keen to stress the ‘aerial’ nature of that prowess, as over the course of the 90 minutes Trotman again proved that he is to passing football, what Andy Ritchie is to touchline passion. I had to change my trousers on at least 5 separate occasions. Outnumbered and out-battled in midfield, Town had no answer to Oldham’s passing football, were saved only by the bar from another Abbott effort.

And then, completely out of the blue, the Terriers took a thoroughly undeserved lead. A quick exchange between Pilkington and Heffernan down the left hand side led to a whipped cross from the Aussie. The Oldham defender made an impressive hash of his clearance, allowing Robinson to steal in and dink the ball over the goalkeeper to put Town ahead. That’s 3 in 4 games now for the striker, whose knack of being in the right place at the right time is making up for his inability to trap a bag of cement. After a dour first half, Town somehow trudged in 1 goal to the good.

Whatever was said to the players at half time didn’t particularly seem to work, as Lee Clark’s men picked up from where they left off; penned back into their own half and forced into lumping it ineffectively to Rhodes and Robinson, who were being marshalled/pulled into the gravitational field of the world’s largest footballer, Sean Gregan. More punched in the back of the head than nudged by his side’s performance, Lee Clark wrung the changes in a bid to get Town competing again in the centre of the park. Collins and Rhodes made way for the pace and steel of Tom Clarke and James Berrett. Erm, yeah. The home side’s cause was helped further shortly after that when Kieran Lee was pre-emptively sent to go and fetch Theo Robinson’s next effort on goal.

Despite their numerical deficit, Oldham continued to hold onto the ball, much to the very obvious frustration of Town’s support. Down to 10 men, Dave Penney reverted to three at the back in an attempt to retain his side’s midfield dominance, and it appeared to be working. The Terriers looked clueless in possession and impotent in attack, which is probably what you get when your game plan appears to be ‘get the ball to Theo, and rely on him to hold it up’. Oldham should have grabbed a late equaliser when a cross found its way to Eaves completely unmarked in the box, but he could only spoon is effort horribly. In sacrificing a defender for midfield dominance, Oldham had left themselves exposed at the back and a quick break from Gary Roberts, arguably Town’s best player on the day, led to the goal that sealed the points.

Sprinting clear down the right flank, he squared the ball neatly for Robinson, who with 10 minutes to pick his spot and all the composure of Emile Heskey in an England shirt, managed to find the back of the net for his second of the game. It was far more than Town deserved, but I’d happily take another 6 performances like that, if they all resulted in the same 3 points as a result.

Smithies – 6 – Oldham’s lack of potency up top meant he was never really tested, but did what he had to do.

Peltier – 6 – Worked well down the right flank with Roberts, and made some dangerous runs.

Clarke – 7 – Very solid both in the air and on the ground on a night where he was always kept busy.

Trotman – 6 – As usual won everything in the air, but with the ball at his feet looks more like a netballer. He’d be ace at head tennis.

Heffernan – 6 – Out of position more times than he was in it, but his pace allowed him to recover well most of the time.

Roberts – 8 – My man of the match, and probably Town’s only consistent threat. Everything we did stemmed from him.

Pilkington – 5 – Another game where he didn’t really bother to turn up. If Ainsworth was here / wasn’t a bit rubbish, he’d be looking over his shoulder.

Collins – 5 – Largely ineffective alongside Drinkwater. Struggled under the constant pressure of the Oldham midfield, and gave away possession far too easily.

Drinkwater – 6 – Less effective than in recent games, again due to Oldham’s dominance in the centre of the pitch.

Rhodes – 6 – Got completely bullied by the Latics defence and struggled to get into the game.

Robinson – 8 – Got 2 goals, and that speaks for itself. We didn’t play to his strengths and it was very frustrating to watch at times, especially with him operating as a lone striker, but he put in the effort and got his reward. Looked shattered at the end.
Subs –

James Berrett – A couple of nice passes but had little chance to shine with the ball at his feet.

Tom Clarke – Similar to Berrett, but without the nice passes.

Ecclestone – Looked quite bright when he came on, although there were a couple of occasions where he should have pulled the trigger and chose to pass.

Lee Clark – Wasn’t frightened to change the shape of the team to cope with Oldham’s midfield dominance. Did it work? Ultimately, yes, because we won 2-0. Some brave decisions that turned out to be the right ones.

Any comments can be left here.

Town took to the field in their standard 442 formation, but not in the standard blue and white. The club’s ‘Can you design a kit more vile than Bradford’s?’ competition had received a bumper response from the fans and rightly Town took the field sporting the winning entry. Brought to you by McDonalds. In all fairness it was for a great cause, and it’s always good to see the club trying something different. Good luck to anyone wearing it at Elland Road.

Town’s continual rotation at left back continued, with Robbie Williams emerging from the shadows and demoting Joe Skarz to the bench. A similar fate befell Michael Collins, who was usurped by a fit-again Tom Clarke to partner Antony Kay in the middle of the park. Town started the game brightly (through no fault of the kit) working the ball around well and seeming content to make the Shrimpers chase for possession. It was Town too with the first real chance of the game, a rebounding Roberts corner followed up by Pilkington, from which Kay could only pick out the bar with a header.

For all the pretty passing football, Lee Clark’s men were lacking penetration with their passes and were restricted to long-range efforts and half chances; Roberts and Novak both trying their luck from distance but failing to challenge Milldenhall in the Southend goal. As the half progressed the Shrimpers seemed to grow in confidence, and as they rose Town fell, dropping onto the back foot as frustration set in. A dangerous looking Barnard, operating alone up top started to find space amongst the Town backline, but luckily couldn’t find the target.

Jordan Rhodes on the other hand, could. Latching onto a lovely pass from Novak, he held the ball up well before playing the return pass, then drifted into the box and applied the finish to Pilkington’s cross, shaking off the dreaded curse of the DATM T-Shirts in the process. Boothy hasn’t scored since his came out either. As it was, Town went in at half time one goal to the good.

Half time saw the parading on the pitch of four rather strange looking individuals who are apparently to do with some forum or other. Seriously though a big thanks to everyone who bought a DATM T-shirt and helped contribute to the £500 donation for Yorkshire Air Ambulance. And buy MancTerrier a new car.

The second half kicked off with little sign of any improvement from the Terriers. Lee Clark’s men were struggling to string two passes together and reverting back hit and hope football. Old habits die hard. Antony Kay, barring his early header had been struggling to make an impact, and suddenly found himself struggling to make a pass. He was caught dawdling in possession on the halfway line, and Southend leapt on the error, breaking down the left and forcing Clarke into a last-ditch tackle.

Out of nowhere though, Town found themselves 2 goals up. A quick break down the left and a blocked cross led to a corner, from which Pilkington found Jordan Rhodes who headed the ball powerfully past Milldenhall for his 13th league goal of the season. That goal seemingly knocked the wind from the sails of the Shrimpers as Town began to push for a third, with Williams and Pilkington combining well down the left to create more chances. The introduction of Drinkwater in place of Kay also appeared to help matters, as the Manchester United loanee got his foot on the ball and Town started to play football on the deck again.

For the first time in far too long Lee Clark had his full attacking complement at his disposal, and as usual he wasn’t afraid to deploy them, with both Robinson and Simpson entering the fray with 10 minutes left. With the former being the subject of transfer rumours, and the latter returning from a long injury layoff it was pleasing to see both play well for the short time they were on the pitch. Robinson did brilliantly to skin a fullback down the left then pick out Rhodes with a cross, whilst Simpson demonstrated some nice touches and hold up play.

The below-par nature of Town’s performance was reflected in Southend’s late consolation goal. Both Peter and Nathan Clarke were guilty of ball watching, as a long pass out of the away half found an unmarked Scott Spencer, who held off the attentions of Peter Clarke to dink the ball coolly past Smithies with the outside of his boot. In fairness he used to do that for me on Football Manager quite a bit too. The late goal made for a nervy final few minutes, but Town stayed strong to claim a hard-fought the three points.

Smithies – 7 – Looked very solid on corners and crosses, claiming everything in the air.

Peltier – 6 – A couple of poor balls on the overlap today which is unlike him, but still had a good game.

P. Clarke – 6 – Some very good tackles first half but arguably culpable for Southend’s goal. Smithies certainly thought so.

N. Clarke – 6 – A few very good tackles but again lacking in his distribution at times.

Williams – 6 – Difficult to score him. Attacking-wise he was brilliant and I can’t remember him misplacing a pass, but defensively he was caught out on numerous occasions. He simply can’t defend.

Pilks – 7 – Provided both deliveries for Rhodes and looked lively. One or two poor passes but overall a good performance.

Roberts – 6 – Won Man of the Match but personally I thought he was quieter than usual. Still effective when he had the ball, just didn’t see enough of it.

T. Clarke – 6- Nothing fancy, played it simple and got involved. Kay didn’t do him any favours.

Kay – 4 – Had a nightmare by all accounts. Won his headers in the middle of the park but his passing was poor and he looked slow in possession. Hopefully a minor blip.

Novak – 6 – Worked hard as usual and linked well with Rhodes for the first goal. Should probably have got one himself.

Rhodes – 8 – 2 goals and should probably have had his hat trick. Brilliant movement and link up play. My MotM.

Subs

Drinkwater – 7 – Looked to get the ball down and play it. Poor shooting though when chances were created.

Robinson – 7 – After resembling Bambi on ice in some games this season, put in a good cameo performance.

Simpson – 7 – Just good to see him back on the pitch. Some nice link-up play with the midfield and with Robinson. Much more to come from him.

Overall – A frankly awful game, played in a frankly awful kit that resulted in a frankly lovely 3 points.

Any comments can be left here.

Cry’ God for Boothy, England and Saint George! Huddersfield 3 Walsall 2

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our Huddersfield dead.

After a shocking first 40 minutes where limbs and bodies were put on the goal line to prevent the score become a massacre. Somehow St. Boothy managed to conjure two goals out of the air to set up a good second half performance, enabling Town to turn defeat into victory!
____________________________________________

Walsall: Gilmartin, Weston (Taundry 87), Smith, Gerrard, Palmer, Bradley (Mattis 88), Hughes, Zaaboub, Ibehre, Ricketts (Nicholls 77), Deeney.

Subs Not Used: Ince, Boertien
Booked: Deeney, Weston
Goals: Ibehre 14, 28

Huddersfield: Smithies, Kelly, Butler, Nathan Clarke, Williams, Cadamarteri, Tom Clarke, Collins (Flynn 28), Goodwin, Roberts, Booth.

Subs Not Used: Eastwood, Holdsworth, Craney, Berrett
Booked: Cadamarteri, Roberts, Goodwin
Goals: Booth 43, 45, Kelly 62

Att: 3,951
Ref: Trevor Kettle (Rutland)
_______________________________________________

First half

Huddersfield lined up in a 4-3-3 (4-2-3-1 you decide! There were 3 central midfields though) Smithies was in goal behind a back 4 of Williams, N. Clarke, Butler and Kelly. In front of this was a central 3 of T. Clarke, Goodwin and Collins in and advanced role. The wide players were Roberts and Cadamateri and Boothy was the focal point upfront.

The game kicked of and for the first 5 minutes Town performed well; good and strong. Kelly, striding up the right received a pass from Goodwin; He then embarked on a mazzey run through the Walsall defence, into the box where his shot was saved by their keeper. The problems came after that, when Huddersfield stopped playing. Whether this was to do with the formation or players slack attitude and lack of application is not sure. One thing that was clear, for the next 40 minutes the midfield three of T.Clarke, Goodwin and Collins (replaced by Flynn) were ghastly, resulting in Huddersfield defence being exposed time and time again.

Sure enough as the chances started to reign in from Walsall, someone was going to put into the back of the next. In the 14th minute Ibehre made a run collect the pass and was through on goal. N.Clarke and Smithies were unlucky in the fact that the shot took a deflection off Clarke that outfoxed Smithies and resulted in Walsall’s first goal.10 minutes later or so Ibehre made it 2 nil with a nifty bit of skill to beat the Town defence. He bore down on goal, shot powerfully and scored.

And so the one way traffic of the first half continued with Huddersfield players having to get in block s and goal-line clearances to prevent certain goals being scored up until the 43rd minute. I think it was Goodwin who put his body literally on the line to prevent one powerful shot (N.B. could be wrong on the person).

Half time approached and Town were fortunate not to be about 4-0 down when out of the blue Boothy produced some of his old magic. Somehow out of the carnage of a long ball into the box, the ball managed to get to Boothy. I’m not sure what he hit it with but it wasn’t a particularly strong shot. The Walsall keeper decided to commit a howler and fumbled the ball between his legs, with the ball squirming through to trickle into the back of the net. 2 minutes later and lighting struck twice. Roberts won a corner. Goodwin delivered a good ball to the back post, Boothy jumped and powered in a header.

Half time came and remarkably Huddersfield had managed to get out of jail. I just didn’t know what to make of it but one thing was for sure, Town had better buck their ideas up in the second half. During the half time interval I thought it was a good chance to inspect the quality of the toilet roll holders. Suffice to say they weren’t a patch on the Glapharms’ and would cost considerably less than £5.99; something to make a note of I think!

Second half

The lads came out for the second half and it was noticeable that the midfield had been reshaped somewhat (Roberts was in narrower and Flynn was more right side; it had shifted to a diamond 4 in the middle). They also came out with renewed vigour. From the start, Town were much more competitive and went on to dominate the first 25 minutes or so of the second period.

Town was passing and moving well, sure enough shots were soon being fired at the Walsall goalie. You could sense a goal was come and when it did it was a great move.

Goodwin played a clever pass to Kelly, who was in an advanced position on the left-hand side near the top of the box. Kelly turned neatly outfoxing the defender and struck a strong curling shot into the bottom right-hand corner. The crowd erupted, Huddersfield were 3-2 to the good.

Walsall upped their game and came back strongly. Ricketts nearly equalised quickly after, drawing out a top quality flying save from Smithies. However Huddersfield more than matched their opponents.

For the final 20 minutes of the game, Huddersfield defended the lead well and looked to hit Walsall on the break through the pace of a very effective Cadamarteri and the skill and trickery of Roberts. The lads gave away a few dangerous free kicks around the edge of the box but, didn’t really look like conceding. The difference compared to the first half was an effective midfield doing the defensive work well.

And so alls well that ends well. Town are on the up, lets get those strikers we need in the summer, consistency over 90 minutes and well be there or there abouts’ next season. Thank God for Boothy’s Head.

Thanks Ben!

Any comments can be made here.

Lee Clark’s men lined up in a 451 formation, with Williams returning at left back, and Kelly moving to right back. Tom Clarke, Jim Goodwin and Michael Collins made up the central trio, flanked by Roberts and Pilkington, with Cadamarteri playing up top as a loan striker. Scunthorpe set out in a standard 442 formation, with Town old boy David Mirfin at the back and potential transfer target Hooper up front.

With torrential rain hammering the slick Glanford Park pitch, the sides kicked off to the chorus of an impressively vocal 900 strong away support. Both had started brightly, keeping the ball on the deck and passing sharply, but it was the Irons who created the first real chance, Hooper latching on to a through ball and finishing smartly past Smithies from a tight angle, only to see his effort ruled out for offside. It was a warning, and Town heeded it, picking up the tempo and putting in some strong tackles in the centre of the park. Goodwin had apparently struck a deal with referee Stuart Atwell that allowed him to make ridiculous sliding tackles and be given only a warning, while every other player on the pitch was booked for making eye contact, something that riled the Scunthorpe support, and in turn spurred on Jimmy Goodwin. He’s a blue. He hates Scunthorpe.

Town began creating chances, with Cadamarteri smashing a fierce shot at the keeper from an angle, and Collins racing through one on one, only to drag his shot wide of the far post. As is far too common though, it was the opposition that broke the deadlock first, as their left winger held off a challenge on the edge of the Town box, before firing impressively into the top corner of Smithies’ goal. The Town faithful were not to be silenced, and to chants of Lee Clark’s Barmy Army, the terriers were back on level terms quickly afterwards. An excellent dinking run from Roberts found Cadamarteri on the edge of the area, who was able to turn his defender smartly and spray the ball across the goal mouth for Collins. His close-range effort could only be parried by the ‘keeper, allowing Tom Clarke to tap the ball into the unguarded net, then run around like a mental for a bit.

Town were on top for the remainder of the half, and had another superb goal ruled out for offside, with Roberts dancing through four or five tackles and picking out Pilkington at the back post, only to be met by the linesman’s flag. The Terrier’s cause was further buoyed by the exit of the always dangerous Hooper, apparently suffering from illness, to be replaced by the always useless Ben May. Stuart Atwell decided that being ill was a bookable offence, and so Hooper was shown the yellow, as were about 6 other players, a handful of Scunthorpe fans, and the chief steward. Town continued passing the ball neatly around on the impressive Glanford Park surface, with Collins again coming close, before the whistle went for halftime.

The sides came out unchanged for the second half, and Town continued their control of the game, holding possession well in the centre of the park before looking to work it down the flanks. This endeavour was rewarded with a second goal minutes later, as Roberts darted inwards from the left flank, exchanging the ball smartly with Collins to create space in the Irons’ defence, before finishing clinically in the bottom corner to the keeper’s right. The away end exploded with celebration, and this was echoed on the pitch as every player charged over to join in. It was a fantastic show of passion that really summed up the attitude of the players for the whole 90 minutes, and it was great to see.

Scunthorpe were trying to fight their way back into the game, but were repelled at every opportunity by an impressive town rearguard. Butler in particular was dominant in the air and on the ground, ensuring Hayes and Kay had nothing to work with. It was a performance in stark contrast to the last, against Southend at home. Town looked confident on the ball and full of ideas in attack, breaking the Scunthorpe backline numerous times only to be denied by Joe Murphy. The Town fans were still in impressive voice, with Smile a While echoing out to encourage the players, followed by chants of ‘Atwell, give us a goal, Atwell Atwell, give us a goal!’. He didn’t of course, but the Town support were cautioned for asking. They wouldn’t be warned again, next time, they were off.

As the final whistle closed in Town inevitably became more defensive, allowing Scunthorpe more of the ball, but staying strong enough at the back to relieve any threat. The superb Cadamarteri made way for Andy Booth, who earlier in the game had provided more evidence that he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, as the fans asked ‘Boothy, what’s the score? Boothy Boothy what’s the score?’, only for him to put up his hands and get it wrong. It was brilliant. Despite a confusingly lengthy 5 minutes of added time, Town held on to secure their third away win on the trot in impressive fashion. What a GOOD FRIDAY that was. Nudge nudge. (Copyright, Paul Ogden).

Player Ratings –

Smithies – 7 – Good distribution from throws, looking to play it short and keep Town in possession. Was a spectator in the second half as Town dominated.

Williams – 7 – A welcome return to the starting 11, and a generally solid display, although Butler and Goodwin had to rescue him once or twice.

Butler – 9 – Probably his best game in the blue and white. Won everything in the air and everything on the ground. Even his distribution was good.

Clarke – 8 – As solid as always.

Kelly – 7 – Put in some good strong tackles and looked comfortable on the ball.

Roberts – 9 – Back to his best with a fantastic performance. Terrorised the Scunthorpe defence and took his goal brilliantly.

Goodwin – 8 – Probably smashed everyone on the pitch at one time or another. Lucky not to get sent off with Atwell in charge, but his tough tackling was what we needed.

Clarke – 8 – Big improvement from his fullback performance against Southend. Very impressive stuff, and looked a lot more comfortable in the centre of the park.

Collins – 8 – Should probably have scored on two occasions, but really worked hard to create his chances.

Pilkington – 7 – Probably his quietest performance in a Town shirt, but still had a good game.

Cads – 9 – Man of the match performance for me. He was everywhere up front, and caused no end of problems. Did well to set up the first, and deserved a goal.

Subs –

Boothy – What’s the score? Boothy Boothy what’s the score?

Overall – A very impressive performance from Town in a match they definitely deserved to win. Barring the opening 15 minutes, we showed real quality on the ball and kept it well. Why wasn’t it like this against Southend? There’s still a lot to work on, but it appears that consistency is the main issue.

Any comments can be made here.

Lee Clark named a team with one change from Tuesday night’s victory in Somerset, with Michael Flynn dropped to the bench, Collins back in the centre partnering Goodwin, and Ainsworth returning to the right flank. Liverpool loanee Martin Kelly made his home debut at left-back in place of the injured Robbie Williams. Flavour of the month (and rightly so, we have to cling onto something) Anthony Pilkington sat just behind Danny Cadamarteri, as Town operated in a 4411 formation, the lack of striking options again patently obvious. Southend, with 8 wins from their last 10, lined up in what was effectively a 424 formation, as their centre-backs laced up their hoofing boots, and the beautiful game hung its head and wept.

Though the referee couldn’t co-ordinate his foot to the ball in the pre-match warm up, he managed to co-ordinate his whistle to his lips, and the game kicked off. Almost immediately Town’s captain Nathan Clarke was involved in a painful looking clash of heads with Southend’s equally blonde bombshell Lee Barnard, and he was forced off to get stitched up, returning from the tunnel minutes later in his very own tribute to Terry Butcher. It was Town’s loanee defender Kelly who created the first real chance of the game, collecting the ball confidently from Butler, before striding forward and playing a delightful through ball to Cadamarteri down the left side, however there was nobody in the box and the ball ended up comfortably in the hands of the Southend keeper. Cadamarteri continued to look bright, minutes later retaining possession brilliantly in the centre of the park and feeding the onrushing Collins, who tripped haplessly over the ball sending it out of play.

Southend had clearly been studying the intricate football systems of Brazil 1970 and Ajax 1995, as they merrily sat back and seemed content in kicking the ball as high and as far as possible away from their own goal mouth, in the general direction of some pretty quick blokes up front. This allowed town a good share of the early possession, working the ball well around the centre of the pitch, but all too often fluffing the final touch or the final pass, with Ainsworth and Roberts the culprits far too often. Town’s inability to maintain pressure began to show as a relatively dull first half came to a close, with Southend creating 2 or 3 half chances just before the whistle, the clearest being a Barnard volley that was sent just over Smithies’ bar from the edge of the Town area. It was a pretty dour first 45 minutes; surely things couldn’t get any worse after half time?

Before that spectacle, we were allowed to delight in the magnificence and ingenuity of Town’s marketing department, as four Huddersfield Town deckchairs were carried onto the pitch by the Care in the Community staff. In all seriousness now, why on earth do Huddersfield Town deckchairs even exist? Who sat down in a meeting and said ‘everyone listen in, this one’s gold’? Coming soon, Huddersfield Town’s lean mean goal reducing striker machine! Just pop your striker inside, turn it on, and watch as the goalscoring ability drains out of him into the handy tray provided. 50% of all proceeds go to Harrogate Town. I stepped down from my soapbox just in time to see a young lad from Battyeford dink a lovely shot into one of the chairs and win himself a football. Sign him up.

The sides emerged unchanged for the second half, and possibly one of the worst footballing spectacles I’ve ever witnessed carried on in vain. Town created the first early chance after a fantastic spin and shot from Pilkington on the corner of the box, forcing a corner. With the ball whipped in, Butler rose highest, virtually unchallenged, but could only direct his header straight at the Southend keeper. All game Town had looked susceptible to Southend’s pace up top, which they were exploiting to full effect by not bothering to go through their midfield, and this occasion was no exception. Mildenhall in the Shrimpers goal launched the ball high up field with only Butler left on the heels of the pacey Robinson. Every game Smithies seems to make one poor decision, and again, we saw no exception, as the young stopper flew out of his goal and attempted to put the ball into the stand, but instead lashed at thin air leaving Robinson with the seemingly easy task of getting the ball past the backtracking Tom Clarke and into the Town goal. Luckily, though blessed with speed, it became apparent that Robinson was blessed with little else, and he dawdled on the ball before hopelessly dragging it wide of the post, much to the delight of the Town faithful. Take a bow son.

Nevertheless, Southend’s launch it and leg it tactics were creating some chances, and Robinson had a chance to atone seconds later when a cross was whipped in from the right, but he could only mirror Smithies and swipe at thin air, again drawing cheers from the Town fans. Despairingly, the biggest cheers of the match were reserved for Southend errors, and the biggest chants for Southend fans being ejected, Town were creating nothing for the fans to cheer, but at the same time the air of frustration around the ground seemed to drain the players of confidence. A poor looking Ainsworth was replaced by Booth on 60 minutes, as Town looked to match Southend at the hit it and hope game. It really was turgid stuff, and things went from bad to worse for the Terriers as Tom Clarke was penalised for being in possession of arms in the penalty area. A powerful Franck Moussa cross struck the full-back’s arm as he held it tight into his side, and the referee pointed to the spot. Barnard despatched the penalty and the entire team ran to celebrate in front of their fans. For about 5 minutes.

What followed can only be described as farcical time wasting play from Southend, as they dragged out every single set-piece and dead-ball situation for as long as was physically possible. It was like watching a game of statues; every time the referee had them in view they did their best to look busy, but as soon as his back was turned they all froze. Lee Barnard was even caught trying to wind the referee’s watch forwards, while Anthony Grant was booked for faking his own death in the middle of the pitch. It just added to the frustration of the fans, who were looking for some spark or stroke of luck to get Town an equaliser. Half-chances came and went, with Butler, Cadamarteri and Booth coming agonisingly close, but as has so often been the case this season, it was not to be for Huddersfield Town, and what should have been a depressing 0-0 draw turned in to an infuriating 1-0 defeat. Those who turned up expecting horses were left watching donkeys, and feeling like asses.

Player Ratings:

Smithies – 7 – His handling was confident, and he made a great reflex save from close range in the 2nd half, but almost cost us a goal charging off his line.

Kelly – 8 – Great performance from the loanee, who was easily MOTM in my opinion. Showed great composure on the ball and a willingness to get forward alongside his obvious defensive capabilities.

T. Clarke – 6 – Had another below-par game at right back, struggling with his distribution and looking slow at times. Is clearly only a short-term solution. Unlucky with the penalty.

N. Clarke – 7- Took a blow early in the game but showed no signs of it affecting him. Distribution poor at times but miles better than Butler.

Butler – 6 – Defensively he wasn’t too bad, and he made a number of important challenges but his passing was abysmal.

Roberts – 6 – Had another quiet game, although did liven up somewhat in the second half with some nice touches, and gave the ball away less than he has done recently. Still not his old self.

Goodwin – 6 – Poor decision making led to a few wasted chances, when he took on ridiculous shots instead of playing the simple pass.

Collins – 7 – Didn’t have a bad game and saw a fair amount of the ball in the centre of the park. Would have looked better if those around him were performing.

Ainsworth – 6 – A poor performance from a winger clearly lacking in confidence. His first touch is shocking at times.

Pilkington – 7 – His quietest game in a Town shirt, but he didn’t have much to work with. Still looked dangerous in flashes.

Cadamarteri – 8 – As per usual, he worked hard all game and defied his height by winning a fair share of headers. Was unlucky not to get a goal. Definitely deserves a new contract.

Subs –

Boothy – 7 – Kept getting absolutely clattered from behind when going up for headers, and consequently shirked out of a few, but held possession well.

Flynn – 6 – Was lucky not to be sent off for a second bookable offence behind the referees back. Put in a lot of effort, but with little product.

Overall – A terrible match that shows just how much work needs to be done before next season for us to put in a serious challenge.

Any comments can be made here.

It was two points thrown away, but all was not lost, and the Terriers had the opportunity to put things right only a couple of days later, at home to Colchester on a blustery Tuesday night. Sadly, things were definitely not put right, and a shoddy first-half performance saw Town go in 1-0 down at the break. Just for a change, the players came out for the second half fighting, and Town pulled level and then took the lead with goals from Pilkington and Roberts, now all that was left was to see out the game! Bugger. Another late goal, this time for Colchester, robbed Town of another 2 points, and effectively shut the playoff door in the minds of all those but the most optimistic.

And so to today, as Town lined up against Millwall. For all ‘must win’ games that there’ve been in recent times, (I count about 8), this one really was it. (No really). Only a win would be good enough to keep Town’s slim, neigh, anorexic playoff hopes alive. Luckily after the last two matches, we must have sorted out the whole conceding late goals thing, right?

Lee Clark’s men lined up in the accustomed fashion, with Lucketti stepping in for the injured Nathan Clarke, and Ainsworth for the sadly absent Cadamarteri. Craney partnered Collins in the centre, replacing the suspended Goodwin. Roberts started the game playing just behind Ali Dia up front. Millwall had clearly not turned up to sit back and play for a draw, lining up in a very attacking 433 formation to stretch Town’s defence. It was the cockney Lions who seized the early initiative, forcing a lethargy-laced Town team straight onto the back foot. Smithies threw a horribly awkward ball out to Holdsworth that was intercepted by the switched-on Millwall striker, who drifted a deep cross to the back post, that Butler could only head against the upright with Smithies stranded. It was unconvincing stuff, and Town were lucky to get away with it.

Town weren’t moving the ball around well, and the only efforts on goal were speculative ones from long distance that even Jon Worthington would scoff at. Second to every ball, and looking clueless at times, it was frustrating stuff for an edgy and subdued Galpharm crowd. The Millwall fans on the other hand were sounding confident. Apparently the ever-terrified West Yorkshire Police had heard that a fair few years ago Millwall had a bit of a reputation for unsavoury behaviour, and so the away fans for this game were housed in a large steel cage, surrounded by far too many police officers, poking them through the bars with long sticks. Back on the pitch, Town continued to struggle, with Ainsworth beating his man but steering the ball comfortably into the hands of the Millwall keeper.

It clearly wasn’t working for Town, so Clark moved Roberts back out to the left, and Pilkington in behind a tall, lethargic, slow bloke who had stumbled into a Town shirt and onto the pitch. Millwall were doing a good job of keeping Clark’s men at arms length, exerting their physical presence across the park and particularly in the air where the referee apparently saw no issue in their centre-backs hitching piggyback rides on blue and white shirts. The referee and the female Linesfarce seemed in agreement that anyone wearing a bright orange shirt could do no wrong. Millwall continued to push, with their wide forwards looking dangerous and sending some good balls into the box. There was a marked difference between their way of doing things, and Town’s. When we break forwards down either flank, in the box we generally have Ainsworth, without a hope in hells chance of winning a header, Collins hanging around the edge, and, on today’s evidence, a striker tottering around 30 yards out from goal. Millwall on the other hand, had 4 and 5 players all surging into the box at full pace whenever the cross was on, and looked a lot more dangerous for it. The Terriers were lucky to go in at the break level.

Half-time saw the thoroughly original crossbar challenge rear it’s apathetic head once again. Apparently someone had lost the broom from the other week. One particularly poor effort from a young lad drew sarcasm from the frankly hilarious announcer, who moments later will have regretted making fun, as the ball was pinged against the bar on the second attempt, raising probably the loudest cheer of the game. Sign him up.

The sides ran out for the second half unchanged, but almost immediately after they had kicked off Clark made his first change, with Legend replacing the honestly pathetic Lukas, who left the field to ironic jeers that he actually deserved. Apparently he is contractually obligated to play with lead in his boots, because that is the only explanation I can think of for his complete inability to run, or jump. He makes Boothy look like Spiderman. It was genuinely one of the most ineffective and lazy performances I’ve seen by someone in the blue and white, and that says a lot considering how hard Jevons worked to claim the title earlier in the season.

Booth immediately showed why he deserved to be on the pitch, and in my opinion, to have started, when he got on the end of a fantastic Roberts’ cross only seconds after coming on, diverting it just wide of the far post. Town started to apply some pressure, keeping hold of the ball and applying enough to force corners, with Butler coming close. Out of nowhere though, Millwall broke, with James Henry turning Holdsworth inside out and finding Mark Laird free in the area to volley home past Smithies. It was against the run of play in the second half, but Town were not without spirit and the goal seemed to wake them up. Pilkington collected the ball on the right hand side and turned his fullback brilliantly, striding to the byline and drifting a pinpoint cross to Roberts at the back post who was able to finish impressively at full stretch. It was 1-1 and Town now had the initiative, spurred on by Galpharm faithful.

Town continued to press, with Boothy holding up the ball brilliantly in attack and bringing Collins, Craney and Pilkington into play. You can say all you want about Boothy’s pace and athleticism, but his ability to retain possession and find a Town shirt is second to none. Another corner from Roberts saw Williams come close but again the Millwall stopper saved well. Worryingly for the Town fans, just as it was looking like the home side might grab another goal, the always-dangerous Pilkington picked up a knock on his ankle, and was replaced by Tom Clarke who sat in the centre allowing Craney to move just behind Booth. This didn’t last long as shortly after Jevons replaced Ainsworth and Town went to a straight forward 442, with Craney on the right. Millwall gave Town a warning that they were still in the game just after the substitution, as they worked the ball well into the box and forced Smithies into a magnificent reflex save from a header.

As the clock ticked down, Clark’s men continued to look for a winner, piling the pressure on the Millwall defence who were holding together well. Ones things for sure though, Town wouldn’t fall into the late goal trap again! Not for a third time! That would be madness. Another Huddersfield corner saw only Holdsworth left in defence, and as the ball was partly cleared, the Millwall player latched onto it, running 60 yards down Town’s right, and then sliding the ball across to James Henry to slot past Smithies. The reaction from the home support was one of fury, particularly in the DG lower as Town fans charged down the steps to scream their anger at the female linesfarce. It did appear that when the ball was played Henry was two yards clear of Holdsworth, and easily offside. The lineswoman apparently judged that the Goal Shooter was inside the shooting circle when the Wing Attack threw him the ball. The Goal Defence begged to differ. Either way, it was yet more points thrown away by Town at the death after a lacklustre performance that surely signals the end of the playoff dream for another year.

Player Ratings:

Smithies – 8 – Made an early error with a poor throw to Holdsworth, but also made two superb saves from what looked like point blank range. Looked confident on crosses again.

Holdsworth – 5 – A poor game from Holdsworth, who looked shakey in defence and should have done better on the first goal.

Butler – 7- Looked solid in the air again as he usually does, and looked really up for the game. One poor header though almost cost Town a goal.

Lucketti – 7 – Dominated in the air, but as we all know his lack of pace is a real problem on the ground. Has to compensate at times by fouling which is dangerous.

Williams – 8 – For me, he had a great game. I didn’t see him put a foot wrong, his passing was spot on and he did brilliantly to cut out some Millwall passes before they reached their target.

Pilkington – 8 – A real quality player. His turn and cross for the goal was superb.

Collins – 6 – Wasn’t at the races today. I can’t think of anything to say because I didn’t notice him.

Craney – 6 – Stepping in for Goodwin in the defensive role, he didn’t have a bad game and won some tackles, but he looks better going forwards.

Ainsworth – 6 – A few pacey runs but the end product wasn’t there at all.

Roberts – 7 – Showed improvement after his last few below par performances, and in the second half looked almost back to his best. Took the goal very well from where I was sat.

Lukas – 0 – And that’s being generous. No effort, no passion, no pace, no strength, no skill, no fitness. Simply awful.

Subs:

Boothy – 8 – Did more in 40 minutes than Lukas has done in the last 3 games. Showed his class with his ability to retain the ball and always found a Town shirt.

Clarke – Had little time to make an impact.

Jevons – As with Clarke, although he did look a lot more interested than he usually does. The grass is always greener….

Lee Clark – Were his selections right today? Personally, I’d say not. Lukas shouldn’t have started the game because he isn’t anywhere near the level we need. In fairness he made the change just after half-time. Was Craney the right choice in the centre? That’s up for debate.

Overall, a first home defeat for Lee Clark that, until the next must-win game at Stadium MK, probably seals Town’s fate of more League 1 football next season.

Any comments can be made here

Crewe 3 Huddersfield 1: Huddersfield defeated due to insipid performance.
Following on from last week’s victory, hopes were high that Town could record a first away victory under Clark. Some 1,500 Terriers turned up at Gresty Road expecting something from the game but were left reflect on a poor performance from the boy’s in the blue&white.

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Crewe: Ruddy, Brayford, Baudet, Lawrence, Broomes, Jones, Moore, O’Connor, Woodards, Donaldson (Schumacher 86), Pope (Zola 75).
Subs Not Used: Collis, Abbey, Miller.

Huddersfield: Smithies, Holdsworth, Nathan Clarke, Butler, Williams, Ainsworth (Craney 56), Collins, Goodwin, Berrett (Booth 65), Roberts, Jutkiewicz (Jevons 73).
Subs Not Used: Glennon, Tom Clarke.

Goals: Berrett 30, Moore 32, Pope 58, Donaldson 60.

Booked: Williams. Broomes
Att: 5,056
Ref: Rob Shoebridge
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First Half

Huddersfield deployed a 4-4-1-1 (4-5-1?) formation due to Pilkington being pulled out of the squad due to sickness. Young Smithies was in goal behind a back four of Williams, Butler, N.Clarke and Holdsworth. The midfield comprised of Roberts and Anisworth out wide with a midfield of Goodwin and Berrett. The front striker was on-loan Everton forward Lukas Jutkiewicz with Collins playing ‘in-the-hole’ (phrase circa Italia ’90).

The game kicked off and the first 10 minutes or so saw both teams sussing each other out. Town passed the ball about but not too much effect, Crewe much the same. The Crewe striker Donaldson latched onto a trough pass to run at goal. Pressure from Clarke saw the effort fly wide. After 10 minutes or so Crewe started to get the upper hand, Williams took a booking to stop the Crewe winger cutting inside, while from another freekick, the ball bounced around inside the town area. It was quite worrying that Huddersfield seemed to be having problems clearing their lines.

The game ebbed and flowed over the next half hour or so, Huddersfield having more possession yet not producing much. The town players seemed subdued and there was a distinct lack of running or off-the-ball movement. Never the less, Town managed a couple of long shots, but the truth is Crewe were starting to look dangerous when breaking. Crewe’s excellent striker pope twice hit the post with instinctive shots and Town’s defence was looking frail.

Huddersfield broke the deadlock in the 30th minute through young James Berrett. Berrett had not been having the best of games, misplacing a number of passes but was on hand to finish Towns only decent flowing move of the game. Roberts played the ball out right to Collins who surged on. He pulled the ball back into the box where Jutkiewicz, under pressure managed to turn the ball across the 16 yards box where Berrett; arriving late picked up the ball and passed it into the corner of the net. One nil to Town, although the teams performance hardly merited it.

The celebrations did not last long though as within a minute of the restart Crewe had equalised. A Crewe pass into the heart of Huddersfield’s dodgy defence caused panic. Town were unable to clear the ball and when it dropped at the feet of Moore, the Crewe player whacked it into the back of the net!

As the half wound its way to the break, Crewe was by far the more dangerous side. Huddersfield’s passing went nowhere while Crewe created good chances particularly through Pope. And so Town reached halftime thankfully Level; a chance to take some pro-plus, a Blackie half-time team talk, frankly anything to shake the Town side out of its lethargy.

Second Half

An unchanged Huddersfield side took to the field for the second half. Unfortunately it seemed they also brought with them an unchanged attitude. Neither side really seemed to impose themselves on the game. Collins had a few pot-shots at goal, but all was easily dealt with by Crewe Keeper John Ruddy (excellent keeper!). Clark made his first change on 57 minutes. Craney was brought on for the ineffective Ainsworth.

Two minutes later the game took a decisive turn when the usually dependable Butler made a monumental mistake. He was trying to see the ball out for a goal kick down in the left-hand corner when Pope robbed him of the ball and drove at goal. Pope unleashed a cracking curling strike around Smithies into the far corner. 2-1 to Crewe, damn!

If being 2-1 was bad form, Crewe went on to make it 3-1, shortly after. A panicky Huddersfield defence again could not clear the ball properly. Williams headed the ball back up into the air but also into the centre of the box. As the ball fell, Crewe striker Donaldson volleyed with an overhead kick to send the ball into the back of the net.

Crewe player Broomes picked up a yellow card for a heavy challenge on Berrett. This led to Berrett no longer being able to continue; Boothy came on for him, with Collins dropping into midfield proper. Booth’s ability to hold the ball up was immediately evident as he brought Craney and others into the game, still though Huddersfield could not fashion any real chances.

Jevons was brought on for the tired looking Jutkiewicz but remained as ineffective as he has all season; having no impact on the game.

Crewe had the chance to make it 4-1 when Moore sped past Williams and forced a very good double save out of Smithies.

And so Huddersfield huffed and puffed their way to the final whistle never looking like they might score and also never looking like they were truly going to shake off the insipid lethargy that had plagued them from the kick off.

The only positive to take out of the day is that none of the other playoff contenders managed to produce good results to take advantage; that and the chips from the chippy opposite the ground, they were ace, in fact the best part of the day!

Thanks to Ben1142 for the report. Comments can be made here

Town lined up in the usual 442 formation, with the no longer suspended Gary Roberts coming back into the starting 11 alongside Everton loanee Lukas Jutkiewicz (bless you) up front, although in practice Town seemed to be operating as more of a 4411, with Roberts dropping in the hole off the big man, while Jevons was back on the bench after not turning up against Hartlepool. Leeds were of course without the pacey Jermaine Beckford who was serving the first game of a 3 match ban after his disgraceful elbow on the Millwall goalie in midweek. It turns out when 10 Sky cameras catch you doing something, “Nuthin’ ‘appened bruv’ doesn’t really cut it. Instead, the golden haired Becchio partnered a portly Lee Trundle up top.

It was an expectedly heated atmosphere inside the Galpharm as proceedings got under way, as a vocal Leeds responded to the chants emanating from the Town support. The club had issued a statement in the week to discourage the Leeds fans from standing, and this went to plan, as all 4000 of them remained on their feet for the entire game. Probably to the surprise of Town’s head of safety, who dreams of a world where we all roll around in wheelchairs, there were no issues or accidents. The Leeds fans, and indeed the Town fans at the south end of the Antich diced with death, but came out alive, and it probably created a better atmosphere.

Town started the game brightly, with new boy Lukas showing Rui Marques a clean pair of heels, only to scuff his shot tamely at Ankergren in the Utd goal. It was good early pressure from the Terriers and it continued as Roberts played Pilkington into space down the left, allowing the winger to whip in a dangerous cross that just evaded Lukas at the front post and Ainsworth at the back. Leeds were struggling to get into their stride and were clearly missing Beckford’s pace and finishing up front, as Town controlled early possession. Williams showed more flashes of his new-found ability, dancing past 3 Leeds players expertly before releasing the ball. Ainsworth and Holdsworth combined well down the right, allowing the Huddersfield captain to sting the hands of Ankergren the friendly ghost, and earn a corner. Roberts, back in charge of set pieces, whipped in a lovely ball which was met by the head of a towering Nathan Clarke sending the ball flashing past Casper and into the top corner of the net. The Galpharm erupted and it was no less than Town deserved; 1-0 to the Terriers.

Buoyed by the masses Town didn’t let up, with Ainsworth looking particularly bright down the right hand side, his pace destroying the Leeds Utd left-back allowing him to reach the byline and put in some dangerous balls towards the head of Lukas. The loanee himself again tested the Leeds stopper with a rasping low 20 yard drive that was gathered at the second attempt from the feet of a sniffing Gary Roberts. Despite Town’s early pressure, Leeds are a good side and were far from impotent in attack even considering their lack of pace, and a swerving effort from distance forced Smithies to parry, and then save again from a header after the ball was whipped back in by the lively and hilariously named Snodgrass. Leeds were starting to come into the game a little more particularly down Town’s left, but it was the Terrier’s with the next chance as Roberts again whipped in a dangerous ball that led to confusion in the Leeds area, but Lukas’s close range effort was blocked well. Roberts was looking lively and dropping into the hole brilliantly to create space, but was perhaps a little eager to please at times and on occasion tried to do a little too much. Saying that, he still looked comfortable and dangerous playing off Lukas, and it could be an interesting pairing in the next few games assuming the illusive Tehoue is still unavailable. Town deservedly led at the break, and went off to a warm round of applause from the buoyant support.

The half-time entertainment, alongside the always-brilliant announcer, was the broomstick party game again making a welcome return. Everyone scored except the Leeds Utd fan. Which was nice. Being, as it was, Valentines Day, I was joined at the game by the better half, and so it is only fair to include a snippet of her analysis. She was initially impressed by the chanting between the fans, but was not very keen on Smithies kit. She thought Town were scrappy at defending corners, and that Lionel is a funny name. Better than Mark Lawrenson to be fair.

The second half kicked off and Town dropped on to the back foot, as has been the case far too many times this season. It is definitely something that needs sorting, as we rarely seem to carry our first half momentum into the second half and it obviously encourages other teams back into the game. The lively Ainsworth had picked up a knock and so Jevons was brought on, with Roberts moving to the left and Pilkington swapping sides to the right. Leeds gratefully took up Town’s invite to play a bit of football, with Snodgrass finding Trundle with his back to goal in the town box. The Huddersfield fan-favourite span well on the ball but luckily could only fire over Smithies bar. An early sign of what was to come.

As the second-half progressed Leeds piled on the pressure and Town sat deep, with the immense Butler and Clarke repelling everything that came their way, and a tireless Goodwin working well to cut down Leeds’ attacking options. With Town sitting deeper, bright young prospect Delph, who seemed keen to avoid Goodwin’s pocket this time around, was afforded time and space to dance around on the ball and pass the ball to the fullbacks, but with little penetration. A big potential for the future but still a player with a lot to learn. Leeds continued to create chances, and only assured goalkeeping from England’s number 1 kept the Terriers in the lead, as chance after chance either flashed wide or nestled in his hands.

With Town’s backs against the wall, Lukas and Jevons had little to work with, but the latter showed he does actually have the ability to head a ball, grafting well in defence to help Town clear their lines. The home side even went on a rare foray into the opposition half, with Roberts dancing past his fullback but slicing his cross and picking up a groin strain in the process, meaning Werling was given another run-out down the left wing. With the Leeds fans getting frustrated in much the same way as Town had against Hartlepool, their side continued to spurn chances, as Smithies did brilliantly to smother the ball at the feet of Snodgrass in the area. Still, he looked silly in his shirt.

The impressive Lukas was replaced by Craney with 10 minutes remaining as Clark looked to hold on to Town’s narrow lead, while Simon Grayson brought on ex-Bolton centre back and professional giant Michalik to put extra pressure on the home defence. Despite Leeds’ continued pressure, Town’s superb back five held strong, but hearts were in mouths, and probably on the floor of the row in front as a Leeds corner bounced off the post and was hoofed back up field; it was a nail-biting finish as Town clung on. At the very end, Michael Collins looked to mirror his last minute goal at Elland Road by doing the same at home. After a great run by Pilkington the ball was worked across the edge of the Leeds area to Collins who tried to round Ankergren but was denied by the outstretched arm of the keeper. It didn’t matter as Town had weathered the storm and done the double over Leeds Utd for the first time since 1478. Leeds didn’t even care and like it doesn’t matter because it isn’t even a derby because like they’re only rivals with Man Yoo anyway so shut up. And stuff. For all the posturing of the Leeds support, it was the passion of Town which they mocked that secured the three points.

Player Ratings:

Smithies – 9 – Another match-winning performance from the young Town keeper. Produced some fantastic reaction saves to deny Leeds time and time again. Brilliant stuff. Hopefully he will accept his new contract offer.

Holdsworth – 8 – Linked up very well with Ainsworth in the first half, and defended well in the second. Solid throughout.

Butler – 9 – Dominated in the air, and no nonsense on the ball. Fantastic all round.

Clarke – 9 – As with Butler, completely dominated Trundle and Becchio to keep Town ahead. Took his goal well.

Williams – 8 – Continued his improvement with another quality performance. Looks more assured on the ball every game, and seemed keen to carry it rather than just hoof.

Pilkington – 7 – Looked dangerous in the first half and put in some good balls, but stunted in the 2nd because of Leeds’ dominance.

Goodwin – 8 – Showed what a good player he is in the 2nd half of the game as he ran tirelessly to cut down the Leeds options and break things up on the edge of the area.

Collins – 7 – Had more defensive duties than usual but worked hard and probably deserved a goal.

Ainsworth – 7- Was going past Dickinson for fun in the first half, but at times tried to do a little too much. A shame he got injured.

Roberts – 7 – As with Ainsworth, at times he tried to do a little too much but still showed what a class player he is with some lovely link-up play in the hole between the Leeds midfield and defence.

Lukas – 7 ½ – Looks a more rounded player than Liam Dickinson, and used his strength and height well to hold up the ball and bring others in to play. Should score goals in this team.

Subs:

Jevons – 7 – Has his detractors, me included, and we’re justified for his last few performances but grafted quite well in this game and showed he has the ability to win headers. Didn’t have much to work with up front.

Werling – Not on long enough to rate. He’s a hard player to judge and thus I’m reserving mine for now.

Craney – As with Werling, not on long enough to rate.

Clark: Are you sure he’s a Toon fan and not a Town fan? Was showing just as much passion as those in the stands. Looks like he wants to run out on the pitch and play himself sometimes. Tactically he got it right in the first half and Roberts was effective playing off Lukas. His hand was forced in the second half, but we need to start carrying our momentum through.

Overall, a hard fought and important 3 points for Town that keeps slim playoff hopes alive, and provides ample bragging rights over those in the big yellow skip just down the M62. Not that they care. At all. So shut it.

Any comments please feel free to leave them HERE

Thanks to tomtheterrier for the report