Five conclusions as Liam Manning makes ideal start at Huddersfield Town with derby victory

The Terriers deservedly edged past local — and promotion — rivals Bradford City, sealing a 1–0 win despite playing a third of the match with ten men

1. This was an ideal start for Liam Manning

As the man himself hinted at in his pre-match press conference, this fixture had all the makings of a perfect opening chapter for Liam Manning’s Huddersfield Town reign — but only if his side actually went out and won it. Fail to do so, and the new gaffer could scarcely have hand-picked a more unforgiving way to begin his tenure.

The concern, as ever with Town this season, was whether or not Manning would get a level of effort and concentration that Lee Grant was frustratingly unable to coax out of his side in these kinds of games.

Manning got it, and then some — and with the benefit of hindsight, even the red card oddly ended up providing a reassuring positive.

Town were brilliant on the ball throughout the first half, earning roars of appreciation from the home fans even after they wasted their first few openings. We have rarely seen Town so free-flowing and confident this season, or at least not in games like this — much to Grant’s chagrin.

Contrast that performance with 11 men with what Town did against Stockport (which is to say, basically nothing).

Then came Marcus McGuane’s dismissal, and suddenly a woeful Bradford side felt like they had a chance to get back into the game. This was precisely the kind of adversity that has caused Town to crumble in the past.

Instead, they dug in magnificently for over half an hour. Aside from a Curtis Tilt header straight at Lee Nicholls, the Terriers didn’t give their local rivals a sniff of goal, even with their numerical disadvantage.

Upon the final whistle, we were able to give Town credit for everything for which we have previously criticised them. Turning up under pressure. Maintaining their levels throughout the game. Playing with the confidence of a side that looks like they know they have more talent than the opposition. Showing real resilience and focus to see out a win in difficult circumstances.

We had hoped to see something different from Town, and half-expected that a new head coach in the dugout might force the players to go up a level in a bid to impress him — but we didn’t quite expect how thoroughly they would tick all those boxes so immediately.

As Manning stressed after the game, Town can’t now think they’ve got it all solved, but it really was the ideal way to kick off his reign.