Match Report; Cardiff City 1-0 Huddersfield Town

The Cardiff City Stadium

Huddersfield Town travelled to the Welsh capital of Cardiff to take on the side which are tipped to be fighting for automatic promotion at the end of the season. The terriers have had a disappointing pre-season and earlier on in the week got knocked out of the Capital One Cup after suffering a 2-0 defeat against Preston North End. This tie opened up The Championship for what is set to be an amazing, yet tough season for all the teams involved.

The team selections were announced before kick off at The Cardiff City Stadium and this is how the terriers lined up;

4-3-3
Smithies, Dixon, Lynch, Clarke (c), Hunt, Norwood, Southern, Clayton, Scannell, Novak, Arfield.

Jordan Rhodes was not selected in the squad after being announced to be suffering from a Grade One torn hamstring which ruled him out of Huddersfield's first Championship match in eleven years.

Rhodes cancelled out of the opening tie due to
a grade on hamstring tear

The home side started the better and soon were on the attack in front of a large crowd. Don Cowie linked up well with Heidar Helguson and after a neat one two, Cowie tried his luck from the edge of the area but his shot was sent harmlessly wide of Smithies goal. However, the best chance of the entire first half came for the terriers early on after Novak slipped a defence splitting pass through to Scott Arfield who went one on one with the goalkeeper. Arfield took the ball into the area before driving a low curling shot at goal which was well stopped by Ben Marshall in the Cardiff goal. It was a chance which should of really been taken especially in The Championship.

Huddersfield Town started to grow in confidence as the half progressed and they looked calm and collected as Cardiff struggled to break down the well organised formation that Grayson's men were holding. Oliver Norwood threatened the home sides goal from 25 yards out after he teed up a half volley which was dipping into the top corner before Marshall brilliantly pushed it away. It was then Cardiff who created the next half chance through Jordan Mutch who attempted to break the deadlock with a shot from the edge of the area but he could only go close to the frustration of the home crowd. With just five minutes to go in the first half, Norwood and Clayton played some good football before Norwood sent in a another dipping shot which forced Marshall into a full stretch save.

The Town Faithful

Craig Bellamy had been kept quite by Jack Hunt all game but just one minute from time he nearly provided an assist for the opening goal. A free kick was won by the newly named 'Red Dragons' and Bellamy swung in a cross which was met by the head of Helguson but his header smashed the crossbar of Smithies goal. Both sides went in at half time deadlocked at 0-0.

The second half started exactly as predicted with Huddersfield continuing to hold a strong shape and pressing Cardiff players into making hurried passes that often were intercepted by clever defending from the terriers. Jack Hunt was at the forefront of the first meaningful chance in the second half. On the hour mark, the young right-back cut inside from the wing passing Andrew Taylor before smashing a fierce shot just over the bar. Immediately up the other end, Smithies spilled a relatively easy shot which resulted in a goal line scramble as Peter Clarke was forced to clear off the line. Just a few minutes later, Arfield had his second chance of the game to open the scoring after dragging it past his marker in the box only to touch it too heavily before getting his shot away.

Bellamy came to life just twenty minutes from time and he pushed past Clarke with ease before pulling his cross back into the path of McNaughton who was brilliantly denied by the ever agile Smithies. Arfield was in the thick of the action yet again for the terriers as he sent a curling effort goalwards only for Marshall to push it behind and deny the deadlock being broken by the terriers. Just a minute from time it was Cardiff who had the opportunity to take all three points but substitute Joe Mason could only shoot over the bar from just eight yards out.

As the game progressed into stoppage time the game did get its first goal and it was the Cardiff fans which were sent into ecstacy. Joe Mason managed to knock the ball down into the six yards area where captain Mark Hudson reacted quickly to smash home for the home side. A cruel ending for the Town side who looked strong all game to be sent home with nothing. A thoroughly enjoying game which Huddersfield shoud be proud of & can take a lot of positives from before taking on Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Hudson celebrates his late winner
for Cardiff City

Full Time: Cardiff City 1-0 Huddersfield Town

Mixed Emotions For Norwood

A good personal performance was dampened for Oliver Norwood as Cardiff stole a win at the death last night in the terriers opening tie in The Championship. The Yorkshire Club just couldn't hold onto a deserved point and were punished for not being clinical enough which left Norwood with mixed emotions about the game;

"That’s football isn’t it? We came here with a plan and we stuck to it – we kept our team shape. The pre-season friendly against Barcelona B stood us in good stead for this in terms of keeping our shape and working from the shape. We’ve had to put that work in; they are the basics of football. You have to get close to people and play when you get the ball and I think we showed tonight that when we have it, we can."

"The Gaffer has brought the squad together and the lads here are more than capable of playing at this level. We showed tonight that we are a match for anybody in this League because Cardiff are going to be up there; we believe we can be up there ourselves. That is the standard we have set ourselves and that is where we want to keep them throughout the season now. We’re disappointed, but we’ve got to keep believing in ourselves – you’d like to think that if we play like that we will win more than we lose. We need to put some chances away and score some goals, but it was a harsh lesson at the end."

Norwood sent a spectacular effort goal wards for the terriers in the first half and came close to giving Huddersfield the lead but unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be. Norwood heavily praised the Cardiff goalkeeper in his post-match interview;

"I thought he should have caught the first one, but on the second one I thought I’d done him! It was a good save and he went on to get ‘Man of the Match’, which just shows how well we played. I scored a few goals coming through the Manchester United Academy and I’ve scored in all my loans, so I want to add that to my game. I’m working hard at that in training and hopefully I can chip in with a few goals this year."

Norwood admitted that the whole squad were feeling pretty hard done by after suffering the defeat but he is already thinking of the game against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night;

"The lads are really down and disappointed in the changing room, but the great thing about football is that we can bounce back on Tuesday. We’re a confident bunch of lads. The momentum that lads from last year have brought due to promotion means there is a real buzz around the training ground. I think you can see that from the way we’ve gone about our business tonight and we’ll put this behind us now. We’ll take the positives, work on the negatives and bounce into Tuesday night. Every game is tough in this division – there are no easy games. I know that from playing for Coventry from 20 games last season. We’ve got some very good players in the dressing room though."

Norwood thanked the fans for travelling to the Welsh capital and stated a major part of himself playing football is to entertain the fans;

"That’s why you sign for a football club. I’ve seen how excited the fans get and you could see it tonight; albeit it was a smaller number, at times they out sang the Cardiff lot! We have a great set of enthusiastic fans and I think they’ll really be the ‘12th man’ at home, starting on Tuesday night."

Grayson; 'It Was Very Cruel'

The terriers were cruelly undone by a second half injury time strike from Cardiff City captain Mark Hudson which saw them lose 1-0 in their opening fixture of The Championship. Huddersfield Town were well on their way to picking up a well deserved point away in the Welsh capital but a last ditch attack by Cardiff sent the travelling faithful home with zero points.

Simon Grayson reflected on the hard work which his team put in against the promotion contenders but admitted that it was hard to lose in the manner which they did;

"It was very cruel. I think the players can look back on their performances with a lot of pride. We are all disappointed at the moment, but if we perform like that for the rest of the season we will do well. The players showed the right application and attitude and showed quality when they had the ball. Everything we worked on over the last few days to nullify Cardiff's attacking threat was implemented brilliant by the players. It shows how the match went with their keeper picking up the Man of the Match award." 

"We managed to frustrate them; they resorted to going long to Helguson which we dealt with well, we stopped them getting Peter Whittingham on the ball and I thought Jack Hunt played Craig Bellamy excellently well. We also counter attacked very quickly when we had the ball and created some very good chances – there keeper has made half a dozen good saves. We can be proud of how we played against a team who are one of the favourites for the Division."

Going into the match, the obvious threat for Cardiff City was their new signing Craig Bellamy but he had a somewhat disappointing performance which Grayson put down to his team & imparticular Jack Hunt;

"You have to stop the supply to him and also have a fantastic full-back who can handle playing against a top class player. Jack Hunt tonight matched him for speed and also pushed him back when we were attacking. Also, the other players in front of Jack did brilliantly to stop Bellamy getting the ball in the right places."

Oliver Norwood also impressed in the middle of the park alongside the experienced duo of Adam Clayton & Keith Southern. The ex-Manchester United reserve featured heavily in numerous Huddersfield attacks as well as having a few attempts at goal himself;

"You know what you going to get with him because of his background. He is comfortable on the ball, has a great attitude and he complemented the other two midfield players. Keith Southern showed his experience with his drive and tackles and Adam Clayton showed his passing range and calmness on the ball. They have all got good qualities and they stuck together as a unit tonight."

Simon Grayson also explained in full detail as to why Jordan Rhodes was not named in the squad against Cardiff & denied any sort of 'new' offer coming in for the Scottish international;

"Jordan has a hamstring strain. He came back from Scotland on the Thursday morning and after travelling down with us he felt that it was tight. He went for an MRI scan in Cardiff this afternoon and it showed that he had a Grade 1 tear, which will only leave him unavailable for five to seven days. It will be 50/50 whether he plays against Nottingham Forest but he should be ok for Burnley. We could have patched him up and thrown him out there but that would have risked him missing three to four weeks. There will be plenty of speculation as to why he didn't play, but believe me, he isn't going anywhere."

"Lee Novak did superb up top and Sean Scannell and Scott Arfield both came into the team and did excellently. Players have to be 100%, there is no point in risking them. Oscar Gobern and Danny Ward both picked up knocks against Preston and failed fitness tests this morning."

All in all, the post match comments from Simon Grayson shows how pleased he was with his teams performance tonight & this has been echoed by the fans even though tonight's game has ended with a defeat.

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Gerrard Aiming To Get Back To His True Form

Gerrard is confident he has made the right career
choice by joining the terriers

Huddersfield Towns latest recruit has come in the shape of experienced defender Anthony Gerrard from Cardiff City & he has stated his intent on getting first team football as well as getting back to his very best for the terriers;

"It was the same when I went on loan to Hull - the first game I played was against Cardiff. It’s quite ironic to be honest and I’m looking forward to it. I didn’t play enough games last season; I made 27 appearances, which is poor for me. I usually play 40-50 games per season, which I have been used to since I was 19. To go from playing regularly to being dropped for no particular reason was a bitter pill to swallow, so I knew I needed to change. I had made my mind up that I needed to leave a lot earlier than the end of the season. "

"I’m only interested in myself now and Huddersfield Town. I’m not going out there on Friday to prove a point to Cardiff; I will be going out to prove to myself that I was good enough to play in that Cardiff team. I want to establish myself as one of the best defenders in the League. A lot of people know what I am capable of and that’s why the Manager brought me here. Hopefully I can now get back to my true form."

Gerrard also has set his sights on challenging for promotion with his new club and will not settle for being anywhere near the relegation zone. The 26 year old expressed he wants to be part of a squad that can replicate the likes of Southampton who achieved back-to-back promotions into The Premiership;

"I expect this season to be very competitive. I haven’t joined the football club to be in a relegation battle or to suffer mid-table obscurity though - I want the team to be challenging for promotion. If you don’t strive to achieve in your career then you’ll end up going backwards."

"Norwich, Southampton and Blackpool have all previously made big impacts in the Championship after achieving promotion. We have nothing to be frightened of. The lads should take a lot of confidence with them from what they achieved last year. By all accounts, they should have gone up automatically, but to gain promotion through the Play-Offs is an even better buzz to be honest."

Grayson; 'It is going to be very tough'

Simon Grayson has given his pre-match comments for the opening Championship game which will see the terriers travel to the Welsh capital to play against Cardiff City. Grayson stated how much of a tough game it will be but one which his side are looking to get maximum points out of regardless of the obvious ability that is in the Cardiff squad;

"It is going to be very tough for us; there is no getting away from that fact. They have been around the Championship Play-Offs for the last two or three years now and they have showed their intentions again this season by signing Craig Bellamy. Cardiff will be looking at us as the new boys and will know that we will be up for the challenge. There is no pressure on us because everyone will be thinking it is a Cardiff home win, but we will go there and relish the opportunity."

"I am very excited about the game; there is a massive buzz about the town at the moment. The supporters have waited 11 years for the Club to get back into the Championship and they will be looking forward to watching us play against big teams in impressive stadiums."

As much as Bellamy is a huge threat for the terriers to face, Grayson has made some very promising signings too and is confident that he has done well in the current transfer window;

"It has been a short summer but a successful one; I have signed the players that I wanted to when I set out. All the players are match fit ready for the new season and we have built up a lot of enthusiasm – there is a real buzz that we can achieve something."

Huddersfield Town failed to progress into the second round of the Capital One Cup on Monday after being knocked out by Preston North End in the first round. Grayson was missing five players that game due to international call-ups including Jordan Rhodes who managed to get his first goal for Scotland against Australia;

"It is huge credit to him that he was picked in the starting line-up and then he did what he is best at doing, which is scoring goals. He had a few half opportunities that he made out of nothing and he took his goal very well - we are all delighted for him. He is a very low key, low maintenance lad who won't be getting big headed about his achievements; he will come into work as normal and get on with his job. His goal is a massive boost for him and the football club."

"Jordan has a got a big future in front of him and people will question whether he can make the step up from League 1 to the Championship, but I think he has got a natural ability to score at any level. He proved last night that he can score at international level, but he has got to work hard throughout the course of the season to score the goals for us and as a team we need to supply with him with the service."

"Training hasn't been ideal this week with the international games, as every manager will tell you. We will get a few players back today and then the rest Friday morning and that will be the earliest point when we get to do any team work. We had an eye on the players who played last night and they are all fit; Jordan only played an hour; Joel Lynch played the last 15 minutes of the Wales game; Ollie Norwood played the last ten of his match as did Sean Scannell the night before. It is good for them to be away on international duty and good from my point of view that they didn't play too much football."

Grayson also stated that everyone in the squad is fit to be picked for the game against Cardiff apart from Danny Ward who they are still monitoring after picking up a slight ankle injury against Preston on Monday night;

"Everyone is fit with the exception of Danny Ward who picked up a knock from the Preston game – he is a doubt but should be ok. Joel Lynch will meet us down in Cardiff today; Ollie is flying back home today and Jordan being the lad that he is drove home with his Dad last night and will travel down with us."

The manager also answered the question that all Town fans have been wanting to know and that is, 'Are we going to sign anyone else before the transfer window shuts?';

"We are still looking at one or two players and the one thing that I have always had is the backing of the Chairman. Every time I have asked to go for a player he has supported me; if I went to Dean and said to him that I felt we needed to strength a particular area then he would give me the backing."

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Skipper Excited With Championship Test

Peter Clarke has expressed how much of a test this upcoming season is going to be for Huddersfield Town but sounded excited to be going into the first match against Cradiff with a host of new signings & the captains armband to his name. Before they travel to the Welsh club a trip to Deepdale to play against Preston North End in the first round of the Capital One Club will see Grayson & his team tested with a weakened squad due to international call ups;

"I think the whole experience of promotion was still surreal up until the fixtures for the Championship came out last month. I think then the realisation set in that we are a Championship club and will be playing against some of the biggest clubs in English football, in some fantastic venues. As with any team that gets promoted into a new league the first objective is to secure your place in it for the following season, but we don’t want to be battling down at the wrong end of the league - we want to be surprising a few people and giving a good account of ourselves."

"The Manager is very shrewd and he has made several acquisitions over the summer. The lads that have come in have fitted in great and through playing games and from training day, in, day out you begin to build an understanding and I think that is beginning to happen, which is a good sign."

Clarke has already played alongside two of the new signings made by the manager, Anthony Gerrard & Keith Southern, and the skipper is delighted to have been reunited with them once again;

"I played with them both before in my career – Keith far more than Anthony. I can certainly say on behalf of the lads that they are wholehearted players who will give you everything that have got out on the field. Keith has a terrific engine and gets around the pitch well; he breaks things up and gives it nice and simple – he can also weigh in with his fair share of goals. Anthony is a tough lad, a no-nonsense type of defender. He is very competitive and he can play a bit from the back."

The skipper stated that The Championship is going to be very tough and having four games in just the opening two weeks is a real challenge for the terriers;

"As in any league, or competition, there is a never any easy game. You have to earn the right to win football matches and that will be no different this season. The start is going to be very tough; we are away twice in the first week and we will do our best to give good accounts of ourselves. Pre-season is always tough and the workload is always long and hard, but it is about getting ready and match fit. When you get to the back-end of pre-season all you want to do is start playing competitive football. It is the first time in my career where the League Cup starts before the season proper, so it is a little bit odd, but it makes no difference and it is a game that we want to do well in."