townreports

 It feels different.

Last season’s attempt at revitalisation crashed against the rocks of years of mostly bad — and far too numerous — managerial choices, a naïve new owner compounding those errors, and the legacy of a rancid, decaying squad reeking of failure.

Vestiges remain, with one or two subtle reminders in a hard-earned win over another club desperately searching for a momentum change, but in just two games Town have the look of a club that may — just may — have found a path to redemption.

It wasn’t a pretty win and hinged on moments going in the visitors’ favour, but Reading is never an easy place to go and gain points, even if the Royals are only just starting their own rebuild under new American (of course) ownership.

For the most part, Town were the better footballing side in a feisty and committed encounter, but too little of their play created threat and, one glorious chance for Joe Taylor aside, an open-play goal seemed elusive throughout.

The appearance of Sorensen in a defensive role on the right caused some alarm to those of us with even minimal exposure to the Dane’s body of work, and rather smacked of a manager believing he could unlock the player who shone at Sincil Bank, in contrast to our amateur scepticism. He did a reasonable, if not entirely flawless, job of containing the dangerous Kyerewaa.

His forays forward flattered to deceive, particularly in the first half, and he became the latest in a sad list of Town would-be long-throwers with an embarrassing effort that barely reached the penalty area.

After a promising opening 20 minutes, where the Terriers’ passing and movement looked sharp and crisp, the performance dipped and became a little ragged despite occasional threat down the left, with Reading disrupting their opponents’ flow more effectively.

That nullification by the home side came, ironically, after their best player, Wing, departed injured. What they lost in potential creativity, they seemed to gain in tighter aggression, and the increased attrition severely restricted the quality of entertainment as both sides played out a largely forgettable first half.

Other than an early effort from Kyerewaa, following the Royals’ best move of the half, Town’s defence contained them with some comfort as Low and Whatmough impressed both with and without the ball, physically dominating their somewhat lightweight opponents and winning the vast majority of their battles.

Typically of lunchtime kick-offs, the entertainment was at a premium, and though Town strived for combinations, breaking the hosts’ back line proved too difficult, with minimal threat from either side.

The visitors had the first opportunity of the second half when a smart ball from Ledson sent Taylor bursting through against a back-pedalling defence, but he hit a tame shot rather than squaring to the better-placed Wiles.

Reading, who were a little more threatening in the second half, created a chance at the far post with a teasing cross that was headed well over by Lane, who had to make contact with a ball that had bounced up, determining its trajectory.

This heralded the home side’s best spell of the match, culminating in Goodman having to make one of only two challenging saves of the contest to smartly keep out a deflected effort. The other, more routine, came at his near post and led to the pivotal moment of the game, when an unmarked Burns glanced well wide from the subsequent corner.

Immediately after the miss, the same home player gave away a cheap corner for Town, which Miller swung in. Whatmough competed for the ball and, as it dropped off a home body, managed to poke in the opener.

The goal came as something of a surprise given the lack of opportunities for the visitors, but it spurred them on against a visibly demoralised Reading, and the lead never looked like being relinquished.

Before the goal, and on the hour, Grant made three changes — the impressive Low making way for Feeney to make his debut — while changes to both flanks added more impetus as Gooch and Roughan, surely the first-choice options, replaced Sorensen and Roosken.

With a spring in their step, the rejuvenated visitors dominated the final 15 minutes, epitomised by the outstanding work rate of May, who is quickly establishing himself as the stark contrast to some of last year’s employees, despite a bout of cramp.

Town squeezed any ambition from their opponents with a smothering blanket in the increasing heat. The quietly impressive Ledson marshalled the team to a victory that had never looked glaringly obvious from a committed but rather average first 75 minutes, but once in front the depth and quality of the squad shone through.

Worryingly, Miller went down clutching his hamstring after attempting to push and run past an opponent, and could play no further part. Having used all their allowed substitutes, Town had to see out injury time with 10 men — and not only did so with ease, but also conjured up a second goal to seal the win.

With Dion Charles having replaced Taylor, Cameron Aisha made his debut, replacing Wiles (who rather disappeared again after a bright start) to provide some energy in the closing stages.

Charles won a free kick in a good position with some clever play, and Kane curled in a decent ball into the box that was half-cleared to Aisha, who stroked the ball into the far corner of the net with a perfect first-time strike. He was quite pleased with it, on the evidence of his ecstatic celebrations — as were his delighted team-mates.

Town’s record in lunchtime kick-offs has been abysmal of late, though that is probably more down to the abysmal part than the hour of day, and a solid win at a historically tough venue provides Grant and the squad a great foundation upon which to build.

The manager’s predecessor also had good results to start with last year, but Duff still had a squad of losers and could only construct the flimsiest of foundations, as it turned out.

What has happened — probably more quickly than expected, and obviously helped by winning — is regaining the trust of a support who were thoroughly sickened by last season’s shambolic events. Even with six starters who were part of that horror show, and only two games in, solid progress has been made.

It is possible that the first two opponents have been played at the right time — Reading now have a chance to build under new ownership, and Orient’s play-off hangover didn’t last long, judging by their good win yesterday.

However, with new players yet to play, old players looking more comfortable with a better squad around them, and plenty of headroom to grow, an encouraging start shouldn’t be sniffed at — and if it were, it would likely smell far sweeter than in recent years.

 It feels different.
Last season’s attempt at revitalisation crashed against the rocks of years of mostly bad — and far too numerous — managerial choices, a naïve new owner compounding those errors, and the legacy of a rancid, decaying squad reeking of failure.

Vestiges remain, with one or two subtle reminders in a hard-earned win over another club desperately searching for a momentum change, but in just two games Town have the look of a club that may — just may — have found a path to redemption.

It wasn’t a pretty win and hinged on moments going in the visitors’ favour, but Reading is never an easy place to go and gain points, even if the Royals are only just starting their own rebuild under new American (of course) ownership.

For the most part, Town were the better footballing side in a feisty and committed encounter, but too little of their play created threat and, one glorious chance for Joe Taylor aside, an open-play goal seemed elusive throughout.

The appearance of Sorensen in a defensive role on the right caused some alarm to those of us with even minimal exposure to the Dane’s body of work, and rather smacked of a manager believing he could unlock the player who shone at Sincil Bank, in contrast to our amateur scepticism. He did a reasonable, if not entirely flawless, job of containing the dangerous Kyerewaa.

His forays forward flattered to deceive, particularly in the first half, and he became the latest in a sad list of Town would-be long-throwers with an embarrassing effort that barely reached the penalty area.

After a promising opening 20 minutes, where the Terriers’ passing and movement looked sharp and crisp, the performance dipped and became a little ragged despite occasional threat down the left, with Reading disrupting their opponents’ flow more effectively.

That nullification by the home side came, ironically, after their best player, Wing, departed injured. What they lost in potential creativity, they seemed to gain in tighter aggression, and the increased attrition severely restricted the quality of entertainment as both sides played out a largely forgettable first half.

Other than an early effort from Kyerewaa, following the Royals’ best move of the half, Town’s defence contained them with some comfort as Low and Whatmough impressed both with and without the ball, physically dominating their somewhat lightweight opponents and winning the vast majority of their battles.

Typically of lunchtime kick-offs, the entertainment was at a premium, and though Town strived for combinations, breaking the hosts’ back line proved too difficult, with minimal threat from either side.

The visitors had the first opportunity of the second half when a smart ball from Ledson sent Taylor bursting through against a back-pedalling defence, but he hit a tame shot rather than squaring to the better-placed Wiles.

Reading, who were a little more threatening in the second half, created a chance at the far post with a teasing cross that was headed well over by Lane, who had to make contact with a ball that had bounced up, determining its trajectory.

This heralded the home side’s best spell of the match, culminating in Goodman having to make one of only two challenging saves of the contest to smartly keep out a deflected effort. The other, more routine, came at his near post and led to the pivotal moment of the game, when an unmarked Burns glanced well wide from the subsequent corner.

Immediately after the miss, the same home player gave away a cheap corner for Town, which Miller swung in. Whatmough competed for the ball and, as it dropped off a home body, managed to poke in the opener.

The goal came as something of a surprise given the lack of opportunities for the visitors, but it spurred them on against a visibly demoralised Reading, and the lead never looked like being relinquished.

Before the goal, and on the hour, Grant made three changes — the impressive Low making way for Feeney to make his debut — while changes to both flanks added more impetus as Gooch and Roughan, surely the first-choice options, replaced Sorensen and Roosken.

With a spring in their step, the rejuvenated visitors dominated the final 15 minutes, epitomised by the outstanding work rate of May, who is quickly establishing himself as the stark contrast to some of last year’s employees, despite a bout of cramp.

Town squeezed any ambition from their opponents with a smothering blanket in the increasing heat. The quietly impressive Ledson marshalled the team to a victory that had never looked glaringly obvious from a committed but rather average first 75 minutes, but once in front the depth and quality of the squad shone through.

Worryingly, Miller went down clutching his hamstring after attempting to push and run past an opponent, and could play no further part. Having used all their allowed substitutes, Town had to see out injury time with 10 men — and not only did so with ease, but also conjured up a second goal to seal the win.

With Dion Charles having replaced Taylor, Cameron Aisha made his debut, replacing Wiles (who rather disappeared again after a bright start) to provide some energy in the closing stages.

Charles won a free kick in a good position with some clever play, and Kane curled in a decent ball into the box that was half-cleared to Aisha, who stroked the ball into the far corner of the net with a perfect first-time strike. He was quite pleased with it, on the evidence of his ecstatic celebrations — as were his delighted team-mates.

Town’s record in lunchtime kick-offs has been abysmal of late, though that is probably more down to the abysmal part than the hour of day, and a solid win at a historically tough venue provides Grant and the squad a great foundation upon which to build.

The manager’s predecessor also had good results to start with last year, but Duff still had a squad of losers and could only construct the flimsiest of foundations, as it turned out.

What has happened — probably more quickly than expected, and obviously helped by winning — is regaining the trust of a support who were thoroughly sickened by last season’s shambolic events. Even with six starters who were part of that horror show, and only two games in, solid progress has been made.

It is possible that the first two opponents have been played at the right time — Reading now have a chance to build under new ownership, and Orient’s play-off hangover didn’t last long, judging by their good win yesterday.

However, with new players yet to play, old players looking more comfortable with a better squad around them, and plenty of headroom to grow, an encouraging start shouldn’t be sniffed at — and if it were, it would likely smell far sweeter than in recent years.

Omens and Demons

The last time Town dispatched an opening day opponent who had soundly defeated them on the last day of the previous season was in 2016. 

This may seem portentous, but Lee Grant would be better advised to look back a little more recently when an opening day win at Peterborough proved a false dawn, to say the least, as a thankfully largely dismantled squad of serial, unlikeable losers proceeded to deliver a disgusting campaign.

Like Peterborough, Leyton Orient come into the season with play off disappointment lingering and the inevitable changes to their personnel.

Grant, unlike his hapless predecessor, has had the luxury of seeing the back of players who condemned Town to their worst league position in 17 years, though the clear out is still, hopefully, ongoing. On the evidence of just one game, their replacements look capable of reviving fortunes, but any optimism must come with a heavy load of caution.

An entirely new defence was tested early when Watmough under hit a simple ball to Gooch, allowing Connolly to break, skip through some negligible challenges and hit the post with a good effort before blazing over the rebound.

Not long after, Town disrupted the O’s in the middle of the park and debutant May fed Wiles who emulated the visitors’ effort by hitting the far post with the keeper well beaten. The rebound fell into the keeper’s hands.

Playing at a good tempo, the Terriers soon began to dominate and several sorties down the left showed promise, with Miller in particular proving a menace to the Londoners, but the opening goal came from the right when an attempted challenge by the otherwise impressive Adaramola on Ledson gave Town a free kick from a nice angle.

Herbie Kane, who had a good influence on the game throughout, curled in an excellent ball beyond the defensive line but far enough from the keeper and Joe Low attacked the space, heading powerfully from short range for a debut goal and just reward for the hosts’ aggressive response to the early scare.

Including the goal, the Wiles attempt and progressive attacking, the opening 15 minutes provided more entertainment than the whole second half of last season. While that is a particularly low bar, it was necessary to get the supporters back onside quickly and they did respond – it really doesn’t take much.

Wiles had another decent attempt, routinely saved, and Town could have benefited from Orient failing to clear a very poorly delivered corner (by Miller, who was excellent other than this blip) but May couldn’t find enough power to shoot through several legs.

Orient played their part in a half of positive endeavour, but should have capitalised more on a rather nervy performance by Whatmough and, to a lesser extent, Low, in the first 20 minutes. Both were very good thereafter.

The only disappointment of an encouraging first 45 minutes was an injury to Roughan which appeared quite serious, evidenced by heavy strapping round his knee post game. The menace of injuries remains a worry after last season’s disastrous toll, and for a previously unscathed player to succumb so early in his Town career seems ominous.

Roughan’s departure brought Roosken on to the field to play in front of Miller, a not entirely convincing partnership on paper but it worked reasonably well despite something of a mixed performance from the substitute.

Another of the slew of debutants, Harness, provided creativity down the right with Gooch before coming off with a slight knock in the second half, while Ledson produced a very solid display to allow others, notably Kane, to play.

Though Orient remained a threat, particularly Connolly who could have equalised shortly into the second half when Goodman was forced into his first save of note to smother the attempt, Town effectively sealed the points with, of all things, a penalty, at home and converted.

Wiles, who looked trimmer, fitter and far less sulky than last season and should have made more of a good chance when through minutes earlier, made a run into the box for a Harness ball and was bundled over. 

1,984 days since Karlan Grant converted a penalty at the stadium, Alfie May, who had worked tirelessly for the cause, stepped up and calmly slotted his kick to the keeper’s left as the custodian went the other way. May later revealed that he usually puts penalties to the other side but he had watched 10 clips of Simkin facing penalties. Who would have thought such research was anything but redundant?

Town could have extended the lead several times in an encouraging second half – Roosken’s failure to play a first time ball over to an unmarked May was especially egregious, though he did later set up his teammate with a deft cross over retreating defenders but May couldn’t generate enough power in his header which was easily saved.

Orient weren’t without chances of their own. After an entirely anonymous first half, the returning Koroma wasted a free kick opportunity with a rising effort over the bar, before producing a probing run and cross towards Connolly, who rather messed things up when the ball arrived at him.

Substitute Charles had a good effort tipped over before a late third cake topper arrived following good work between Sorensen and the ex Bolton man who fed another substitute, Taylor whose attempted shot turned into a perfect ball for Roosken to crash home.

The Roughan injury aside, it was a satisfying afternoon at the newly named Accu stadium. With the addition of creativity from Castledine, the possibility of McGuane recapturing his early career quality and the end of Feeney’s suspension one game away, the omens seem positive.

While Orient displayed all the features of a defeated play off finalist trying to recover from disappointment, they were still a dangerous and capable opponent.

With the penalty curse finally lifted, maybe the football Gods will smile down kindly on the injury front as well, but it wasn’t a great start on that score.

Two tough away games in the League will test the optimism emanating from a solid opener, but it did feel more convincing than the one at London Road 12 months ago, and this squad may even be quite likeable as the months pass. 

An embarrassing defeat at Burton, which fully exposed a squad of pea hearted losers, had put Town’s 24/25 campaign on life support with fingers hovering over the switch.

While the vast majority of supporters gave up on this team some time ago, it was expected that the club should fight until the mathematics confirmed what we all knew. It is the minimum of standards for a professional football club.

Teams above Town in the table were demonstrating the inconsistency embedded in this quite dreadful league, so the challenge of Cambridge United, deep in relegation trouble and sporting a horrendous away record, was an opportunity to make the last few games of mild interest.

John Worthington, whose interim tenure peaked at half time against a Crawley side who had generously gifted 4 goals to a team in dire need of charity, was going toe to toe with gnarly old Neil Harris, a managerial mismatch similar to the ones he faced at the Valley and the disgusting defeat a week ago.

An encouragingly bright start against opponents who looked every inch bound for League 2 was brought to a screeching halt when the strugglers’ keeper developed a mystery injury after less than 15 minutes. It must have been a desperately serious strain given the length of treatment he received, but fortunately for Neil Harris, this allowed him to get instructions across to nullify Town’s easy incursions.

The decline in performance from that point was stark. The season in microcosm – a little burst of competence, accompanied by something approaching intensity fizzling out into a morass of misplaced passes, lack of movement and poor decision making.

As if intent on mocking us, the football Gods decided that this was also the time to strike down Balker with yet another injury. No words.

As two clueless teams dragged themselves before a halftime break which couldn’t come soon enough, it really was difficult to decide which of them was in relegation trouble as they served up as dire a 30 minutes of football as we have seen this season, and there is a lot of competition for that honour.

Despite entirely lacking any quality, Cambridge came closest to scoring in the first half as Town had to desperately defend the best move of the game. Portentous.

A typically insipid display, bar the first ten minutes, from a disjointed team with little discernible spirit delivered two shots on target, including one which the keeper could have thrown his cap on, and a decent longe range effort just over the bar from the otherwise terrible Evans.

Harris must have realised that an unlikely win was very much within his grasp against a side becoming more rabble like by the week.

One or two brighter moments aside, which nevertheless all ended disappointingly, the second half screamed of impending disaster as Town’s group of players – they rarely looked like a team – got sucked in to their old, old problem of a surfeit of useless possession against a defensive block.

Ruffles’ long range effort beaten out by Stevens, the Cambridge keeper whose serious injury earlier in the game had thankfully subsided, was the highlight of a huffing and puffing, entirely unconvincing display by a squad yearning for warmer climes.

The gloom of a sparse crowd, long past caring, was temporarily lifted by the substitution of Kachunga. The righteous and generous applause for a past warrior was tinged with the bitter knowledge that the good times associated with Elias were gone and not returning anytime soon.

Then came the inevitable kick in the chops as Cambridge broke away and took advantage of some quite appalling defending by Ruffles and Pearson. The former had effectively subdued the threat only for the latter to pile in, cause confusion and forced an error from Ruffles whose clearance fell straight to Brophy who picked out the top corner with a very good strike.

The simmering anger of a crowd thoroughly exhausted by a group of players who have repeatedly let them down boiled over and it is hard to recall the last time the level of disharmony was this serious.

Constantly poor decision making by an arrogant hierarchy, apparently underpinned by expensive consultants while fan groups are completely ignored, is finally coming to a head in the stands. With little confidence that this will change, even following the departure of serial failure and lightning rod Cartwright, further decline is inevitable.

The brief respite experienced when Koroma bundled in an equaliser following a scramble was cut short soon after when Sorensen, one of the most disappointing signings amongst an expanding list, inexplicably headed infield straight to an opponent leading to a very well taken winner as the curtain finally went down on a season which wasn’t even enjoyable during a long unbeaten run.

Huddersfield Town’s problems are deep rooted, endemic and far from easy to resolve. Culturally broken over several seasons, sacking the Director of Football is a start but the massive changes required are difficult, requiring insight and courage, qualities which aren’t particularly discernible down at the Mac.

The vital clear out must be decisive and quick. No extensions, all loans back, offload anybody that can be offloaded, find a strong manager to oversee the whole football operation without interference from suits, impose rigid dressing room discipline.

Kevin Nagle tells us how much money he has spent, without a great deal of context, but we know, instinctively, that a hell of a lot has been wasted and the season card decisions, even with the inevitable backtracking, are a recipe for disaster and will take us back to 2010 crowd levels. 

Have a great summer.

An away win at a venue which has very often proved too challenging for Huddersfield Town teams of the past, serves as a balm for the painful and bruising recent events. 

While temporarily soothing the worries of supporters as a very disappointing run of results was halted, it will take far more convincing performances than this one, and a lot of them, to assuage the massive doubts still hanging over the club.

The frankly ridiculous Q&A session midweek possibly made things worse and certainly failed to dispel increasing mistrust of the management of the club, as much by the questions which were not asked as the softballs which were.

Victory over a very poor Barnsley side was vital, however, and only a cold heart would fail to recognise the disastrous injury roster Duffy has to manage while never having the luxury of picking a settled squad, never mind team. Brodie Spencer’s 10th booking of the season only adds to the woes with another important player missing for 2 games.

For the first 15 minutes at Oakwell, the home side capitalised on Town’s woes, dominating play and Humphries forced a save from Nicholls when Spencer and Lees were easily beaten down Barnsley’s right. 

Town’s early play was error strewn, with passing particularly poor and inaccurate, though new boy Chirewa looked bright from the off and, along with the hard working Marshall, provided the only positive signs in a dismal first half.

Perhaps over exuberance by the energetic Marshall caused him to collide with Kasumu high up the pitch which led to ex-Terrier Russell strolling towards a retreating Town defence who allowed the languid midfielder all the space in the world before first Balker and then Kane were bypassed easily. 

Lees lack of reaction prevented a block of a shot which beat Nicholls a little too easily.

The concession was ominous for a team in the depths of a horrible run which has put paid to any thought of automatic promotion and plunged play off credentials into significant doubt.

Inadvertent collision with team mates spread to Lees and Spencer, who nearly let in the hosts for a second which would have buried any hopes of revival. They will have been relieved to see O’Keefe’s shot clear the bar.

Barnsley’s threat vanished after this effort and, to their credit, Town slowly improved into the game and missed two very presentable chances to equalise with Chirewa firing over after being put in by Marshall and the disappointing Charles taking a terrible second touch when freed by the Northern Irishman to allow the Tykes’ keeper to gather.

Chirewa also had a decent long range effort which curled wide and though Town were often careless in decision making and their passing, they had gained an encouraging control over proceedings as the half progressed.

This did not save them from the hearty boos of a huge travelling support. The position of the tunnel at Oakwell is unforgiving for under performing visiting teams and, if it is any consolation to the current Town team, quite a few others have suffered that walk of shame before.

Duff made the obvious half time change by replacing Charles with Koroma, and the decision paid off handsomely in a 20 minute period which saw Town overwhelm their South Yorkshire neighbours, who crumbled at the first sign of adversity.

Coming out of the traps with energy and intent, The Terriers seemed determined to turn their fortunes around and for the first time in far too long, imposed themselves on  their opponents and forced them to crack.

Koroma should’ve equalised from a cross from the left but his header slipped past the far post with an open goal gaping. By this point, Marshall, who put in the cross, could have had 3 assists and if some of his team mates even approached his energy levels, perhaps our promotion hopes wouldn’t be so questionable.

The equaliser came shortly after that miss, though, with Koroma fully atoning with an excellent finish after a superb ball to him by Sorensen caught Barnsley flat footed on the break following Town thwarting a free kick at the edge of the box. There was a hint of a foul to win the ball which an inconsistent referee may have given, but, as it was, the speed of the subsequent thrust brought the reward.

Ironically, Town’s winner came from the failure of yet another short corner – by this point, Barnsley were conditioned to expect it and were easily dealing with them – but as the ball broke forward threateningly a very poor touch gave possession back to Town who promptly won a free kick wide on the left.

Wiles struck a low, curling and speculative ball into the box, presumably to miss the 3 rather large centre halves representing the home team, and Marshall’s clever dummy fooled the goalkeeper for a crucial second as the effort snuck in a the far post.

By fluke or design, Town had deservedly turned their dominance into a lead and, to the credit of Duff’s timely and astute substitutions, easily held Barnsley at arm’s length. 

Kasumu and Chirewa both suffered from cramp and were replaced, but the disruption wasn’t felt as Hogg (who replaced Kane) and Ruffels provided defensive competence, while the comedy stylings of Ladapo were utilised in the place of the righteously exhausted Marshall.

It could be argued that a true contender for the top 2 in this division would have sought to finish off a clearly demoralised and malfunctioning opponent, but with resources scarce, and further thinned by suspension, a professional annulment of threat did the job and the jeers of half time, which were a tad over the top but understandable in context, were replaced by the cheers of a moderately satisfied, if not especially convinced, away support.

It is to be hoped that a cold, grey day in Barnsley will be the start of an overdue revival, but the first stage has to be to grasp a play off spot again. It looked secure on Boxing Day, but a short few weeks later, this away victory proved to be absolutely essential with results elsewhere.

As things turned sour in that brief period of time, so a few consecutive wins could reignite a season in serious risk of implosion and recrimination.

(And it’s goodbye from me until April as the San Juan mountains in Colorado beckon again).

Without a home goal in 2025, and with the last one scored being an exceptionally fortunate gift from the opposition, Town’s imploding season is beginning to limp well below acceptable levels.

A long overdue change in formation failed to provide any substantial answers as a promising opening 20 minutes faded into the usual miasma of mediocrity, particularly in the final third where decision making floundered as the grip of anxiety tightened.

The visitors looked as poor an opponent as any seen at the stadium in the first half, yet Town quickly ran out of ideas as the Royals found defending increasingly easy in the face of two small, energetic but barely threatening front men, despite some positive front foot play in build ups.

New loan man Chirewa had a promising debut despite fading quite a while before he was subbed after the hour mark and provided some much needed impetus on the left without finding the right final ball or shot.

The predictable return of Nicholls in place of Chapman, whose performances have slightly dipped, provided extra experience at the back but the number one keeper’s distribution was several notches below his young colleague’s usual quality.

He was barely called upon to thwart a Reading side, however, who took a long time to realise that their opponent was fragile, lacking in confidence and prone to anxious error. When they did, they looked the better side in a spell in the second half which could have been disastrous but for their finishing, which matched Town’s own profligacy.

An increasingly disillusioned home crowd could only look on in frustration as their injury ravaged team failed to turn their only period of superiority into a lead, with Charles firing wide on two occasions and other promising situations disintegrating on contact with a reasonably solid visiting defence, and with Sorensen consistently failing to find a man in the box.  

A first half of genuine endeavour was an improvement on recent outings, but at no point was there a hint that a moment of quality would lift it from the mundane. 

From the off in the second half, Reading finally took the game to Town and wasted several good opportunities without troubling Nicholls, though their first effort had him scrambling as it flashed by the far post.

Koroma replaced the spent Chirewa  on the left and added some spasmodic threat, including a reasonable drive kept out by a save which was parried to an offside Charles who, predictably, headed wide.

Kasumu also made a welcome return and looked reasonably sharp in a too often malfunctioning midfield but was unable to find a way through the visitor’s stubborn rearguard despite a couple of trademark bursts.

The crisis bubbling away at the club as injuries bite and disrupt was starkly illustrated by the late appearance of Ladapo, an alleged striker we thought had been consigned to either history or the B team over a month ago. 

Elevated to 6th choice striker with Radulovic’s welcome departure, and a rare source of entertainment of entirely the wrong sort for the dulled John Smith stands, he nevertheless came close to providing the winner when he shimmied in to the area following a defensive error but chose an unorthodox shot, easily saved, rather than squaring to the better placed Marshall.

He soon reverted back to his comedic role when he beat the keeper to a through ball, was pushed out too wide and decided to cross. His effort rocketed backwards at great speed and out for a throw. You had to laugh.

Two largely ineffectual, plodding teams who would barely break out of mid table if League One had any depth of quality fought out an entirely forgettable goalless draw featuring two saves in total, with one of those being more of a collection.

It would be unkind not to acknowledge just how debilitating an injury crisis of this depth and longevity has on performance and consistency, and Duff at least shifted away from, effectively, a 6 man defence at home and, however unsatisfactorily, the losing streak was halted.

It remains to be seen if Town can recover the confidence which carried them through a long unbeaten run, but in the absence of an upturn, and soon, the minimum objective of an immediate return to the Championship is looking increasingly unlikely.

It is difficult to make a case that promotion would be particularly beneficial in any case. 

Without momentum, a massive clear out of playing staff and with the fading goodwill of supporters, we look many, many miles off being able to compete at a higher level when we are barely hanging on to a play off place in a desperately poor quality division.

On to another mediocre opponent in Barnsley at Oakwell next week backed, remarkably, by over 4,000 for what promises to be another exercise in drudgery.

Oh, to be entertained

It is always surprising how quickly a very good unbeaten run becomes an extremely worrying slump, and as Huddersfield Town’s form has dropped off a cliff, even the modest ambition of a play off place is no longer as secure as previously assumed.

Automatic promotion is, sadly, a mere pipe dream now, as two poor defeats in a row on home soil rather emphatically expose this squad, and arguably the manager, as simply not equipped to challenge at the very top of this distinctly average league.

Birmingham’s slender victory was entirely comfortable for the league leaders, even if it did take an excellent strike to break what we can laughably describe as a deadlock.

Town’s work rate, particularly in the first half, was commendable to a point (Jonathan Hogg revelled in the encounter but this should not be seen as a positive) as they strained every sinew to maintain very limited control and were far too often troubled by pace and the superior technical ability of their opponents.

There is no doubt that the visitors’ squad has been expensively assembled and their record suggests that there will be a gulf between them and second place by the end of the season, but the game starkly underlined the fact that Town will not be the ones staring upwards towards them.

Once again, Duff’s selections caused some head scratching, with Evans and Kane combined with the willing but limited Hogg. 

Hodge had done enough in a brief cameo on Saturday to suggest he could add some desperately needed forward momentum in the absence of the sorely missed Kasumu, but he was left on the bench for too long as Evans and Kane failed to ignite the wing backs so crucial to Duff’s rather one dimensional tactical plan.

At least Roosken and Sorensen are bona fide wing backs, and the former contributed some nice touches in his hour on the pitch, though the ex-Lincoln man failed to deliver  much, again, and his defensive frailties are of concern, as they were before his injury.

At the sharp end of the pitch, Town carried little to no threat throughout. With Taylor sidelined, unbelievably yet predictably, with a hamstring injury, the hard working Marshall came in to partner Charles and, if anything, the front two lost height as a result.

Only once did the pair see sight of the goal as a nice move down the left saw Roosken find Charles in the area, but the former Bolton man could only head tamely at the keeper. 

This represented the only slightly significant threat to the visitors’ goal all evening, unless Marshall entirely miscueing an attempted shot in a good position counts? In tight games, such errors are glaring and the lack of technique very costly. 

Charles’s chance came early in the game as Town started more brightly than in the depressing defeat on Saturday, but the first 7 or 8 minutes were as good as it got and Birmingham suppressed all of Town’s attempts to gain momentum from then on in.

As unsatisfying as the first half was, there was a resilience about the hosts in the face of clearly superior opponents though they had one or two scares down the right as some excellent distribution by Allsop twice caught Spencer out as he was left chasing  down Laird, bringing him down on one occasion and not getting near him on the other. Fortunately, nothing came of either the free kick or his inaccurate cross.

Following the Charles header and the two breaks by Laird, neither keeper was troubled and a drab spectacle was rarely lifted from its torpor. Birmingham failed to translate their superior technical ability into genuine threat and Town found little rhythm in and amongst some rushed, panicky defensive work.

Early in the second half, a high quality strike by Anderson which dipped viciously with Chapman flailing, settled the match. It was more than the game deserved, in truth, and the absence of quite basic closing down contributed to the winner, as did some lack of concentration at a throw which gifted easy possession in the lead up.

Nevertheless, it was a high quality strike.

Town looked a little more dynamic following the introduction of Hodge, replacing the ineffective Kane, but it was a low bar and marginal. Koroma, Healey and Radulovic offered little change from the bench and an equaliser never looked likely at any point.

The final stages of the game were marred by a bad looking tackle by Hogg on Iwata, which saw Town’s veteran captain, rather generously, booked and the Japanese carried off, followed by a nasty elbow by Dykes on Lees which also garnered a yellow, rather than red, card.

Lees’ concussion allowed Town an additional substitute and Balker came on to provide a little more thrust from the back, despite being caught in possession at one point, and his availability and fitness will be crucial in the challenging weeks ahead as he adds some quality to a team otherwise largely bereft.

Duff can, justifiably, point to the ridiculous, possibly unprecedented, injury record of his squad – Taylor became the 26th player sidelined – which undoubtedly impacts consistency, but his midfield trio simply didn’t work, yet again, and the total lack of penetration is seriously worrying, particularly at home where a thin crowd is became increasingly impatient at yet another home failure.

That tension was never more evident than when Pearson, rather unwisely, felt it necessary to shush some Kilner Bank critics of a back pass to Chapman. To be fair to him, the run of the ball possibly forced him in to the defensive option, but he really should know better than to react to a crowd who, lest we forget, have had to endure a long recent history of failure and were understandably frustrated at his hopeless punts forward.

The defeat feels pivotal, especially when combined with Saturday’s debacle, and unless there is a quick and convincing upturn in form and results, we could be bemoaning a drift out of the play off places in the not too distant future, particularly with the form of Orient and the resurgence of Bolton.

There is, of course, plenty of time left, yet it is more than a nagging doubt that the club could miss out on the play offs – since Cambridge away, performances have palpably declined with even the one win being far from convincing.

It is hard not to feel for Kevin Nagle, who has had to witness back to back disappointments and is getting scant reward for his commitment. To have to hear that his big January signing has suffered an injury likely to keep him out for a month at best was especially cruel on the owner.

Regrettably, he will need to learn that this club doesn’t do anything the easy way, but play offs, if we get there, are fun, right?

Town’s unbeaten run, which has been tottering for a while despite a couple of important wins at Wycombe and against Stockport, was ended by a committed Bolton side who bullied their hosts and fully deserved the 3 points.

In theory, Town’s tilt at the automatic promotion places should have been enhanced, if not guaranteed, by the addition of 2 strikers to finish off all the chances we make. In practice, the two had to feed on scraps, mostly with their backs to goal and the arrival from yesterday’s opponent seemed to be trying a little too hard against his erstwhile employer.

Bolton looked the most likely team throughout. They played with aggression, pace and desire as if freed from the strictures of their previous manager just days ago, while Town seemed inhibited by the favoured formation and tactics of their current manager.

In the absence of effective wing backs, Town were repeatedly sucked into relying on Tom Lees bringing the ball forward ponderously before making entirely predictable passes to standing targets which stultified any semblance of momentum and this self imposed handicap persisted throughout.

His back 3 colleague, Balker, tried to do things differently and was the only bright spot of a very disappointing early afternoon while Pearson’s attempts at longer balls were invariably terrible.

Lees and Pearson’s fellow stalwart, Hogg, didn’t play badly but was another brake on progressive football and really should not be in the starting 11 while Hodge, who actually added some dynamism, was available.

It was encouraging to have Sorensen back for half an hour, but nearly every pass to him was inaccurate and hampered his ability to take on Bolton’s left back and the dangerous balls in we saw earlier in the season failed to materialise.

All the best chances in the game fell to the visitors and Town only avoided a greater margin of defeat late on by a good save in a one on one and a glancing header which went narrowly wide.

For Town, Pearson should perhaps have done better in the first half when a set piece finally found a home head but he met it too early and it skewed well wide.

Bolton set out their stall in the first 10 minutes and saw a penalty appeal turned away in favour of a free kick for a push on Balker and forced Chapman into a spectacular save from a header despite the striker being offside, which the Aussie wasn’t to know.

Chapman had a more routine save to make from a shot hit straight at him a little later while the visitors also looked to expose Town’s lack of defensive pace between Lees and Pearson with Adebouya shooting narrowly wide as Balker came across to help out.

Town had little in response and Duff was visibly frustrated on the touchline at his charges.

Rather than make half time changes to try to resolve Town’s lack of threat, none were made with the predictable result of nothing changing, other than the scoreline when Bolton capitalised on some ineffective defensive work with a scrappy goal they deserved.

Substitutions were finally made with Sorensen being greeted by a Bolton player crashing in to him at an aerial challenge with both players booked as the home player understandably reacted.

Hodge provided some forward momentum at times and Marshall was more effective than the very subdued Taylor who he replaced and actually had two shots, one which drifted narrowly if harmlessly wide and one which at last forced a good save.

It was too little, too late, however and the visitors comfortably saw out the home pressure which wasn’t either particularly intense or threatening – indeed, Bolton should have wrapped things up during this period.

Perhaps the epitome of the difference between the two sides on the day was highlighted when Bolton’s Johnson flew in to Pearson on the touchline, got booked and then celebrated his challenge with a fist pump to the travelling support who had loudly backed their team throughout.

It was probably a bad time to play Bolton, but then our previous encounter had been a very good time to play them, and there simply wasn’t enough energy or cohesion in the side to subdue them.

The bench Duff named was easily the strongest of the season, which offers some hope, it is a shame he didn’t use it effectively enough.

A reasonably entertaining Yorkshire derby produced no goals but several problems for Town as double Dutch trouble further weakened an injury ravaged squad.

The welcome returns of Hodge, Evans and Hogg provides Duff with better midfield options, but the loss of his most influential player of the season in Kasumu coupled with Lonwijk suffering a hamstring injury in the opening minutes and new signing Roosken, brought in to fill the long term Miller absence, seeing red and accruing a likely 3 match suspension, adds unwelcome disruption, yet again.

It all added up to a disappointing afternoon for the Terriers, who failed to convert a sustained period of dominance in the second half of the first half into a lead. 

Overall, the performance was no better nor worse than the one which brought 3 points against Stockport, and despite their lowly position, the South Yorkshire opponents were a little superior.

With Hodge deputising for Kasumu and Radulovic in the starting line up, Town were already having to adjust to new personnel when Lonwijk pulled up after just 2 minutes and was replaced by Turton, necessitating a change in shape.

An opening 25 minutes with little incident quickly confirmed that the game was going to be far from easy for the hosts, but once they settled and gained ascendancy, they failed to take advantage of some excellent opportunities.

To his credit, Radulovic played a big part in the creation of opportunities with some deft link up play and significantly more physicality than previously evident. It seems unlikely that the Serbian will recover from his early form in the eyes of the supporters, and his potency in front of goal remains tepid at best, but he played a full part in this game and couldn’t be faulted for effort.

A couple of routine saves by Phillips from Koroma and Marshall after decent build up play by the Terriers signalled the start of what could have been a pivotal period, but they failed to turn the pressure in to a lead.

Wiles wasted a good free kick position, awarded after Marshall was clattered following a good link up with Radulovic, firing over. A volleyed Kane effort shortly beforehand had been closer and well executed, but the best chance came soon after.

A quick clearance from Chapman was laid off by Radulovic, despite being fouled, into the path of Wiles, who played Marshall in for a good effort on goal which Phillips pushed out for a corner.

From that corner, Helik saw his header cleared off the line and a scoreless first half ended with some regret for the home side who deserved to be in front.

Sadly, the second half descended in to a rather dour battle, with the visitors looking the more likely to prevail for long periods but, in similar fashion to their hosts in the first half, they failed to capitalise on their best spell of the game with a Chapman stop from close range to thwart Wilks followed by a slightly overhit cross just failing to find Powell at the back post.

Town’s big chance came midway through the half when Wiles out jumped an opponent to set Radulovic free. The Serb made exactly the right decision to pick out the unmarked Koroma in the box but instead of hitting the ball first time, which would have neutralised the keeper rushing out towards him, he took a touch and was unable to force the ball past recovering defenders on the line.

It was another moment that could have turned a disappointing draw in to more pressure on the 3 above them, but with 10 minutes to go, a poor but not malicious challenge by debutant  Roosken, who had been on the pitch for 7 minutes, was punished by a red card which seemed harsh at the time but not upon reflection.

To Town’s credit it was they rather than their numerically advantaged opponents who nearly won the game at the death.

With probably the stand out moment of the game, the incredibly hard working Marshall simultaneously prevented a Rotherham break and created an excellent opportunity with a beautifully executed challenge which cleverly anticipated his opponent’s touch.

Breaking forward, the West Ham loanee curled a superb ball in to the box but neither Radulovic at the front post nor Helik further back could convert and a just reward for Marshall’s endeavour was spurned.

A less than convincing performance, which nevertheless contained very presentable chances, followed a similar pattern to other home displays in the current unbeaten run. 

The lack of natural goalscoring instinct is always going to blight Duff’s charges and until that is addressed, which doesn’t seem very likely in the notoriously difficult January market, Town will not be able to mount a viable challenge for a top 2 place. Indeed, it is to Duff’s considerable credit that the possibility even remains given the lack of fire power and a revolving door of injuries to key players.

There were some positives to the game. The players have shown they can adapt to adversity recently and they were tested again with both an early and late change to well laid plans and they dealt with the double Dutch problems quite seamlessly.

Long term absentee Evans made a good impression on his return as a second half substitute and while Hodge looked a little rusty, he had good enough moments to suggest he can grow into form.

A very different, sterner test faces the team at Wycombe, with the unbeaten record at considerable risk, but it is a challenge a team with automatic promotion ambitions should relish.

As Danny Ward hobbled off the pitch shortly after incurring a freak injury instead of putting Town one up, as perhaps he should, Michael Duff turned, no doubt despairingly, to his bench to decide between ineptitude and frailty.

An unenviable Hobson’s choice for the head coach saw him plump for Freddie Ladapo with Bojan Radulovic still coming back from injury and, to all intents and purposes, he reduced his team to ten men.

The disappointing ultimate result against the bottom team in the league can’t all be placed at the journeyman’s feet as this would suggest he had even the slightest impact on events. He was barely involved throughout his 55 minutes on the pitch.

For all of that time, Town struggled to shake off a lethargy which led to far too many passing errors and poor judgement calls as Burton not only coped with the hosts sporadic attempts to exert superiority but also looked the more coherent side and the more likely to add to their 13th minute opener with the Terriers stuttering against their inevitable low block.

Burton’s goal was symptomatic of Town’s sloppiness with Lonwijk not only losing possession in a poor area but then ambling back with little commitment to prevent a ball in to the box which Webster bundled in scruffily but effectively.

An impatient crowd preemptively judged what would happen next, and from bitter experience. The last time the Brewers were in town, they thwarted their Premier League bound opponents with possibly the most cynical smash and grab performance you are ever likely to see. 

The initial response to going a goal down was positive and had Spencer scored a wholly convertible chance on 20 minutes from a Wiles free kick, nerves and anxiety would have been quelled. Instead, Town floundered and struggled to create anything approaching a dangerous chance in a poor first half.

Far too reliant on centre backs attempting to break lines, the physical and mental tiredness inevitable in a relentless schedule for an injury ravaged squad was all too evident and perhaps exacerbated by the psychological impact of conceding the first goal.

Without trying to labour the point, having an almost entirely superfluous centre forward leading the line didn’t help, but the low quality of most of the play was disappointing and change was demanded.

Sacrificing Lees and employing Turton on the right with Spencer joining Helik in the centre of a back 4, Town looked to speed up their attacking threat and, overall, it worked, once Ladapo was replaced by Radulovic.

However, the visitors should have doubled their advantage and almost certainly secure the points, 5 minutes after the break. Another piece of sloppy work by Lonwijk set the impressive Burrell away down Burton’s right and while he slightly overhit his cross, Orsi should have done better than firing straight at Chapman, who, as he had done against Stockport, made a points saving block.

Following that let off, Town failed to take advantage of a Wiles instigated break as Koroma was set free down the left with a perfect ball. Rather than hit the unmarked Marshall in the box with a first time ball, Koroma took an additional and unnecessary touch, sucking all the momentum out of the move. Eventually, Marshall was unable to connect with the ball in.

It did, however, signal the beginning of an onslaught which culminated in a late, deserved, but not particularly satisfying, equaliser 2 minutes from the end.

Radulovic, to his credit, did make a difference and proved far more effective linking play and did, at least, provide some sort of presence. If this is the faintest of praise, it is because that presence didn’t translate in the penalty area where it counts and a weak header when a chance presented itself exposed the sad truth that he isn’t of the standard required either now or in whatever the future holds.

Under increasingly intense pressure, the Brewers rather scraped the bottom of the barrel with time wasting tactics, but let he who is without sin cast the first stone. 

That pressure was more frantic than measured but the visitors were visibly creaking under the bombardment as corner after corner pinned them back. Only a judicious injury to Crocombe eased the barrage and that respite was short lived.

Though it may not have felt like it at the time, an equaliser looked inevitable and having replaced Spenser with Pearson and pushed Helik forward – a tactic which has been long overdue given the absolute state of Town’s striker options – an excellent Wiles cross was buried by the Pole and the unbeaten run continues.

In and amongst the frenetic concluding third, Duff saw red for aggressively retrieving the ball from the away dugout, which seemed a little harsh, and in injury time, Vancooten was shown a second yellow for a lunge on Radulovic when the referee should have played advantage with Lonwijk clear down the left.

Unable to force a winner, Town took a point from a match they were expected to win and failed to take full advantage of some slip ups above them. They remain more likely to compete in the play offs than secure the first automatic promotion since 1983, but resolving, or even just beginning to resolve the dire problems up front could change that destiny.

Happy New Year.