Huddersfield Can Possibly Demand Owls Replay

Mick Russell dished out two yellow cards to Jeremy Helan
yet failed to send the player off.

A former Football League official has issued a statement which implies that the terriers may be able to demand a replay of the Yorkshire Derby against Sheffield Wednesday after referee Mike Russell failed to send off Owls player Jeremy Helan despite handing him two yellow cards.

Tony Leake told Press Association Sport;

"The matter will now need to be dealt with by the relevant authorities.You cannot rule out the possibility of a replay. If Huddersfield won the game 3-0 I would not expect that to happen. But if Huddersfield believe the player being on the field meant the result did not go in their favour then it could be that the game is replayed."

All of Huddersfield Town football club were baffled with the referee's blunder especially Simon Grayson who expressed his anger after the game to the camera's saying;

I just think referees in general should be accountable for any decisions and have a press conference after the game, whether good decisions or bad decisions. It shouldn't be up to myself or Dave Jones to explain, they should be out and you should be able to ask questions as to why he made certain decisions. 

Grayson Reflects On Yorkshire Derby Stalemate

Grayson was left bemused after a blunder
from referee Mike Russell

In a game far from the excitement when both Huddersfield Town & Sheffield Wednesday met back at the start of the season, Simon Grayson has insisted that his team is on the right track after a goalless stalemate meant both teams shared the points on Saturday. Here is the terriers boss post match interview;

"We had to go back to being hard to beat and make sure that we didn’t give Sheffield Wednesday too many opportunities. The team we selected was one that could win the game, but also one that would make us more solid. The players haven’t won in a few games and aren’t playing with as much confidence as they were at the start of the season, so we have to be hard to beat and make sure that we don’t give away too many chances. We have got players who can hurt teams upfront such as Jermaine Beckford, James Vaughan, Adam Hammill and Sean Scannell."

"We may not have won in five, but we have only been beaten once in our last five games. We keep picking up points and we need to keep chipping away until we get that victory. The players worked harder today and showed a lot of commitment and I am sure that when we start winning games we will show more quality."

Grayson's team sheet was announced with striker James Vaughan left on the bench and the manager explained why this was the case;

"We didn’t want to put too much stress on James because he has only just returned from injury. He is also a booking away from missing Leicester and if he had got booked today it would leave us short upfront for that game. Sean Scannell also missed out because it has been a demanding week, but I thought Adam Hammill came in and gave us a spark in attack."

The first half of the game included the main talking point of the entire match as Mick Russell (the referee) flashed Jeremy Helan two yellow cards yet failed to send the player off. Huddersfield Town players were astonished as the referee waved his hands to continue the game play with Helan still on the field. Grayson was also furious on the sidelines as he confronted the fourth official but his shouts fell on death ears;

"He made a mistake. He has clearly shown Helan a yellow card and I think instead of writing his name in the book he has written Michail Antonio’s. How you can do that I don’t know? Everyone in the Ground knew what he had done. It was a difficult afternoon for the referee and he made some very poor decisions. Something like that should never happen; the referee has assistant referees to help him. It wasn’t just the referee who made the mistake it was all his assistants as well, it could have meant that we had lost the game. I don’t know why the fourth official has intervened and told the referee that he has made a mistake. He had a responsibility to help the referee." "I would have felt aggrieved if he had gone on to play a part, or score a goal for them. If we had played against ten men for an hour of the game we would have had a better chance of gaining a victory. It is disappointing that we have to talk about a decision the referee has made instead of the football that was played in an entertaining Yorkshire derby."

What To Expect From Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday will visit The John Smiths Stadium on Saturday to take on Huddersfield Town in a game which both teams will be expecting to take points from. As always, we went in search for an opposition fan to give us a bit of a insight into their club as well as what to expect from them when they take on the terriers. This time we have John Wozniak who wrote on behalf of East Midlands Owls;

3 wins on the bounce have silenced the Dave Jones critics (for now). A mixture of bad luck, bad refereeing decisions and some early season poor defending sent most of Sheffield 6 into a state of panic. 

Those that are familiar with Milan Manderic will no that he is not afraid to fire his manager. Despite a few calls for Dave Jones’s head, Milan and 99% of Wednesdayites have stood by him. 

Having watched the Owls home and away since our League Cup game at Oldham in August, Wednesdayites have spent most of the season scratching our heads, wondering how we have not taken 3 points or even a draw from all but a few of our games. 

A low point in the season was against Leicester and Watford at home. The team showed no spirit or desire to win. The East Midlands Owls lads, sat down and discussed who should come into replace Dave Jones. The answer we came up with after 3 hours of head scratching was simple, stick with Dave Jones. 

A 1-0 defeat away to Cardiff was harsh and the lads showed some spirit. Suicidal defending cost us a bitter blow at home to Bristol City. A backs to the wall performance at Barnsley set us up nicely to beat Chartlon at home followed by yesterday’s win away at Bolton.So what can you expect from the Owls on Saturday? Firstly 99% of Wednesdayites won’t want to see Jay Bothroyd playing. His lethargic approach to the game hasn’t won anyone over. You have already seen our pacely players Michail Antonio and Jermain Johnson. Our new recruit Jeremy Helan has blistering pace, and the goal he scored against Charlton was nothing short of class.  There is plenty of spirit and quality in this side, as the lads have shown in the last three games, they will play until the last whistle. We are not getting too carried away. The introduction of Stuart Gray to the back room staff has brought a sense of organisation to the team.  

Dave Jones’s team selection for Saturday will remain a mystery, but in Jones we trust.  I predict a hard fought game and plenty of noise from the 4,000 travelling Wednesdayites.There will be plenty of banter on twitter etc but on behalf of everyone at East Midlands Owls we would like to wish all Huddersfield Town fans a Happy New Year! 

Grayson Sums Up Hillsborough Events & Looks Forward To Bloomfield Visit

Huddersfield Town will travel to Bloomfield Road on Monday night to take on Blackpool who are looking like one of the teams to beat in The Championship this year. The Tangerines were once managed by current Town manager Simon Grayson who experienced success at the club by taking them from League One into The Championship, just as he has done with the terriers. However, Grayson was more interested in talking about his teams latest performance against Sheffield Wednesdsay where they impressively picked up all three points;

"The performance on Wednesday night was very good, but ultimately it’s about getting the win and we did that by doing what we had to throughout the course of the game. There were different aspects to the game that I was really pleased with; we started the game well, passing the ball around well and getting two early goals, plus we looked really comfortable – there was a good shape to the team. The team overcame a bit of adversity with Joel getting sent off and we had to be dogged and resolute to withstand a big, strong, powerful opponent with a big crowd behind them. We had to find a way to handle them and we certainly did that."

"It’s nice to get our first away win under our belt because I think we have played well away from home so far. At Cardiff we should have got at least a draw and at Ipswich we missed a penalty with five minutes to go that could have resulted in a victory. It was nice to get the win, especially in a local derby."

Joel was sent off with an immediate red card after his sliding tackle completely missed the ball and sent Antonio crashing to the ground for Wednesday  but although Grayson believes it was the wrong decision, he will not contest the red card;

“I don’t think we will be appealing. We’ve looked at the video and it’s a real grey area; I still don’t believe it’s a red card, but it’s somewhere between that and a yellow! I think we’d be wasting our time though – panels don’t usually change their mind on these unless it’s black and white – and we don’t want to lose him for another game, so we’ll have to accept the punishment.”

Many Town fans will have forgot about Kallum Higginbotham who was set for a big future at the terriers before Clarke was sent packing by chairman Dean Hoyle and the winger/striker has now joined Carlisle United on a loan. Grayson explained why this move has happened;

"It’s very much part of the development of the players – the lads that go out on loan still have a future here. Kallum asked to go out on loan and we agreed that it’s a good opportunity for him, but we’ll keep an eye on him. I’m pleased with how Liam Ridehalgh and Chris Atkinson are doing out on loan at Chesterfield and it’s all to help the development of the individuals in question, as well as the Club. I’m not under any pressure to move any players out on loan though. We have a group here all competing for the jerseys; we have real competition for places and that means we can change systems and personnel when we need to. It’s about getting the right balance of what’s right for the individuals as well as the Club."

Grayson finally give his verdict on how it will feel managing against one of his former clubs and one which he holds close to his heart;

"I’m looking forward to it. I was disappointed I didn’t get the chance to go back last year as I had six good years at Blackpool; three as a player and three as a manager. It was a successful time and it played a big part in my footballing career. To lead Blackpool to promotion at Wembley was great and we then stabilised the team in the Championship, which was no mean feat at the time as we didn’t have a big budget and the facilities were not up there with the other teams. However, the Club has gone from strength to strength and I’d like to think I played some part in that."

"We had a good team ethic when I was there and I think around six to eight players in their Premier League team were my signings – the likes of Wes Hoolahan. There was a unity within the group; we stuck together at the team and there was a special atmosphere at the ground, particularly at night matches. It’s a fantastic football club and it’s on the up. However, it is all about Huddersfield Town for me now. I’ll see a few old friends there, but I want to disappoint them because we’ve come away with a victory!"

Grayson captured Keith Southern in the summer transfer window from Blackpool and the gaffer was keen to talk about the hard working midfielder who he rates very highly;

"I think he’s showed what he can do, but he also influences the younger players – his calmness has rubbed off on the likes of Ollie Norwood, Danny Ward and Adam Clayton. Keith will run through a brick wall for you and that is reflecting in the rest of the players. We have a nice set of ingredients in the middle of the park at this moment in time.  He’s looking forward to Monday night, as is Peter Clarke, who played a big part for Blackpool previously. The only way they will enjoy the game is by winning though.”"

Both Blackpool & Huddersfield Town are sitting nicely in the top half of the league as we write this and both have had great starts to The Championship. Simon Grayson recognizes this and played compliment to the way the Tangerines play their football;

"It will be one of the toughest games of the season. I watched them on Tuesday night against Middlesbrough and they were very good. They could have been four or five up at half time and the same in the second half. They have a way of playing that a lot of teams can’t deal with, there’s a lot of rotation in midfield and attack to a very high standard."

"It’s a good place to go, as Bloomfield Road creates a good atmosphere. It’s a challenge, but our players are looking forward to it. We will have to be on our guard and at the top of our game because Blackpool have turned over some good teams this year; they are at the top of the division and one of the favourites to go up this year. We’ll go there aware of what they can do, but equally I’m sure they are aware of what we can do. We have some good footballers that will cause any team problems. Sometimes I think teams go there and are in awe of them; they try to change their tactics and it doesn’t suit them. Our defence will be tested. We’ll be without Joel Lynch, but Anthony Gerrard will come in and he’s been waiting patiently for his opportunity. For the majority of this season we’ve had a good shape on the pitch and that has limited opportunities for our opposition, but that will certainly be tested on Monday as Blackpool have goals in them."

Grayson will be forced to leave Lynch out of his squad due to suspension as the defender received a straight red for a rash challenge on Antonio when the terriers clashed with Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday. However, Simon is more than happy with his replacement, Anthony Gerrard;

“I like him; he’s wholehearted and he’s a leader. He’s had to wait patiently for his opportunity because the team has been doing so well, but he can come in now and try to grasp his opportunity."

Adam Hammill will also more than likely miss the game against Blackpool due to an injury which kept him out of the team against Sheffield Wednesday and Grayson updated us on his current condition;

"Adam is struggling with his knee; I would say he will be a major doubt for Monday. It’s something he picked up in an innocuous challenge last weekend – I think he just blocked a ball. He’s in the hands of the physios."

Captain Ready For Blackpool Test

Clarke not fearing a tough away trip to Blackpool

Peter Clarke has been impressive in The Championship so far and he is aiming to carry on the terriers recent good form when he leads his team out at Bloomfield Road. The skipper has played for the seaside club in his career and he is looking forward to returning to the West Coast on Monday night;

"I had the best part of two years with Blackpool and have some very fond memories from my time there. When I first signed for the Club it was struggling, but we managed to stabilise matters. Players and clubs move on though and I moved to Southend to better myself and play at a higher level."

Peter Clarke is yet to miss out on a game for Huddersfield Town this season and the 'heart on his sleeve' defender is hoping that he can keep a clean sheet against Blackpool in order to continue Towns unbeaten run to six games;

"We are carrying good momentum at the moment and we are doing ok. We have made a decent enough start and we will go into the Blackpool game full of confidence. They are a very good side and we will show them the respect that they deserve; they are up near the top end of the league on merit and have been for the past couple of years. We will go there with the belief that we can get something out of the game. Blackpool has aspirations to be in the top league, so it will be a tough game. Whether it will prove as a marker of where we are at, I don’t know - it is still early days and the League is only just starting to take shape. Collectively we have given a good account of ourselves and personally I am very happy with how things are going as I am playing well – long may it continue on all fronts."

Clarke couldn't resist but express his delight with the midweek victory over Sheffield Wednesday where the terriers managed to overturn the Owls on their home turf, Hillsborough, emerging 3-1 victors at the final whistle;

"It was a terrific win, thoroughly deserved. It was a very workmanlike performance at times and although they had a lot of possession we made it difficult for them to break us down. After we had weathered their early storm we got the ball down, played some football and got our noses in front. We were disappointed with the goal that they scored, but overall very happy with the victory."

Hillsborough Awaits Grayson & His Men

Simon Grayson has given his verdict on his next opponents on Wednesday in the first Yorkshire Derby of the season. The terriers travel to Hillsborough to take on Sheffield Wednesday in a game which will undoubtedly be fiercely contested but Grayson is relishing the opportunity to pick up a first win away from home this season. Here is the gaffers pre-match interview;

"Hillsborough is a fantastic arena to play football and it is a local derby so it has all the ingredients to be a brilliant game of football. Hopefully we can replicate a similar standard of performance from the weekend and gain a positive result. They will be hugely disappointed losing the way they did against Brighton and they haven't been used to losing games under Dave Jones. He has put together a strong competitive team that has pace in the wide areas; they are also very good from set-pieces."

"Dave will have tried to bring in a few of his own ideas and players over the course of the summer. When he went in there as manager there wasn't much to change, all he had to do was continue what had been done and get them over the line. We know what to expect on Wednesday and we will treat them with the upmost respect, but I want to concentrate on what we can do to hurt them."

"They have had to improve their squad as a result of promotion and the likes of Jay Bothroyd has Premier League experience and the boy from Barcelona, Rodri, is rated very highly. It is no surprise the calibre of player that they have been able to bring in because it is a big football club."

Grayson reiterated how happy he is with the start his team has made in The Championship but he was also keen to state that they cannot take it easy now that they have points on the board;

"It is good for the confidence of the back four that they are very tight at the moment and haven't conceded many goals. All the components of our game are working well so far, but we know that we have still got a lot of work to do. We can't afford to get complacent in this division; the games come thick and fast and we have to make sure that we are at it every match day."

"It was vital that we picked up from where we left off before the international break, especially as we now enter a period of Tuesday-Saturday games. If you can win your first game of a busy period if gives you confidence and also doesn't put you under as much pressure as you aren't playing catch-up. We are going into the Sheffield Wednesday game full of confidence and buoyed by our recent results."

Grayson also praised the recent performances of Danny Ward who netted just 47 seconds into the game against Derby and ultimately secured all three points for the terriers. Ward was given his opportunity in the squad due to Scannell picking up an injury against Burnley and he has since earned his place in the starting lineup;

"He has done very well and that is why he is still in the team. I have got a lot of faith in Danny that he can produce performances. I said last year that I felt he needed to believe in himself a little bit more and be more consistent and I think he grasped an opportunity when he came into the team and has done well. His goal against Derby was something that we had worked on in training and hopefully that will give him a major boost. He was struggling with his back before the game and that is why we took him off on Saturday, but he trained on Monday and should be ok for Wednesday."

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Rearranged Fixtures

The fixture list today took a revamped look for Huddersfield Town as quite a few of the ties got new days/times to help the police and other parties involved.

Here is a list of the rearranged fixtures that were announced today;

Sheffield Wednesday (A) - Wednesday 19th September (7:45pm)

Leeds United (H) - Saturday 1st December (12:30pm)

Sheffield Wednesday (H) - Saturday 29th December (12:30pm)

Hull City (H) - Saturday 30th March (12:30pm)

Millwall (H) - Saturday 20th April (12:30pm)

That your lot for the time being but all matches have the possibility to be altered at any time. A lot of early matches for Yorkshire derby's to avoid trouble between both sets of fans in the list.




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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?