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For some years now, our envious eyes have stared over the Pennines at a club built on spirit, togetherness and bloody minded grit under the guidance of a tough, honest manager and without the need to spend obscene amounts of money.

Burnley’s wholly admirable rise, which included a relegation which strengthened rather than weakened them, gave hope to smaller clubs and while Town’s path has been stylistically different, the core elements have been identical.

For several decades, a top flight clash between the Clarets and the Terriers was laughably fanciful. Both have spent time in the bottom division – Burnley nearly went further down than that – and the stench of failure hung around clubs built on distant glories.

The carefully packaged and sanitised Premier League and the global following it seduces may have shivered at the very thought of such a fixture, and the largely rudimentary contest which ensued will only increase their disdain, but people who understand and appreciate the history of the English game will applaud the gatecrashing it represents. If nothing else, football fans are iconoclastic in nature.

A tough, uncompromising battle was hugely predictable. Since the unusual opening day results for both teams, scoring has become more difficult and commendable and identical points tallies have been built principally on defence.

At Turf Moor, Burnley have coped with the loss of Keane to Everton relatively easily while in Christopher Schindler, Town have a central defender for whom hyperbole is becoming increasingly redundant.

With both sides keenly aware that the fixture represented an opportunity to gain advantage in a likely scrap towards the bottom of the division (even if this proves not to be the case, it would be ridiculous to ignore the strong possibility), free flowing football was necessarily at a premium and, too often, both sides resorted to inelegant clearing of danger and too many simple errors were made for a classic to ensue.

Two early bookings for Sabiri and Cork set the tone of the game, with no quarter asked or given. With Town hungry to wrestle the title of pluckiest team in the League from their Lancastrian neighbours and the home side jealously guarding it, the first quarter passed with little incident. Setting a standard which would be maintained throughout, Burnley were caught offside from the delivery of a free kick and both sides were awarded corners from which no danger was created.

On Town’s right, however, Wood was winning every duel with Zanka and the home side were targeting the weakness relentlessly without developing the play further. However, it was the right side of Town’s defence which was bypassed too easily by Scott Arfield combining with Ward to supply a great cross for Wood. Fortunately, the Kiwi – playing the useful role of pantomime villain for obvious reasons – mistimed his header when in front of goal. He really should have scored.

Without threatening the goal further, Burnley were on top in the first half and Town were grateful for a magnificent clearance from the imperious Schindler following another dismantling of Town’s right sided defenders.

Much of Burnley’s other offensive efforts floundered when confronted by the omnipresent Schindler. If there has been a finer central defensive performance by a Town centre half (going all the way back to Cherry) it is very difficult to recall. Magnificent both in the air and on the floor, Zanka could afford to have an indifferent 45 minutes – he was much better after the break – and the €1.8M paid to 1860 Munich has to be the most ridiculous under valuation in Town’s history.

A long range shot from Kachunga was all Town had to show for a first half when promising play invariably dissolved in the final third. Sabiri shows a lot of promise but his probing came to nought as Burnley defended threats with some comfort.

The intensity of the midfield battle muted Mooy and Ince made too many simple mistakes to exert any influence, though both were defensively sound, along with Kachunga.

Devoid of artistry or inspiration, the contest was nevertheless reasonably absorbing if only to see if the home side could lay a glove on the outstanding Schindler. They couldn’t.

A much better second half saw Burnley regress and Town find their attacking feet. Wood was largely anonymous, poor passing increased and they began to wobble a little defensively as Ince exerted more influence and Mooy found more space and time.

An early corner saw Smith shoot over before an excellent and penetrating run at the heart of Burnley’s defence saw Ince releasing Depoitre to his left only for the Belgian to hit a side footed shot too close to Pope who saved easily. Last week’s scorer could have taken another stride or two in to the box but, at least, the visitors had recorded the first attempt on target by either side.

Town took a stranglehold on proceedings for sustained periods but still struggled to trouble the home defence often enough. Burnley, hardly irresistibly progressive in the first half, mustered a couple of weak efforts towards the under employed Lössl, and a goal seemed as far away as ever.

On the hour, Town replaced Sabiri with Van La Parra who brought an extra dimension to the attack, particularly for Mooy who used him both directly and as a decoy. Feigning to progress an attack down the left, Mooy switched inside to find the increasingly influential Ince, who had been moved to the number 10 role, and his shot went narrowly wide having beaten Pope.

Minutes later, Van La Parra broke in to the area, skipped past Lowton and inexplicably and unforgivably fell over when barely touched, to provide the pundits with a talking point for the post match deliberations (and in the absence of much else).

Having righteously poured down opprobrium on Forestieri over the years for his antics, it was enormously disheartening for Town fans to be confronted with the cheating by one of their own. It was impossible to disagree with Sean Dyche’s angry assessment of the act (as opposed to the player himself) after the game and it was far from lost on the visiting fans that Van La Parra could easily have set up a goal had he stayed on his feet with both Depoitre and Kachunga in the box.

That an act of dishonesty sullied an otherwise hard but fair contest between two teams who make a virtue of their humble status was sadly ironic. Wagner is a man of transparent values and will deal with the situation internally. Hopefully, we will not see a repeat.

Van La Parra made the last meaningful contribution to the game with a run and shot – inevitably, he was supplied by a great cross field ball by Mooy – which Pope made a meal of and nearly spilled to Kachunga.

With Burnley shut down by Schindler and his defensive colleagues – in the second half, we also saw the quiet, strong efficiency of Hogg mopping up all over the back line which augurs well for when he gets back to full fitness – Town should have made more of the opportunities they created and the lack of goals is a worry in light of the formidable opposition lying in wait.

However, and for all the mockery the game will attract, there were moments to admire in and amongst a dour battle even if the dive left a sour taste.

But most of all, the game will be remembered for the sublime Schindler. Rarely hurried, the German tackled and blocked with effortless efficiency, snuffed out Burnley’s aerial threat and commanded the back four with supreme authority. Add his intelligence on the ball and the fear that predators may well be watching starts to grow – ridiculous prices have been paid for centre halves in recent times (Stones, Keane and the aborted bids for Van Dirk) – and for a newly promoted club to keep clean sheets in two thirds of their games will increase curiosity and scrutiny.

With Spurs, Liverpool and Manchester United on the horizon, Town face a daunting task to maintain their elevated position in the League but a point at Turf Moor could prove vital in the longer run and the so called “purists” can sod off.

 

 

 

 

2016 Premier League champions Leicester City provided the latest challenge to a Town side which emerged a little chastened from their clash with West Ham having failed to match David Wagner’s high standards though, on reflection, the performance perhaps didn’t merit as much vitriol as it received.

Of the 3 changes made for the visit of the Foxes, Depoitre’s debut was enforced by the injury to Mounié while Van La Parra’s relegation to the bench was tactical, allowing Sabiri to take his bow in the 10 role and Ince move out to the left.

In the least surprising change, Billing made way for the more industrious and powerful Williams to add greater urgency against a side noted for their tenacity.

The debuts ranged from very good to excellent. Sabiri has great potential – while not everything he tried came to full fruition, he looks elegant, quick and skilful and looks very capable of filling the hole left by Palmer’s hopefully short term injury.

Depoitre bullied Leicester’s central defenders from the off, particularly Harry Maguire, scored an excellent goal and bustled around like a latter day Kindon before fading a little towards the end.

The laurels, however, belonged to Williams. Covering huge acreage, his tackling and aerial challenges contributed significantly to subduing the visitors’ obvious threats while, on the ball, his carrying in to opposition territory was often incisive and allowed the excellent Mooy more freedom to dictate play.

Town started brightly and a good move, instigated by Depoitre’s tenacity just inside Leicester’s half ended with the Belgian heading in to Schmeichel’s hands.

In the face of Town’s energy, Leicester struggled to make an impact on the game for long periods though the home side had to be ever wary of Mahrez’s sublime artistry (once he looks interested) and Iheanacho’s awareness of space.

In and amongst Town’s domination of an exciting and breathless first half, Vardy’s only contribution of note was an attempted lob late on which went wide while a free kick from a dangerous position following a Schindler transgression was wasted by Mahrez.

For the majority of the half, Leicester had to defend with increasing desperation though Town couldn’t find another attempt on target after Depoitre’s early header despite some eye catching build up play orchestrated by Mooy, who was everywhere around the pitch.

Yet again, the atmosphere was superb. For all the chagrin about clappers, all four sides of the stadium join in the beat of enthusiasm and add hugely to the enjoyment of the spectacle. The visitors were clappered to their 2016 triumph, and will probably empathise with Town’s initiative.

Town had rediscovered their pressing mojo and lesser sides than Leicester – and there will be quite a few – will buckle under the intensity the Terriers can create. More and better chances need to be fashioned when on top, which was also the case against Southampton, but if there were legitimate concerns that the usual qualities of Wagner’s sides were largely missing on Monday, the first half swiftly dispelled them.

The second half was less frantic though no less enthralling. Leicester kicked off but were soon pressed out of possession with the ball reaching Sabidi, who hooked the ball forwards towards Depoitre. It wasn’t his most subtle intervention during the game but proved his most effective as the Belgian let the ball run down the side of him, shrugged off the attentions of Maguire and swept an excellent finish past Schmeichel’s despairing dive.

After all the huffing and puffing of the first half, compelling as it was, the direct route unlocked the visitors’ defence with some ease and Depoitre’s run and finish were executed with precision and strength.

The relief at the goal turned to despair minutes later, however. Imbibed by a new sense of urgency, Leicester responded straight from the restart and Town’s focus seemed momentarily lost. A ball reached Andy King who pushed it past a slightly mistimed Löwe tackle which he willingly fell over, just inside the box. It was a massive shame for the much improved German who had put the tribulations of the Olympic stadium behind him, but there was no argument about the decision.

Vardy, who had been well shackled by the ever excellent Schindler and Zanka, blasted the penalty past Lössl for an ill deserved equaliser. Rather oddly, and in the place of celebration, the England centre forward got hold of the ball and smacked it skyward, earning some boos from an unimpressed home support.

To their credit, Town quickly regained composure. A good run by the much improved Kachunga, another under performer against the Hammers, lead to a snap shot from Zanka which Schmeichel turned over the bar, before the provider was denied a goal by a desperately marginal decision by the linesman.

It was Zanka again who had shot goal ward following a weaving run in the box by Ince which Kachunga nudged in from close range. Video evidence suggested that Kachunga was level and should have been given the striker’s benefit of the doubt, but in real time and with the naked eye, the linesman’s spontaneous reaction was wholly understandable, if hugely disappointing.

Leicester got back in to the game after their close call and Vardy was guilty of a shocking miss when in front of goal, alone but unable to connect with a low cross from the increasingly influential Mahrez.

The Algerian is a joy to watch when he decides to play. A magician with the ball at his feet, he regularly eluded Town challenges with feints and movement that are mesmerising.

His growing presence may have influenced Wagner’s substitutions with Quaner replacing Kachunga and the welcome sight of a Hogg return to replace the highly promising Sabiri adding some steel.

Despite a more conservative line up – Mooy was pushed further forward – Town had two further chances to take all 3 points. A great cross by the Australian maestro found the space between defenders and goalkeeper only for Quaner to contrive not to connect by trying to let it run on to his right foot rather than strike with his left.

A curling Ince effort had his childhood friend in the Leicester goal scrambling, but a winner was not to be.

Leicester, whose performance was largely lacklustre in the face of Town’s persistent pressing, were much improved after the break but will feel that the point they took back down the M1 is a good one. A late penalty appeal when Gray fell over when nudged by Zanka caused some momentary consternation, but Jon Moss waived it away.

Mooy and Mahrez apart, the contest lacked genuinely high quality but engrossed to the end as Town, once again, showed that they can compete against established Premier League sides – entertaining as it was, the day was also tinged with a little regret that the home side didn’t get the 3 points they probably deserved.

However, there were big positives to be taken. The team had bounced back from their London travails, the debutants were all effective performers who can be fully trusted to play their part during the season and a capacity crowd left happy with the endeavour, entertainment and energy of their team.

A bruising, tough and important Turf Moor date is on the horizon; a game which presents an entirely different set of challenges to work upon but Town can go in to the game with confidence (as Burnley will after their excellent Anfield point).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Olympic, or London stadium is a magnificent sports arena. Filled with people cheering on athletes running, jumping and throwing in 2012, and since, the hairs at the back of the neck quotient is off the scale.

Set in a magnificent East London space – the walk up is genuinely impressive – the possibilities of it as a Premier League stage must have been enticing to the owners of West Ham United, irrespective of the controversy surrounding the public’s benevolence, but it simply doesn’t work.

Other than some PA inspired chanting, the home supporters – probably sensing the discordance of their new amphitheatre – were largely subdued despite a rugged and committed display by their under pressure heroes.

What makes it easy to tie the venue to the lack of atmosphere is the well earned reputation of the Hammers’ fans who are undoubtedly passionate, rowdy and proud; who can forget their performance when 5-0 down to Forest in a FA Cup semi final all those years ago?

The visiting support did its very best to create noise, relentlessly cheering on their misfiring team despite the shortcomings and defeat. It should be said that these are extraordinary times for Huddersfield Town – if we can’t be excited in current circumstances, it’s hard to know when we would be. Nevertheless, under Wagner, the connection between club, players and supporters is exceptional, even when things don’t go our way.

Despite West Ham’s problems, and this game may, and only may, be the beginning of resolving them, they retain significant talent in their squad and some pre match musings by pundits and fans alike seemed way over the top and ignorant of the fact that Town’s unexpected early success included more than a few slices of good fortune.

One of these was playing opponents in varying states of distress. While this also applied to Monday night’s opposition, the context of the Hammers having to play their first 3 matches away from home – that damned stadium being the cause of the problem – was too often lost in the anticipation. The result in the North East was, admittedly, a little alarming for East Enders, but many teams will suffer as badly at the hands of Manchester United and the Southampton reverse was more than a little unlucky.

A disappointing first half saw Town fortunate to still be level. With the aerial threat of Carroll – often performed with unpunished over physicality – the pace and power of Antonio and the poaching threat of Hernandez, the hosts tested the Terriers defence to near destruction but failed to capitalise on their overwhelming control.

Löwe, so impressive in Town’s early season success, was tormented by Antonio who stripped the German with alarming ease at times and posed a recurrent and potent threat which kept the visitors under huge pressure for much of the first 45 minutes.

Zanka and Schindler, at least as dependable as Löwe in the opening three games, strained to control Carroll’s menace. Unimpeded by a hugely tolerant and laughably one sided referee, the Geordie front man provided a massive focus point for the Londoners, while his counterpart Mounié was starved of service and isolated to the point of anonymity.

In rare periods when the hosts’ pressure eased, Town’s possession was laboured and often inaccurate. Mooy provided some moments of customary elegance but was largely subdued and Billing, while providing decent defensive support never found his passing range and was hounded far too often – while the Dane has shown he can add a touch of quality when Town control a game, the visitors needed more steel in the face of West Ham’s energy.

With the home side failing to convert superiority in to a deserved lead – an early Carroll cross, all be it possible after a clear push on Schindler, narrowly evaded both defenders and attackers when just a touch was needed, Hernandez crashed a shot against the bar after being found by Antonio who had cruised past Löwe and a miscue by Kouyaté – Town extended their perfect defensive record beyond 300 minutes.

While the block outs have been occasionally charmed, it is, nevertheless, a huge achievement and towards the end of a torrid first half, Town began to twitch in to life with Ince being freed to shoot only for an additional, unnecessary, touch allowing a defender to block his effort.

The visitors improved in the second half, spending a little more time on the front foot, but were unable to sustain any sort of intensity. West Ham looked less dangerous and hope flickered that under increasing psychological pressure they may buckle enough for the Terriers to take advantage.

It wasn’t to be as fluency largely deserted the Yorkshiremen, and the previously redundant home defence barely looked troubled.

Löwe’s night of torment was cut short when he was replaced by the more progressive Malone, but not before he made a hugely important tackle on the halfway line to halt a dangerous counter attack. It should also be noted that the left back departed the field when the game was goalless.

Malone did, however, add impetus to attack and by the time the home side took the lead with a huge slice of fortune, he had helped Town look slightly more threatening. As we have seen in the past, if a Wagner team stay in the game they can be very dangerous as time goes on and there was a perceptible shift in the balance of power after the hour mark.

The admittedly mild resurgence came to a halt on 72 minutes. Obiang found himself in a little more space than the visitors had generally allowed in the second half and swung a boot for a shot that was either going wide or relatively routine for Lössl only for it hit Zanka’s back, take a huge and wrong footing deflection and turn in to a perfectly placed strike beyond Lössl’s fingertips.

After over five and a half hours of Premier League football, the Dane was finally beaten and by a huge slice of misfortune. 5 minutes later, substitute Ayew (who had replaced Hernandez to the loud disapproval of the home support) doubled the lead when Town failed to clear yet another corner.

Town’s largely unconvincing second half revival was halted before it could, perhaps, have gained momentum though a snapshot from Ince following good work by Mooy rattled the bar late on.

With the game in the bag, the home support, bizarrely, started to disappear. Swathes of empty seats perhaps pointed to the problems of getting home from the stadium, but those who had much longer journeys in front of them stayed to applaud the efforts of a team suffering its first top flight setback.

In contrast to previous regimes, Wagner refused to hide behind excuses for his team’s display. He could have followed the anodyne reactions of his predecessors with talk of a brave battle or point to a very home friendly referee who indulged Carroll while punishing every minor Town transgression to aid the home team’s momentum, but concentrated on his own team’s evident shortcomings. Even had Town’s insipid resurgence in a better second half resulted in a point or, less realistically, a narrow win, his message would have been similar. The man doesn’t suffer fools or allow his charges off the hook when the occasion merits.

Vulnerable down the flanks, particularly against the stand out home performer Antonio, Town were indebted to their central defenders – Schindler in particular who compensated for Carroll’s aerial superiority after the first quarter of an hour – for a fortune laden clean sheet in the first half.

Up front, Mounié was isolated and entirely ineffective, though he had precious little service. It is becoming worrying that since his opening day brace, the record signing has barely had a chance to add to his tally.

In midfield, Town needed a more physical presence than Billing. It was a little surprising that Williams stayed on the bench, and the return of Hogg can’t come soon enough to revive his partnership with Mooy.

West Ham thoroughly deserved their win, as Wagner acknowledged, and while drastic surgery isn’t necessary just yet, changes to the team at the weekend seem likely as Town face recent fairy tale champions Leicester in another tough assignment.

With Palmer injured, it wouldn’t be surprising if Sabiri gets a run out, while Tommy Smith hasn’t recaptured last year’s form and may be vulnerable to a debut from Hadergjonaj.

Whatever the line up, Wagner will demand a significant improvement and a return to the level which made his team competitive – if this is achieved, a scrappy midweek defeat will soon be forgotten.

 

A pulsating, thoroughly entertaining encounter with a talented, if slightly underwhelming Southampton side, ended goalless as both sides missed out on very presentable opportunities in stifling conditions at the JSS.

The south coast club, who have graced the Premier League since their rise from League 1 with no little style, represented a significant step up in quality over Town’s previous two opponents, even if their early season form seems to have been affected by having to adapt to a new manager as they try to rediscover their customary flair.

A messy and very fortunate League cup win over Rotherham by the shadow squad – ultimately pushed over the line by the introduction of Billing – gave David Wagner few reasons to change the eleven who beat Newcastle, and with the two new arrivals still to be bedded in, there were no changes to the bench either.

A relatively mundane opening 10 minutes saw the two teams sizing each other up, but the tone of the match was set by the visitors after the initial sparring when the excellent Davis set Redmond away down the left behind a square Town defence playing him just onside. Perhaps aware of Lössl’s size and reach, the ex-Norwich man curled his shot past the far post, and Town were let off the hook.

Roared on by a raucous, almost hysterically excited home support, Town then largely took over with their trademark aggression and intensity.

Prompted by Mooy and Billing, Town took the game to the Saints down left and right and opportunities began to flow. Kachunga, hard working as ever, and Van La Parra, mercurial and occasionally frustrating as ever, stretched Southampton down the flanks and dangerous balls in to the box seemed certain to open the door.

A combination of excellent blocking by the stretched Saints’ defence, Forster’s enormous frame and slightly tentative finishing kept the visitors’ goal intact. In a single minute, first Kachunga and then Mounié were denied as Town’s crowd inspired intensity strained the resilience of Southampton without breaking it.

The best chance fell to Kachunga, however, when Forster weirdly spilled a routine cross in to his path. Sadly, the ball fell to his weaker left foot and the idiosyncratic England understudy was able to deflect his effort for a corner.

Tom Ince, slowly increasing his effectiveness game by game, brought another, rather odd, save from Forster as he cleverly hit a Smith assist first time and by the end of the half, the southerners had been comprehensively rattled and fortunate to be still in the game, Redmond’s miss notwithstanding.

Faced with a clear step up in class of opponent, Town had met the challenge with gusto if not goals. Defensively sound – the early scare aside – and thrillingly offensive, the Terriers harnessed the exceptional atmosphere to rattle a team who will, if their supporters give the new manager time and resolve their obvious scoring problem, challenge at the top of the Premier League’s unofficial second tier.

Pellegrino, who angered the visiting fans by withdrawing the ineffective Gabbiadini halfway through the second half, reacted positively to the problems Town were causing his team by reducing Mooy’s influence and his team were much improved after the break, causing Town problems with smart possession and better transition.

An injury to Van La Parra eventually forced him from the game, allowing Palmer to take over the number 10 role with Ince moving wide and the Chelsea loanee added more power in the centre in an encouragingly improved display.

Danny Williams replaced the fading Billing shortly afterwards – on the hour – and positively contributed to a game which had changed at the turn around as Southampton began to assert their quality more effectively.

A weak attempt by Gabbiadini, who shot straight at Lössl when in a good position, encouraged the visitors who began to control the game through possession.

Town were far from out of the contest, however, with Mounié heading over from a good Smith cross and shots from Ince and Mooy being blocked and wide respectively.

The visitors brought on Shane Long to try to add some guile up front, but Town defended well as the pressure increased – Zanka and Schindler’s partnership continues to flourish, even if the former’s longer attempts at distribution remain wasteful, and Löwe was, yet again, outstanding.

With the game ebbing and flowing between two determined sides intent on snatching victory, good build up play by the home side could not repeat the quality of their first half chances while the visitors’ menace was less than frightening until the final 10 minutes as home legs wilted in the heat.

First, Zanka stopped substitute Ward-Prowse in the area without appearing to touch the ball – penalty appeals were waived away by the excellent referee, Atwell, and subsequent viewings showed it to be a good decision.

Then Redmond spurned another shooting chance by curling his shot too close to Lössl who competently saved to his left, before the best chance of the half was thankfully spurned by the visitors.

Long, who had substituted Gabbiadini to the boos of the visiting supporters, got behind Town’s defence and picked out the raiding Bertrand, only for the full back’s poor header to be cleared off the line by Tommy Smith.

The full time whistle couldn’t come soon enough for the home side who, nevertheless, were entirely deserving of the point which took them, if only for a couple of hours, back to the top of the table.

The influence of the home support, which was astonishingly loud throughout, should not be underestimated – the energy emanating from the stands both in response to events on the pitch but also as encouragement when things (inevitably, given the quality of opposition) start to go awry, is an extra dimension we have rarely witnessed at the stadium and an essential factor of the Wagner revolution expertly harnessed by the man himself.

Southampton, despite being a little under par in this particular period, represented a huge challenge to a largely reconstructed Town side who have plenty of room for improvement themselves.

A relatively kind fixture list has helped Town to enter the international break in a Champions League spot (!), but the efforts of the management and players to take advantage have been phenomenal and barely believable.

With two new additions to bed in, the break has come at a good time and with the next opponents in some turmoil, the opportunity to take a further stride towards safety is immediately available.

These are the halcyon days.

 

 

 

A fabulous Arron Mooy goal illuminated an otherwise scrappy game of few chances, giving Town a deserved and important victory over a resilient though largely mundane Newcastle side.

The Australian, who rarely seems short of time or space, added phenomenal work rate to his more obvious talents – at one point popping up in the right back position to thwart a Geordie thrust – and his surgical opening up of an efficient and solid visiting defence proved the difference.

As he moved forward with calculating menace, defenders became immobile waiting for him to unleash a long range effort which allowed him to feint, play the ball through to Kachunga then curl in the return ball past Elliot.

His imperious performance was matched by a sublime display by Schindler who dominated in the air while purring through a ground game which was near perfect. Always available, aware and commanding, his fellow defenders responded appropriately and while Newcastle had some half chances, a second consecutive clean sheet was fully deserved.

Lössl, who was only called upon sporadically, was faultless, and his magnificent save from Ritchie in a first half where the Magpies were the slightly more dangerous side, proved crucial – an easier save in the second half was smartly executed and his distribution continues to be an effective weapon, allowing Town to vary their style from playing the ball out from the back.

A full house contributed massively to Town’s win – even when the game became tense in the final 15 minutes as Newcastle searched in vain for an equaliser, the atmosphere didn’t dip with all four sides urging their Premier League fledglings to victory, and the unity between fans and the team was loudly emphasised.

Carrying on from their opening day triumph at Selhurst Park, Town again combined fierce aggression with high intensity to quell the natural talents in their opponents’ ranks. Dominating the first 25 minutes, Town’s possession was patient but occasionally laboured as the visitors – like last season – were content to allow the home side control in unthreatening areas, leaving numbers to defend any breakthrough.

A snapshot by Ince following a Geordie error flew straight at Elliot and despite having some success down the left with Van La Parra and the quite excellent Löwe, the end product was lacking with Mounié well shackled.

The dominance faded as the half went on though Newcastle’s increasing influence yielded no opportunities of note for the visitors as both defences remained firmly in command and the contest became increasingly physical.

Gayle, so regularly a scorer against Town, was easily subdued which may have provoked his attempt to win a penalty by theatrically going down under an excellent Schindler tackle – simulation which, arguably, should have been punished.

At the other end, Kachunga exchanged errors on the halfway line with a Newcastle player and found himself with a direct route to goal with Mounié and Van La Parra either side of him and a back pedalling defence outnumbered. Unfortunately, his pass to Mounié was fractionally too late and the danger cleared for a corner.

While the first half was devoid of much good play, the contest was absorbing with battles being fought hard all over the pitch in front of a raucous crowd eager for the home side to unpick the stubborn rearguard of the visitors.

They didn’t have to wait long for Mooy’s moment of inspiration before the second half reverted to the prosaic pattern of the first as Town worked hard to maintain their lead. Rafa Benitez made changes to try to revert his conservative approach and, in fairness, new signing Joselu was a little more effective than the replaced Gayle. Unfortunately for the Magpies, Town’s central defensive partnership (Zanka improved markedly after a nervous first half undermined by poor distribution forward) remained dominant.

Joselu brought a routine save from Lössl in a rare moment of freedom but as the game entered its closing stages, the visitors became more and more rudimentary in their approach which, combined with Town’s natural aggression, saw bookings mount up though some of them – on both sides – were harsh.

A feature of last year’s success was Town’s ability to see out single goal victories, and that experience in a game which bore a lot of resemblance to a Championship fixture was invaluable.

Tension built among the crowd willing on the Terriers to a second Premier League win, but Newcastle’s desperation rarely translated in to guile with their best chance being thwarted by a great block by Löwe to crown a fantastic afternoon for the full back.

While the achievement was more thrilling than the execution, back to back wins give Wagner and the team an excellent foundation for a tough season. The fixture list has been kind to throw up two opponents with inherent problems but Town have taken full advantage and imposed their unity and strength on likely bottom half rivals to boost confidence for greater challenges to come.

If one thing is certain, Wagner’s men will be no pushovers for any team and, home or away, the enormous goodwill earned from supporters can continue to be leveraged – the crowd played a full part in the defeat of Newcastle and is now rewarded with the sight of Town in second place in the nascent league table.

A more expansive Southampton are up next which should produce better entertainment, but few left the ground complaining about quality in this one, we were too busy feeling the width.

 

Pundit defying Huddersfield Town opened their first Premier League season with a performance of aggression, tenacity and spirit to record an excellent, if not entirely flawless, win over a largely incoherent Crystal Palace, roared on by an insanely excited following who couldn’t have wished for a better day.

The symmetry of playing at Selhurst Park 45 years on from their last top flight appearance had been well noted in the frantic lead up to the big day. Understandably, given that it’s relevance was only apparent after the event, the fact that Town’s last 3 goal haul amongst the elite was at the same venue in March 1971 was overlooked.

Betraying no sign of nerves, Town always looked far better prepared than their individually talented but collectively confused hosts – an echo of last season’s early games – and should have been in front after just 2 minutes when a sweeping move down the right was worked in to the box but Tom Ince’s effort was easily saved.

Hunting in packs, as they did for the entire duration, Town gave away too many free kicks in the opening period. Some of the decisions by Moss were a little soft, but produced unnecessary pressure and, inevitably, a booking for Smith on the half hour which would have repercussions later in the game.

By the time Town’s aggressive challenges had finally exasperated the referee, however, they were two goals up and largely in control.

With Billing and Mooy controlling the middle of the park in possession and the defence handling Palace’s not inconsiderable attacking threats with calm authority, Town began to assert themselves on their hosts.

Palmer and Billing had unthreatening attempts easily saved by the otherwise vulnerable Hennessey, but space was being found – particularly on the left where the Palace wingback Ward was being increasingly isolated. Ineffective going forward – despite having the potent threat of Benteke to aim at, his crossing was woeful – and defensively suspect, the Eagles’ stalwart appears unsuited to the role De Boer’s system has imposed, and he was remorselessly targeted as the weak point.

The breakthrough came with a well worked corner routine. Mooy, looking every inch a top flight player, hit the near post and Schindler met it perfectly to flick on and induce panic. With Kachunga’s lunge eluding contact, Zanka was on hand to connect – despite tongue in cheek claims of scoring after the game, the Dane’s intervention ricocheted in off the hapless Ward.

Minutes later, Billing, Löwe and Mooy combined to free the Australian down the left and his inch perfect cross was met by the hugely impressive Mounié who planted a perfect centre forward header past Hennessey.

The stunned home side rallied after the goals, knowing that a response their attacking talent could well create would bring them back in to the game and Zaha very nearly provided it. A rare Löwe error – stumbling while trying to intercept a Benteke flick on – let in the pacy winger and only a deflection off the foot of the alert Lössl who narrowed the gap effectively, prevented a timely and potentially game changing goal for the home side. To add insult to injury, a goal kick was awarded.

Despite carrying latent menace, this was the only real clear opportunity for Palace as Town defended stoutly and vigorously. The Schindler/ Zanka partnership held firm, aided and abetted by energetic covering of the team mates in front and at the side of them.

Mounié provided a massive contribution with his defending at corners; heading out several and volleying away another, while Lössl commanded his box authoritatively.

At the other end, Town’s corners were often dangerous and Zanka could have trebled the lead on the half hour but his header from Moody’s cross drifted just wide (though there were probably enough defenders on the line to clear had it been on target).

The final few minutes of the half dragged a little as Town came under some pressure with Benteke heading wide, Zaha drawing a routine save and Puncheon firing well over the bar after a half cleared corner, but as proceedings drew to a close the visitors stood strong and maintained their advantage.

Townsend, surprisingly on the bench, was introduced by De Boer after the break, emphasising the offensive talent at his disposal, but Town started the half strongly and a Löwe drive nearly caught Hennessey napping and Mounié was unable to capitalise on the rebound as his first touch drove him too wide. A third goal at that point would have demoralised the most resilient of teams, but the home side were still in it.

With the impressive Loftus-Cheek dictating play, Palace began to exert some control for the first time. While Town kept their shape and aggression, possession was conceded a little more easily and pressure was building, not helped by more infractions leading to free kicks.

Lössl produced a fine save to his right to deny Benteke’s header from a corner – the first of several potential turning points as Palace began to resemble a team with a semblance of a plan rather than simply relying on individual talent.

The most dangerous moment came from a Town corner. Billing, otherwise excellent until slightly fading at the end, sliced a nothing ball from the edge of the area instead of taking the obvious option to shoot and Palace moved the ball quickly to Zaha. With oceans of space available in front of him, a clearly alarmed Smith impeded his inevitable progress with a half grab of his shoulders before remembering that yellow card from the first half. The attempt proved decisive (and, arguably, should have resulted in a retrospective 2nd yellow after advantage had been played) as it gave Löwe just enough time to cover with a magnificent tackle which stopped Zaha in his tracks.

Sensibly, Smith was replaced almost immediately by Williams who, after a shaky few minutes, settled well in to the unfamiliar role (a back up right back is a priority with Cranie injured and the deal for Yiadom thwarted).

Palace were largely unable to capitalise on their greater share of possession, but this hardly relieved the tension in the away support – we instinctively knew that a home goal would rewrite the script and that the Eagles had the players who could instigate the change.

Still, however, the defence stood firm with blocks, interceptions and covering. Lössl was not to be troubled unduly again, though he would have had little chance with a Scott Dann effort following a corner. Left unmarked, the defender’s first time shot sailed over the bar when he really should have halved the deficit.

To double the home crowd’s misery, Town immediately went up the field to score the decisive third.

Quaner, on for Kasey Palmer, latched on to a long clearance from Lössl and strode forward with some menace. Mounié made a smart move to his right to leave his potential marker marginally stranded and an inch perfect pass from Quaner was swept home to seal the points.

Delirium ensued as the travelling support knew that not only had the game been won, scores from elsewhere meant Town would be at the top of the top table; we could suspend our cynicism of ludicrously early listings just this once!

The delight at a comprehensive win on the first day – a rarity for Town in any league, never mind in the top one – was sensibly prevented from becoming euphoria by Wagner after the game.

Palace proved to be the perfect opponent. Their confused and unfamiliar tactics suppressed rather than aided the talent they possess and, even then, the spurning of the two golden opportunities they had, along with Lössl’s fine debut, were as decisive as Town’s own energetic and coordinated performance.

The win was thoroughly deserved however, and every player contributed significantly to the achievement, so Wagner’s humility in victory was not churlish but realistic. For the moment, he and his charges passed the first test in some style to give us confidence and hope.

A grand day out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As Christopher Schindler – surely the bargain of this and every other season – stepped up to write the final sentence of a dramatic, barely believable and eternally memorable 9 months with a penalty of supreme German confidence, Huddersfield Town (our Huddersfield Town) became the talk of the football world.

The cautious, often turgid, preceding 120 minutes, where adventurous football was stifled and ultimately strangled as the enormity of the prize bore down on the young men representing two unfashionable clubs, were forgotten as the (frankly ludicrous) script came to a climax.

Had Town taken one of two glorious chances in the first 15 minutes, the paralysis which eventually set in may never have happened; instead, Reading heeded the threat they faced and largely quelled Town’s vibrancy for the remainder of the increasingly dull spectacle.

The first of these chances – a free header for Hefele from an excellent free kick by Mooy in just the 4th minute – was rather over shadowed by the second when Izzy Brown contrived to miss from a yard with neither Al Habsi or any of his defenders anywhere to be seen.

Brown’s 10th minute miss ended a great start from Town, which rocked Reading and prompted Stam to tighten his team defensively and retreat to a less than progressive possession game.

One long range effort from Grabban shortly after Brown’s howler brought the Royals back in to a game which had threatened to get away from them, but Town’s late season profligacy in front of goal gave them a lifeline they could cling to with their defensive discipline, even if their own threat appeared lightweight.

A nasty challenge on the back of Smith’s legs brought a booking for Kermogant to add to an earlier one for van der Berg who felled Kachunga to stop a dangerous break. With two yellow cards brandished early and rightly, Town had a perceptible advantage after a bright start, but the statistic couldn’t begin to make up for the enormous value of an early goal.

Rigor mortis set in after 20 minutes and more flying challenges brought a booking for Hogg and too much disruption, rather playing in to Reading’s hands who were looking increasingly comfortable without ever threatening Town’s goal – a game which held promise after a lively start descended in to attrition.

Both sides’ weaknesses came to the fore in the first half – Reading’s ponderous progression towards their opponents’ goal betrayed a lack of imagination rather than admirable patience, while Town’s inability to convert chances from their thrusting merely reflected a season long armour chink.

Reading stepped up a little in the early stages of the second half and, for once, found a ball from midfield to attack which hadn’t passed amongst countless feet as Swift latched on to an Evans pass. Ward made a routine, if sharp, save from his shot.

Soft jabbing by both sides brought moments of mild concern, but the understandable tension continued to subdue natural talent as passing went astray, the foul count rose and an unedifying midfield melee ensued.

In an attempt to recreate a Hillsborough moment, Wagner pulled Kachunga (who had been reasonably effective) for Quaner, while Stam replaced the ineffective Grabban with McCleary, who would surely have started had it not been for recent injury.

Following good work down the right by Mooy, Quaner stumbled in to the Australian’s driven low cross when Wells was in a good position to pounce. The ball simply cannoned off the big German and well wide, rather summing up the lack of composure from the Terriers once the penalty area was reached.

At the back, Hefele and Schindler dealt with everything Reading could muster, with the latter cruising through the game with an elegance which will deservedly grace the higher division next season.

Scares for the Terriers were rare, but Reading may have made more of one or two late opportunities to complete their game plan of stifling and striking but, like their opponents, their penalty area composure evaporated.

More worrying for the Yorkshireman was the loss of Smith, a crucial part of the team’s astonishing success, to injury. He was to end his day on crutches following a fairly innocuous challenge to stop McCleary taking a shot, and was replaced by the dependable Cranie.

A tame effort from Wells was the last meaningful action of regulation time and a dour struggle was to be extended for 30 more, agonising, minutes.

A pedestrian first 15 minutes of extra time strongly suggested that the contest would be decided on penalties as neither side could fashion a clear cut chance between them, though McCleary had a decent attempt which he pulled wide. For Town, the highlight was the introduction of Palmer who secured a surprise place on the bench following his recovery from the hamstring injury he suffered against Leeds.

Towards the end of extra time, the Terriers, finishing a little stronger than their opponents, did fashion an opportunity for Wells. Palmer turned defence in to attack, guiding the ball forwards under pressure to Wells who looped a pass towards Quaner. Staying onside, Quaner fed Palmer, who had covered a lot of ground, and his pass to Wells evaded the desperately recovering defenders only for the Bermudian to shoot weakly.

A late free kick found Cranie and Hefele at the back post, unmarked, but the ball evaded both of them before the agony was ended by the referee’s whistle signalling even more agony to come.

Despite an exemplary penalty shoot out record and the knowledge that this one couldn’t be any more gut churning than 5 years ago, having to suffer the drama yet again – Town have played 360 minutes of play off final football without scoring a goal over 3 games and 3 divisions – was just as tortuous.

That it followed an incident light game which rarely rose above the level of insipid only served to increase the extreme anxiety. For all the talk of accepting a defeat following a great season before the match, that sentiment disappeared as the teams lined up on the halfway line in traditional fashion.

While winning the toss to stage the most valuable shoot out in history at the end populated by the Huddersfield hordes was something of a comfort, Reading had the statistically proven advantage of taking the first one, as we had done at Hillsborough.

Kermogant despatched the first kick with an assurance he memorably lacked for Leicester all those years ago before Lowe repeated his semi final penalty with another untouchable strike.

Reading went 2-1 up and it was the turn of Hefele, nurturing a wrist injury, to simply cement his cult hero status. Had things gone differently, the sight of the blonde German thumping the ground fire his weak effort was gathered by Al Habsi would have been an awful end to his fantastic season (and would have magnified Brown’s horrendous miss).

A superb top corner effort by Kelly gave an ominous glow to the Berkshire club’s confidence and Town were up against it at 3-1 down.

Wells, who has had penalty troubles before, swept home to keep Town alive but still needing an error or a save. Moore produced the former with a wild penalty which grazed the bar as it sailed in to the jubilant Town fans. Despair turned to hope.

With Mooy levelling things up with an excellent spot kick sending the Reading keeper the wrong way, pressure was suddenly transferred to young Jordan Obita. Heartbreakingly for the Reading academy product, that pressure told as Ward guessed the right way and easily saved a poor shot to hand responsibility to an unbelievably cool Christopher Schindler.

Lacking a little power, the German’s penalty was, nevertheless, very well placed and Town triumphed yet again in the cruellest of match deciding competitions.

The drama may have been a little more than the game deserved, but it was fitting that the end of Town’s fantastic story this season should be decided by the very last kick of it.

You would have to have a heart of stone not to feel for the distraught Reading players and their likeable supporters – the excellent Williams was probably the most affected – but the ending has been written in the stars since the arrival of an obscure, hugely charismatic German coach.

David Wagner and Dean Hoyle are a match made in heaven – their shared idealism only surpassed by their unrelenting hard work combined to create a modern miracle. Astute utilisation of resources – picking up the right characters on a tight budget, innovative fitness and training methods and intense motivation – have given the fans of Huddersfield Town a rare season of joy and success unimaginable since the early 70s.

Soon, we shall see how they intend to climb the next, even more daunting, mountain but, for now, the town can revel in the remarkable achievements of a united, vibrant club who have overcome massive odds. And we have.

(Thanks for reading throughout this season – bar my own, personal, winter break! – and have a great summer).

The story of Huddersfield Town’s remarkable season has just one chapter left following a nerve jangling, thrilling and epoch making night at a febrile Hillsborough.

Like all good books, the tale has been stuffed with plot twists, massive characters and the occasional villain (Stuart Webber, for example) and the denouement will remain unknown until the very end.

Exactly 22 years to the day since Town beat Brentford on penalties to reach Wembley, the parallels with that evening were resonant; entering the game as underdogs after a home draw, upper tier seating, watching a shoot out taking place at the other end of the pitch and a raucous following, but the challenge for today’s squad was of even greater magnitude.

Wednesday, who frustrated Town with effective but stultifying tactics in the first leg could be forgiven for feeling the job was almost complete. A sold out home crowd – which rarely lived up to its pre match billing as a cauldron – had the potential to freeze the visiting team in terror and the Owls undoubtedly contain individual talents of greater renown than their opponents; if only Carvalhal could, finally, provide them with the freedom of expression so evidently lacking in the first act.

Though more expansive – they could hardly be anything else – the early stages of a tense and tight drama suggested a long night in store as the visitors responded to Wednesday’s elevated intent with good possession and control, though a couple of high balls to Fletcher at the back post created moments of danger for the Owls, thwarted by Ward.

As in the first leg, promising possession largely evaporated once Town approached danger areas, but the confidence and calmness of the players was comforting to the hugely outnumbered but constantly noisy visiting fans.

Just short of the half hour, however, Mooy’s sublime ball to Van La Parra allowed the Dutchman to play in Wells behind the Wednesday defence to feed Brown. The Chelsea youngster could only steer his instinctive finish on to the post (it is possible that Westwood’s finger tips helped) but the move was greatly encouraging.

Wednesday came straight back and only Fletcher’s lack of pace when put through by the impressive Bannon diluted a moment of genuine danger to the Terriers – his dismal attempted ball to Forestieri was less forgivable and Town survived, only to be tested minutes later when an unmarked Hutchinson fired a volley way over following a free kick.

Somewhat wobbly at this stage, Town responded with a good move down the right. Smith’s slightly overhit cross was brilliantly taken down by Van La Parra who flicked the ball towards Wells. As the Bermudian touched the ball beyond Westwood, the Owls’ custodian appeared to make contact but the strong penalty appeals were turned down.

A nervy but compelling first half ended with the magnificent Hogg being booked for a crude foul on Forestieri, and the combative midfielder would spend the remainder of the game on something of a knife edge.

With neither side being able to assert dominance, despite the imperious efforts of Mooy for Town and Bannon for Wednesday, a stalemate looked increasingly likely to continue. Van La Parra’s pace and trickery had the home side constantly on their toes and he was involved in both of Town’s best moments, while Wednesday’s best option was probing a back post vulnerability which also created two chances.

Unfortunately for Town, the second half began badly as, after just 5 minutes, that back post vulnerability was finally exposed. An excellent cross from deep by Bannon fell perfectly for Fletcher who outjumped Schindler to head Wednesday in to the lead.

Hillsborough erupted as the hitherto tense Owls fans sensed the enormity of the goal; surely, now, their torture of 12 months ago was about to be erased.

Town had different ideas and, with some considerable character, began to boss the game with prolonged passages of possession creating presentable chances for Wells and Kachunga. The season long conversion problem could have weighed heavily in an intensely pressurised situation but driven by Hogg’s energy and the class of Mooy and Brown, hope was not lost.

Kachunga, who had looked a little tired following his Herculean efforts in the home leg, was replaced by Quaner and in less than a minute of his arrival, Town were level.

Picking the ball up in space, Brown played a sublime ball past Pudil and in to the path of the big substitute whose considered square ball was turned in (agonisingly slowly) by a combination of Wells and desperately defending legs.

It had been a long time coming but, at last, Town were rewarded for their superior possession based football which doesn’t create enough chances or, indeed, telling pressure, but has its own beauty.

Until the end of the 90 minutes, Town were clearly in the ascendant – even when Hogg was off the field being treated for a head injury – and the impressive Quaner fed Wells again only for Westwood to foil him this time. Right at the death, Wells may have done better when put through by Mooy but hesitated rather than shooting, allowing the busy Westwood the time to smother the attempt.

With that chance gone – and it was a genuinely good one – extra time proved much tighter as tired legs strived not to make the fatal error which could decide these seemingly inseparable teams.

The first 15 minutes were edged by Wednesday – Ward had to make a sharp if straightforward save from the hugely disappointing Rhodes (it remains a genuine mystery why Carvalhal believed replacing Fletcher’s aerial ability was a good idea) and Hefele made a tremendous block to prevent Forestieri scoring, yet again, against the Terriers. In response, a long range effort by Wells was easily gathered by Westwood.

Fewer of the Town players were wilting, however, and they came back strongly in the second period with Wells forcing another save from Westwood (inexplicably no corner ensued) and Holmes- Dennis, who had replaced an exhausted Van La Parra, and the excellent Lowe caused problems for the home side down the left as the visitors finished the stronger, but to no avail.

On to the agonies of penalties then, though Town had a Teutonic record in shoot outs before any of the current Germans had arrived and while most of the visiting support were dismayed at the competition being decided at the opposite end of the ground, those of us with Brentford memories from the top tier of the Griffin Park stand had the fleeting pleasure of deja vu.

Stepping up first, Lowe slammed a perfect penalty past Westwood’s dive and the advantage of going first, if you score, was sealed.

Hutchinson, who, like Hogg was slightly fortunate not to have received a second yellow card, stepped up next only to see his penalty slapped away by the overly maligned Ward (who had also made several good saves during the game and was much more commanding than normal).

At 2-0, Town were in the box seat. Hefele, Wells and Mooy kept up the pressure before the diminutive figure of Jack Payne strolled up with the chance to put Town through to the play off final. Unfortunately for the man from Essex, his well struck penalty was excellently saved by Westwood and sudden death loomed as our Argentinian nemesis strode forward.

Forestieri has become something of an obsession with Town fans from the day he dived for a dubious penalty to win a game late for Watford through his remarkable record of scoring against the Terriers in and amongst more theatrical diving.

Karma dictated that the pantomime villain would add a plot twist to the Huddersfield Town story and, sure enough, and to uncontrollable delight in the visiting stand, his poor penalty – comfortably saved by Ward who guessed the right way – ended the tightest of tight play off semi finals.

Unsure for a second or two that his save had prolonged the story, Ward’s realisation was followed by a sprint towards the away fans which will, surely, become iconic. He was chased all the way by team mates and staff as the final full stop was put on the penultimate chapter.

Town had taken 210 minutes and the drama of a penalty shoot out to get past a hugely difficult opponent. Their ambition always exceeded Wednesday’s on the pitch and they deserved their huge reward in the face of considerable odds, but that is the way they have rolled all season.

With Dean Hoyle’s inspirational leadership – not just this season but ever since he took over – and Wagner’s genius (many doubted his philosophy of preparing for this separate competition), the wait for the final chapter could be unbearable but you know that the script is going to be remarkable, whatever the outcome.

Reading, the final hurdle, will be tough, well organised and dangerous opponents and two close encounters during the season points to yet more attritional and exhausting watching. Both teams have achieved against the odds with innovative managers and remarkable numbers of single goal victories and the game is incredibly difficult to call.

Whatever the result, an already fantastic season has been elevated to legendary status as we await the final instalment with frenzied anticipation.

See you all at Wembley.

 

In the end, an entirely predictable first leg stalemate perfectly exemplified the home team’s entertaining way of scoring too few goals and the away team’s dreadful methods of keeping them out.

Backed by a raucous home crowd – which is far from a given with a noon kick off which generally mitigates very badly against atmosphere – Town probed the Owls’ impressive defences for virtually the whole game but were unable to create enough chances to turn their dominance in to a first leg lead.

Neither did their overwhelming possession create the type of intensive pressure under which teams can crumble, but their superiority with the ball did completely nullify the visitors’ major players and substitute keeper Coleman had an easy and less than eventful afternoon; he put in a couple of dives as he watched two long range efforts from Reach and Bannon veer off target.

The only other moment of danger Wednesday created was a decent cross which the excellent Kachunga headed over before Reach could pounce.

For the most part, Wednesday were content to stifle Town’s threat and rarely wobbled in their dull but tactically astute endeavours. On the one occasion Town got a lucky bounce in the area, Westwood pulled off an excellent save from Wells (he also tipped over an imaginatively unthreatening lob from the same player earlier).

An off balance Brown diverted a Wells flick on on to the bar in the first half, but Westwood was to be relatively untroubled as his 10 colleagues largely nullified their far more expansive hosts once the ball got to the final third.

On the positive side, Town looked much more like the team which has over achieved significantly over the season than it had towards the end of the campaign when genuine fears of burn out were regularly levelled at some desperately poor displays.

Fielding by far their strongest 11, the Terriers were boosted by the return of Kachunga who worked tirelessly before being substituted. He made life very difficult for Wednesday’s otherwise very composed defenders and Smith (who had gone off the boil perhaps more than any other player) returned to much better form with his regular partner in front of him.

Mooy and Hogg’s partnership flourished again, with Hogg’s energy superbly dovetailing with the Australian’s return to form, and, in front of them, Brown showed flashes of the quality which may yet fire Town to Wembley; particularly if Carvalhal’s stifling tactics are loosened at Hillsborough.

Though rarely stretched, Town’s defending – from back to front – was unrecognisable from the messy, mistake strewn ill discipline at the back end of the season with Hefele and Schindler easily containing a strangely quiet Forestieri who looked like he has been restored too early following injury problems. Fletcher’s aerial threat was almost entirely neutered and once those two made way for Rhodes and Winnall (oh for Wednesday’s bench!) the visitors had given up any pretence of wanting to establish a first leg lead.

With the game being refereed reasonably well, Wednesday were unable to call upon the outrageous fortune which lead to their regular season double over Town – close encounters which should have yielded 2 points a piece – though Jack Hunt got away with a fair amount for only one yellow card and the farcical handling of a situation where a Wednesday player handled the ball in the wall at a free kick before feigning facial injury was pretty questionable.

Collin Quaner provided a comedy moment with his first touch, which saw an attempt at control deflect off both of his uncoordinated legs in to touch, and little else which rather exposes Town’s main problem – beyond the 11 on duty from the start, there is little game changing ability on the bench; success, if it is to come, and much like the rest of the season will be down to very thin resources. Thankfully, no injuries were sustained threatening our main team – the excellent Lowe was suffering cramp rather than a hamstring problem.

There is a hope that Wednesday will have to be more expansive at home allowing us more space, though anyone who saw the Hillsborough fixture during the season knows that there is little chance that Carvalhal will suddenly turn gung ho – he is, probably rightly given our failure to score against his team after 3 tries, going to remain happy with us dominating possession in non threatening areas because he trusts, again rightly, the quality of his defence.

Having spent significantly over the past two years, including the addition of Rhodes and Winnall in January, the entertainment free zone they present on the pitch is not particularly edifying but they start the second leg as clear favourites to reach Wembley. However, it is possible that genuinely progressive football – all be it too lacking in cutting edge – can defeat the anti- football preoccupation of the Portuguese, and Town will not enter the game with fear or without hope.

On to Hillsborough…..

A powerful, aggressive, Warnock inspired Cardiff overwhelmed a cautious and mistake riddled Town side with bigger things on their minds on an afternoon to forget for the hosts.

Reverting to a near full strength side, fear of injury or suspension pervaded a dreadful performance from the Terriers who gave the clear impression they wanted to get the game out of the way and probably hoped that their opponents were similarly unmotivated. Predictably, given their manager, that hope was cruelly dashed.

From the very beginning, sluggish and careless passing handed every initiative to the Welsh side who should have been 3 up within the first 15 minutes. Had Hoillett not drifted offside when played through by Pilkington following a poor ball out by Ward, the visitors would have capitalised on their hosts’ nonchalance within the first minute and the errors piled up in a woefully inept first half.

It didn’t take long for the Bluebirds’ overwhelming early dominance to bring reward. The impressive Zohore latching on to an excellent Pilkington through ball to easily outpace Hefele and slot past Ward.

With his only positive contribution to the day, Ward launched an excellent upfield punt for the unmarked Brown, only for the loanee to be caught just before pulling the trigger, but this was rare respite from Cardiff’s superiority and further chances fell their way with alarming regularity.

The disastrous early stages were capped by the dismissal of Ward. It is a toss up between Mooy’s terrible back pass and Ward pointing to his shoulder after clearly handling outside his area for laughable moment of the day and there were many contenders. There may be some mitigation of Mooy’s error, however – it is possible that the over watering of the pitch is interfering with our game, whether that be the players slipping against Fulham or affecting the judgement of pace when passing (such an error by Mooy is so rare as to be remarkable).

Without Ward’s ill advised and indecisive charge from his line (he pondered for a second or two first, as his wont at times), Zohore would have added a second that Cardiff’s fluency and energy would have deserved, but the Dane didn’t have to wait long before he set up Joe Bennett for an excellent strike past Coleman; neither did he have to work very hard to circumvent Town’s stagnant defence to get in to position with Mooy and Hefele easily bypassed.

Down to 10 men – Scannell being sacrificed when, ideally, the injury hit Londoner needed game time – and trailing to a massively superior side, damage limitation became the priority. While a much heavier deficit would have been little more than Cardiff deserved, a Smith/Brown combination created a great chance for Quaner to halve the deficit just before the break but the German, who worked hard on the scraps thrown at him, brought an excellent save from Murphy.

Town offered little else in a first half where they were far too easily bullied and the folly of playing at less than full tilt against any Championship side had been painfully exposed. It could also be argued that injury avoidance strategies can easily turn to disaster – playing at full tilt, quite rightly, one or two Cardiff challenges shook the recipients far harder than they normally would; being under par both physically and mentally arguably leaving every player more exposed to damage.

An entertaining opening to the second period saw Cardiff cut through Town’s rearguard yet again only for Pilkington to finish weakly and a decent interchange between Brown – who, encouragingly, shone from time to time – and Quaner allowed the former to release Van La Parra. The otherwise dreadful winger nearly reduced the arrears with a clever chip but was just off target.

Cardiff remained vastly superior, however, and were helped in particular by the sluggish and under cooked Hefele who delivered his worst display of the season by a distance – slow to react, poor positioning and half hearted tackling were so out of character that there was some comfort that, perhaps, it was a mind set rather than an ability issue.

Further chances eluded the visitors until Zohore – who would be perfect in this Town squad – turned Lowe inside out before feeding Bennett for his second and Cardiff’s third.

In truth, few cared by this point other than the celebrating Cardiff fans who clearly enjoyed their last day of the season, and other than a decent Town move which saw Quaner miss the target following a Mooy cross, the game petered out as even Warnock seemed to lose interest, telling his players to calm down at one point.

The inconvenience of having to play the final game of the season was palpable, and a mainly flat atmosphere (common for noon kick offs, worryingly) seemed to signal impatience at the damp squib of the final few games when a play off place was already obvious even before confirmation at Wolves.

Time will tell if David Wagner’s transparent strategy of replicating a pre season before the play offs, and on the face of it such a plan seems not only reasonable but eminently sensible, is successful but playing at less than full pace, intensity and discipline brought predictable results.

The loss of Ward for one game is not a disaster unless his perfectly adequate replacement succumbs to injury, the hugely important Brown came through the game unscathed (though squaring up to Morrison after a robust challenge could have resulted in disaster had it escalated) and the focus can now be turned fully on a very difficult play off semi final.

It is a shame that we have been unable, maybe even unwilling, to build momentum in to the post season competition but history shows that form doesn’t necessarily have to be good to succeed.

And so to the joys and agonies which await.
Marti