Lee Novak Out, Nahki Wells In?

Nahki Wells in action for Bradford City

Huddersfield Town are reportedly leading the race to sign highly rated frontman Nahki Wells from Bradford City. The young hot prospect has caught the attention of numerous clubs after Bradford's recent giant killings in the Capital One Cup but its the terriers who are currently looking the most likely to secure the strikers signature.

Grayson Delighted With Scotland Tour

Simon Grayson has given his own opinion on how he thought the pre-season friendlies against Kilmarnock & Hibernian went. The Huddersfield Town boss may still be without a pre-season win but he has said how delighted he is with the outcome of the Scotland tour. The terriers drew both of their games, the latest being a 2-2 draw at Eastern Road against Hibernian where Novak & Scannell netted;

"It was a good game. I thought in the first half that we played some very good stuff rounded off with two excellent goals. In terms of the general organisation and shape of the team, I was impressed and it is good to see our fitness levels improving match by match. We were up against a team up who start their League campaign next week so there were plenty of positives to take from the game and other things that we still need to work on. Our tactical play will develop over the next couple of weeks."


"We made a lot of substitutions at half time so we lost out flow slightly, but there were plenty of good individual performances. The week in general has gone well for us up in Scotland - I am delighted with the outcome."


Grayson managed to give all the new boys some game time (minus Keith Southern) including Joel Lynch who is recovering from a slight injury;


"It was good to see Joel Lynch out there for a decent period of time. He was only suffering with a little niggle before the trip and I think the fans that attended the game could see what he is all about; he was composed on the ball, defended when he had to and was very mobile."


Grayson was also pleased with the goals which were bagged in the second pre-season friendly against Hibernian. Novak slotted home the first after good play involving Rhodes before Scannell cut inside from out wide and curled the ball into the net to double the terriers lead;


"It was a good move that lead to Lee Novak’s opener, I think everybody in the ground expected Jordan to shoot, but he showed his unselfishness and laid it on a plate for Lee. Also, I am delighted for Sean to have got his first goal for the Club; I think you saw today that he is a fantastic footballer who can be a match winner."

Match Report: Hibernian 2-2 Huddersfield Town

Huddersfield Town travelled to Easter Road to play Hibernian in their third pre-season friendly and second in their tour of Scotland. Jack Hunt returned to the squad following his tight hamstring injury that ruled him out earlier in the week against Kilmarnock where the terriers managed to get a draw courtesy of a Jordan Rhodes goal.

The game started off very well for the Yorkshire side and just six minutes in the first chance fell to the terriers when good link up play between Novak and Scannell enabled Gobern to be found but his shot was driven wide from 20 yards out. Just four minutes later Huddersfield threatened the home sides goal yet again as Novak sent an effort goal bound that could only be pushed away by Williams.

Huddersfield were dominating the early stages of the game and Novak was in the midst of things as clever play from Adam Clayton gave the striker a few yards of space and he unleashed yet another effort but was denied again by Williams. Seconds later Novak's hard effort payed off as he gave the visitors the lead with Rhodes providing the assist. Chris Atkinson's beautifully weighted pass sent Rhodes on his way and the Scottish striker unselfishly dragged the ball back into Novak's path who only had to tap the ball into the net.

Huddersfield didn't stop their and doubled their lead just five minutes later through pacey winger Sean Scannell. Once again Novak was heavily involved with the goal as he was found by Paul Dixon before passing it to Scannell who cut in from the wing and past him man before curling his shot past the keeper. Scannell could well have doubled his goal tally for the game as a failed rebound from Hibernian fell to him but his volley couldn't find the target.

As the game progressed Huddersfield became more and more comfortable on the ball but a goal against the run of play brought the home side back into things. Hibernian striker Leigh Griffiths beat Alex Smithies in the terriers goal and rippled the back of the net to the joy of the home crowd. Griffiths continued to cause Huddersfield trouble and his solo effort, after a superb turn on the edge of the area, resulted in a shot spiralling high and wide of the target.

Huddersfield started to lose their grip on the game after conceding but Novak could well have put the game beyond Hibernian on the 39th minute after yet another poor clearence from Clancy. Novak picked up the ball and immediately chose to shoot but unfortunately the ball smashed the bar and the chance was gone. The first half came to a close with Huddersfield leading the game 2-1.

Grayson chose to bring on a few fresh pairs of legs for the second half including Tom Clarke, Oliver Norwood, Antony Kay & Alan Lee. The second half began with both teams struggling to create any sort of flowing football as passes failed to reach the intended targets. It was Alan Lee who had the first half chance of the second half after Hunt and Higginbotham exchanged well but the latter's cross could only be headed wide by Lee.

Yet another great individual effort from a Hibernian player, Ivan Sproule, saw the terriers concede the two goal lead that they had deservedly obtained in the starting stages of the game. Now the game was either teams for the taking and although Huddersfield were playing the better football they were vulnerable in defence and Hibernian had punished them twice with great goals.

Alan Lee got another chance with his head after neat play from Ward enabled the winger to cross but the header from Lee yet again was off target. Alan Lee was playing well in the second half but Grayson replaced the veteran striker with Jimmy Spencer. The game died off towards the latter stages as both sides failed to create any chances and seemed to settle for the draw. The 87th minute brought a corner for the terriers and Kay could of nicked a victory but he could only copy off Alan Lee and headed wide of the mark.

The full time whistle went to end the friendly 2-2. Huddersfield are still looking for their first pre-season victory.

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."

Match Report: Huddersfield Town 2-0 Yeovil Town

Huddersfield ended the season on a massive high with a confident win against Yeovil Town. Town controlled the game from the off which was surprising to see especially with the current form they are on, yet today things seemed to click into place finally under Simon Grayson. Huddersfield Town enjoyed excellent possession of the ball whilst also creating dangerous chances and even the midfield put a decent shift in today.

Simon Grayson bravely named an unchanged starting eleven for the final regular league one campaign game and top goalscorer Jordan Rhodes remained on the bench yet again.

The first chance of the match fell to Kallum Higginbotham who expertly made his way past two Yeovil players only to shoot tamely into Sam Walkers (Yeovil's goalkeeper) hands from the edge of the box. Yeovil had also been attempting to grab the first goal but it was immediately obvious that they were trying to catch the terriers on the break.

Peter Clarke was having a solid game at the back for Huddersfield and just 16minutes into the game he managed to get the ball to Jack Hunt, who was also having a great game going forward, who in turn played the ball inside for Arfield who could only manage to hit the side netting with his shot. Thirty-four minutes into the first half, Danny Ward made the Yeovil keeper work with his 25 yard effort that he could only parry away.

Jack Hunt and Scott Arfield were performing extremely well for Huddersfield and on the stroke of half time they combined together which ultimately ended with a dangerous Hunt cross only for on-form striker Lee Novak to send a glancing header into the back of the net from 12 yards out. The lead could of easily been doubled just seconds later as Higginbotham beat his marker to force Walker into a splendid diving save from 20 yards out. The terriers went into the dressing room at half time with a deserved goal advantage in a game that was slowly becoming more and more one sided.

Lee Novak celebrates his 3rd goal in 3 games

With the restart, Yeovil tried to get themselves back into the game and should of equalised through striker Andrew Williams who got past Clarke, Morrison and Hunt before having his effort superbly saved by Ian Bennett who was trying to cement his place as the terriers number one goalkeeper. Kieran Agard then threatened the home sides goal as his 18 yard shot just whistled past the wrong side if the post.

Jack Hunt continued to impress Grayson and the fans but it was on-loan defender Morrison who's header had to be cleared off the line to deny his team a clear two goal lead. However, it didn't take long before the game was killed off by the terriers as Danny Ward doubled the lead when his shot rifled into the bottom corner after a neat little flick on by Higginbotham. With the game all but wrapped up, Grayson changed things by bringing on Rhodes, Robinson & T.Clarke at the expense of Novak, Johnson & Hunt. Ward came close to making it three but his late effort didn't beat Walker who had a solid game for Yeovil and kept Huddersfield at bay for longer than expected.

With Walsall beating MK Dons it means that Huddersfield Town have leapfrogged them into fourth place and by doing so have gained the second leg home advantage in the play-offs. Massive performance from Huddersfield Town today and they were very impressive for the first time under Simon Grayson. Maybe we are peaking at the right time for the play-offs but more of the same and we shall be heading to Wembley!