Grayson Can't Hide Terriers Flaws

Grayson look on as Calum Woods re-emerges from the snow

Simon Grayson has given his assessment on his sides 4-0 defeat away at Watford which has taken the terriers to twelve games without a win in the Championship. Grayson could only watch as his side went one nil down just before half time through a dubious penalty decision but were totally outclassed in the second half as they fell to pieces. A lack of desire, heart and determination was evident throughout the team as they suffered another heavy defeat without netting once. 

Hunt Looking Ahead To Watford

Jack Hunt

Jack Hunt strongly believes that Huddersfield Town can take a lot from their last two games against Charlton and Birmingham City where they recorded a 1-0 victory and a 1-1 draw. Hunt spoke to the official Huddersfield Town website yesterday as the terriers look ahead to their weekend clash against Watford who are currently sitting in the play-off places of the Championship.

"The manager, Gianfranco Zola, has come in and done really well. I remember watching them on TV against Brighton and being really impressed."

Hunt knows that picking up a victory, after the terriers recent run of form has seen them go 11 league games without one, will be very difficult especially against a side who are pushing for promotion but he insisted that Adam Hammill's late equaliser has given the whole team some hope going into the weekend; 

"It was good to show the character we did and we can take it into this weekend as a positive. You do need something to kick off a good run and hopefully the last minute equaliser against Birmingham was that."

Hunt will more than likely start in the right back position for Huddersfield Town on Saturday if the game is to go ahead.

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

Jack Hunt States Terriers Have Set Their Own Standard

Its been four days since Jack Hunt kept Craig Bellamy in his back pocket when Huddersfield unfortunately came away from the Welsh capital with a loss but he has today stated that the club has set its own standard with their impressive football. Huddersfield Town sit near the bottle of The Championship table after one game but they are looking for all three points tonight against Nottingham Forest at The John Smiths Stadium;

"We went to Cardiff with a game plan and it worked for 90 minutes, sadly Cardiff got a little bit of luck in stoppage time and won the three points, which could have easily been ours. I want to do my best for the team and I thrive under the big occasion. I loved my Championship debut but was absolutely gutted by the result. We have set our standards for the season after the performance against Cardiff. At home the fans will expect us to attack more and that is something we will work on. The way we played at Cardiff worked very well and it is something we will try and replicate. At home we will try and attack more and hopefully we will kick things off with three points against Nottingham Forest."

Jack Hunt had to be equal to Bellamy all game on Friday and did exactly that as he kept the pacey winger/striker quiet for the majority of the match. Hunt expressed how much this meant to him in his pre-match interview;

"He was giving me a little bit of advice about how I could maybe improve my game and we were just having a general chat. He was a really nice guy and I can't speak highly enough of him. In my eyes Craig Bellamy is a player who could still do well in the Premier League and he has had a fantastic career so I thought it would be nice to get his shirt, it is something I will cherish. I showed him a lot of respect on the pitch but you have to be fearless. If I had shown him that I was afraid of his ability then he would have probably taken advantage of that – it was nice to keep him quiet."

Jack Hunt also indicated that he wants to not only keep players quiet defensively but also show his attacking attributes in The Championship in order to help the team out as much as possible;

"I scored three goals last season and I have a figure in my head of how many goals I want to score and assists I want to make. I have been practising shooting a lot with my left foot as a lot of defenders know that I like to go down the line on my right."

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;

Grayson's Reaction To First Leg Victory

Huddersfield Town manager Simon Grayson was thrilled with the away victory against MK Dons yesterday but warned everyone that they had achieved nothing yet;

We are delighted that we have won and with the level of performance that we showed today. We have worked extremely hard over the last ten days on the game plan and our individuals stuck to it. As a team we broke quickly, passed the ball around very well and did the players did what we asked them to do, which is great as a manager.

There was pressure on the players today, but they have carried out every instruction that we asked of them.

We are still very wary of the opposition, which we have to be because MK Dons are a good team. We need to be focused physically and mentally in our preparation because we haven't achieved anything yet. Given the circumstances I would say that this is the best performance of my short rein at the Club; it follows on from a good performance against Yeovil. We had some good opportunities today and at the other end Ian Bennett pulled off a brilliant save at the death to keep a clean sheet.

The players are totally aware of what we need to do. The two lads in midfield dictated the game for much of it, got in and amongst them when we had to and passed the ball very well. Jordan showed good movement and finished the cross well and Jack normally swings those left foot efforts high and wide, but today it went in the back of the net.

We wont allow the players to be complacent on Tuesday and we will try and replicate what we have done today. I said to the players before the game to do what they have done throughout the season, as it has put them in the position they are currently in. I thought on occasion, when we got into the final third, we sometimes over-hit our pass which could have maybe got us one or two more goals.

Grayson emphasis its still all to play for in the second leg

Grayson talked about the injuries that a few players picked up in the match including Scott Arfield, Callum Woods & Peter Clarke;

Scott Arfield got a knock on his ankle; Calum Woods got a bang on his toe and then Lee Novak started to struggled as did Danny Ward. Peter Clarke was like Lazarus to recover from his knock. The lads who got injured will have an opportunity to get ready for Tuesday nights game. Full credit has to be given to the players who came on and affected the game for us. Peter's injury did look serious and we were considering options to play Tom Clarke at centre back and Danny at left back, but thankfully he came through it and I thought him and Sean Morrison were outstanding today.

Close to 4000 faithful Town fans descended upon Stadium:Mk for the game yesterday and Grayson acknowledged their support;

"The fans were fantastic today; I think there were about 4,000 in the away end and they never stopped signing from the first whistle to the last. It is a two-way thing because we want the supporters to back us, but we have to give them something to cheer about. They have shown today what the Club is all about and I imagine the atmosphere on Tuesday night will step up to another level and hopefully we will finish the job off.

Match Report: MK Dons 0-2 Huddersfield Town

The play-off semi final first leg is over and what a game it was. Outclassing the other two teams first leg (Stevenage & Sheffield United) who played on Friday night, Huddersfield Town & MK Dons represented League One with some much needed terrific football.

How Huddersfield Town lined up for the game

The terriers fanbase didn't disappoint and brought an estimated 4000+ crowd to turn Stadium:MK into a sea of blue & white. However it was the Dons who started off well and put pressure on the terriers by obtaining a corner just 40 seconds into the game. The corner was too long and shortly after, the ball was up at the other end with Jack Hunt who's low cross was fired straight into the hands of the Dons keeper.

Alan Smith was playing as a lone striker for the Dons and was looking surprisingly sharp and got the first, half chance but he smashed it wide of Ian Bennett's goal to the applause of the Town following. A few minutes later it was Town who were on the attack with Damien Johnson who worked the ball out to left back Woods who managed to find him self in some space. His cross went agonisingly out of reach of forward Lee Novak who could only watch it go out for a goal kick.

Town continued to put the pressure on the home side and soon enough Jordan Rhodes found himself the goal side of his defender but his cross was denied to go any further than the front post by Dons defender Shaun Williams. Moments later the ball was back up in the terriers half as the game continued to go from end to end. Callum Woods managed to get the danger away and then Arfield intercepted a pass and immediately started to look for the counter attack. He fed the ball to Jordan Rhodes who waited for Arfield to continue his run and overlap himself only to feed the ball back into his path with a inch perfect pass. Arfield unleashed a cross into the box where Novak was waiting but a Dons defender yet again managed to get a nick on the ball and deny any threat upon their goal.

Both sides started to become more comfortable as the game went on and they were both creating half chances for themselves but it was the Dons who looked the more threatening on the attack. Captain Peter Clarke had to stay alert and block the edge of the area effort by Powell who's pace was obviously starting to cause Huddersfield some problems. From that vital block, a clearance was made that found the head of Lee Novak who knocked it into the path of winger Danny Ward who found himself all alone in the box. He unusually hit it tamely and it more or less trickled into the Dons keepers hands and the first clear cut chance of the match went begging for the terriers.

Scott Arfield then had to be replaced as he picked up a knock and Grayson went with Kallum Higginbotham to be his replacement. Danny Ward switched onto the right wing as the substitute took up his usual left wing position.

Town's midfielder Damien Johnson was having a good game by this stage and he managed to nick the ball from opponent Gleeson and drive forward towards the MK Dons penalty area. Johnson pulled the ball back for Jordan Rhodes who let it run for substitute Higginbotham who's close range shot was superbly turned away by Dons keeper Martin. The ball was kept in play by determined Lee Novak who sent in a beautifully weighted back post cross only for it to be deftly headed goalwards by that man Jordan Rhodes. The Dons goalkeeper was at full stretch but the header was too good and it rippled the back of the net as the away fans were sent into blue & White heaven as the terriers took the lead!

Jordan Rhodes celebrates his clinical headed goal

The goal had really given Town that fighting spirit and they went looking for more as Johnson battled hard in the middle of the park to win possession and push forward only to smash his shot wide of the mark. The second half ended on a massive high for Huddersfield Town and they went in at the break with a vital one goal lead.

The second half started off predictably with MK Dons immediately trying to push forward and grab that equaliser especially with them being at home. Kallum Higginbotham conceded a free kick on the edge of the area which was whipped in by Shaun Williams and after some scrappy play in the box the ball fell to the feet of Dons captain Dean Lewington who's snap shot was expertly saved by Ian Bennett. More chances came and went for MK Dons as Town held strong defensively under immense pressure.

Callum Woods then had to be substituted as the terriers were once again hit with an injured player. Tom Clarke was the like for like replacement and he had to be immediately up to the pace of the game as the Dons were starting to look more and more dangerous down the right hand side with pacey Powell.

Both set pieces and corners were constantly bombarding the terriers box at the beginning of the second half and it looked likely that Huddersfield would possibly concede if things were to carry on. However, Town slowly but surely started to regain control of the ball and by doing so the game. Pressuring the Dons into passing quickly put the home side off their game plan and soon enough Huddersfield were on the attacking foot. Karl Robinson responded with an interesting substitution which saw the rather impressive Alan Smith replaced by winger Jay O'Shea.

The problem for Huddersfield Town at this stage of the game was that their final pass was letting them down and giving back possession to the Dons rather than creating those vital chances to finish this first leg tie off. Another corner for the Dons saw Powell being denied by a resilient Lee Novak who was doing his own fair share of defending.

Moments later came the first one on one chance of the game and it fell to the on form striker Lee Novak for the terriers. He peeled away from both centre halves and beat the offside trap as strike partner Rhodes slotted him through to set up the chance. Novak continued to bear down on the Dons goal and looked to steady himself before smashing the ball agonisingly wide of the post as the away fans groaned at the missed opportunity of going two goals up away from home.

Huddersfield Town did indeed manage to get that two goal lead a few minutes later as they caught the Dons on the counter attack down the wing with Jack Hunt. He played a smart one two with Kallum Higginbotham who managed to cut inside from the right wing and as it looked like he was just about to cross, he fooled everyone by smartly playing the ball back inside to Hunt who took one step before neatly placing the ball in-between Martin and his left hand post. The away fans were once again in ecstasy and it even looked like Grayson was massively pleased as he celebrated on the touchline.

Jack Hunt doubles the lead with a neat finish

Looking like he game was now beyond them, Karl Robinson tried to install some extra attacking threat into the game as he brought on big striker Jabo Ibehre for Charlie MacDonald. MK Dons did indeed start to push forward in numbers looking for a route back into the game and indeed the tie itself. Set pieces is where the Dons had looked most dangerous from and when a corner was floated in and cleared , Huddersfield Towns captain Peter Clarke was worringly left out cold on the deck. The paramedics rushed on to the field whilst Clarke remained on the floor crowded by players who looked worried about the defender. Three minutes later, Clarke rose to his feet and to the applaud of the travelling fans he continued to play regardless of being unconscious just minutes beforehand.

With just five minutes to go Simon Grayson used his last sub to give goalscorer Jordan Rhodes a rest by bringing on Alan Lee. Seven additional minutes were added on in stoppage time an these were played out mainly in the Dons half in the corner as the terriers looked to finish the game with the two goal advantage. However, MK Dons did create the last chance of the game through substitute Ibehre who's glancing header was superbly saved by Ian Bennett who remained unbeaten in goal for the whole of the 90+ minutes.

The match finished 0-2 to Huddersfield Town and we shall take the lead back to The Galpharm on Tuesday night for the second and final leg of this semi final play-off tie. Its not over yet but half of the job has been completed outstandingly well !

Grayson Delighted With The Win

Simon Grayson expressed how happy he was with the performance against Yeovil Town when he spoke to the official website. This is what he had to say;

"I said before the game that I wasn't too concerned about where we finished, all I was interested in was winning today and finishing on a good note,"

"I am delighted that we have won the game, not too bothered by what happened at MK Dons, but obviously now we have got the second leg at home.I thought we were good today, passed the ball around well with tempo and created some good opportunities. The players knew that the same group of players could be playing at Wembley in three week's time and that they had an opportunity to stay in the team."

Grayson was delighted with how Town played against Yeovil Town

 When speaking about individual performances in today's game against Yeovil, Grayson hinted who he may well be starting in the play-offs;

"The players should be playing for their shirts and looking over their shoulders at the people sat on the bench. Today probably suited us because they played a narrow four man midfield, which allowed Jack Hunt to get forward and exploit that area of the pitch well. Danny Ward was very good and took his goal well. I feel the more Scott Arfield plays, the more comfortable he is becoming in midfield. I have always rated Danny very highly and you can keep telling players how good they are, but they have to believe themselves. He has got undoubted talent and you could see after he got his goal that his confidence grew and he almost got another. There is a lot more to come from Danny."

When questioned about Jordan Rhodes once again sitting on the bench for the majority of the game, Grayson backed up his decision as well as praising both Novak & Higginbotham who have been partnering each other in the last couple of matches;

"We wanted to give Jordan another rest and play for him the final twenty minutes. I thought Lee Novak and Kallum Higginbotham were excellent again today, but I think Jordan will benefit from the rest. Hopefully he will be back firing on all cylinders next Saturday, if selected. It is a possibility that I could pick all three and accommodate them into a system. Whatever team I pick will be for the sake of the football club and not the individual."

Finally, Grayson gave us a quick heads up on the fitness of the squad heading into the play-offs;

"We won't be too far away; Gary Naysmith is probably the only player who will miss out. Alan Lee has been in and out training over the past week so he should be back fit for next Saturday. There will be some disappointed players because I can only pick 16 for my team next week."