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While the supporters of Huddersfield Town have every right to complain and worry when defeats pile up, particularly given their experiences of the past few years, the criticism of the team and manager before the international break seemed a little lacking in context.

For all the trauma inflicted by serial mismanagement and a desperately poor relegation season, losing a couple of largely unlamented cup encounters with shadow squads and being on the wrong side of refereeing decisions at an admittedly deserved defeat against Rotherham provoked slightly hysterical reactions.

3 not entirely convincing league wins preceded the New York stadium defeat, a strong start to the league campaign wasn’t accompanied by a great deal of optimism and the over reaction to the subsequent defeats needed a response before negativity set in.

The performances of Town’s middle three in and amongst the losing streak were such that many felt that changes to the Hogg, Wiles and Evans triumvirate were not only necessary but inevitable. The lack of chemistry and cohesion had been evident for some time, but Michael Duff ignored the clamour for change from the armchair experts and retained faith in them all.

Standing in the way of Town’s quest for a much needed confidence boost were a Bolton Wanderers side suffering from a play off hangover of Oliver Reed proportions. Despite a shaky start and a goal drought, The Trotters were amongst the favourites for a promotion challenge at the start of the season and picking up points in Horwich is never easy, despite a good, relatively recent, record there for The Terriers.

A rather forgettable, generally even, first half of few chances was petering out when Miller found the hard working Marshall down the left. The youngster found his striking partner Koroma with a first time cross and the Sierra Leone international glanced the ball in past Bolton’s helpless keeper.

Up to that point, both sides were guilty of carelessness in possession and both squandered opportunities to capitalise when space opened up with neither keeper sufficiently disturbed or troubled.

Town caused their hosts some alarm down the right when Sorensen was released in to space but the passes to him were just inaccurate enough to blunt the threat, while some loose play freed Charles for a run on goal magnificently halted by Helik, who redeemed himself for his own initial mistake.

Koroma looked to have a good shout for a penalty as he tangled with a defender in the box following good work by Sorensen, only for the decision to be given against him. By this point, Town were beginning to exert some control over an untidy contest as the hosts became increasingly pedestrian and predictable against a backdrop of simmering discontent in the home stands.

The goal just before half time was a bitter blow to Bolton. In times of adversity, fortunes can be cruel and setbacks are deeply felt. The real damage was to come in the second half, but the visiting supporters could easily recognise a horrible pivotal moment when things are going badly.

While Bolton made a tactical change at half time with the more direct Adeboyejo replacing the ineffective Charles, an injury to Miller saw him replaced by Headley.

Dealing effectively with a brief opening flurry from the hosts, which included a booking for Hogg who pulled back another opponent he had let past him, Town established a superiority they weren’t to relinquish.

Substitute Headley floated a cross to the back post which was met by Evans, powering over his marker, only to be denied by a superb point blank save by Baxter. From the subsequent corner, Helik hooked a half chance over the bar.

Just before the hour, Town’s second goal finally arrived when, after a smart interchange in midfield, Wiles fed Koroma in behind the home defence. The contact which brought him down was clear, and very similar to the first half incident. This time the referee had a better view and pointed to the spot almost immediately.

Koroma calmly despatched the first penalty of the season and Town gained a two goal cushion and a stranglehold on the game they maintained with some comfort.

Ten minutes after the penalty, the destination of the 3 points was sealed as amidst a flurry of activity following a corner which Bolton seemed determined not to clear, Lees kept his head with a deft ball to Wiles who finished nicely to dispel any doubt about the result.

 By the time Wanderers gifted Town a 4th goal in a comically inept manner, the ground had emptied of righteously aggrieved home fans and the stalwarts who remained were rewarded with the embarrassing spectacle of their team trying to pass around a penalty area press but only succeeding in presenting Evans with the easiest of chances to put a gloss on an emphatic victory.

A fourth league win from 5 games creates a significant shift in perspective with the meaningless cup defeats drifting out of the conversation and Town now have two winnable home games to cement their automatic promotion credentials in front of them. 

Although Bolton proved to be poor opponents on the day, it is far from fanciful to suggest they can turn things around and Town have now ticked off 3 tricky away games and gathered 6 points, without really hitting any heights in performance.

Despite the win, the midfield combination still looks capable of improvement. Hogg was bypassed more times than was comfortable, and while Evans and Wiles had much improved performances, their partnership still lacks a certain dynamism and may come under pressure as options increase in the next few weeks.

Though it may seem churlish following such a heartening win to point out areas of weakness, and Sorensen’s fragile defending can be added, it is hugely encouraging that this squad can and will improve from a position of strength as injuries clear.

The positives, of course, also came well to the fore as Town ruthlessly exploited an opponent in disarray and after many miserable experiences on the road it was an afternoon to savour.

Town’s unbeaten start to the league one campaign was halted by a physical and relentless Rotherham United who deserved the 3 points despite the controversial circumstances surrounding their win.

Though the visitors will rightly bemoan two key decisions which undoubtedly and greatly assisted the Millers, Town’s downfall was still largely self inflicted in a very poor second half.

It was always going to be the stiffest test of the season to date. Rotherham’s lowly position was very misleading and simply didn’t reflect their potential to be well in the mix at the end of the season. They have a powerful and aggressive squad who will trouble most, particularly at home.

A fairly even and quite entertaining first half was shaded by the home team who had the better of the chances only to be thwarted by an excellent Nicholls performance. His point blank block of a Clarke-Harris effort a highlight of a commanding goalkeeping display, while his first save denying Nombe also saved the blushes of debutant Lonwijk, who had lost a foot race with the attacker and beaten too easily.

The new defender was also booked shortly afterwards, but put the nervous first 10 minutes behind him and looks an excellent addition. He was off the pitch, for tactical reasons, when Rotherham’s winner emanated on his side and it may have been different had he still been on.

Tom Lees should have given Town the lead but headed over from close range after Marshall, who worked hard for scraps in a home dominated clash, had sent in a dangerous over head 

A quickly taken free kick found Wiles who drove forward and played a good ball over to Miller who let the ball run through his legs to Sorensen only for the Dane to shoot rather than play in his team mate in return. 

Those two highlights of the visitors’ first half rather exposes the fact that they rarely found enough time and space to impose any control over the game, and Rotherham had the upper hand physically for most of the first 45.

However, there was little to choose between the teams after an energetic contest low on quality and high on endeavour. 

That changed in the second half as the hosts imposed themselves aggressively and progressively to the point that an opener seemed inevitable. To Town’s credit, they defended well against the onslaught but Duff clearly felt change was necessary after 20 minutes of relentless home side dominance.

Evans, who has yet to justify his reputation as one of the division’s best midfielders, was replaced by new boy Hodge while the almost entirely isolated Marshall, who had never the less provided Town’s brightest moment of the half with a raking ball over to Koroma which eventually led to a sharp effort by Wiles, was pulled to make way for Ward.

In Duff’s defence, action had to be taken before Town succumbed to the waves of pressure and it was hardly his fault that moments after his introduction, Ward firstly and comically missed an attempt to head a high ball before going in aggressively against an opponent which brought an immediate reaction from the linesman which undoubtedly informed the referee’s decision to send him off.

Replays suggest it should have been a yellow for an accidental contact and it may be worth launching an appeal, but in real time, the Rotherham man’s reaction more than suggested a deliberate elbow to the face and while a better referee would have taken time to come to a decision and discussed it with the linesman, it looked, instinctively, like the right call.

As they had done at Walsall in midweek, Town responded by scoring. Koroma, who had an excellent game and was clearly exhausted when substituted late on, did very well to chase down a loose ball, outpace his opponent and put the ball across for debutant Hodge to steer in to the net.

It was, without doubt, entirely against the run of play, but gave Town something to cling to in tough circumstances.

A refereeing decision immediately after the breakthrough completely debilitated the Terriers as the home side were awarded one of the softest penalties likely to be granted.

Sorensen, who had struggled defensively throughout the half and had conceded too many dangerous free kicks already, allowed Wilks to turn him but recovered to prevent the forward crossing near the byline. The award of a penalty was a huge error and, again, a better referee would have taken far more time over a crucial decision than allowing instinct to take over.

Stockbridge may have been influenced by Sorensen’s previous and legitimately adjudicated fouls, but looking on from the perspective of a team which hasn’t been awarded a home penalty for 4 years, incredulity at such a soft decision is magnified.

Clarke-Harris smashed home the spot kick and the kick in the balls for the visitors was palpable and defeat far more likely.

Having defended very well against a strong home side, to be undermined by a quite ridiculous decision was wearying for a full complement, and more so for a depleted team.

With no striker option on the bench left – Healey was injured in the warm up, frustratingly and infuriatingly – Duff had to bring the ball exhausted Koroma off and pushed Wiles in to a nominal forward role and went to a back four by withdrawing Lonwijk, who had impressed after his initial errors.

The changes were not only ineffective, they likely contributed to Wilks very well taken winner as Rotherham picked apart Town’s left hand side after a series of short corners finally resulted in space for the Millers.

Town’s Miller didn’t cover himself in glory in the lead up to the goal, Hogg was easily bypassed and Sorensen should have closed Wilks down more quickly. Nicholls had little chance against a fierce, well placed strike and Town tasted league defeat for the first time.

A clearly rattled Duff aggressively shook the hands of the officials at the end of the game, said something in the referee’s direction and was promptly sent off. The referee had fumbled for his red card from his back pocket when dismissing Ward, but the second red card issued to Town’s goalkeeping coach for time wasting allowed him a practised flourish for the manager.

Duff has two weeks to resolve several issues arising from this display. Wiles and Evans aren’t functioning as they should, his wing backs are defensively vulnerable and his striker options are now ridiculously limited. 

It won’t be the last time Town face a physical challenge in this league, particularly away from home, and we need better answers on yesterday’s evidence.

Town’s encouraging, if not entirely convincing, start to the season came to a shuddering halt at the Bescot Stadium as Walsall of the bottom league overturned a visibly precarious 2 goal deficit with a spirited comeback.

It could be argued that there were mitigating circumstances surrounding yet another ignominious exit from the League cup , and the referee didn’t do any favours for the visitors, but that would be to ignore an error laden, ill disciplined and unprofessional display from a side not entirely composed of fringe players.

Indeed, some of the worst performances came from regular starters including Hogg, who must surely be headed for the bench at best, Evans, who continues to misplace passes at an alarming rate, and Helik, who gave possibly the most inept outing of his Town career as a second half substitute.

Add in a bumbling, chaotic Headley, whose decision making bordered on lunacy at times, the sending off of a plodding Pearson caught by a striker getting behind him for the second time and wishy washy Wiles ghostly presence having no discernible impact, and a first defeat for Duff which should, and hopefully will, result in serious reflection.

All over the pitch, as Town surrendered an entirely undeserved 2-0 lead, the lack of leadership, any semblance of control and constant indiscipline ushered in an embarrassing loss.

To overcome adversity, such as a harsh but probably correct red card, leaders are needed and Town have a worrying deficiency of them. The most obvious candidate, Hogg, has always been too volatile to truly lead people, Helik is too quiet (as is Lees) and none of the new arrivals show any proclivity towards asserting authority. 

The establishment of a leadership group may be tacitly acknowledging that no one person in this squad embodies what should be a vital role and that suspicion was conspicuously exposed on an evening where Town had every opportunity to progress in a competition we barely get out of bed for normally.

A far from compelling and error strewn first half saw Town take the lead after 20, largely uneventful, minutes when Koroma created a yard of space for a sharp and well placed effort past a perhaps unsighted, perhaps just slow, keeper for an unlikely opener.

It was the first meaningful attack after Walsall should have taken the lead when Lowe got the wrong side of Pearson but fired wide past the onrushing Maxwell. It was a lesson which was not learned.

Another decent effort whistled past the far upright as the Saddlers responded to Town’s goal, but the game was fundamentally changed just before half time when a long ball caught out Pearson again and while the defender’s challenge on Earing was slight and the striker wouldn’t have pierced the defence as Maxwell easily claimed the through ball, the referee was given a straightforward decision to send him off.

At half time, Duff replaced Sorensen with Helik and moved to a back 4 which seemed sensible in the circumstances while Ward replaced Marshall to provide a stronger presence for holding up the ball, though not surprisingly, this wasn’t really achieved.

Within minutes, the manager’s plans appeared to be completely undermined by Headley pushing a Walsall player in the area for no apparent reason. The ball was on its way out for a dead but, instead, the hosts were handed a lifeline.

Maxwell easily saved a rather poor penalty attempt and a massive scramble ensued which resulted in a clearance by Hogg and Town could now surely use a massive turning point to their favour.

It turned out that they could, since they were about to score against the run of play again when a very good corner delivery by Evans was met at the near post by Ruffels who glanced in from short range.

All that was needed now was resolute discipline to capitalise on Walsall’s deflation at two setbacks which followed in quick succession.

The abject failure which followed was pathetic and worrying. Time will tell whether this was aberration or regression, but in the moment it reeked of weak submission in the face of an admirable comeback from the hosts. They not only overturned Town’s ill gotten advantage, they did so despite the circumstances which would bury many teams (including their current opponents).

A very poor attempted headed clearance by Evans fell nicely to Lowe who atoned for both his penalty and first half misses with a clean strike in to the bottom corner to halve the deficit.

Town’s disarray worsened. Passing accuracy, already poor throughout, declined as their shape, for what it was worth, disappeared and an equaliser looked inevitable.

It came when the woeful Headley allowed a cross field ball over his head and then failed to prevent Adomah sending in a cross which was cushioned in to the path of Lowe to complete his revival with a sharp finish.

With at least the potential entertainment of penalties looming, the Saddlers completed their comeback when a Gordon shot deflected in off Helik, whose miserable substitute appearance was complete (he hadn’t covered himself in glory on the equaliser either).

Town had a glorious chance late on to progress the game to spot kicks when Ward, with his only meaningful involvement, sent in a near perfect cross for Harratt to glance miles wide when any sort of contact would have brought an undeserved equaliser.

Pessimistic Huddersfield Town supporters, and the weight of evidence rather favours them over those with a rosier view, witnessed a typically shambolic early round cup performance yet again denying the club a possibly exciting draw – whatever the management or ownership, the stubborn refusal to advance has become beyond tiresome.

That multiple substitutions failed to inspire any degree of resistance or even basic organisation against the might of Walsall, even considering the numerical advantage they held, was an indictment of a ridiculously poor evening in the West Midlands.

A few days remain in which to recruit both defensively and offensively before a test of this squad’s character at New York stadium on Saturday lunchtime. It is a test they need to pass.

A low quality encounter, settled by an excellent finish by youngster Callum Marshall, failed to ignite an expectant crowd but prolonged the Terriers winning start to a season which will undoubtedly bring similarly frustrating challenges along the way.

Shrewsbury will rue missed chances in a first half where their game plan largely worked against their strangely subdued hosts and, overall, the Shropshire outfit could easily have left with a point.

That they didn’t was down to an excellent stop by Nicholls who, nevertheless, was beaten by an effort which crashed against the bar. Though ultimately ruled offside, the visitors had also caused an early scare with a move which saw Marquis slipped in behind only for the striker to get tangled up as he tried to finish.

It was clear that the bottom of the table side were not going to be pushovers and so it proved as Town struggled for fluency throughout a first half of misplaced passing and, with the honourable exception of the lively Miller, laboured against their opponents’ disciplined defending.

Evans and Sorensen were particularly guilty of losing possession too often and the latter was unable to match his blistering performance from a week ago. 

Fortunately, compensating for Town’s misfiring right flank, Miller was a constant menace for the Shrews’ defence and delivered two great balls in for Marshall who narrowly failed to connect with one of them and headed straight at the keeper from close range with the other.

Thankfully for the youngster, another chance came his way, again from the right but this time from Spencer’s cross which deflected off the top of a defender’s head in to his path at the far post. The Belfast child brought the ball under instant control and hit a smart finish from a fairly narrow angle past Savin.

What should’ve signalled an onslaught actually resulted in Shrewsbury almost immediately equalising with O’Reilly’s curling attempt on to the bar, quickly followed by a blocked Marquis effort, a corner headed over by the same player and a break which resulted in the visiting centre forward bringing out an excellent save from Nicholls.

In fairness to the hosts, the threats contained in Shrewsbury’s response to going behind were short lived – they only had one further attempt on target in the rest of the game – but it unsettled them and, other than a Hogg miss following a melee, there was little to elevate a scrappy and disjointed first half performance.

Surprisingly, no changes were made at half time to introduce more dynamism to a poorly functioning midfield. Evans’ profligacy in possession and Wiles’ anonymity had not helped to build any momentum after the opening goal, and Hogg was having one of his poorer days, too.

The only notable event of a turgid opening quarter of an hour in the second half was a shoulder injury to Spencer, forcing a substitution and reshuffling of the back three as Pearson went right and Lees left. 

Any semblance of pace also left, but it should be said that Spencer had been quite poor by his standards and the silver lining for any prolonged absence could be greater urgency in the search for an additional, left footed centre back with pace. 

Playing the young Irishman out of position has made the team increasingly susceptible and as the quality of opposition heads north in the coming weeks, a better solution is essential.

Pearson’s rugged approach fitted this occasion, however, and the defensive performance improved in the second half despite occasionally allowing too much time and space. It was difficult not to feel that a more accomplished attacking force could unsettle a back 3 so short of pace.

On the hour, Wiles made an excellent contribution with a ball down the line for Ward which held up beautifully as a result of the deliberate backspin he applied. Ward’s ball in to the box found Marshall’s near post run but Savin was there to block.

Rather later than many in the crowd had hoped, Duff changed three players with Ward, Marshall and Evans being replaced by Healey, Koroma and  Kasumu.

Town looked far more threatening for the remainder of the game with Healey being fed in twice by Koroma for very presentable chances. The first he put wide from a decent position and, rather more disappointingly, the second he hit against the advancing keeper when clean through.

Kasumu’s willingness to run at Shrewsbury would have been useful a lot earlier, and arguably from the start, and despite one brief scare from a free kick which Shipley knocked over the bar, Town finished the game with relative ease.

A third league win and fourth victory in a row is an achievement not to be sniffed at, but it would be foolish not to acknowledge the weaknesses revealed by an unsatisfying performance against less than stellar opposition.

A striker to complement Healey, Koroma and Marshall would be a major statement but it should be recognised that this is rather more easily said than done. A reliable defensive recruit with pace and passing ability shouldn’t be beyond the recruitment team, however.

To win when not at your best is a good trait to have and similarly frustrating afternoons and evenings are very likely in the future, but it is to be hoped that the challenge of taking on the better teams in the division – all of them away in the next couple of months – will elevate standards.

An important week of activity looms before a tricky trip to South Yorkshire.

Winning is infectious, creating vital momentum and confidence, and though this was the least convincing of the three games of the campaign to date, it was nevertheless deserved.

If lessons can be learned from a poor second half performance, which saw a much improved Stevenage cause difficulties to a previously untroubled back line, then the anxiety it engendered will be valuable.

Until the break, a comfortable and entertaining home win looked inevitable, with Town having more trouble from poor and inconsistent officiating than their ponderous opponents, who failed to register a shot on goal and appeared completely out of their depth.

Hitting the woodwork early on when Spencer flicked at a near post corner, Town’s dominance grew throughout the half and a wonderful Helik ball to Wiles should have resulted in the opener for the much improved midfielder, but Stevenage’s keeper got vital fingertips to his lob and the ball was cleared off the line.

Wiles had been guilty of pulling a very presentable early chance wide, too, but after a season of ghosting through games with little impact, he is now becoming a genuinely influential player in a side encouragingly brimming with them.

A breakthrough seemed inevitable and it came from a rampaging run from the impressive Sorensen whose perfect cross was met by Koroma who headed in from short range. The goal lifted something of a weight off his shoulders having performed well at Peterborough without scoring and in his short midweek stint when he missed 2 very presentable chances. 

A Lees header from a very good corner delivery by Miller glanced agonisingly wide as Town strolled through the half with a confidence approaching disdain.

It may have been complacency born of such superiority which contributed to an uneven and often very poor second half display, but credit should be given to Alex Revell who replaced the lumbering and ineffective Simpson and Goode with immediate benefit to the visitors.

Setting out with new purpose, the Hertfordshire side ran at their previously unperturbed opponent, and with Helik and Lees uncharacteristically moving towards the same man, space opened up behind them and substitute Appere squared to provide his teammate List with a golden opportunity to level.

Incredibly, List missed. Brahms sprung to mind….

Undeterred, Appere found space for himself as doubts multiplied among the hosts and Nicholls did well to thwart the attempt.

Moments later, Ward should have doubled the advantage but blazed over after being perfectly picked out by Koroma. Standing in for Healey, withdrawn as a precaution with a groin issue, Ward’s overall performance did little to quell the notion that one more striking option is vital for Town’s prospects for the season.

Fortunately, the miss was soon rendered irrelevant by yet another Sorensen assist. Picked out by the otherwise quite subdued Evans, the Dane took the ball in his stride, took a step forward and fed Wiles who swept the ball home with a refreshing and welcome confidence.

With that, the game was effectively over. Stevenage knew their chance had come and gone and while their general play was much improved over an abysmal first half, the belief had disappeared.

Duff attempted to revitalise his charges with a triple substitution, followed ten minutes from time with two more, but only Marshall of the replacements stood out with a lively 25 minutes. If anything, the changes only served to entrench the Terriers’ disjointed efforts.

As the game fizzled out, the positives of a good first half, another 3 points and a clean sheet compensated for an unconvincing second 45. Unfortunately, a poor referee intervened at the very last by awarding a penalty against Spencer as a potentially dangerous cross came in. Nicholls had flown out to punch clear, but Spencer’s infringement was definitely punishable, even if similar incidents are too often ignored.

The late breach was not undeserved and, along with the failings evident in the poorest half of the season, should allow Duff to drive necessary improvements through a squad which has generally performed well but has a lot more to offer.

Despite a largely comfortable afternoon, bar a ten minute spell, and an ultimately deserved victory, Town need to recruit in the next 2 weeks of the window to shore up a defence lacking pace and which has to play Spencer out of position and add to the options up front.

Hopefully, that is also the conclusion of the watching Kevin Nagle who, at least, was rewarded for the impetus he has created around the stadium which is definitely contributing to a new sense of optimism around the club.

It’s never promising, is it, the first round of the Milk cup or whichever sap has been persuaded to sponsor it this year?

Striking the balance between giving youth an opportunity, getting minutes in to legs and completely disrespecting a competition you aren’t ever going to win is difficult and, for years, Town shamelessly haven’t really bothered grappling with the conundrum, and insist upon charging people to watch an enhanced training session, which they invariably lose.

All evidence is pointing towards Michael Duff abandoning the strategy of never reaching the next round of any of the cups, with a refreshingly intense touchline display, urging  his charges to defeat a team which was vanquished within 45 seconds anyway.

It would be foolish to draw anything other than mild satisfaction that Town hadn’t metaphorically soiled themselves yet again.

A final score line of 3-0 entirely flattered the hapless visitors whose brave/barmy supporters (delete as applicable) sang defiantly to the end in a cause they knew was monumentally unlikely. If ever there was a football equivalent of pulling the wings off flies, this was it.

That the score wasn’t the pummelling the hosts’ emphatic dominance should have delivered was the only concern from a night which featured some very good performances.

Marshall, on debut, recovered from a shaky start to finish a ball in from the lively and excellent Sorensen for Town’s second and worked hard to regain lost possession, drive in to the area and feed Ward who smartly converted the third.

Sorensen had already assisted Headley’s chested opener with a great ball across in the opening minute and tortured Morecambe’s left hand side until he was withdrawn in the second half.

The Shrimps’ right hand side fared little better with Headley constantly running at them and often times turning them inside out. While the dire quality of the opposition has to be fully acknowledged, the outing confirmed that this could be a breakthrough season for a talent which has been evident but far too often wayward.

Another emerging talent, Iorpenda, showed the touches of class which has persuaded Duff not to send him out on loan. We should expect to see more of him as the season progresses, despite the depth of midfield options available.

Those options include Kasumu, who looks to have put his distinctly average form of last season behind him, with an energetic 15 minutes at Peterborough followed by a dynamic display in this game. Again, praise must be caveated given Morecambe’s shortcomings, but he is another who will play a big part for Duff.

Kane caught the eye with his intelligence and use of the ball, with passing ranging from probing to sumptuous, including a perfectly weighted ball to Ward who appeared to be fouled as he took his subsequently off target shot.

The second half was little more than a procession, but the visitors did cross the halfway line with something approaching threat a couple of times only to thoroughly waste one decent shooting opportunity and then squander a dangerously situated free kick by hitting the first defender.

Town could have scored a hatful, with Koroma the main culprit despite playing well when he came on for Ward. His first effort was unfortunate as he shot past the keeper on an angle only to see the ball hit the inside of the far post before bouncing out instead of in. There was no excuse for hitting the keeper, though, when an awful ball across his own goal by a Morecambe defender fell at his feet.

Koroma was also brought down just outside the box as he was clear on goal, leading to a second yellow card for Harrack and a Herbie Kane free kick which elicited an “ooh” from the crowd despite always going over the bar.

With 15 minutes plus stoppages against 10 men, the Town of old stepped up and failed to score against depleted opposition, despite the aforementioned Koroma chances being in this period.

A second win, a second clean sheet and a professional dismissal of an inferior but battling opponent bodes well. 

Significantly more difficult challenges lay ahead, beginning on Saturday.

It’s been a while.

A while since Town opened the season with a win. 

A while since a comfortable, drama free away victory.

A while since the team looked coherent, unified and competent.

Caution abounds, of course, and the first 20 minutes of the opener were far less comfortable than the remainder of the game, but there were so many positive pointers it is difficult not to get slightly carried away.

Peterborough are historically tough to beat at London Road, regularly compete at the top end of League 1 and hold more than a few demons for their visitors, but to say they are a work in progress would be being quite kind to an ultimately weak display. It is also fair to say that they have significant injury problems at the back, which were exposed on a regular basis after the break.

Their initial, and predictable, early enthusiasm rather pushed Town on to the back foot, whose cause was not helped by constantly conceding free kicks for niggly, often unnecessary, infringements, easily spotted by an unfairly maligned referee.

The majority of promising openings in the first half hour fell to the home side though Nicholls, a commanding figure throughout, was barely troubled by the resultant attempts on goal.

The seeds of Posh’s destruction were evident, however, even during their most productive period, as Town constantly undermined their attempts to play out from the back with an effective, if too often illegal, press. 

With a makeshift, youthful, back four, the strategy looked fraught with danger from early on and, commendable as it was to stick to their identity, it increasingly stifled the hosts’ threat on the counter. When they did go more direct, they looked a little more threatening.

But goals change games and Town’s opener, a little against the run of play, signalled a massive power shift.

Evans, the most impressive Terrier across the piece, latched on to an excellent pull back from Wiles and though a deflection added a slice of luck to the opener, he hit it cleanly and purposefully and profited from finding the space in the first place.

Posh never really recovered from the blow while Town grew in stature and landed a second blow just before half time to demoralise their opponent even further. 

A corner found its way to Koroma who wriggled around to create a shooting opportunity only for it to be blocked before falling very nicely for Wiles to drill home emphatically.

Flattering as the scoreline was at half time, the 15 minutes of dominance all over the pitch after the half hour mark was very encouraging, as was the shape and substance of a midfield, in stark contrast to last season’s mess. 

Miller and Sorensen offered width which was a little under utilised, while Evans and the resurgent Wiles provided guile in front of Hogg’s energetic (if too often misplaced) graft. 

With a throttle hold on the contest, Town dominated after the break with an aggressive and hugely effective press forcing Peterborough in to error after error, and other than a brief scare when Spencer conceded possession carelessly which led to a half chance, the home side were entirely subdued.

Town chances didn’t particularly flow from their superiority, but Helik looked a little unfortunate to have a third ruled out for offside, possibly against a colleague and substitute Ward eschewed at least 2 opportunities to shoot when put through late on.

Healey and Koroma worked hard up front without seeing many opportunities, but strengthening forward options, as evidenced by the loan move late last week and continuing interest in Luton’s Joe Taylor suggests, is essential if a realistic promotion challenge is to be maintained.

A lack of pace at the back, very nearly exploited on occasion by a generally becalmed opposition, also needs to be resolved but, for the moment, it is enough to enjoy an ultimately comfortable away win after the deluge of misery the past few seasons have delivered.

Kane’s late cameo in place of Evans was a welcome reminder of the depth of midfield options now available to Duff, who should also have been impressed with Kasumu’s short deputisation of Hogg, who will surely be used more sparingly in this campaign. His experience was worth utilising here as the team finds its competitive legs, but progress will be evident when it isn’t needed at all.

A very promising start.

When I was a boy, reading The Examiner, a broadsheet at the time, was a sumptuous pleasure, before I knew what sumptuous meant.

The type print, the sober and serious stories, the import of local news which weaved like an invisible thread through a community with it’s liberal tone and innate decency which endowed an unassailable authority on an institution we took for granted for so long.

Selling in it’s tens of thousands, from a plethora of local newsagents throughout the town and the myriad villages up hill and down dale, stretching across housing estates, work places and rural areas, the local paper’s power, carried with a natural responsibility, was palpable and, seemingly, eternal.

Reporters and columnists became known and respected through carrying on traditions rooted in civic pride, a sense of duty and the certainty of righteousness.

Central to the ethos of The Examiner was coverage of sport. 

Town and Fartown were covered extensively and respectfully, of course, but if you played in goals for your school and played well despite conceding 9 goals, someone told the local paper about it and your name was put up in lights.

The District, Works and Sunday football leagues were assiduously recorded and elevated.

Local cricket was reported upon comprehensively, accurately and with no little reverence. 

Bowls, squash, tennis, rugby union and all other forms of sporting endeavour were recorded and, more importantly, celebrated.

Day in, day out and week in, week out, The Examiner accumulated history, recording the triumphs, failures, tribulations of a Yorkshire town with diligence and compassion and was a huge part of each member of the extensive community’s lives, whether we embraced it or not.

The final ever Huddersfield Town report by a dedicated reporter will be filed in response to the club’s well earned victory at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, and the tragedy of that fact will only be fully realised in the years to come.

Steve Chicken’s far too short tenure in the footsteps of Alan “Longfellow” Driscoll, Martin Hardy, Paul Clark, Mel Booth, Doug Thompson and others did, at least, end with a victory, but the melancholy will linger hard for those of us whose lives encompassed Examiner coverage of Huddersfield Town over decades.

The loss was, perhaps, inevitable in a world where information is cheap, but that loss will reverberate in ways not immediately apparent. 

The resource; wide, deep and, above all, trustworthy, is disappearing fast as the conglomerate which owns local newspaper legacies displays little interest in maintaining investment in the assets which create a continuous, compelling witness to the events which shape our lives, including the fortunes of our local football club.

It is too easy to lapse in to nostalgia, and there is much to be nostalgic about, but every citizen of Huddersfield should feel sorrow at the emaciation of a hugely important institution and find ways of supporting those people trying to keep the spirit of local news alive.

Huddersfield Hub (https://huddersfieldhub.co.uk) are very worthy of support, and from a Town perspective, Steven Chicken, with colleague David Hartrick, is now taking the Huddersfield Town torch independent with a Substack venture. Go to https://weareterriers.substack.com and subscribe.

The service, including their excellent and well established podcast plus Town articles is a snip at £5 per month. Recording the history of Huddersfield Town is massively important and a fiver per month a very small price to pay for its continuance.

A significant community asset was extinguished this week and should be rightly mourned.

For me, a love of words, Huddersfield and Huddersfield Town grew out of reading Driscoll, Hardy, Booth and the rest in the pages of t’Examiner, every day of the week bar Sunday.

RIP The Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

(I was that keeper).

In case you’ve been wondering where the Town match reports have gone, and I can tell you that at least 3 people have made this enquiry (though 2 of them just asked without suggesting they were missed), they are the victim of Carlos Corberán’s squad’s relentless winning.

It’s not that I don’t like Town triumphs, it’s just that it has become monotonous and I find the style of play disconcertingly bloodless despite the occasional burst of excitement.

In the context of following a football team, this is an extremely first world problem and almost entirely assuaged by the phenomenal points total achieved. I just stopped wanting to write about it and will wait until we revert to being mediocre again (where all the nuggets lay).

However, I am moved to put down thoughts on the upcoming play off final; the culmination of a remarkable season which was supposed to be about anchoring ourselves to mid table and away from any drama.

A slow, Covid impacted start – not helped by having to face Fulham with a threadbare team and a keeper with a reverse Midas touch – culminated in a win against an equally dire Preston without having a shot on target.

The bad news pretty much ended there. A low cost, highly motivated and together group of players gradually won over a support ground down by the unabated drudgery of defeat and failure. 2020/2021, a season followed over laptops and tablets, was the final straw for many but most of those who resolved to stay away are probably, and happily, back in the fold now.

As ever with Huddersfield Town, the greatest success comes with barely a price tag and the ingenuity of Bromby and his recruitment team has paid off in spades, burying the understandable scepticism of most as one uninspiring signing after another trudged through the doors. How wrong we were.

Inevitably, a low cost squad lacked the free flowing flair of the top 2 in the division. Probably some of the bottom 6 too, but dips in results were few and far between all the way through and often predicated on matches falling too soon after travel.

The two league defeats in 2022 – more on the cup defeat later – fitted this pattern with a confidence shattering draw at West Brom preceding an entirely flat performance in South London and the traditional battering by Bournemouth. Then I returned from the States and there have been no defeats for me not to report upon, and just one draw.

Despatching Luton in the play off semi-final with less than convincing displays nevertheless broke the spell of never recording a home play off win without penalties. It has been a major feature of the season to break several voodoos, including a win at Middlesbrough which pretty much confirmed an extension to the season.

And so, to Forest. Excitable, hugely enthusiastic and desperate Forest.

Back in the early Spring, Town drew the Tricky Trees in the 5th round of the FA Cup. A rather mundane tie between 2 clubs from the same division, both with more pressing concerns than a competition they wouldn’t win. Then the 6th round draw was made, before the tie, and the East Midlanders’ unbridled joy at the prospect of a home game against Liverpool rather drowned out Town fans’ mild stirrings.

This outbreak of Tiggerish excitement was explained by the fact that Forest hadn’t played Liverpool for around 40 years and the collective memories of Clough inspired glory days were triggered to slightly uncomfortable levels. This is not to disparage the emotions – Town fans of a certain age will remember being drawn against a Gaza and Lineker inspired Spurs side in the 90s before losing to Blackpool in a rearranged tie. The disappointment was not only palpable, it is still remembered.

Town’s commitment to the game at a ground where they had rather robbed 3 points a few months previously seemed less than convincing and a fairly weak team was quite easily beaten despite taking the lead. The disappointment was fleeting and rather subsumed by astonishment at the endearing but vaguely odd celebrations of Forest fans.

Playing celebration police is never a good look and we have endured such crap before, but it was a little weird to see a famous and undoubtedly big club prostrate itself at the feet of the Premier League giants and compound it by desperately searching for evidence that the Scousers cared that it had been so long.

The build up to Wembley is taking a similar shape. It matters enormously to Forest that they are promoted to a league they have been away from for so long and, again, this is understandable. It is, however, nearly a quarter of a century since they disappeared from the top table and despite the delusions of some of their fan base, there hasn’t been a massive clamour for their return. 

Premier League clubs care about just one thing. Themselves. Most of them look at promoted clubs as likely fodder who will keep them afloat and away from relegation. They couldn’t give a toss about the City Ground’s capacity, history or atmosphere and once the first few months of unending patronisation is over, neither will anyone else.

Forest’s own play off semi final rather betrayed what could well be their Achilles’ Heel. An excellent hour at Bramall Lane saw them dominate and run roughshod over an injury hit Sheffield United, who wouldn’t have been able to complain if they had been 4 down, but they weren’t and a late goal pulled the tie back from a Forest formality to competitive.

At home, the expectations of their swelled support overheated the team and despite Forest grabbing a lead, they were second best for long periods as the weight of expectations bore down. A fortunate save by the excellent Samba near the end kept Forest in the game and Sheffield United crumbled in the penalty shoot out as badly as they did 10 years ago.

Man for man and £ for very little £, Nottingham Forest have better players than Huddersfield Town and this was evident in both league encounters. 

In the first one in West Yorkshire, the stifling presence of Houghton had been banished and the visitors were entirely convincing 2-0 winners and collected their first 3 points of the season under a caretaker manager.

It was a different story at the City Ground. As with a fair number of games this season, Town fans left at the end wondering how a win had been achieved and they particularly rode their luck on this occasion. However, one of the most difficult away games had been successfully negotiated and Town’s unbeaten streak of 17 was well underway.

At Wembley, Town fans can’t really lose. A defeat will be disappointing, of course, but a season where their presumed doomed team finished 3rd and reached a play off final is nothing less than an outstanding success. And we know what is in store for the winners.

For Forest, it is difficult not to sense that they are putting themselves under enormous pressure with their untrammelled belief in their destiny and they will not be helped by a media who very much like the look of Forest’s history and desperation for Premier League football.

Next Sunday will rest on a few factors; the quite fascinating clash of 2 of the best coaches in the game (not just the Championship), Forest’s attacking intent from the start and how Town cope with that, how Forest react to frustration if they can’t get past a stingy Town defence and at what point the favourites begin to tire as they are want to do.

Most of all, however, will be how Forest cope with all the self inflicted pressure. If they don’t let the occasion overwhelm them, they are the more likely to win but it is just as likely that Town’s stifling and pragmatic style can pile on the pressure and create the few openings they need to win.

For many Town fans, defeat will be met with stoic disappointment. Memories of the sheer ruthlessness of a brutal league rather tempers the excitement this time around and it just isn’t convincing that inevitable and grinding defeats will be accepted on the altar of earning lots of money.

Regardless of the consequences of winning, however, win we must.

The stakes are much higher for Forest and you rather fear for them if they fail. They are reliant on a few too many loans, the obvious talent of some they do own will be gone and the estimable Cooper will have something of a rebuild to do. Winning will resolve these issues but the other problems begin.

For both sets of fans – enjoy it and remember it’s only a game.

See you on the other side.

Scoreless draws take a few forms. The one in Lancashire midweek was a poor example of the genre, while yesterday’s Yorkshire derby was a stalemate at it’s best.

This was despite only one save of note being made by the keepers and genuine chances being at a premium; it was the spectacle of two pretty decent teams going toe to toe for a win which created an edge of the seat drama right through to injury time.

With both teams in form – though the much nicer Sheffield club’s rise up the table has been built on wins while Town’s admirable unbeaten run has relied on resilience and draws – a tight contest was expected, in which the visitors began as favourites.

Carlos Corberán sprung some selection surprises with the inclusion of Russell in midfield and Ruffles at left back in place of Toffolo. The former had thrilled and intrigued supporters in the cup against Barnsley, though some remained sceptical about his pace and ability to compete against the better midfields in this division, while Ruffles’ elevation over a pretty subdued incumbent has possibly been too long coming.

Russell, whose languid style is at once thrilling and alarming, produced a first class, if not flawless, Championship debut and would have celebrated his arrival with a goal but for the incompetence of officials who incorrectly interpreted a tussle in the 6 yard box which should’ve been a penalty, not the cause of disallowing Russell’s excellent header.

Not long afterwards, United appeared to illegally prevent Russell meeting another corner. 

The referee, who had a very poor first half with both the big decisions and the more mundane ones, which included leaving unpunished a ridiculous number of niggly and cynical fouls by the Blades in the opening 15 minutes, managed to balance out the generous calls Town have had over the past few weeks.

It was unfortunate for Berge to collect the booking his team deserved, but the overdue caution settled things down and the game was all the better for it.

An excellent start by the hosts yielded too little threat with a tame Ward header from a difficult angle and a wild shot from Pipa being the meagre return for some otherwise enterprising play.

Once the Blades stopped infringing and started playing, their quality began to emerge and a dominant 10 minutes rather unsettled Town who found it difficult to gain possession and gave it away cheaply when they did. However, and like their hosts, United were unable to turn superiority in to genuine chances.

The pendulum swung back in Town’s favour once they got to grips with United’s surge and it was noticeable that this followed O’Brien giving Russell some forceful positioning advice as the debutant’s defensive inexperience had been a little exposed.

Getting back on the front foot, Town put together some decent combinations to create some shooting opportunities for Ward but the top scorer failed to connect with one effort and hit the other tamely wide.

Down the left, Ruffels was having an excellent Championship full debut, attacking with energy and defending well against Sheffield’s dangerous right side. Sadly, his left side partner, Koroma, was not up to speed and wasted good attacks with poor choices; a failure which was to recur badly in the second half.

It was Ruffels who won the corner from which Russell scored the disallowed effort. An excellent Thomas delivery was superbly met by the soaring debutant only for the nonsense on the line – Baldock wrestled Ward to the ground and Fotheringham fell over him – to be misinterpreted by the referee, linesman or fourth official (or a combination of the 3). The referee was clearly happy with the goal and allowed celebrations to go on longer than it usually takes to dawn.

Doubly annoying as it was, a goal for Russell would have capped a very good first half, Town haven’t much room to complain about referee decisions recently, though this looked entirely like a cop out for officials unsure what had happened on the line.

To their credit, Town didn’t collectively sulk and finished the half strongly with intent and a flurry of corners. They had been the better side and more than unfortunate to be going in level.

The second half proved to be much more even as the Blades’ quality came more to the fore. Berge, in particular, saw more of the ball though perhaps more could be expected of a clearly talented player than neat, tidy and very safe passing. 

It was Town, however, who should have made much more of an excellent break with United found short at the back. No fewer than 3 players gave Koroma options to left and right only for the out of form winger to lose the ball to an outnumbered defender.

A rare poor ball from Hogg, who is looking far more like the influence he is in the past two games, saw Russell robbed midway in his own half which allowed United to break. A rare opportunity for McBurnie saw him loop a header towards goal, but the attempt was comfortably gathered by Nicholls, who also saved a reasonable Berge effort minutes later.

For Town, Pipa and Thomas were combining well down the right to cause the visitors’ problems but the openings were always thwarted by good defending. The combination, however, augurs well for the final run in.

Koroma was finally, and mercifully, replaced by Holmes just after the hour and the Anglo-American made a big difference with a performance brimming with energy and intent, in stark contrast to his midweek efforts.

The awkward McBurnie’s elbow found the face of his captor, Matt Pearson. Town’s central defenders, augmented out of possession by Hogg, were excellent throughout and Sharp was similarly subdued by Lees with an off target shot his only contribution of note.

By this point, Russell’s vision and range of passing came to the fore. He regularly released his colleagues down right and left with perfectly weighted balls, some of which were things of beauty.

As the last 10 loomed, Corberán tried to make changes to win the game and replaced the excellent Ruffles with Sinani, but the adjacent decision to move O’Brien to left back, which had unwelcome echoes of last season’s campaign, took a while to be exposed and Toffolo, rather than the original choice of Rhodes, was chosen to replace Ward and get O’Brien back in midfield.

The confusion very nearly became a catastrophe when Toffolo made a complete hash of a routine clearance and presented the Blades with an opportunity they rather wasted.

Another penalty shout, this time from Pipa who went down under a double challenge, looked optimistic in real time but pretty conclusive on replay. At the other end, Pipa gave away a needless corner which nearly resulted in a late winner for the South Yorkshire men.

A practised routine found Fleck unmarked just outside the box and the Scotsman caught the ball very sweetly. Nicholls saw it through a crowd of players and finger tipped it on to the post and then off his leg for a corner. A wonderful save from possibly the player of the season so far. It preserved his 14th clean sheet, and it is testament to his abilities that those are all founded on his mastery of the basic goalkeeping skills which he carries out with supreme simplicity. Throughout this derby, his confident, calm collection of crosses, headers and any other threats was massively influential.

A Russell header, easily saved by Fotheringham was Town’s last attempt for a winner and an absorbing, entertaining encounter came to a close.

Both clubs remain in contention for a play off position and, from a Town perspective, it was gratifying to equal a very good Blades outfit. The return of Colwill, the intriguing arrival of Anjorin and the emergence of competition in midfield and at left back could prove crucial in the imminent run in. 

Maybe this squad can avoid ritual humiliation at Craven Cottage next week or even better. After all, they have got to 50 points before Valentine’s Day and secured Championship status far earlier than many, or any, of us believed in August.