Grayson Relieved With Home Point

Simon Grayson & Lee Clark before kick-off

Huddersfield Town struck in second half stoppage time to deny the visitors, Birmingham City, all three points at The John Smiths Stadium. The game was not one that any Town fan will want to re-watch in a hurry as the terriers looked terrible throughout the game, especially after going a goal behind just before the interval. Huddersfield struggled both on and off the ball and in all honesty didn't deserve to be blessed with an incredible solo goal from Adam Hammill in the dying stages of the game as the terriers added another valuable point to their tally in the Championship.

Match Report: Huddersfield Town 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Huddersfield Town faced one of the toughest tests they have encountered in The Championship this season when Wolverhampton Wanderers came to The John Smiths Stadium. The visitors were sitting pretty in third place and were coming to take on the terriers in very good form with five wins out of the last six games but Grayson's men were revitalized after picking up all three points before the international break against a very tough Birmingham City side at St Andrews.

Town's Team; Smithies, Woods, Gerrard, Clarke, Hunt, Ward, Norwood, Southern, Clayton, Vaughan, Beckford

Town's Bench; Bennett, Dixon, Novak, Lynch, Scannell, Arfield, Lee

Huddersfield started the game positively with sleek passing and strong defending and with just eleven minutes on the clock, the terriers forced Wolves into conceding their first goal in their last three away games. Jack Hunt was the provider for one of the best goals ever to be scored at The John Smiths Stadium as his inch perfect cross was met superbly by the head of James Vaughan who sent the ball flying across the face of goal and into the back of the net.

Vaughan's goal for the terriers is his third since joining
on season long loan from Norwich

The midfield of Huddersfield were working hard as per usual and Clayton was looking on the money when he nodded the ball down into Vaughan's feet who crossed to the back post, just inches away from Beckford who could well of doubled the terriers lead if he had connected with he cross. Wolves were not looking a bad team but Huddersfield were dominating the pace of the game. However, the visitors got their first real chance of the game through a Bakary Sako free-kick which went just inches over the bar of Alex Smithies goal.

Jack Hunt had already provided an assist and his confidence was sky high as he ran once again at the Wolves defence before firing an effort just wide of the mark. Moments later Adam Clayton linked up with former Leeds United team mate Jermaine Beckford to give the terriers an unlikely two goal lead. Clayton whipped in a superb delivery from the right wing for Beckford to scissor kick into the back of the net in extraordinary fashion. The on loan striker put his name into hat for goal of the month...if not the season.

Beckford celebrates after doubling the terriers lead
with a stunning finish.

Wolves looked a beaten side after the second goal had gone in but they were nearly given a lifeline as Woods made a mistake which allowed Sako in at goal but he could only curl his effort wide of Smithies goal to the annoyance of the visiting fans. Chances continued to come for the home side and Town could of been at least four or five up before half time with both Vaughan & Beckford having great chances to take the game beyond Wolves but it wasn't meant to be for the strikers.

Half Time: Huddersfield Town 2-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Simon Grayson's team started the second half as they had finished the first and within a minute Beckford was causing Wolves problems yet again. Roger Johnson luckily recovered well as the striker closed down on the visitors goal after a superb pass from Oliver Norwood had set Beckford free. Ten minutes later, Wolves got their first chance on goal in the second half as new signing Jermaine Pennant crossed to the back post where Kevin Doyle met the ball with his head. The effort was goal bound but Huddersfield skipper Peter Clarke was on his top form and blocked the effort to keep his sides two goal lead.

With just over an hour on the clock the visitors managed to get themselves back into the game as Sylvan Ebanks-Blake stabbed home a tame shot only for it to sneak past Smithies off the post. The shot had also received a heavy deflection off Peter Clarke which ultimately gave the goalkeeper no chance in denying Wolves their away goal.

Wolves were playing the much better football now of the two teams and were buoyed after getting themselves back into the game from an unlikely goal scoring chance. Sako was the main problem for the terriers as he continued to skip away from his markers to push the visitors forward. Sako was the creator of Wolves' first goal and he went close to getting his name on the score sheet but his shot whistled inches past the post. The game was ticking ever so slowly now for the home side who looked tired after such a gut busting first half effort and they were starting to hang on against a never ending onslaught of Wolves attacks.

In the 79th minute Wolves had a corner which was met by the head of David Edwards who beat his marker but could only send his header smashing into the upright. Smithies was well beaten by the effort and it looked almost certain that Town were going to give away their two goal lead but they hold strong in the final minutes to get their home form back to winning ways.

Full Time: Huddersfield Town 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Clayton Delighted With Win Over Owls

Adam Clayton put the game beyond Sheffield Wednesday last night when he slotted home calmly from the penalty spot to take Huddersfield two goal clear of the Owls and the midfielder was delighted to bring all three points back to West Yorkshire. Clayton shoved Vaughan to one side to take control of the penalty spot kick and he didn't disappoint the Town faithful:

"The lads are buzzing to get the win in a local derby. The changing room is bouncing. It was a good win as well. We had to dig in and do what was needed. To score two goals so early on was a perfect start and I thought it was just what we deserved. I think the opening half hour could have been the best we've played. Jack did well for the penalty and I'm delighted Novak got the header, because he's been threatening to do that for ages – he's banging them in during training. He's been on fire and hopefully that will get him started, because he can get some goals."

The Owls never gave up even after conceding twice in the early stages of the game & Clayton had to battle hard in the middle for Huddersfield Town;

"I think they are the biggest team I've ever seen; I realised in the tunnel before the game that the left back playing against me was a big one! They can play a bit too though – they have some good players – and I think they will do quite well in the League. They put us under a lot of pressure, but we got the win."

Clayton scored Huddersfield's third goal from the penalty spot & he joked in his interview about being the best spot taker at the club as Simon Grayson walked past the midfielder;

"The Gaffer has said I'm the best penalty taker at the Club, so I had to get on it. I knew I wanted the penalty after not taking the one at Ipswich, so I made sure I got on it."

Clayton nearly was forced off in the first half as he received lengthy treatment from Town's physio but he battled on and described what actually happened after the game;

"It was a weird sensation; I kind of lost my centre of gravity. I can't describe it any better than that, only to say that I didn't know what was going on! Thankfully it passed and hopefully it doesn't come back!"

The terriers are now unbeaten in five but face yet another tough challenge as they travel to Bloomfield Road to take on Blackpool on Monday night;  

"We're unbeaten in five and I think we were unlucky to lose at Cardiff before that too. We're doing well and we want to keep it going. We're looking forward to every game in this League. It's new for some of our lads and they're excited to play in these games – that's why you get promoted. The expectations on us aren't as big as some other clubs and we are really enjoying ourselves."

Clayton finished off his post mact interview by thanking all the travelling fans for being the 12th man at Hillsborough;

"We had some brilliant support tonight – our fans really got behind us. They do in every game though."

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Clayton: 'Onwards & Upwards'

Adam Clayton says the terriers have met their target which was set for them in the first three games and that was to get a win. Huddersfield Town picked up all three points against Burnley on Saturday after an impressive performance saw them come out 2-0 winners. Clayton was interviewed after the match by the official website and this is what he had to say;

"Yeah, we’re buzzing now. Our aim was to get a win in our first three games and now we’ve done it. I think the new lads now know what the Championship is going to bring and that is a good victory to get; Burnley are a very good team who pass it very well and have some good players, so it’s a good result. We’ve played against three very good teams in the League and I think we’ve acquitted ourselves very well, so it’s been good so far. If you can get the first goal in a Championship game, more often than not you will win the game. It was nice to top it off and get the next one to take a bit of pressure off – that was a nice feeling."

Along with the victory came Huddersfield's first clean sheet in The Championship which is something The Yorkshire Club need to repeat regularly to compete in this league;

"I’m sure Smithies will be happy with that! Onwards and upwards now; perhaps we can rattle off another couple of wins and see where that takes us.”

Adam Clayton is one of Grayson's summer signings along with numerous others but the versatile midfielder stated that the whole squad is getting along fine regardless of some tough opening fixtures;

"We’ve had three games together now, but even in the first against Cardiff I thought our team shape was very good and we passed the ball well against a very good side. Nottingham Forest is another good side – you could see that against Bolton last night – and again today we did well. That only bodes well for the future. It’s brilliant here. I enjoy playing football and I’m thoroughly enjoying the way we are playing and passing it at the moment. We’re a tight nit group and the day to day training is brilliant."

Clayton fired off a fair few shots of his own on Saturday with the majority being blocked by diving Burnley bodies but he was pleased to see Rhodes getting on the scoresheet for the second game running;

"I was already off celebrating when I saw the ball drop to him! When it drops to Jordan you have no doubt about him hitting the back of the net."

Clayton also played for the first time with new loanee James Vaughan who he thinks is going to be a very valuable asset to the terriers this season;

"James is a very good addition to the squad. His pedigree speaks for itself, playing for Everton and Norwich in the Premier League; he’s a very good player. You could see how brilliant his work rate is today and it would be nice to get him his first goal as quickly as possible, because if he is scoring goals with Jordan we’ll have quite a good strike-force."

"I’m looking forward to the Ipswich game, but not necessarily the drive there! It will be another good game in a good atmosphere and it will give our team more experience of Championship football. If we can go there and put another good performance in, like we did at Cardiff, we can push on again when we get back to our Stadium."

Interview With Performance Analyst Chris Markham

We were privileged enough to get the opportunity to interview Chris Markham who is the performance analyst at Huddersfield Town. Many of you will indeed be following Chris on Twitter (@boulet_6) so we thought we would get to know his opinions, thoughts and his personal career a little bit better;

Match Report: Guiseley 1-0 Huddersfield Town

The terriers visited non-league side Guiseley for their first pre-season friendly of the new season and took with them a strong squad as Grayson promised he would do. Guiseley came out of the tie on top thanks to an early first half goal courtesy of Danny Forrest.

The first 45 minutes say Huddersfield dominate all areas of the field but were undone by a lovely Guiseley move which ended with Forrest shooting past Alex Smithies after just 15 minutes. The positives of the first half for the terriers was the ability on show by new signings Oliver Norwood and Sean Scannell. Both looked dangerous on the ball especially Scannell who managed to cause trouble down the wing despite having to receive on-field physio treatment to his ankle just 10 minutes into play.

Paul Dixon & Murray Wallace also featured in the starting XI for the first half and both looked impressive as they held their own at the back. Guiseley tried hard early on to get the breakthrough and prior to doing so, Smithies had to push away a good headed effort from James Walshaw at his near post. Huddersfield failed to threaten the opponents goal but did come close to equalising through a free kick from new boy Oliver Norwood but his curling effort went inches wide of the upright.

The other close effort for the terriers came from academy graduate Jimmy Spencer when he was superbly played through by Wallace but he could only hit his volley wide of the mark. The first half came to a close and as the teams re-emerged after a 15 minute interval, Grayson's entire lineup had changed. In this brand new eleven was newbie Adam Clayton as well as Last seasons top goalscorer Jordan Rhodes.

Although the second half wasn't as naturally flowing as the first from the terriers you could see why Grayson has brought Clayton in to play underneath him. Hard tackling & neat passes came from Clayton as he tried his best to impress and dominate the middle of the park. However, Guiseley were not giving in and they started to get lucky as Rhodes smashed uncharacteristically over the bar. Shortly after, Novak was denied by Guiseley goalkeeper Steve Drench who pushed away his drive at goal from a free kick.

Jordan Rhodes was the centre of all the second half attacks and it looked like he had equalised for the terriers with a header but an amazing near post block denied him. Things just didn't go Town's way and the final whistle went to end the first pre-season friendly with a 1-0 loss.

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Clayton: I Can't Wait To Get Going

Clayton has only just joined Huddersfield Town but already he has spoke out about the reasons behind becoming a terrier as well as how ambitious the club is under chairman Dean Hoyle. Clayton joined Town this morning for an undisclosed fee on a three year contract;

"It's the ambition of the place to be honest; once the Manager called me and I came down to meet the Chairman it was obvious. Everything about Huddersfield Town is moving forward and I want to go to the same place as the Club - I think this is a great place to achieve that."

"I want to play in the Premier League; I'm young and ambitious and I think this is an ambitious team too. I think the Club and I can grow together. I can't wait to get going. I was in this league last year and there's nothing to fear about the Championship. People have seen what Southampton and Norwich have done and although I'm not saying that we'll go straight up - I'm not getting carried away - I think the ingredients are here for us to do well."

Clayton is reunited with former manager Simon Grayson who he played under whilst at Leeds United;

"Obviously I've worked with Simon and 'Snods' before and I know how we works day-to-day. I've worked with Ian Miller for even longer as he was at Manchester City with me. We got on well as they are great people to work with and I enjoyed my football under them, which I'm sure can be the same again. Steve Eyre is a good friend of mine too - he's been coaching me since I was nine years old. I know I'm going to enjoy the day-to-day work and that's the most important factor for me when you join a new football club, because it will mean you play your best football."

"The Chairman is infectious; he's a top man. He really speaks the truth and lets you know exactly what's going on at the Club. After meeting him, and knowing the staff here, it was a no-brainer really. I like to do a bit of everything in central midfield. Carlisle deployed me in quite an attacking role, but when I first arrived at Leeds it was quite a defensive one. I like to do both; I can get my goals in but I like a tackle too."

Clayton will join a completely new squad but insists that he will start to feel completely at home with the terriers;

"As soon as you get in the dressing room it will soon feel like home. I'm sure I'll get some stick about what I wear, but I'll give some back! I can't wait to get the first training session done."

Clayton Switches From Rivals To Join Town

Huddersfield Town have this morning announced the signing of midfielder Adam Clayton on a three year contract for an undisclosed fee. He joins from West Yorkshire rivals Leeds United after being placed on the transfer list due to contract re-nogiotiatians fell through between the player & the club.

Clayton is reunited with Town manager Simon Grayson and brings excellent ball playing qualities to the squad along with both the ability to act as an attacking midfielder or defensive midfielder. Clayton is a former England U20 international and joined Leeds United from Manchester City in a spell which saw him appear 43 times in the Championship, scoring 6 times for Leeds United.

Simon Grayson spoke about the newest signing this morning;

"Adam is a good footballer. He handles the ball and has a good energy about him - he had a great season last year and scored some important goals. We're delighted to have got him. He's a player I admired when he was at Carlisle and Manchester City and we're delighted to secure his services to this football club. I think it shows our intent in the level of players we want to sign."

"I think we need to score goals from all areas of the pitch. We can't just rely on the strikers to do it; we need the wide players, the centre halves and the midfield players to chip in. Now we have players who are capable of getting into the box and that can contribute in set-piece situations."

"We can't simply rely on Jordan to get us another 40 goals this season, just as we can't rely on the other strikers. We need goals from all areas of the pitch and Adam has that capability, but he also has other sides to his game that I've seen when I've worked previously with him."

"I think things are moving along nicely in all departments. You have to strike a blend and get the partnerships right all over the pitch and we are still working hard behind the scenes to get one or two other things done. We're looking to keep improving all the time, but we're getting the right ingredients for a really decent squad. With losing Damien Johnson and Tommy Miller, we did feel we needed players in the midfield area and we've brought two young, hungry players in with Adam and Olly Norwood. It's also great that they both have experience of the Championship; Adam played all last season in the Championship and Oliver played half a season for Coventry, so we will only benefit from that experience."