Five conclusions as Duff's tweaks and better performances end Huddersfield Town losing streak
The improvement from the Terriers' recent low point continued and was rewarded with a 2-0 victory over Barnsley
1. That’s more like it
In all candour, we didn’t care about the performance here, as long as Huddersfield Town got the points. That’s not a stance we usually endorse at this early stage of the season, but after losing four in a row in the league (and seven out of eight in all competitions), it really was everything.
So much the better, then, that despite leaving it late, Town got the result that their play deserved over the 90 minutes.
There was only one 15-minute period when Barnsley were not under Town’s thumb, following a triple substitution just before the hour. Town rode it out, with Jacob Chapman remaining untroubled, thanks in part to some wasteful Barnsley finishing on the end of the two chances they did get.
Other than that, it was one-way traffic — and if we’re going to count wasted chances, then Town had at least as many as Barnsley on top of their two well-taken goals.
As Michael Duff pointed out after the final whistle, the fact that Town came through that one slightly thorny spell and went on to win the game is especially pleasing. The slightest application of pressure has caused them to crumble far too often over the past few weeks.
This time, they weathered the storm for as long as they needed to, re-established their dominance, and ended up scoring twice.
The two goals were typical of the way Town had played throughout the game. Ben Wiles had looked far more threatening playing in more of a free, advanced role in a re-shaped midfield, while a lot of Town’s best moves had come up the right flank. As has so often been the case in recent weeks, they simply lacked the final pass to make it pay off.
But the double substitution of Herbie Kane and Freddie Ladapo finally provided that, with the former Barnsley man making an excellent run off a well-executed one-two before squaring to Wiles. Realising he had loads of time, he took a moment to compose himself before putting a superb finish into the far top corner.
Then, in injury time, birthday boy David Kasumu capped off an excellent individual week. He picked up a headed clearance off Nigel Lonwijk’s long throw, heeded the crowd’s shout of ‘SHOOOOT’, and — contrary to Heidelstram’s Third Law of Football Physics, which states that efforts taken after cries of ‘SHOOOOT’ must always end up flying into the stands — actually put it just beyond the reach of Gabriel Slonina.
As many fine qualities as Kasumu has, you know things are going your way when he’s firing them in from 25 yards, don’t you?
This was much more the Huddersfield Town we expected to see this season: perhaps not the most extravagant or exciting side, but committed, capable, energetic and able to grind sides down eventually. Add in a clean sheet for Jacob Chapman, and it was every bit the good day at the office that Town desperately needed.
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