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: 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: Players Have No Fear!

The play-off semi final away leg against MKDons is nearly upon us and with one day to go, Simon Grayson has expressed what he see's from his squad every single day through training sessions. This is what the Town boss had to say;

"I think we have gained some good momentum over the last three games; we have won two and drawn one and I think shown glimpses of how we want to play.

We have got players returning from injury who have been unavailable for a while, so we are feeling good. Form can go out of the window in the Play-Offs, but we are approaching the games in a positive manner.

The players need to learn from the experiences that they have gone through before in these sorts of occasions. You can learn from successes and failures in semi-finals and it is important that the players take on board what has gone on before. Sometimes though, the raw naivety of players can help them grasp the opportunity as they won't be worrying about the bigger picture.

The players haven't shown any fear over the last week; our training sessions have been very positive. All the supporters that I have spoken to are looking forward to the two games. Everyone knows anything can happen - that is the nature of the Play-Offs - but we need to grasp the opportunity and have no regrets.

I have not been involved in a game against MK Dons this season, but I have seen them play against Carlisle and also watched DVDs and read reports. On paper it has got the ingredients of being a good contest. They are a good footballing team who like to play the ball out through the defence and up to the strikers. We know what to expect from them and they will know what to expect from us from the two tight games earlier in the season.

To still be in the tie after the first leg is our main objective; ideally a victory would be nice, but even that doesn't give you the guarantee of winning over the two legs. We are not going down to stadiummk to be negative or nick a draw though - we will be positive.

We need to play the game and not the occasion. The build-up to the game should be no different than normal; you need to approach the game in the same manner as any other game. Individually players don't need to be going out and trying new things and collectively you need to stick to what you are good at."

Simon then went on to talk about his own experiences with the play-offs as both a player and a manger.

"I was a player when they did the first Play-Offs and although that was a different set-up it gives the players something extra to play for. It can end in doom, which I have experienced, but I have also experienced the winning feeling from the Play-Offs. It gives a buzz for the supporters at the end of the season.

In the Play-Offs there haven't been too many games where the tie has been over after the first leg. Even a two goal lead would have you concerned that the other team could score the first goal and get back in the game. If Cardiff had scored the first goal against West Ham in their second leg it could have been a different story."

So Grayson is definitely backing his squad in the play-offs and it sounds like he is going to use both his own and the players experience in the play-offs to get the most out of his team. The first leg will see around 4000 Huddersfield Town fans descend down to Milton Keynes in an effort to bring back a result which the whole club can be proud of.