Scotland Call Upon Jordan Rhodes

Rhodes has been called up to the Scotland U21's upcoming game against Belgium for qualification into the European Championships. Jordan made it 40 goals for the season against MK Dons on Tuesday and has similar form for his international team. He has scored 6 goals in 6 games for Scotland U21's and this has seen him achieving his first senior cap for Scotland earlier on in the season.

Rhodes has also had success for Scotland. 6 goals in 6 !

Rhodes will join the squad after the League One Play-off Final at Wembley between Huddersfield Town & Sheffield United on May 26th.

Grayson Praises Club After Play-Off Victory

Simon Grayson at the end of the second leg last
night with chairman Dean Hoyle

Simon Grayson was delighted with the outcome of last nights match but took time to praise the club with his post match interview. Here is what he had to say;

"It was a very nervous and tense night, which you expect with the Play-Offs because we knew MK Dons would give us a really good game. MK Dons passed the ball around and caused us one or two problems, but we stuck to our game, got the result and that is all that matters. I had belief that the players could produce a performance; I think we could have killed the game off with the opportunities that we had."

Grayson proceeded to state that the impact Alan Smith had on the game was inevitable an something he had seen coming;

"You could see the scenario of Alan Smith coming on, who had been booed all night scoring a goal - thankfully he did it with only a couple of minutes to go. When there are two minutes to go anything can happen, but thankfully we saw it out."

A trip to Wembley now awaits Huddersfield Town where they will be up against fellow Yorkshire rivals Sheffield United.

"It has got the ingredients of being a great game with Yorkshire pride at stake, but there is a bigger prize - that being a ticket to the Championship. We will go there in good spirits and play how we want to play. We will work hard in the week leading up to it on the training ground to make sure that we finish off the job. There is no point going to Wembley if you're not going to win it and that is our ambition.
"The teams know a lot about each other and it will come down to which team can handle the occasion on the day. A bit of magic or maybe a decision going for you or against you can win you the game."

The Town fans were in full voice last night and filled up the complete Brittania Rescue stand to create a cracking atmosphere. Grayson talked about how important the fans are;

"It was a cracking atmosphere - and we knew it would be. I think the Club did a lot to drum up support and make sure there was a positive vibe around the place and that is what it is all about. A trip to Wembley is what the football club deserves; the Chairman has been immense for the Club and hopefully we can repay him by getting promoted to the Championship."

Match Report: Huddersfield Town 1-2 MK Dons (3-2)

The terriers have sealed their place in the League One Playoff Final after beating MK Dons 3-2 on aggregate. Despite losing on the night, Huddersfield shall be going to Wembley to play an all Yorkshire final against Sheffield United who knocked out Stevenage last night with a 1-0 win.

Simon Grayson only made one change to the team that picked up that 2-0 away win against the Dons on Saturday and that was replacing the injured Scott Arfield with Kallum Higginbotham.

MK Dons immediately sought to eradicate the two goal deficit they had incurred from the first leg and within the first two minutes the lively Powell caused a mix up in the Huddersfield defence which Bennett had to clear. The Dons started passing the ball around as expected and it looked like it was going to be a nervy night for Town fans.

However it was the terrier who managed to get the first real chance of the game. Damien Johnson competed for the ball in the MK Dons penalty box and his knock down was found by Lee Novak who fired a shot wide of Martin's goal. The Dons were still looking impressive when they had the ball at their feet and Bennett had to be alert when some clever play saw the ball played behind Sean Morrison for Charlie MacDonald. Benno dived at the feet of the ex-Brentford striker to avert the danger but the signs of an MK Dons goal was starting to show.

With the ball being held well by MK Dons, it was to no surprise that the majority of the play was occurring within the Huddersfield half. Town did look the more threatening when attacking and got that vital first goal against the run of play when First leg goalscorers Hunt & Rhodes combined. Jack Hunt whipped in a freekick which Danny Ward superbly flicked on into the path of Rhodes. He made no mistake by cutely finishing the move with his weak left foot to put the the terriers into a three goal lead in the tie and a 1-0 lead on the night.

Jordan Rhodes slots home to give Huddersfield
a three goal advantage in the tie

The Huddersfield Town fans nerves had been settled and so had the players as they started to work much harder, putting pressure on the Dons and starting to play out the game a they wished for it to go on. The Galpharm was rocking with the noise being cranked up and things were looking a lot better now that a three goal lead was in place.

It looked like the tie was beyond MK Dons now but they continued to attack and were focusing the majority of their efforts down the right wing where the pacey Powell was but it was Dean Bowditch who threatened the terrier with a goal bound curling shot that fortunately deflected off Peter Clarke and out for a corner. Nothing came from the corner but moments later Grayson was forced into a change as Ian Bennett stayed down after defending a low cross from Bowditch. Bennett was clutching his hand and after a few minutes he walked off the pitch to be replaced by Towns number one goalkeeper Alex Smithies.

After the majority of possession in the first half, the Dons got their reward when Powell's curling effort swung round a fully stretched Smithies and into the corner of the goal. Powell killed the ball expertly on the edge of the box after an Adam Chicksen pass and his turn an shot was executed perfectly to reduce the terriers lead in the tie to just two.

Powell equalizes for MK Dons with a splendid effort

Powell nearly went from goalscorer to provider just before half time when he burst down the right flank and sent an excellent ball into the box which MacDonald managed to get to but his effort skimmed the post after being made tough by Sean Morrison. The scoreline remained 1-1 at the interval and the Dons went in with new found hope after dominating the majority of the game and getting a deserved goal.

Karl Robinson's men came out for the second half showing bundles of determination which was expected and they managed to get behind the terriers defence when Potter slipped a ball through which MacDonald latched on to. He was one on one with Smithies but drastically failed to hit the target with his effort to the relief of the home crowd. It was a clear cut chance for the Dons to grab another goal and one that should of been taken by MacDonald.

Huddersfield were being pinned back into their own final third but a clever intervention by Jack Hunt and a quick pass to Highinbotham kick started a fast flowing terriers attack. Higginbotham held the ball up well and then released Hunt who latched onto the ball and found himself with a golden opportunity to finish the game off. With just Martin to beat, Hunt attempted to curl the ball around the goalkeeper but although the shot had perfect power, it was straight at Martin and the Dons were kept in the tie.

Huddersfield slowly tried to kill the game off by attempting to keep the ball but it was their final pass that was letting them down And giving possession back to the lively MK Dons. Some great play by Higginbotham saw his wing to wing pass brilliantly brought down by Danny Ward who volleyed the ball across the face of the Dons goal, just inches away from the forward rushing Rhodes.

Karl Robinson then decided it was time to throw on the attacking players he had on the bench in the forms of Luke Chadwick & Jabo Ibehre. It seemed like if Huddersfield could weather this Final storm from MK Dons they could well be getting themselves to Wembley.

MK Dons carried on trying to grab another goal to close the deficit even more and a few minutes later Grayson decided it was time for a substitute of his own. He brought on Anton Robinson for midfielder Tommy Miller who had had a good game for the terriers. With time slowly running out for the Dons, Karl Robinson throw everything at Huddersfield by replacing MacDonald by ex-Leeds and Man Utd midfielder come striker Alan Smith.

Although the Dons were pressing forward, they continued to fail to test Alex Smithies in the goal for the terriers and when the ball dropped to Ibehre on the edge of the box he carried on the theme by smashing it high and wide of the goal. Another substitute quickly followed from Grayson as he replaced Kallum Higginbotham by Tom Clarke.

The Dons finally tested Smithies when Ibehre got up to head at goal and when Smithies saved this, Powell followed it up with second attempt but this was saved on the line by that man Smithies again. Finally the terriers gave way and deep into stoppage time the Dons grabbed a goal from substitute Alan Smith when he headed it into the corner of the goal from a Dons corner.

Smithies is helpless as Smith slides in to header home
in the dying minutes for the Dons

However, it was too late for MK Dons and soon after the restart the referee blew for full time. Huddersfield Town fans invaded the pitch and it was the terriers who will be making the trip to Wembley on May 29th !

Vital First Goal

Game day is finally upon us and Huddersfield Town will tonight know for certain if they are going to Wembley or not this year. After a sterling performance away at MK Dons, the terriers are in a great position to join Sheffield United in the final. However, it is only half time in the tie and with 90 minutes still to play the first goal tonight is hugely important. Ultimately, that first goal shall shape how the game is played out tonight.

If Huddersfield Get The First Goal

After scoring twice down at Stadium MK on Saturday, Town will fancy themselves to score first and kill this tie off in front of an expected large and noisy crowd. With players like Rhodes, Higginbotham (if started) and Novak on the pitch that vital first goal is a huge possibility for the terriers. If they do get it then we expect Huddersfield to get a few more as the heads of the MK Dons players shall drop just like they did when Town went two up in the first leg. It shall kill the game off and the earlier the goal comes, the better it shall be especially for the home fans.

If MK Dons Get The First Goal

At two nil down the Dons shall be chasing the game tonight and looking for a spectacular comeback down at The Galpharm. Keeping possession of the ball is what they are good at and they showed this in abundance in the first semi-final leg. Possession combined with pressure is what they shall be looking to achieve tonight against the terriers in order to get the vital first goal. If they get it, the fire shall be back in their bellies and the rest of the game may well be played out in the Huddersfield half with the terriers having to stay strong defensively. Pushing men forward will see Huddersfield having to attack them on the counter and the nerves of the terriers shall be put to the test by Karl Robinson's men.

So you can see how important that first goal is going to be in tonight's clash between the two teams. As a Town fan I would be happy with a boring 0-0 tonight but you can never tell what is going to happen in football.

Pre Match Comments From Grayson

Huddersfield Town boss Simon Grayson has spoke ahead of tomorrow second leg clash against MK Dons. He focused on talking about how Town can and will play better as well as how well his players did perform in the 2-0 victory on Saturday;

"At the start of the second half on Saturday we didn't pass the ball well and didn't do one or two of the things that we had worked on, so I still believe that we can play better."

"I will set the team out to be positive as we were on Saturday and our intention will be to play from the shape of the team and win the game. If we get the first goal it will give us a massive boost, but if we don't then everybody has to stay strong. It is still game on - as we saw on Sunday things can change dramatically change in football."

"The performance was very pleasing because the players stuck to the game plan. As a manager, when the players carry out your instructions it is very rewarding. I thought we worked extremely hard, passed the ball around well and created a number of good chances. We also defended well when we had to and we have to do exactly the same thing on Tuesday night. We can't rest on our laurels; we did what we needed to do on Saturday and need to finish the job off on Tuesday night."

Grayson then went on to talk about how important the first goal shall be tomorrow night but emphasised how his team will not worry even if that goal goes against them;

"The first goal is important, but it isn't defining. If MK Dons get the first and we get the second goal then we are still in a good position. Without being big-headed, we believe we are good enough to win the game and finish off the tie."

Grayson and the squad that went down to MK Dons were delighted with the amount of travelling fans that made the trip and he emphasised how imprtant the fans shall be tomorrow night;

"It is going to be a cracking atmosphere on Tuesday night. I am fully focused on my team and looking at what we can do to hurt MK Dons. Hopefully at the end of the game we will be going to Wembley, but we know we have got work to do."

The terriers picked up a few knocks in the first leg including skipper Peter Clarke and Grayson gave us an insight into how they were coming along;

Peter (Clarke) finished the game which at one stage looked unlikely; I think he was in a bad state but he came through it. He saw the doctor on Sunday and he will see him again on Monday, but we are hopefully that he will be fine for Tuesday night."

"I think Peter should take knocks more often because he played better afterwards! 'The Skip' leads by example; I have played alongside him and I'm now managing him and he inspires the other players. Lee Novak showed the same amount of desire when he put his body on the line to block a shot in the box. We showed a desire and will not to concede so that we could take a clean sheet into the second leg."

"Calum Woods has a toe injury which is heavily bruised so we will have to see where he is. Scott Arfield went over on his ankle and we had one or
two others who could have also come off during certain parts of the game. It was 'all hands to the pump' at certain periods in the game, but we came through it and we will give every player time to be fit for tomorrow night. Everyone has to be 100% fit though, because we can't carry any passengers on Tuesday night"

We have already got our tickets for the vital match so make sure you get yours as soon as possible!

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: 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!

Play-Off Teams Current Form

Going into the play-offs with good form is crucial as you need all your players to be up for the big games as well as have confidence in each other and the clubs manager/staff. With two out of the four play-off places already decided in League 1, we look at the form of the six contenders for promotion through the play-offs this year.

Sheffield United

Last 5 games

Sheff Utd 2-2 Stevenage

Mk Dons 1-0 Sheff Utd

Sheff Utd 3-1 Leyton Orient

Rochdale 2-5 Sheff Utd

Sheff Utd 2-1 Bournemouth

FORM - WWWLD

10 points out of a possible 15

Sheffield Wednesday

Last 5 Games

Brentford 1-2 Sheff Wed

Sheff Wed 2-1 Carlisle

Colchester 1-1 Sheff Wed

Sheff Wed 3-0 Oldham

Huddersfield 0-2 Sheff Wed

FORM - WWDWW

13 points out of a possible 15

MK Dons

Last 5 Games

Rochdale 1-2 MK Dons

MK Dons 1-0 Sheff Utd

Scunthorpe 0-3 MK Dons

MK Dons 3-0 Tranmere

Preston 1-1 MK Dons

FORM - DWWWW

13 points out of a possible 15

Huddersfield Town

Last 5 Games

Walsall 1-1 Huddersfield

Huddersfield 1-0 Scunthorpe

Preston 1-0 Huddersfield

Bournemouth 2-0 Huddersfield

Huddersfield 0-2 Sheff Wed

FORM - LLLWD

4 points out of a possible 15

Stevenage

Last 5 Games

Sheff Utd 2-2 Stevenage

Stevenage 2-1 Brentford

Stevenage 1-0 Carlisle

Yeovil 0-6 Stevenage

Stevenage 1-1 Preston

FORM - DWWWD

11 points out of a possible 15

Notts County

Last 5 Games

Wycombe 3-4 Notts County

Notts County 2-4 Bury

Brentford 0-0 Notts County

Notts County 3-1 Yeovil

Leyton Orient 0-3 Notts County

FORM - WWDLW

10 points out of a possible 15

Carlisle United

Last 5 Games

Carlisle 4-1 Exeter

Sheff Wed 2-1 Carlisle

Stevenage 1-0 Carlisle

Carlisle 0-1 Charlton

Carlisle 0-0 Scunthorpe

FORM - DLLLW

4 points out of a possible 15

As you can see, Huddersfield Town are currently the most off-form team within the play-off positions in League 1. They have picked up less than a third of the amount of points that rival club Sheffield Wednesday have picked up in the last five games which is why they have slipped down the league table to fifth below MK Dons. All the other play-off promotion contenders seem to have peaked right towards the end of the season and so they shall all be going into the games on a massive high compared to Huddersfield Town who's last back to back win came in the middle of March. What may  become vital is that MK Dons shall take second leg home advantage in the semi-final tie against Huddersfield which is something you want your team to have.

If you was to go on form then Huddersfield Town would be the first team to be knocked out in the play-offs and fail to reach the final which this year is down at Wembley. However, football is full of surprises and a team which goes into the play-offs as slight underdogs tend to play with no fear which can bring the best out of the whole squad. Simon Grayson shall undoubtedly be trying to motivate his players come the play-offs time and his experience with both Blackpool & Leeds has seen him in these positions before. It could well be a stroke of genius by Dean Hoyle to employ a manager who will be able to cope with all the pressures that come with a team in the play-offs. Did he realise that Huddersfield Town was never going to achieve automatic promotion under Lee Clark and ultimately decided to just get a manager on board that has a good past record in the play-offs so that the club have got the best chance of promotion this year? No one shall know apart from Hoyle himself and as the play-offs loom ever closer, the question is...Does Huddersfield Town & Simon Grayson have it in them to defy current form and obtain promotion against all the odds?