Author: gledholt

False dawn klaxon?

Somehow, Lee Grant has survived yet another run of poor results with an expensive, misfiring squad still searching for form and consistency in a league of muddled mediocrity, but now handed a set of extremely favourable fixtures.

First up was a visit to the New York Stadium to face a Rotherham United side in even worse shape, emerging from a disastrous Steve Evans era – a perfect example of never reheating a soufflé.

Two fed-up fanbases gathered in a half-empty stadium. The visitors were reduced to offering pay on the day just months after taking over 4,000 to South Yorkshire, and both sets of supporters hoped forlornly for an upturn in fortunes. Expectations, though, were dulled in a dreadful opening 20 minutes devoid of quality.

Charitably, Town might have been “earning the right” to play at a ground they last won at nearly nine years ago, and they had to survive a scare when Nicholls, for some reason, allowed a corner to sail over him to the back post, only for the referee – overly fussy throughout – to intervene.

That proved to be the Millers’ only real threat until the dying embers of a game they comprehensively lost, undone by one of those familiar, tantalising bursts of cohesion from the Terriers that brought three well-worked goals.

We have been here before. The inherent quality in Town’s squad occasionally bubbles to the surface, sometimes bringing reward but mainly against the division’s poorer sides.

The first spark saw Radulovic head straight at the keeper from a decent Gooch cross, but better was to follow.

In the 26th minute, Castledine played an excellent ball forward, controlled instantly by Radulovic’s chest to take him into the area, before he picked out Gooch, who clipped home the opener.

Town scented blood and, four minutes later, Castledine again drove play across the pitch before finding Gooch. His forward ball, probably meant for May, instead found the Spanish-Serb, who executed a beautiful lob over Dawson.

The hosts were sunk before the break. Once more, Castledine’s determination kept possession high up the pitch, Gooch collected on the right, and his cross was met by the unmarked Castledine to head home yet another goal of his loan spell.

That gave Gooch a goal and two assists as Town’s first-half dominance brought reward -and much-needed relief – for the beleaguered Grant. His overdue pairing of Radulovic and May had worked perfectly, even if May’s main contribution was largely in the press.

The least said about a turgid second half the better. Rotherham’s often comically incompetent attempts to claw their way back provided only accidental entertainment.

Town were content to sit deep and soak up what their blundering opponents could muster, which was very little, and poorly executed.

There was little to enthuse the travelling support, though Radulovic nearly grabbed a fourth when he latched on to a long ball. Dawson blocked, but the rebound fell to substitute Charles, who might have done better than shoot too close to the keeper.

Annoyingly, a long-overdue clean sheet was lost at the death when Nombe took advantage of hesitant defending by the otherwise much-improved Low and Balker to fire past Nicholls. It was their first shot on target.

Still, it was a well-deserved win, and with three of the next four games favourable, this run may yet become Grant’s pivot as 2026 looms.

His failure to build on previous flashes of hope, and the more ominous inability to beat sides in the top ten, do not augur well. But the chance remains for him to rescue a stalling Huddersfield Town career that seems to survive mainly for want of an available alternative.

Merry Christmas all.

False dawn klaxon?

Somehow, Lee Grant has survived yet another run of poor results with an expensive, misfiring squad still searching for form and consistency in a league of muddled mediocrity, but now handed a set of extremely favourable fixtures.

First up was a visit to the New York Stadium to face a Rotherham United side in even worse shape, emerging from a disastrous Steve Evans era – a perfect example of never reheating a soufflé.

Two fed-up fanbases gathered in a half-empty stadium. The visitors were reduced to offering pay on the day just months after taking over 4,000 to South Yorkshire, and both sets of supporters hoped forlornly for an upturn in fortunes. Expectations, though, were dulled in a dreadful opening 20 minutes devoid of quality.

Charitably, Town might have been “earning the right” to play at a ground they last won at nearly nine years ago, and they had to survive a scare when Nicholls, for some reason, allowed a corner to sail over him to the back post, only for the referee – overly fussy throughout – to intervene.

That proved to be the Millers’ only real threat until the dying embers of a game they comprehensively lost, undone by one of those familiar, tantalising bursts of cohesion from the Terriers that brought three well-worked goals.

We have been here before. The inherent quality in Town’s squad occasionally bubbles to the surface, sometimes bringing reward but mainly against the division’s poorer sides.

The first spark saw Radulovic head straight at the keeper from a decent Gooch cross, but better was to follow.

In the 26th minute, Castledine played an excellent ball forward, controlled instantly by Radulovic’s chest to take him into the area, before he picked out Gooch, who clipped home the opener.

Town scented blood and, four minutes later, Castledine again drove play across the pitch before finding Gooch. His forward ball, probably meant for May, instead found the Spanish-Serb, who executed a beautiful lob over Dawson.

The hosts were sunk before the break. Once more, Castledine’s determination kept possession high up the pitch, Gooch collected on the right, and his cross was met by the unmarked Castledine to head home yet another goal of his loan spell.

That gave Gooch a goal and two assists as Town’s first-half dominance brought reward -and much-needed relief – for the beleaguered Grant. His overdue pairing of Radulovic and May had worked perfectly, even if May’s main contribution was largely in the press.

The least said about a turgid second half the better. Rotherham’s often comically incompetent attempts to claw their way back provided only accidental entertainment.

Town were content to sit deep and soak up what their blundering opponents could muster, which was very little, and poorly executed.

There was little to enthuse the travelling support, though Radulovic nearly grabbed a fourth when he latched on to a long ball. Dawson blocked, but the rebound fell to substitute Charles, who might have done better than shoot too close to the keeper.

Annoyingly, a long-overdue clean sheet was lost at the death when Nombe took advantage of hesitant defending by the otherwise much-improved Low and Balker to fire past Nicholls. It was their first shot on target.

Still, it was a well-deserved win, and with three of the next four games favourable, this run may yet become Grant’s pivot as 2026 looms.

His failure to build on previous flashes of hope, and the more ominous inability to beat sides in the top ten, do not augur well. But the chance remains for him to rescue a stalling Huddersfield Town career that seems to survive mainly for want of an available alternative.

Merry Christmas all.

It’s Over

The latest in a litany of errors and missteps during Kevin Nagle’s tenure is surely about to come to a head, with Lee Grant heartily booed by a worryingly thin crowd, thoroughly unconvinced by a novice manager cruelly exposed in a tough, demanding league.

After a bright, if not wholly convincing, start that featured four wins in August and encouraging League Cup performances, the deterioration in form and results has placed Grant in an ominous and likely untenable position, with Nagle facing yet another managerial crisis.

It would not be especially surprising if the owner were to show erroneous patience with the latest of his long list of coaches and managers, given his previous obtuseness: the sacking of Duff earlier this year was premature, the dismissal of Moore took far too long, and the farce of his Warnock dealings will demean his legacy whatever is in store for the club in the future.

A new sound system will not drown out the rancour of a bruised fanbase yearning for some basic competence.

Having endowed Grant with very significant power to rebuild a failing and unpopular squad without the guiding hand of a sporting director in his first senior management role, Nagle took an extraordinarily high risk that has backfired spectacularly.

Perhaps an experienced number two could have helped his fledgling recruit, but the overwhelming suspicion is of a young man too wedded to coaching theories, with a lexicon increasingly baffling to a support yearning for bold, risk-taking excitement – a far cry from Nagle’s ill-advised “Northern Football” epithet.

Should this home fixture against a capable, if unspectacular, Wigan Athletic prove to be Grant’s last — which it surely must — the dull and pedestrian second half that pushed the crowd into visceral displeasure rather neatly summed up his Huddersfield Town career.

By any definition, and even accounting for the never-ending injury list, this squad should be capable of competing at the right end of what is proving to be a mediocre division, and there are few, if any, excuses for Grant’s failures on multiple levels.

Reasonable performances have been thin on the ground and mainly consist of 20-minute spells when players offer a glimpse of their potential, punctuated by extremely sloppy defending, ill-discipline and an on-field cluelessness pervading a seemingly confused and unconfident group (it will be a relief not to hear the word “group” again and should be a prerequisite for the next mug through the doors).

Having adopted a new back-three approach – seemingly out of nowhere, but probably in reaction to an awful performance at Luton, where a 15-minute spell of decent play was not enough to compensate for a bizarrely narrow and inappropriately staffed midfield – Grant restored former prolific scorer Alfie May to the front two.

Rather than pairing him with the limited but tall Radulovic, he was placed alongside the prolific spurner of chances, Charles, fresh from blazing several opportunities into the Northamptonshire skies.

Veteran Murray Wallace operated on the left of the back three, with Low central and Balker on the right, and could easily have been sent off seconds into the game when he followed through on Fraser Wallace, leaving the Wigan man in a heap. Consulting his linesman first, the referee showed the Scot a rather generous yellow card, much to the chagrin of the visitors.

It was the first of several dubious decisions favouring the home side, but Town laboured to take advantage, despite some good prompting from Gooch down the right, who had a progressive first half before failing to have any impact in the second. Several good crosses found far too few bodies in the box.

A drab first half looked likely to end goalless until it briefly picked up in the final 15 minutes, with the home side making a breakthrough when a generous free kick for a challenge on Castledine was swung in by Gooch onto Wallace’s head. The reprieved centre-back headed down and well, giving Wigan’s keeper no chance.

The lead was not particularly deserved but did prompt the visitors into more adventure than they had previously risked, with one excellent ball into the box badly miscued when a better connection could have tested the under-employed Nicholls.

As the half came to an end, a robust – and possibly illegal – challenge by Roughan on an opponent was waved on by the ever-generous official and led to an excellent Ledson effort which was, unfortunately, too central and tipped over reasonably comfortably by the appropriately named Mr Tickle in the Lancastrians’ goal.

So far, so good for the beleaguered Lee Grant, with a one-goal advantage over a well-organised but not especially dangerous opponent.

His fate, however, was sealed by a poor second half in which the lead was quickly relinquished by way of a long ball behind Gooch on the right, the fatal hesitancy of joint number one Nicholls, and his invitingly open legs.

Raphael slotted home what was far from a masterpiece, but the same player struck an excellent curling shot onto the bar not long afterwards, which would have confirmed the worst fears of an increasingly restless crowd.

Being pegged back sapped the already low confidence of the home side and, despite occasionally threatening the visitors’ goal, such attempts were few and far between. Low should have done better when free at a corner, Charles comically miscued a header in a good position and substitute Radulovic forced a half-decent save from Tickle with a good effort, but Wigan should really have taken greater advantage of their hosts’ frailty and the crowd’s displeasure.

Grant’s belated substitutions then began. The switches of Ledson for Kasumu and Sørensen for Gooch were reasonable decisions, if too late, but withdrawing Castledine for Wiles and Radulovic for May (instead of Charles) enraged the crowd and appeared to be the actions of a stubborn, tone-deaf manager.

In search of a saviour, Ashia was brought on for a mere four minutes – another vexatious decision in the eyes of a stadium now brimming with resentment.

Low and diminishing crowds, mediocre football, mid-table obscurity beckoning despite a top-two wage bill, unfathomable managerial decisions and yet more wasted money compensating failure make for a very poor report card once the sheen of infrastructure developments fades as we languish in our lowest league position for years.

Grant’s nascent managerial career looks likely to be in tatters, and yet another rebuild will now be undertaken should he depart.

It is to be hoped that Chris Markham has both the connections and the credibility to attract the right person to finally revive this stagnant football club – and the wisdom to ensure that Mr Nagle has no influence over the choice ahead of them.

Treble Trouble

Calamitously poor defending from Huddersfield Town overshadowed some encouraging positives in a hugely frustrating performance against AFC Wimbledon.

Sadly for manager Grant, most attention will focus on his decision to bring back Goodman in goal ahead of the experienced and more competent Nicholls, who has been markedly improved since regaining the keeper’s jersey. Errors in successive games have contributed to the loss of three, possibly more, points.

This will overshadow a rare and successful half-time intervention that produced a more convincing attacking display, with Gooch moving to right-back and Wiles – who always seems to deliver from the bench – replacing Sorensen.

The Dane may have been punished for a blind pass into the middle of the park which indirectly led to Wimbledon opening the scoring. It was massively against the run of play but portentous in its execution, as several opportunities to either stifle the attack or pick up runners were ignored.

In a first half where Town largely flattered to deceive -creating too little despite plenty of progressive possession – a counterpunch was not exactly unforeseeable. With Balker outmuscled, Roosken out of position and making no effort to recover, and a general failure of anticipation as the ball was played in, a well-executed Wimbledon attack was generously assisted by the hosts.

Town hit the bar with a glancing Ledson header, and Charles should have done better when a superb ball from Gooch, cleverly dummied by Ashia, found him unmarked in the area – only for him to shoot straight at the advancing keeper rather than show composure and take it around him.

On his full league debut, Ashia ran directly at the Wimbledon defence and carried the team up the pitch effectively at times, though his decision-making still needs refinement. Throughout, however, he was involved in most of Town’s more convincing moments of play and, after many complaints about teams playing backwards too often, his forward intent is surely to be encouraged.

The youngster inadvertently assisted Town’s equaliser very early in the second half—swinging and missing at a clearance that squirted fortuitously through to the influential Castledine, who placed an excellent shot into the corner.

Such an early strike should have set the hosts up for a comfortable victory against a side who had scored from their only genuine first-half attack. But Grant’s goalkeeper decision – one that many viewed with puzzlement – came back to bite him for the second game in a row.

Almost immediately after the relief of drawing level, Balker committed a poorly judged foul, climbing all over his opponent for reasons best known to himself. The position of the free-kick didn’t appear especially dangerous.

Sedona struck a well-placed but not particularly powerful shot to Goodman’s right, but instead of turning the ball away for a corner or even holding it, Goodman spilled it into the path of Orsi – to the evident and righteous fury of both Gooch and Ledson.

The error surely ends Goodman’s brief reclamation of the No. 1 spot, and it is arguable that aiding the development of a Crystal Palace loanee at the expense of Chapman is now too detrimental. If contractually possible, he should be returned to Selhurst Park in January.

To Town’s credit, the setback didn’t halt their momentum. Both flanks, aided by a strong Wiles performance in midfield (one ludicrously bad misplaced pass aside), repeatedly tested the visitors. Ashia’s contributions became more incisive, while Gooch, Castledine and Wiles combined cleverly on the opposite side.

After another good Castledine effort struck the outside of the post, a run and cross by Ashia was narrowly missed by Radulovic in the centre before being collected by Gooch, who dinked a perfect ball for Wiles to head home Town’s second equaliser.

Surely now Town would capitalise? They were clearly the better side, with better players, and had all the momentum.

Sadly, more defensive frailty undermined that notion. A cheap free-kick was conceded by Roosken, and from the delivery Johnson towered over Balker – having had a run on him – to score Wimbledon’s third and maintain their astonishingly high conversion rate.

In normal circumstances, Town’s third and final recovery from going behind would be lauded. But the nature of the concessions meant the crowd were in no mood for forgiveness for a team making far too much of a habit of letting them down.

Nevertheless, the attacking verve of the second half deserves recognition. After being booked for tripping over the ball in the box – interpreted as simulation by an otherwise competent referee – Ashia delivered another excellent cross after a probing run, which Radulovic should have buried. Fortunately, Bishop in the Wimbledon goal could only parry the header, and substitute Alfie May pounced to finally add to his meagre season tally.

Another flap at a corner by Goodman in the final moments of injury time threatened further calamity, but a point was the least Town’s performance deserved.

However, Goodman’s error casts a long shadow over the match, with Grant’s decision-making under further scrutiny and, perhaps, now sitting at the top of Chris Markham’s inbox following the long overdue appointment of a Sporting Director.

The positives shouldn’t be overlooked – particularly Gooch, Castledine and Ashia – as there is undoubtedly talent in this squad, which is competing in an unusually substandard league. But harnessing that talent into consistency remains elusive for Grant.

An Excellent Stag Do

For 30 minutes, Huddersfield Town excelled in murky Nottinghamshire, obliterating Mansfield Town by scoring three times in 15 minutes—and they could quite easily have doubled that tally with a genuinely thrilling display.

Continuing with two strikers, a high and aggressive press, and playing out from the back with menacing purpose, the Terriers followed up an encouraging performance against a very poor Plymouth side with a clear step up in quality against opposition of a far higher standard.

Lee Grant appears to have stumbled upon a team and a formation that works, built on partnerships throughout the side who, finally, appear to be more than the sum of their parts—though the renaissance is still young and faces stern challenges in the near future.

With a league as unpredictable as League One is proving to be this time around, Town’s poor form of just a few weeks ago has caused less damage to their prospects than it perhaps deserved, and a huge opportunity is now opening up for them.

At least three of yesterday’s substitutes would walk into any side in this division, and that depth is likely to expand in the coming weeks. Grant must use it more judiciously than previously, turning it into an advantage rather than confusion.

Of the players who shone through the November gloom at Field Mill, Radulovic, Charles, and Balker were all surplus to requirements until stepping up very recently, but they were key to a thoroughly satisfying afternoon.

The front two combined superbly, with Radulovic performing more intelligently than ever before and rarely erring, while Charles’ undeniable energy translated into one of the most effective striker performances from anyone this season, as his drought now looks firmly behind him.

With the blossoming partnership of Ledson and Harness, a left side considerably improved by Miller teaming up with Roosken, and the hugely impressive Balker slotting in alongside the potential of Feeney, it felt like watching a team rather than sporadically performing individuals.

A few minutes of early home pressure were easily quelled before the Stags were eviscerated in a devastating spell of quite sublime play which few, if any, divisional rivals could have resisted.

Any thoughts the home side had of imposing themselves dissolved in the fifth minute when Balker strolled unchallenged for a third of the pitch, executed a drag-back to foil the first challenge, and fired a ball into Charles, who fed Roosken on the left. The Dutchman held the ball before laying it into the path of Miller, who delivered a perfect back-post cross for Radulovic to head past a despairing Roberts in the Stags’ goal.

Almost immediately after the opener, Harness robbed a home player and fed Ledson who, in turn, found Wiles, who quickly moved the ball on to Charles. He set up Miller for a shot that was comfortably saved, but the visitors were cranking up their dynamism and a second goal was only minutes away.

Harness again won a midfield battle, again playing the ball to Ledson, who yet again found Wiles. This time Radulovic met the next pass before laying the ball into Charles’ path, and he beat the keeper from around the penalty spot.

The carnage wasn’t over for the shell-shocked hosts, as a great curling ball from Radulovic found Sørensen with acres of space to run into. The Dane’s shot took a deflection that deceived Roberts, but the scintillating visitors fully deserved to be three up.

Indeed, had Miller converted at the end of yet another superb move which he himself started with a scything run up the pitch, had Balker kept a header down from an excellent corner, and had Charles stayed onside to tap in a keeper spill, the scoreline would have been extraordinary.

A spectacular speculative effort by Charles is also worthy of recall.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the 60 minutes that followed such carnage were prosaic in comparison, but it is in that first half-hour where the hopes for Town’s season lie. Exhilarating dynamism thrilled an away support who were not to witness a goal at closer quarters in the second half, but who left entirely satisfied by the promise on display.

It was slightly disappointing to concede a preventable goal midway through the second half, when the otherwise excellent Feeney misjudged a ball and allowed Will Evans to give Mansfield brief hope. It lasted only a few minutes before Goodman picked up an obviously fake injury (the man had one save to make in the whole game) to facilitate a tactical break. This gamesmanship needs stamping out.

Overall, it was a quiet second half. Mansfield, a very decent side at this level, toiled away largely in vain, while a couple of good efforts from Miller and the returning Evans were the closest Town came to removing any vestige of doubt over the result.

An excellent start to an important and challenging week, setting Town right back in the mix—and the growing optimism must now be translated into a good run of results. The ability of this squad to gain momentum was clearly demonstrated in the first 30 minutes of this game; let it be a catalyst for better times.

Town Sink Poor Pilgrims

Sometimes, adversity becomes the mother of invention, and Town’s familiarly dire list of injuries finally forced Lee Grant to make changes that have seemed glaringly obvious for weeks — particularly playing two men up front. After a mensis horribilis in October, an early winter revival may have begun.

It has helped enormously that the first fixtures of the month have been against deliberately weakened opponents in Mansfield, and a Plymouth side whose performance was an insult to the 1,200 Devonians who travelled a long way to witness it.

At least three of Grant’s starting choices were players with no obvious future at the club just a few short weeks ago: the previously less-than-lethal front two and the permanently fragile Balker, while the squad on duty contained a majority from last season’s miserable campaign.

Town, perhaps carrying some momentum from the relatively straightforward dismissal of Mansfield in the Vertu Cup days previously, began on the front foot and forced some early corners. However, it was the visitors who created the first chance of the game, as the recalled Goodman pushed out a decent effort from 25 yards.

That proved to be the high point of the half for the Pilgrims, as they deteriorated precipitously thereafter — posing no threat while appearing increasingly vulnerable to a Town side that hit their straps around the half-hour mark, penning the visitors into a desperate and creaking rearguard action which finally broke after incessant pressure.

Had Town failed to convert their dominance into a half-time lead, scrutiny might have fallen on Wiles, who had two particularly woeful efforts when in decent positions, while Hazard in the Argyle goal made two excellent saves from headers by Feeney and Radulovic.

Harness, looking far more comfortable and creative centrally, saw a good effort scream over the bar before Wiles — after an incisive ball from Harness — and the commendably combative Charles opened up the visiting defence with simple passing, before the latter unselfishly fed Radulovic for an easy but well-worked opener.

A single-goal lead was the least Town deserved for a dominant performance exploiting Plymouth’s nervous lack of confidence.

Balker and the impressive Feeney formed an immediate understanding at the back; Sørensen’s improved form this season continued, and while the Roosken–Miller partnership on the left rather flattered to deceive, the new twin-striker force persistently hassled the visitors into errors and effectively planted doubts.

It was a little concerning that the second half began with Town appearing more conservative than necessary against meagre opponents, but that period quickly passed as the hosts slowly got back into their stride.

A decent opening was created for the much-improved Ledson, but the captain’s effort was skied high before a clever interchange involving Wiles and Charles fell to Miller, whose shot was blocked.

Ashia replaced Miller — who is yet to return to his pre-injury form — and caused multiple problems for the Devon side down the left, including winning the corner from which a flick-on by Radulovic worked its way to Charles, who bagged a thoroughly deserved goal to add to his midweek brace.

The striker’s hushing of the crowd after months of mediocrity was ill-judged, but there is at least the possibility that his Huddersfield career could turn around from this point — though the quality of opposition in the games where he has finally translated work rate into tangible achievement rather urges caution.

Plymouth may have reason to be aggrieved at card-happy referee Stockbridge for Town’s third. Having given them a very soft free kick for a Harness challenge, a more obvious foul on the free kick’s recipient was let go, allowing Charles to feed Ashia — whose now-trademark right-foot curler inevitably found the back of the net with Argyle’s keeper rooted.

Raw as he is — and given that passing to him with his back to goal is generally a fruitless exercise — give him some green space to run into and he can cause havoc. In his short time on the pitch, he had three shots: one which led to the corner for the second, and one which buried the opponent at 3–0.

A late consolation by Tolaj was disappointing but of little consequence.

With another enforced break next weekend, Town have the chance to return a couple of others to fitness (Castledine’s surprise appearance on the bench after a very quick recovery is perhaps the only positive injury news in at least two seasons) and build on this week’s confidence-building wins.

Grant should reflect on the good fortune of having the right decisions rather forced upon him — and against vulnerable opponents — but he shouldn’t be begrudged the opportunity to build on these victories and create the kind of momentum that could rip through this mediocre league.

Grant Exposed

Huddersfield Town’s annual collapse has come a lot earlier than usual this season, with the (admittedly limited) initial promise extinguished before the clocks go back.

Another Kevin Nagle/Jake Edwards managerial appointment is disintegrating before our eyes, as Lee Grant’s inexperience and curious devotion to robotic management-speak are cruelly exposed in a spiral that has been staggeringly rapid.

There doesn’t appear to be any way back for the young boss, with a fanbase thoroughly sick of disastrous decisions that have taken us from a Championship play-off final to mid-table in League One — with a trajectory that currently promises worse, despite a squad that should achieve a top-six place as a minimum.

Arresting a slide in football is not an easy task, as Huddersfield Town’s history tells us, with stabilisation the most difficult to achieve. Nagle and Edwards have overseen some appalling decisions, none of which have even vaguely contributed to a reversal of fortunes; quite the opposite.

Sacking Duff for overseeing an injury-ravaged blip in form and abandoning any hope of reaching the play-offs should go down in the annals of monstrously bad HTFC decisions — but this shouldn’t dissuade them from terminating Grant, though it likely will in their contrarian way.

Facing a side with a terrible away record — including a recent 3–0 defeat at Burton, of all places — going one up during an unusually positive first 15 minutes, and comfortably, if tediously, holding the visitors at bay until injury time, Grant managed to oversee a quite incredible but increasingly predictable defeat.

Bolton, vulnerable in a first half that deteriorated in quality as it went on, were let off the hook by an inept Town attack featuring a ponderous Taylor and the criminally wasted, out-of-position May — posing little and diminishing threat.

Over-cautious and lacking bravery or thrust, Town relied on the occasional foray forward by Roosken. Sadly, his industry — including containing Bolton’s best player — eventually exhausted him, and his removal from the pitch proved portentous.

In that first 15 minutes, Town attacked with good intent, forcing corners and putting the visitors on the back foot.

A goal-bound May effort slammed into Taylor, who couldn’t get out of the way, and the striker had another effort blocked before a good corner delivery by Roosken cleared the first defender for once and was headed home very well by Castledine.

That early lead seemed to weigh on the shoulders of both management and team, as they got progressively worse as the half went on and never looked like adding to their score to dishearten a vulnerable opponent.

Nicholls was called upon to make a hugely important save late in the half when Cozier-Duberry finally got the better of Roosken and played in Forrs, who shot too close to the keeper.

It was a sign that Bolton had a lot more to them than they had shown up to the break, while Town’s withdrawal into themselves with the comfort of a lead became ever more evident.

The second half was a tactical disaster on all sorts of levels from Town’s beleaguered young manager, as his team gradually but perceptibly faded in the face of a side growing in confidence and sensing blood.

Despite a good performance, on the whole, from the back four, the Ledson–Kasumu axis failed yet again in a malfunctioning midfield largely starved of the ball by their increasingly tenacious opponents.

Pushed deeper and deeper, Town’s coherence was already creaking when Grant made the quite ludicrous decision to replace Taylor with Dion Charles, who just a short time ago was assumed to have no future at the club.

Miller also made a welcome return but could add nothing to the team other than join in the attempt to suppress Bolton’s star turn — an effort completely upended when the exhausted Roosken had to leave the field and was replaced by Roughen, who couldn’t cope with the threat.

Nicholls went down with a mystery injury on 75 minutes to allow for a break and managerial instructions, which was probably not the brightest of moves. Bolton’s players and staff couldn’t have helped noticing that three or four Town players were trying to stretch out aching limbs, sending further encouragement to the by-now entirely dominant Trotters.

While the equaliser was very, very late, it was no surprise at all. Cozier-Duberry was by now menacing Town’s new left side and delivered a great cross to the back post, which was guided in by Daley past a helpless Nicholls.

It was the least the visitors deserved, despite how late it came for them. They had a reasonable penalty appeal turned down when Nicholls seemed to collide with McAtee, having been played in by Conway, who had sliced through several failed challenges to set up the opportunity — and they dominated the ball against tiring Town legs.

A disappointed and increasingly disgruntled crowd had just digested the loss of two points when the other one was seized in front of their disbelieving eyes.

As a Town attack broke down, Bolton broke into prairie-level open spaces, culminating in Burstow releasing Cozier-Duberry to fire past Nicholls, who got an upper arm to the effort but couldn’t deflect the ball enough.

Bolton’s adventure and bravery — epitomised when they grabbed the ball out of the net to go again after the equaliser — delivered a crushing blow to Grant, his knackered team, and a half-empty ground still waiting for the front-foot style promised by Nagle’s flippant “Northern football” nonsense, bizarrely latched upon by Town’s communications people.

Patience is now exhausted, and while it is doubtful that Nagle and Edwards will take timely action given their past performances, it is time to admit their huge error in giving a novice manager not only the job but also extensive power and influence.

There seems no end to Town’s travails — despite, and probably because of, the constant changes they have made. While it seems counterintuitive to make yet more changes, they surely must.

Same Old Song

Concern has turned to worry at the Accu Stadium as the 25/26 season begins to mirror last season’s unacceptable disaster.

A promising start is dissolving, with goals drying up, injuries mounting, and the proportion of last year’s losers starting games becoming alarmingly high.

What felt like a different era — with a bright, if raw, manager and new players finally replacing the despised squads of the past couple of seasons — is in danger of turning very sour on impact with the better sides of this division. And Burton.

Completely outplayed by a well-drilled, committed and relentless Stockport side — who were arguably even better with ten men — Town’s dismal display elicited well-deserved and worrying opprobrium from a gaslit crowd waiting for the millions spent to translate into a team remotely resembling title challengers.

Other than Feeney and Nicholls, who did their jobs efficiently and to the best of their ability, the same team that had claimed three points in Devon last week simply didn’t function as a unit. Grant, increasingly looking out of his depth, refused to make obvious changes to personnel or tactics until it was far too late.

He isn’t helped by the thinning of his squad through injury over the past few weeks, but it’s hard not to think that a more experienced manager would cope much better — with his in-game management looking passive at best and petrified at worst.

In theory, playing three creative players behind May or Taylor with two holding midfielders should provide a solid platform to control games, but from the first minutes nothing was going right for Castledine, who looks entirely stifled out wide. Harness blows far too hot and cold, and Wiles’s sporadic prompting has been a feature for far too long.

Ledson’s form is far too poor to be ignored, while Kasumu’s energy was largely wasted by a chronic lack of movement around and in front of him.

All the while, the visitors’ superior organisation, team coherence and all-round nous reduced Town to a panicked, fumbling mess in a dreadful first-half performance.

Several good opportunities were spurned by the Hatters, with Nicholls called upon to make a couple of largely routine saves and Feeney making a last-ditch recovering tackle to deny Andressen.

In slick conditions, County were winning each individual battle and restricted Town to a Wiles effort following a rare half-decent move — which was chest-blocked — and a Harness drive from an acute angle which nearly knocked over the visiting keeper with its ferocity but lacked accuracy.

Town’s typically subdued first-half performance — now a feature — appeared to be heading towards a stalemate until a soft free kick was given against Feeney, which Norwood floated, not particularly dangerously, into the area. Stupidly, the strangely out-of-sorts Low tugged on an opposition shirt to concede an obvious penalty.

Norwood, a regular tormentor since his departure so many years ago, expertly despatched the spot-kick and Town deservedly went in behind, unable on this occasion to escape punishment for another weak first half.

Improvement in the second half seemed inevitable, rising from a very low base again, and Town were handed what to others would be a lifeline — but for the Terriers is always a dead weight — when Onyango was dismissed for accumulating two yellow cards in the space of a few minutes.

Incredibly, Stockport continued to look far more dangerous than their disjointed, seemingly bewildered hosts and had good chances thwarted by an excellent block from Nicholls and a desperate saving tackle by Kasumu before finally — and deservedly — doubling their lead when Bailey curled an excellent finish into the top corner.

Baffling substitutions followed, with Sorensen, who had been largely competent, being replaced like-for-like by Gooch, and Radulovic, rather than Taylor, seeing the end of the afternoon for the wretched Castledine — who looks entirely miserable out wide — shortly after the Chelsea loanee spurned a straightforward chance from close range which could have changed the dynamics of the game.

By the time Radulovic reduced the arrears late on with a decent header from a Gooch corner, Town’s scramble for a face-saving point picked up for the final moments. But the latter stages were most notable for Alfie May’s remonstrations first with Low after Stockport’s second goal, and then with Grant after Radulovic’s — with a vociferous suggestion that a defender be added up front for height.

Town’s previous failure at Blackpool against ten men was notable for Grant’s apparent lack of innovation away from the coaching manual — sticking a big fellow up front. May apparently remembered that omission; Grant did not.

The arguments were presumably born of May’s frustration at sometimes having to come back 50 yards for a touch of the ball, and the inability of the manager and his teammates to create even a single chance for one of the lower leagues’ most lethal marksmen.

Calls for Grant to be sacked, while premature and oblivious to the deep-rooted problems and instability caused by knee-jerk decisions — including the massive error made in dismissing his predecessor — are still another concern at a club which should be stamping its mark on this division with the investment made.

Educated, articulate and qualified up to his eyebrows, Grant is the football hipster’s dream — but his inability to waver from the manual is becoming worryingly restrictive.

It’s true that he can point to a growing injury list, but that only deprives him of a depth most clubs in League One would view as luxurious.

A thoroughly depressing day — watching a very well-run club, with a manager of significant longevity, easily brush aside our misfiring team — felt like a turning point.

It’s now up to Grant, his staff and the squad to revitalise during the enforced break ahead of them and get back on track.

We thought this season was different. It’s increasingly the very same.

Dominance Rewarded

Though unnecessarily fraught at the end of a game which could have been resolved several times over, Town’s much-improved energy and intent deservedly delivered three points away from home for the first time since Reading.

Sprinkled with several very good performances, the victory was built on an aggression largely absent from the drab home draw with Burton, with the spurning of multiple chances being the only real negative of a fruitful trip to Devon.

Despite a good effort by Castledine which curled past the far post in a precursor of what was to come, Town started sloppily in the first 15 minutes, and it was the hosts who should have opened the scoring when the visitors lost possession. A good ball into Magennis was expertly brought down by the striker to create a chance he rather inexpertly put wide.

The let-off seemed to inspire the Terriers, who proceeded to dominate the game with a first-half display which could have resulted in a healthy lead. But not only did they go to the break with just a single-goal advantage, they suffered a scare at the end of the half when an Exeter equaliser was harshly ruled offside.

As it was, the advantage was secured by a fine Castledine strike which, unlike his earlier effort, found the target off the post with the rather diminutive home keeper well beaten.

Exeter couldn’t say they hadn’t been warned, though Roosken’s dummy run created a slight hesitancy which gave Castledine an extra moment to evade any block of his excellent effort, which satisfyingly clipped the post on its way in.

The goal had been coming, with Town imposing themselves on their lowly opponents after the early scare. With Kasumu and Harness prominent, Sorensen an increasing threat down the right, and the movement and hard work of May and Wiles creating spaces, superiority was established.

Harness fired over with an instinctive shot following good work by Sorensen, who himself came close after stripping a couple of defenders before menacingly attacking the area. His technique was slightly awry, and his shot curled away from rather than into the goal.

Wiles was also guilty of a poor miss, dragging his shot wide when played in, while—perhaps most surprising of all—May crashed a very presentable chance over the bar following another excellent move.

The late scare before half-time was a timely reminder that the lead was fragile. While Exeter had rarely been in the game since their own early miss, the home side was always going to create a chance or two.

Shortly after half-time, Nicholls was called upon to make a very good save from a rasping drive following a neat move by the Grecians. Town were going to have to earn their points.

What followed was encouraging and frustrating in equal parts.

More chances came and went, with the most egregious being Wiles’ failure to head home from a few yards out with only the keeper to beat.

Sorensen, who has grown into the season rather promisingly despite still displaying some defensive frailties, had attempts blocked, the unfortunate May saw a shot deflected on to the bar, and substitute Taylor should have done much better than shooting wide when played in by May.

All the while, the growing fear that the profligacy would bite the Terriers’ collective posterior gnawed at the away supporters, who had a close-up view of the hosts’ late rally. It ultimately came to nothing but was concerning nonetheless.

The modest four minutes of injury time were largely played in Town’s half, and a couple of corners threatened their lead but were relatively easily negotiated, and a very welcome away win was secured.

Setting a growing injury list to one side—and there were one or two niggles in this game which may cause concern, including one for the quietly impressive Ledson—there was much to be enthused about in the performance, even if slightly dulled by the poor conversion rate.

At the back, Feeney was imperious and barely put a foot wrong, while the masked Roosken looked far more comfortable at left-back and got forward well at times.

Ledson and Kasumu formed an aggressive and effective partnership in midfield, allowing the attacking players the platform to play, once the hesitancy and poor passing of the first 15 minutes subsided.

Nicholls’ save, his distribution, and overall control of his area vindicated Grant’s decision to keep him in place, as he begins to resemble the keeper we knew a few seasons ago.

Exeter look a little doomed, and defeating the community-owned club with our budget should be placed in context, but this was the best league performance for some time and keeps the team well in touch as another set of more challenging games approach.

The Big Yawn

Relentless, metronomic, and efficient, Manchester City brushed aside a committed but hopelessly outclassed Huddersfield Town in a yawn-inducing encounter that ended the Terriers’ unusually long League Cup involvement for another year.

City’s domination of the ball, particularly in a disappointingly bland first half, made for a largely bloodless, sterile contest. It might have been improved had someone in blue and white crunched into a smug counterpart to lift the spirits of a home crowd dulled by the inevitable.

Connoisseurs of the modern game were no doubt purring at the sight of hugely talented elite players passing their inferior opponents into submission, while those of us of a certain age bemoaned the absence of an underdog’s relish for a scalp.

It may have helped Town’s cause to have selected someone up front other than fifth-choice striker Charles, who ran around without influencing the game even as a nuisance and posed not the slightest threat. But Exeter awaits.

The passivity of the Terriers quietened a crowd swelled by Premier League enthusiasts, and this was not helped by the necessary sacrifice of the South Stand to a noisy away support. The absence of hostility, on and off the pitch, gave the first half the air of an exhibition match as City strolled through with stark superiority.

For all their possession and quality, however, the visitors lacked penetration for much of the first period. They eventually took the lead through a strike by Foden worthy of any stage, arrowing a left-footed shot from outside the area beyond a helpless Nicholls after a neat one-two.

Town’s only attack of note before the break saw Wiles break into the box to take a Redmond ball in his stride, only to fire it a little too enthusiastically across the area. Sorensen, the nearest to making contact, was beaten by the pace.

Deservedly ahead at the break having barely broken sweat, City had established the gulf in class, and with their opponent suitably cowed, their tranquil path to the next round looked inevitable.

That journey was never truly threatened in a slightly more entertaining second half, though Town put up a little more of a fight despite being relentlessly pinned into their own half for long stretches.

Nicholls, solid throughout, made one excellent save to deny O’Reilly’s attempted chip when clean through, and was well positioned to make three or four other routine stops.

He was entirely helpless, however, to prevent a rasping drive from Savinho around the three-quarter mark. Having thwarted City for the first half-hour of the second period with a mix of accomplished and desperate defending, it was disappointing to leave the Brazilian international with so much space near goal—but the strike was devastatingly good.

If the tie had ever been in doubt, it was now over. Still, Town at least showed more ambition. Before the second goal sealed their fate, a good free-kick delivery saw Murray head wide when unmarked, while Redmond shot over from a good position after another set-piece header had been won in the box.

Cameron Ashia came on as a late substitute and immediately changed the dynamic down the left with a couple of promising carries, before curling an excellent effort against the post—the hosts’ highlight of a largely disappointing night.

Loaded with high-quality internationals—and Kalvin Phillips—City completed their task against opponents who never truly decided how to compete and, in the end, paid heavily for over-caution, though it could be argued that a bolder approach would only have brought an even heavier price.

Defensively, there was much to admire about the resilience, concentration, and discipline required to restrict such a quality-laden City. Feeney, in particular, stood out, while Nicholls surely tightened his grip on the keeper’s jersey.

As a spectacle, the game lacked the thrills usually hoped for in a David v Goliath contest. There was no chance for the underdog to unsettle petrostate-funded talent, and Grant’s team selection rather betrayed that his eyes were on Devon rather than on making it to the next round with another higher-league scalp.

A win on Saturday would more than compensate.