townreports

Same Old Song

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dominance Rewarded

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What followed was encouraging and frustrating in equal parts.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Big Yawn

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A win on Saturday would more than compensate.

Brewing up a stinker

Even a convincing win against lowly Burton Albion wouldn’t have absolved Town from the ignominy of defeat at Valley Parade seven days earlier.

That derby capitulation crystallised the suspicion that Town is a collection of individual talent significantly underperforming under a rookie manager, whose commitment to the coaching manual is looking increasingly dogmatic.

After a lethargic first hour, with far too little invention, the hosts were grateful for two sharp saves by Nicholls, an excellent block by Ledson, and a headed miss by Beesley as the Brewers defied their underdog status with a first-half performance that deserved more reward.

Other than Kasumu, who provided virtually all of Town’s energy, too many in blue and white underperformed. Their stodgy, mechanical approach rarely looked like producing a breakthrough, with the promising Alves barely allowed any space or freedom by the solid visitors, while Castledine, now getting starts, had too little influence.

Up front, Taylor was isolated, and while May gets through a prodigious amount of work, surely it is time for him to be played as the out-and-out striker he is.

It would have been interesting to see how Town might have responded had Burton taken the lead they deserved. Maybe it would have woken them from their torpor, but a hugely disappointing first half was a soggy mess as the expensively assembled squad, for the second Saturday running, struggled to match the tenacity and controlled aggression of an actual team.

Underachievement in the first 45 minutes is now a feature of the season, not a bug, and it was to be expected that Town would improve after the break—and this they eventually did. To an extent.

Taylor latched onto an excellent long ball from Feeney just before the hour but rushed his shot, wasting a very good opportunity. It was, however, the beginning of home dominance which, in normal circumstances, would have brought victory, but Burton’s resilience proved exemplary to the end.

It is to damn with faint praise to report that the Terriers finally removed their heads from their fundaments and sufficiently raised their performance to offer some threat against a side who will, hopefully successfully, be fighting relegation this season, just as they did last.

Following Taylor’s botched opportunity, he hit a weak shot after a promising break with two men to his left isolating one defender. A poor decision, possibly born of frustration at his earlier miss, but hardly helpful to the cause.

Castledine then missed the next opportunity after good work by Kasumu and May, and an intelligent leave by Taylor left him open on the right. Though a little wide, and with two defenders converging upon him, the Chelsea loanee needed to shoot across the goal from whence the ball came but sliced well wide.

By now, Town’s pressure was as intense as the persistent rain and, admirably, Burton were straining every sinew to shut out their hosts. At last, the game had delivered some entertainment.

Completely spent as an attacking force, the visitors somehow managed to keep the ball out of the net in a frantic finale.

First, Roughan hit a perfect shot from just outside the area which was somehow blocked on the line. Low should have scored from two yards out with a header from a corner, but an instinctive save by Collins kept the game scoreless, before another excellent Roughan effort went narrowly wide.

The final piece of brilliance by the Burton defence saw Hartridge clear an excellent Radulovic header off the line, and the game ended goalless.

Though the litany of chances in the last half-hour appears to point to the bad fortune that can happen during a campaign, it in fact just emphasises the current malaise of Grant and his squad.

Unable or unwilling to settle on a first eleven, the slow starts which afflict the Terriers may be the result of lacking cohesion through constant swapping and changing.

Developing partnerships across the pitch seems to be a slow process, and there is little evidence they are even close to being achieved. Perhaps patience is required as new players like Alves, Redmond, Castledine (to an extent) and, still to come, McGuane settle in.

An inexperienced manager overseeing a virtually brand-new squad isn’t going to be without issues, but the dirge served up in the first hour against the Brewers cannot be excused, and the assumed easy points were deservedly dropped.

Tangled up in ecru

For the second successive away trip in the league, Town self-immolated in bizarre fashion, handing their hosts a deserved, but not particularly hard-earned, victory.

The majority of the blame, rightly, will rest with loanee keeper Goodman, who never recovered from a shaky start to proceedings which, ironically, began with a fine double save (though the follow-up he prevented would have been ruled offside), but soon descended into Tim Clark-levels of clownishness.

Underlying the frailty between the sticks, however, was a curious approach to a Yorkshire derby: intricate, terror-inducing play across the back that always looked liable to collapse.

Meticulous planning, theoretical strategies and drilled coaching can easily crumble in the intensity of a derby, and the over-playing merely acted as a trigger for a relentless and effective Barnsley press, who clearly understood that you have to earn the right to be fancy-Dan.

The huge and loud away support watched on with an anxiety which must have been felt by players whose confidence in the tactics looked, if not shaky, then at least on edge. Mistakes crept in early, with a Roughan slip leading to danger and several attempts to get up the pitch strangled at birth in the middle of the park.

Barnsley dominated the crucial early stages and were gifted an opener when Goodman spilled a routine cross to Keillor-Dunn’s feet before ten minutes were up.

The error clearly preyed on the young keeper’s mind and he looked decidedly uncomfortable from that point, including nearly carrying the ball out of his area when he came out to meet a long through ball. Only a linesman’s generous interpretation prevented further trouble for Goodman.

Sadly, the warning wasn’t heeded and his next impetuous gallivant to deal with a situation in which he should have had no part completely derailed his team.

A ball down the line lifted over Feeney, who was covering for an advanced Gooch, towards McGoldrick was mildly threatening but heading towards the corner rather than directly on goal. Goodman took it upon himself to summon his inner Harald Schumacher and assault Barnsley’s veteran striker.

A red card was inevitable and, just as Town are incapable of taking advantage of playing against ten men, examples of heroics when similarly denuded are very rare.

The omens surrounding Town’s trip to Oakwell, a destination of decidedly mixed fortunes, had not been helped by the club deciding to cock a snook at the football gods by debuting the second iteration of an ecru kit.

The first, as supporters of a certain vintage will recall, was donned by a Peter Jackson XI who were 6-0 down on a bleak Friday night at half-time, eventually conceding seven. Thankfully, the yellow-and-black checkerboard kit won’t be brought back for the visit of Manchester City.

Before the sending-off, Town had settled down to an extent and Wiles should have levelled when one-on-one with the keeper, having been found by Harness with an excellent ball. Lacking composure, his effort was reasonably easily saved.

More frustratingly, however, Town regularly found Roosken in space on the left only for the Dutchman to waste several very promising attacks. A reassessment of his efficacy as a winger is now long overdue — a fit Miller, or a new recruit, would have exploited those opportunities far more clinically.

This is not to suggest, in any way, that Town were ever on top. Barnsley’s rearguard solidly dealt with any attacking ambition of their rivals.

Nicholls replaced the wretched Goodman and could now reclaim his number-one position in his rival’s enforced absence, but he could do nothing to prevent Barnsley doubling their lead just before the break, effectively settling the contest.

If there was a hefty slice of good fortune in a strike from the edge of the area heavily deflecting off Roughan following a corner-clearing header, leaving Connell unmarked and then failing to get out quickly enough to him contributed to Town’s undoing.

A disastrous first half, then, and one which had only been seconds old when May went down with an injury which looked serious and took some time to resolve. He played on but was replaced at half-time by Taylor, hopefully as a precaution.

A dour and forgettable second half saw Town put in a decent effort with depleted numbers but they rarely looked like scoring to put some doubt in the minds of their hosts.

The efforts were acknowledged by a loud away end who did their best to raise the ten men, but Barnsley quelled the attempts with some comfort. They were helped, however, by a sub-par second-half performance from the referee, who missed several home infringements, including a clear pull-back on Taylor and a bizarre interpretation of a foul on Sorensen where he punished the Dane.

His ineptitude was not the reason for Town’s demise, as the damage had already been done, but it was a little cruel for them to fall further behind late on when Nicholls parried a shot to the feet of the blessed Keillor-Dunn, who bagged surely the easiest brace of his career.

A late Taylor consolation, latching on to a loose back-pass, gave the defeat a more respectable hue but couldn’t erase the pain of a day that needs to be resigned to history very quickly.

Grant will no doubt take stock, learn lessons and reassert his faith in “the group”, as he should, but sometimes the basics can be lost amidst the theories — and earning the right to play, which may be a cliché but is true for a reason, should be the first thing drilled home.

The supporters have clearly not lost faith in the promise of this season given the noise they made unwaveringly, but there cannot be a repeat of this in the next Yorkshire derby in two weeks’ time.

Town topple table-toppers

A second hard-earned win in the space of a few days, against in-form opposition, thanks to the predatory instincts of Alfie May, lifted Town above all except Cardiff in the table as the promising start to the season continued.

Stevenage posed a very different challenge to the lively and expansive Doncaster in midweek, offering a physical and resolute performance which rarely threatened but could easily have frustrated a home side still in the process of establishing patterns and rhythms.

Anticipating the visitors’ likely aerial approach looking to extend their 100% start to the campaign, Grant fielded three centre-halves in his back four, with Wallace—somewhat surprisingly—keeping his place on the left after a less than convincing midweek display, even if his selection made sense tactically.

Town began brightly, Kane firing over with a decent effort and May forcing a good save, but the half soon descended into an attritional contest in search of inspiration. Neither Roosken nor Harness could unlock a solid visiting defence, while Stevenage offered little attacking threat themselves.

Fans were, however, treated to the first application of the new law restricting goalkeeper possession to eight seconds in open play, as Marschall in the visitors’ goal conceded a corner for delaying his kick a fraction too long.

It seemed a little harsh—particularly when Goodman later flirted with the limit without sanction—but the novelty at least added some interest to an increasingly dour game.

Town promptly wasted the corner.

Despite the lack of thrills, yet another half had passed without a goal conceded, and those 12 manic minutes at Blackpool are beginning to look increasingly like an outlier.

A brighter start to the second half saw a move begun by Sorensen, who has started the season well, end with a May shot on the turn that was routinely saved.

Perhaps sensing that Stevenage’s reputation for long-ball dominance was overstated, Grant made an early and positive switch, replacing Wallace with the more adventurous Roughan, before Ashia and Taylor came on for the ineffective Roosken and—more surprisingly—Harness.

The changes injected dynamism, and a short spell of intensity finally broke down the previously obdurate defence.

Wiles and Kane, both very good throughout, worked their opponents around before Kane exchanged passes with Roughan, releasing the Irishman into the area.

Roughan cut the ball back; Taylor either swung and missed or cleverly dummied—injuring himself in the process—allowing May to pounce. The striker sat one defender down with a feint before seeing his first shot blocked on the line, only to bury the rebound.

It was an instinctive first open-play goal of the season for the prolific May and, hopefully, a portent of another fruitful year.

Taylor, hampered by the knock picked up in the buildup, managed a reasonable strike that was comfortably saved, but Town inevitably spent much of the closing stages on the back foot, testing the nerves of the home crowd.

Stevenage’s ascendancy amounted to little, with the excellent Low – well assisted by Feeney—marshalling a defence that rarely looked troubled.

Kane cynically brought down Kemp just outside the box to prevent a rare moment of danger, rightly earning a yellow card from the quietly impressive referee. From the free-kick, substitute Patterson curled well over.

Goodman made one smart save from a deflected shot near the end, and the subsequent corner saw Stevenage keeper Marschall join the attack to sow late confusion, but Town held firm to register a satisfying if unspectacular win over a tough but quite limited on the day, opponent.

May’s predatory strike will be the most remembered moment of an otherwise largely forgettable encounter, but the flawless Low was again outstanding at the back, while Sorensen, Wiles, and Kane— rightly maligned in last season’s disgraced campaign—were the pick of the rest.

We have, of course, been here before with a strong start, but the performances so far have been more convincing than last year’s false dawn. The squad looks significantly deeper, and there remains plenty of room for improvement.

What this latest victory lacked in entertainment and style, it more than made up for in defensive solidity, comfortably quelling a potentially dangerous opponent as Grant continues to find ways to win.

An intriguing Yorkshire derby with an improved Barnsley awaits next week, but first comes a trip to Sunderland—a stern test of Town’s resources as they look to complete a very successful August.

Donny kebabed

For at least 70 minutes of a keenly contested game, Doncaster Rovers displayed all the characteristics of a team in fine form: momentum, sharpness, and a desire to compete in this division after promotion.

In the first half hour in particular, Rovers ran Town ragged with a highly effective press, forcing error after error as the hosts failed to find any rhythm. They were hugely fortunate not to concede on several occasions.

Outplayed in all areas of the pitch, Town had to strain to stay in a game that seemed to be constantly slipping away as Rovers’ crisp and incisive passing created threat after threat.

Defensively fragile, the Terriers were at least resilient. Feeney made an excellent block, the otherwise shaky Goodman produced saves of varying difficulty, and, most notably, Castledine made a fantastic recovering tackle on Sbarra, who was clean through on goal following a counter-attack from a Town corner.

With Murray all at sea at left-back, the midfield barely functioning, and an isolated May posing no threat, it was a torrid opening 30 minutes. The spell was only interrupted by a strategic “injury” to Goodman, allowing Lee Grant time to make adjustments to a game plan which emphasised the lack of developed partnerships in a squad still working each other out.

That break — cynical, and something that really ought to be outlawed — seemed to partially do the trick. Town began to more effectively quell their superior opponents, and the game became more even. The home side finally created a reasonable chance when a long ball to Harness saw the ex-Ipswich man turn a hopeful punt into a good shot, which was well saved.

The calmer final 15 minutes couldn’t erase the very poor start, but Town went into the break with the consolation that they hadn’t conceded. While they had plenty of room for improvement, their visitors may already have peaked.

As it turned out, the winds of change came slowly and almost imperceptibly for much of the second half. Rovers weren’t quite the force they had been, and Town reduced their error count and began to edge towards some coherence.

It was far from perfect — and barely counts as redemptive — but Billy Sharp could still have made it a miserable evening. His customary threat against Town saw him spin cleverly in the box, only for his shot to be blocked by the well-positioned Low.

At nearly 40, the hugely experienced striker continues to ply his trade admirably in an attractive and successful side. Less admirably, his tendency towards over-aggression earned him a booking for a cheap, late challenge on Low.

Pleasingly for Grant, the game turned on his substitutions. Sorensen, Wiles, and Taylor replaced the less-than-convincing Murray (who found Molyneux a handful), the otherwise heroic Castledine, and the far-too-isolated May.

Ten minutes later, Roosken fed Harkness, whose cleverly disguised and perfectly weighted pass found Wiles’s run into the box. The substitute finished smartly to give Town an undeserved but welcome lead.

Fellow substitute Taylor, full of running, latched onto a long ball down the channel minutes later and ran at the visitors’ defence with intent. Inexplicably, O’Riordan grabbed the Town striker’s shirt. While it looked fairly innocuous, it was an easy penalty for the referee to give.

Taylor stepped up and buried his third spot-kick of the season. After so many years of rarely getting home penalties, to earn one in each of the home games so far is quite remarkable. Attacking the box brings rewards, it seems.

A hugely flattering scoreline does, however, need context.

Doncaster hadn’t been beaten since March. The familiarity of their side, coupled with their established, eye-catching style, spoke of a unit with momentum and a winning mentality. Town had to dig very deep to hang in, and while it was visibly uncomfortable, they stuck to the task.

Goalkeeper Goodman had an evening he may wish to forget. Though he made one or two decent saves, his distribution was generally poor and included presenting the opposition with a good chance they might have capitalised upon.

He wasn’t alone in being below par, and Grant acknowledges it will take time for this talented squad to truly gel. Three wins — including this one against a very good side — while that development continues is encouraging, even if the last two performances haven’t been great.

There was much to admire about Doncaster. Emulating their winning mentality and highly motivated teamwork would serve Town well this season. It may take time, but with the quality of players at the coaching staff’s disposal, it is surely achievable.

Another tough challenge awaits next, against yet another side with momentum and belief.

Blackpool Rock Town Back

Within 12 minutes of a torrid first half by the seaside, Huddersfield Town’s encouraging, if not flawless, start to the season was called into serious question as the home side exploited errors in a previously solid defence and thwarted the visitors with some comfort for around an hour, despite being a player short.

It had all looked very different in the opening stages as Town completely dominated their under-pressure and vulnerable hosts, taking the lead early and justifying their top spot in the nascent league table.

The home support must have believed that their woeful start to the season was about to deteriorate further as a deflected Wiles effort beat their under-fire keeper, Peacock-Farrell.

Scenting blood, Town flowed forward with confidence and rhythm, ready to exploit their hosts’ lack of belief and turn the jittery home crowd against them.

Alarmingly, at the first sign of a setback, Town crumbled.

Whatmough, who has previously escaped punishment for some errors, notably in the opening game, entirely misjudged a ball that looped towards him from a Ledson swipe at a loose midfield pass. Rather than dealing with it by simply meeting it with his head, the ex-Preston man, presumably to the delight of the tangerine faithful, allowed the ball to bounce and Ennis was presented with a clear path to goal.

With Whatmough beaten, Low inexplicably decided not to move towards the ball to challenge the Blackpool striker, and by the time he did, he only succeeded in making the situation worse by deflecting a shot that was probably going wide, completely negating any action Goodman was taking.

Other than putting a question mark over the two centre-halves—and with plenty of time to recover from the errors, given the numerous options available to Lee Grant—the equaliser was also a test of the team’s previously unquestioned resilience.

That test was failed, quite horribly.

A collective panic seemed to settle over the whole team, and while Blackpool’s hungry grasp of the lifeline presented to them was admirable, Town’s implosion was immediate and worrying.

All control, which had been established and held so firmly that the concession marked the first time Blackpool had entered Town’s penalty area (indeed, the first time they had gone anywhere near it), evaporated.

The lack of composure and poor decision-making spread like a particularly virulent virus. Though the home side’s second goal was very well struck, and had been set up by a delicate touch, the half-hearted attempts to quell Blackpool’s threat contributed to the home side’s resurgence and lead.

Worse was to follow. A clearly rattled away side continued to encourage their opponent’s exuberant release from early-season struggles, and a lost contest on the edge of the area saw the ball land at Ennis’s feet, who had the simple task of beating Goodman one-on-one.

Shell-shocked, the players took a water break as the seaside sun belted down onto the playing area, and the intermission seemed to benefit the Terriers as they re-established control to an extent and soon reduced the arrears owing much to Roosken’s determination on the left.

Alfie May scuffed an attempted shot, but the ball squeezed through perfectly into the path of Gooch, who slammed home.

The American had been ridiculously ignored too many times given the space he regularly found, but the goal was a reward for his persistence.

At this point, a goal fest seemed inevitable with both defences showing glaring fragility, but the nature of the contest was about to change dramatically as double goalscorer Ennis launched a reckless challenge on Whatmough, earning him a well-deserved red card.

Veteran Town supporters know that having a man advantage has rarely been a precursor to an easy victory, but this was an opportunity for the latest group of players to change that perception.

With about 10 minutes to go until halftime, Town had the chance to capitalise on the home side’s readjustment, but their best opportunity was squandered by Alfie May, who chose to try an audacious lob from just inside Blackpool’s half rather than exploit a three-on-one attack. His effort was wastefully harmless.

It should have been no surprise that the hugely experienced Bruce—who has lost only one encounter against Town since escaping the car crash of the Rubery era—would implement a disciplined and effective low block to thwart the numerically disadvantaged visitors.

A half of ponderous, inaccurate, and barely threatening torpor duly ensued.

Despite calling upon every scrap of creativity at Grant’s disposal, with Castledine and McGuane introduced for their league debuts, there was a complete lack of imagination across the pitch as Town failed to register a shot of any note until a late effort by Castledine went narrowly wide.

If anything, the home side looked more likely to score through either a breakaway or an error at the back by Town. Low had to rescue more than one dangerous situation caused by misplaced passes from his central defensive partner, who also gave away an entirely avoidable corner when set pieces were the most obvious threat from a depleted opponent.

Frustrating barely covers a second-half performance devoid of guile or intensity. While there is an argument that the dismissal focused the home side’s energy and purpose—something they carried out admirably—Town’s approach of doing the same thing over and over, like trying to thread a needle in a storm, was entirely predictable and manageable.

On the rare occasion a cross was attempted, it invariably found a home defender’s head. Surely, even as a last resort, changing Low’s role from strolling forward to make the same sideways pass into an attacking disturbance in the area was worth a try?

In these days of statistics, meticulous planning, and over-coaching, is such a solution to Town’s ineffectiveness considered gauche?

By the last 15 minutes, the away support’s ire turned to an admittedly fussy referee, but it was hardly his fault that Town players made it ever so easy for opponents to win free kicks through their predictable and ponderous play.

A first defeat of the season held too many parallels with last season’s reversal at Rotherham—a game that should have been won but was deservedly lost, leading to a collapse in form which was never truly rediscovered.

Grant needs to ensure that Saturday’s setback does not set the tone in the same way, with two tricky upcoming home games.

Changes should be expected, with perhaps Whatmough paying the price for a far-from-convincing performance, even if Low probably survives scrutiny. Kane’s lack of pace and intermittent carelessness also puts him under threat from potentially better midfield options, while the ever-quiet Wiles may also have to make way.

Lots of issues for Grant to grapple with, then—with solutions needing to be found very quickly.

It seems that all the values conspicuously missing for at least two years have begun to flood back into this Huddersfield Town incarnation as they entertainingly overcame a strong Leicester side in the League Cup.

The two league games have delivered togetherness, some flair, a clearly likeable squad, a clear tactical plan, and, importantly, hope. To that list, you can add entertainment, resilience, and credible depth, following a hard-fought tie resolved with a penalty shoot-out.

With nine changes to the side that beat Reading at the weekend — including two young prospects making their full debuts and an entirely different defence — the annual capitulation to cup opponents seemed more likely than not. But the new Grant era has already seen surprising team changes, and it is clear, from his words and deeds, that he will preside over a very interchangeable squad.

Defensively, his options are looking very good indeed. Feeney and Wallace comfortably slotted into roles already filled with distinction by Low and Watmough, with the returning Wallace particularly impressive throughout.

The two full-backs, Gooch and Roughan, are arguably a stronger pair than those on display at the weekend, notwithstanding Gooch’s torrid examination by 16-year-old Monga in the first 25 minutes.

It was a regular, however, who caught the eye most in a mostly dull first half, as Roosken provided most of Town’s threat in a much more confident performance on the left, and was the subject of a baffling decision by a ridiculously poor referee when clearly fouled as he cut back from the byline.

To compound matters, the referee later gave a penalty for a carbon copy of the early incident, while also turning down two other, less clear-cut penalty shouts.

Despite the first-half fare being less than inspiring, there was some very good pressing by Town, which created the odd opportunity. Dion Charles worked very hard and, in one instance, dispossessed a City defender but lacked the confidence to shoot, instead choosing to set Ashia on a path of quickly diminishing returns.

A hurried clearance from the same incident fell to Roosken, who fired over with a decent effort — the closest either side came to a shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

With Gooch, assisted by Ashia, finally controlling the dangerous Monga — who was rightly booked for simulation after falling over following the slightest contact — the East Midlanders were rather blunted until a flurry of late corners caused mild consternation among the home defence and support, but no massive threat.

A half that had begun promisingly for the hosts trudged towards the break, but that early denial of a penalty left Town the more aggrieved of the two sides.

The second half was to prove the diametric opposite, as both sides upped their game to create a genuinely excellent and hugely entertaining cup tie.

First blood went to the visitors, as a hurried clearance — following good defensive work in the box — fell to Choudhury, who hit a fabulous and unstoppable strike past Nicholls. It was due reward for the Foxes’ domination of the opening stages of the half and, in the past, would usually have predicted heads dropping at best and capitulation at worst.

To their credit, Town were far from fazed by the setback and didn’t take long to get back into the game. One of a selection of excellent long balls forward by Roughan found Roosken, who took the ball smoothly, advanced into the area, and — as he had done in the opening minutes — turned back and tempted Leicester’s scorer, Choudhury, into a challenge that brought him down. All eyes were on the referee to see if he could embarrass himself again.

After years of no penalty being awarded at home, and even longer since one was scored, Town have now gained two in consecutive home games. The clock on successfully converting a home penalty, which was reset on opening day, continues, however, as a potentially confidence-boosting opportunity for Dion Charles was spurned. His spot-kick was well saved by Stolarczyk, only for debutant Vost to react first to the looped ball and head in the equaliser.

A great moment for another youngster making his way in the game — but Charles continues to disappoint despite his evident work rate. Not only was his penalty saved, he failed to shoot in the first half when it was undoubtedly the best option, and in the second half, a lovely Town move fell to his feet and cried out for a first-time shot. He took a touch, and the opportunity disappeared in a flash. He may well be Lee Grant’s biggest challenge at present.

The list of positives from this game is much longer than the concerns, not least the number of youngsters who acquitted themselves very well — adding the later substitute Sway to Vost and Ashia.

Defensively, too, the Terriers came away with a lot of credit against a pacy and dangerous Leicester side, but they may not want to dwell too much on the visitors’ second goal, when a player of the quality of Winks — who will surely be heading back to the Premier League — was allowed far too much room to plant an excellent side-footed effort past Nicholls, who might have done a little better himself.

The restoration of City’s lead so soon after the equaliser would, without a shred of doubt, have sunk last season’s thankfully, mostly, departed squad. The fact that Town rallied after another second-half setback notches the confidence in them just a little higher, building on the promising start to the league campaign.

With a great interception on the halfway line, the impressive Wallace set Town on the path to goal on the three-quarter mark, playing the ball out to Cameron Ashia. Saturday’s late hero advanced with minimal Leicester interruption, looked up, and curled a magnificent equaliser that surpassed even Choudhury’s effort for skill and execution.

The contrast between Cameron’s brimming confidence and the desperation of poor Dion is stark. Ashia has grabbed his opportunities with relish and joy and looks set to play a big part in the season ahead, if utilised sensibly.

The final stages of the game were mainly dictated by the visitors — nobody wants to take on Huddersfield Town in a penalty shoot-out, after all — and Nicholls had to back up some resolute defending with a good late save to guarantee the spectacle of a penalty competition.

Rarely beaten in such competitions (the last time was in 2011, itself a rare event), the only relevant omen was the fact that Leicester’s keeper had already saved a spot-kick, and there was no possibility of a redeeming follow-up this time.

Nicholls, hailed as England’s number one when he isn’t even Town’s number one, stepped up to save the first effort, only for Taylor to see his shot well saved.

May, Castledine, and Sorensen scored their kicks, while a very powerful El Khannouss effort crashed off the post to put Town back in the lead. Nicholls then saved Leicester’s final, poor effort, and an enjoyable evening was capped off with progression in the cup and an attractive away tie at Sunderland as the reward.

There was a lot to like about Town on a warm summer evening, with a continuation of the early-season positives: exciting young players introduced, strength in depth (particularly at the back), positive football with good pressing as a feature, new players still to come in (Castledine looked an interesting player on first sight), and the development of a squad with character.

On to the seaside.

However good it was, and Johnnies Night Club will hold a special place in the hearts of Huddersfield people of a certain age who experienced their 1970s/1980s heyday, it could sometimes be a little dull through repetition.

This led to such larrikins as setting off fire extinguishers, trying to buy them out of matches, “escaping” over the fence in the open bit, playing Jesus and Mary Chain’s “April Skies” over and over to annoy and delight in equal measure and other harmless japes (unless there was, you know, an actual fire).

But on one Friday night in early May 1980, talk was dominated by Huddersfield Town. 

For context, the people involved had seen their football club floundering in hell for much of the previous decade after starting it in spectacular style. Now, Town stood on the verge of redemption and were to escape the bottom division at long last – it is hard to overstate just how dismal the preceding years were.

Buxton’s side of rejects, misfits and journeymen had rekindled interest, excited the supporters and were writing themselves in to HTFC folklore yet, and yet, all of their efforts were in danger of being diluted by not being crowned Division 4 champions and confirming their deserved status as the best in the division. An Alan Buckley inspired Walsall threatened the coronation and victory over Hartlepool United in the last game was needed.

The occasion, it was agreed in the Jungle Bar, demanded a gesture and a banner was decided upon. In these days of the NSL and their wonderfully creative efforts, it is easy to forget that this expression of support was rare and amateurish.

Fuelled by a typical pre night club town centre pub crawl – Shoehorn, Painted Wagon, Plumbers, West Riding et al – talk turned to a slogan. Alternative ideas were scorned and spurned before consensus was reached with “Ian Robins lays on more balls than Fiona Richmond”. The identity of the author has been lost in the mists of time (it was me, actually), but it was seized upon despite its lack of brevity, and mostly because of Fiona.

The easy availability of porn, overt sexuality of celebrities (some of whom are celebrated solely because of it) and all pervasive sexual imagery would render Fiona pretty redundant, or, at best, run of the mill, these days but in the late 70s she built herself a fortune through the medium of sex.

A vicar’s daughter (thank you Wikipedia), she defied convention and portrayed herself as a woman who didn’t give a hoot that people would attack her relentlessly for her choices but, more importantly in the context of our banner, she was football related because of an escapade involving that arch self publicist Malcolm Allison and the Crystal Palace players’ bath.

Ian Robins, meanwhile, was not only the club’s leading scorer in that memorable season, his partnerships with, first, Peter Fletcher and then Steve Kindon were symbiotic. Between the 3 of them, they scored 56 goals with Ian bagging 25. Assists were not routinely recorded back then as they are now, but it isn’t difficult to imagine Robins’ contribution to the tallies of his strike partners and others.

Having chosen the words for the placard, the rather more difficult feat of actually creating it was discussed. Drunken agreement of a time and place – fairly early morning at the offices of one of the participants with access to materials – was achieved but likely attendance still dubious.

Perhaps the fervour excited by that Buxton team was too visceral to miss; enough hands appeared and work began with extra strong paper and black paint. 

One or two had a pretty decent design background allowing the space to be filled with some precision and no words were left off or scrunched in to space – it was a damned good effort in which I took no part whatsoever.

The paper was then nailed to strategically aligned four by twos and the banner, in all its glory, was complete.

Practical considerations, which perhaps should have been thought about before embarkation, started to kick in and mainly concerned how to get the bloody thing in to the ground. Which part of the ground should have been a simpler question, but that particular Saturday was blighted by quite strong winds – the banner was aesthetically pleasing but hardly engineered to stringent standards.

Out came the nails as it became obvious that the component parts would have to be smuggled in to Leeds Road – the large pieces of wood could, conceivably, be perceived as weapons even if the visitors’ support would be minuscule at best – and reassembly would have to take place in the ground.

Then came location. Obviously, the main stand was out and the Cowshed was going to be rammed, but the East terrace and the open end were both viable. The terrace offered shelter from the wind but, with the roof, less visibility so it was decided that despite its exposure to the elements, the Bradley Mills end would host the spectacle.

With less than military precision, the wooden poles were stuck down trouser legs, the banner furled under a jacket and stiff legged approaches made to the turnstiles. Remarkably, the odd policeman encountered was more Clouseau than Poirot and the parts were in the arena.

With assembly already practised, all be it uninterrupted by wind or authorities, the banner was ready quite quickly and laid out on the concrete steps at the back of the open end.

As the match started in front of nearly 17,000, the call was made for the big reveal. The choreography proved flawless and up it went to appreciative noises, lasting a few minutes before the “extra strong” paper easily lost the battle with the now raging nor’easter.

We felt we had done our bit, the Examiner got a (unpublished but archived) photo, and Town secured a 2-1 victory (after going in at half time one down).

Naturally, Ian Robins scored both goals. Walsall lost and the League title was secured.

Fiona is now a hotelier.