Huddersfield Town 0 v 0 Chesterfield
Huddersfield Town story posted by Phill Rodgerson on 25/09/2001
Once again, another game that seemed easily in our clutches, not only before the match, but during and after it as well. After last weeks great away performance against Cardiff City at Ninian Park on Saturday Macari decided to name an unchanged side against Chesterfield in hope of a repeat performance, and perhaps, even more goals?
It was wishful thinking from Macari and his men who threw absolutely everything they had at Chesterfield?s very sturdy back four and lightening fast Goalkeeper who took it all. It was a game of dominated possession from Town without really capitalizing on the few good chances that were created for themselves. Chesterfield did manage to scrape a few good chances through and could?ve easily snatched all three points from under our noses if we weren?t careful.
One thing that was clear right from the start of the match was that sparky-American-winger John Thorrington was looking decidedly off form compared to recent matches. He just didn?t seem interested enough in the match and was often caught doing a ?Ben Thornley? (just standing around waiting for the ball at his feet). When he did take on Rob Edwards he very rarely managed to get past him and at times when he did his crosses were usually delivered with little pace or accuracy. It was quite a disappointment to see as most of Town?s tactics seemed to center around hitting the ball out to the right wing for Thorrington to do something with.
Town?s first opportunity came from an unlikely source. As good a keeper as Nathan Abbey may be at shot stopping he certainly seems very prone when it comes to catching as was shown when one of Saturday?s goal scorers Dwayne Mattis hit a poor low shot which Abbey failed to deal with almost gifting a goal to the incoming Andy Booth who seemed to lack his goal scoring instinct of chasing anything that might look like it could hit the back of the net.
Chesterfield?s only real time of domination was just a brief ten-minute spell after the first ten minutes of the match when they managed to grab about 3 decent chances. Clarke and Gray were very solid and dealt with each of them very well except for a half volley by Jamie Ingldown. The ball was tossed around on the right where no Town players could seem to hook it away and no Chesterfield players could get control. The ball managed to be spooned away to the edge of the area where Ingldown was perfectly positioned. It dropped at his feet, granting him a great scoring opportunity and causing chaos in the defence, only for him to drag it wide of the goal without troubling Margetson.
Another thing that seemed quite apparent tonight was the sheer incompetence of linesman Mr. I. Faulkner who, by the 20th minute had already accumulated 3 very poor offside decisions against Town,which were clearly onside by at least 2 yards each time. This was the reason he got booed off the pitch at half time.
Chesterfield were denied a very good penalty claim on the 21st minute when David Reeves was sent racing after a long ball while tussling with Kevin Gray who always seemed to be the slower of the two. It seemed that Reeves beat Gray for pace but also tried removing his shirt at the same time which could be the reason that Grays lunge at him while in the box didn?t result in Gray getting a red card (for being last man) or even a penalty to Chesterfield.
On the 29th minute Town had an absolutely brilliant chance to take the lead, and probably would have had it not been for the athletic ability of Chesterfield goalkeeper Nathan Abbey. Thorrington put a good corner into the box and Nathan Clarke met it with a good flick on into the center of the area where Andy Booth was waiting. He saw it coming all the way and launched his head at the ball sending a blistering header to the keepers left. Unfortunately, it was just one of those nights where the 'keeper seemed ultimately inspired and unbeatable and he just tossed it aside with his palm.
Another good chance for Boothy came around the 31st minute when Chris Holland made an uncharacteristic darting run down the left hand side, which up until then had been unused for the majority of the match. He managed to take it past three Chesterfield players before firing in a low cross across the face of the goal line. Andy was just inches away from sliding the ball into the back of the net as he was put under pressure by Chesterfield skipper Ian Breckin.
On the 36th minute, once again, another Town player decided to get in on the act of running the Chesterfield defence ragged. This time it was the out-of-sorts John Thorrington who showed his only real glimmer of his old self in the match. He was given a great ball into some open space down the middle by Kenny Irons and then made a darting run down the center under the encouragement of the MacAlpine faithful. He had nearly put himself clean through on goal when he made a very unwise decision; he passed the ball out wide to Danny Schofield, allowing the Chesterfield defence to recuperate. John did manage to get the ball back but only squeezed a shot past the defenders which ballooned over the bar.
This shouldn't really be in the match report, admittedly, but it was something I noticed at half time. Chesterfield may have had a mouse as their mascot but I certainly know which ones on the field looked like the mouse, and they were the so-called Town Terrier mascots. They have now managed to introduce a new female Terrier, which seems to resemble more of a rodent look than a K9 look. I know it doesn?t really affect the Football but those two really do have to go as they look so atrocious.
After the great work, which Town had done in the first half without really allowing it to amount to much, they allowed Chesterfield to get in a great chance at goal straight from the kick-off. Young Nathan Clarke was put under a little bit of pressure by the Chesterfield striker Luke Beckett and fumbled his backpass to Margetson, sending it just a little short. This caused a huge rush by Margetson to meet the ball who only just did so with his trailing legs as Beckett closed in.
Town did return to their first-half-selves after that though as they constantly pushed Chesterfield further and further back into their own half. This was shown on the 54th minute when Irons, who looked lively all night, sent a great through ball through to Danny Schofield. Unfortunately for him it was on his weaker left foot and he could only manage to hook a week shot just wide of the sprawling goalkeeper's post.
In the last ten minutes of the game Town had almost 100% of the possession as they threw absolutely everything they had at the Chesterfield goal. On the 81st minute Booth was sent storming through on goal by a perfectly placed Danny Schofield through-ball. It looked as though Boothy was dealt with quite harshly by the defender who seemed to be tugging away at Boothy's shirt allowing another Chesterfield defender to come in and clear the danger.
On the 84th minute Mattis hit an absolutely blinding shot straight down the middle. He had made the initial run only to be too hesitant to strike the ball and lose out to the Chesterfield defence. Schofield almost immediately returned it to his feet and he made sure that he made the right decision this time. As the ball dropped he let his right foot swing as hard as he could and the ball was sent storming past all the defenders and almost certainly into the back of the net. It is unsure as to what the actual outcome was, it appeared to me that Abbey managed to palm it over the crossbar whereas the referee seemed almost certain that it had hit the crossbar and gone over. Either way, it was a great shot and well-deserving of a goal.
In the 88th minute, perhaps our best chance of the game came. Kenny Irons lobbed a well flighted ball into the area from out left. The ball was brilliantly won in the air by small Danny Schofield. He rose above all of the defence and it seemed that the hardest part for him was over. Unfortunately for Danny he missed the target from just a few yards out where he should've done much better. Just a few inches inwards would have deffinitely have beaten the 'keeper.
Town's final chance of the game and almost last kick of the game came from Kenny Irons, who, throughout the game had hit a few long-rangers with little luck. His last was no different. The ball set up very nicely for him about 30 yards out from goal and he let fly with a blistering shot that looked destined for the top corner. It wasn't. Like all his others he could only manage to get it the wrong side of the crossbar much to the agony of the Town fans.
It was a good game from Town's point of view. We dominated the majority of it and should've come away with all three points for definite. It was clear to see from the Chesterfield reactions ? defenders hugging each other ? that they knew they had just come away with a lucky point from one of the Divisions promotion favourites.
Town MOM - Kenny Irons: He was tireless all night. He was always trying to invent ways to get at the Chesterfield players and always willing to take risky shots that may have paid off on a better night.
Teams:
Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): 13. Martyn Margetson, 2. Steve Jenkins, 3. Gareth Evans, 36. Nathan Clarke, 12. Kevin Gray (captain), 8. Kenny Irons, 33. Dwayne Mattis, 24. Danny Schofield, 23. Chris Holland, 32. Andy Booth, 29. John Thorrington.
Subs (not used): 19. FraserDigby, 20. Thomas Heary, 26. Adi Moses, 31. Paul Macari, 18. Chris Hay.
Chesterfield (4-4-2): 1. Nathan Abbey, 4. Lee Richardson, 6. Ian Breckin (captain), 7. Jon Howard, 9. David Reeves, 10. Marcus Ebdon, 11. Luke Beckett, 14. Martyn Booty, 21. Jamie Ingldown, 23. Steve Payne, 29. Rob Edwards.
Subs (not used): 26. Richmond, 19. Danny Williams, 17. Greg Pearce, 27. Mark Jones, 22. Andy Rushbury.
Bookings/Sending offs:
Huddersfield Town: None.
Chesterfield: 11. Luke Beckett (69)
Attendance: 9,399.
It was wishful thinking from Macari and his men who threw absolutely everything they had at Chesterfield?s very sturdy back four and lightening fast Goalkeeper who took it all. It was a game of dominated possession from Town without really capitalizing on the few good chances that were created for themselves. Chesterfield did manage to scrape a few good chances through and could?ve easily snatched all three points from under our noses if we weren?t careful.
One thing that was clear right from the start of the match was that sparky-American-winger John Thorrington was looking decidedly off form compared to recent matches. He just didn?t seem interested enough in the match and was often caught doing a ?Ben Thornley? (just standing around waiting for the ball at his feet). When he did take on Rob Edwards he very rarely managed to get past him and at times when he did his crosses were usually delivered with little pace or accuracy. It was quite a disappointment to see as most of Town?s tactics seemed to center around hitting the ball out to the right wing for Thorrington to do something with.
Town?s first opportunity came from an unlikely source. As good a keeper as Nathan Abbey may be at shot stopping he certainly seems very prone when it comes to catching as was shown when one of Saturday?s goal scorers Dwayne Mattis hit a poor low shot which Abbey failed to deal with almost gifting a goal to the incoming Andy Booth who seemed to lack his goal scoring instinct of chasing anything that might look like it could hit the back of the net.
Chesterfield?s only real time of domination was just a brief ten-minute spell after the first ten minutes of the match when they managed to grab about 3 decent chances. Clarke and Gray were very solid and dealt with each of them very well except for a half volley by Jamie Ingldown. The ball was tossed around on the right where no Town players could seem to hook it away and no Chesterfield players could get control. The ball managed to be spooned away to the edge of the area where Ingldown was perfectly positioned. It dropped at his feet, granting him a great scoring opportunity and causing chaos in the defence, only for him to drag it wide of the goal without troubling Margetson.
Another thing that seemed quite apparent tonight was the sheer incompetence of linesman Mr. I. Faulkner who, by the 20th minute had already accumulated 3 very poor offside decisions against Town,which were clearly onside by at least 2 yards each time. This was the reason he got booed off the pitch at half time.
Chesterfield were denied a very good penalty claim on the 21st minute when David Reeves was sent racing after a long ball while tussling with Kevin Gray who always seemed to be the slower of the two. It seemed that Reeves beat Gray for pace but also tried removing his shirt at the same time which could be the reason that Grays lunge at him while in the box didn?t result in Gray getting a red card (for being last man) or even a penalty to Chesterfield.
On the 29th minute Town had an absolutely brilliant chance to take the lead, and probably would have had it not been for the athletic ability of Chesterfield goalkeeper Nathan Abbey. Thorrington put a good corner into the box and Nathan Clarke met it with a good flick on into the center of the area where Andy Booth was waiting. He saw it coming all the way and launched his head at the ball sending a blistering header to the keepers left. Unfortunately, it was just one of those nights where the 'keeper seemed ultimately inspired and unbeatable and he just tossed it aside with his palm.
Another good chance for Boothy came around the 31st minute when Chris Holland made an uncharacteristic darting run down the left hand side, which up until then had been unused for the majority of the match. He managed to take it past three Chesterfield players before firing in a low cross across the face of the goal line. Andy was just inches away from sliding the ball into the back of the net as he was put under pressure by Chesterfield skipper Ian Breckin.
On the 36th minute, once again, another Town player decided to get in on the act of running the Chesterfield defence ragged. This time it was the out-of-sorts John Thorrington who showed his only real glimmer of his old self in the match. He was given a great ball into some open space down the middle by Kenny Irons and then made a darting run down the center under the encouragement of the MacAlpine faithful. He had nearly put himself clean through on goal when he made a very unwise decision; he passed the ball out wide to Danny Schofield, allowing the Chesterfield defence to recuperate. John did manage to get the ball back but only squeezed a shot past the defenders which ballooned over the bar.
This shouldn't really be in the match report, admittedly, but it was something I noticed at half time. Chesterfield may have had a mouse as their mascot but I certainly know which ones on the field looked like the mouse, and they were the so-called Town Terrier mascots. They have now managed to introduce a new female Terrier, which seems to resemble more of a rodent look than a K9 look. I know it doesn?t really affect the Football but those two really do have to go as they look so atrocious.
After the great work, which Town had done in the first half without really allowing it to amount to much, they allowed Chesterfield to get in a great chance at goal straight from the kick-off. Young Nathan Clarke was put under a little bit of pressure by the Chesterfield striker Luke Beckett and fumbled his backpass to Margetson, sending it just a little short. This caused a huge rush by Margetson to meet the ball who only just did so with his trailing legs as Beckett closed in.
Town did return to their first-half-selves after that though as they constantly pushed Chesterfield further and further back into their own half. This was shown on the 54th minute when Irons, who looked lively all night, sent a great through ball through to Danny Schofield. Unfortunately for him it was on his weaker left foot and he could only manage to hook a week shot just wide of the sprawling goalkeeper's post.
In the last ten minutes of the game Town had almost 100% of the possession as they threw absolutely everything they had at the Chesterfield goal. On the 81st minute Booth was sent storming through on goal by a perfectly placed Danny Schofield through-ball. It looked as though Boothy was dealt with quite harshly by the defender who seemed to be tugging away at Boothy's shirt allowing another Chesterfield defender to come in and clear the danger.
On the 84th minute Mattis hit an absolutely blinding shot straight down the middle. He had made the initial run only to be too hesitant to strike the ball and lose out to the Chesterfield defence. Schofield almost immediately returned it to his feet and he made sure that he made the right decision this time. As the ball dropped he let his right foot swing as hard as he could and the ball was sent storming past all the defenders and almost certainly into the back of the net. It is unsure as to what the actual outcome was, it appeared to me that Abbey managed to palm it over the crossbar whereas the referee seemed almost certain that it had hit the crossbar and gone over. Either way, it was a great shot and well-deserving of a goal.
In the 88th minute, perhaps our best chance of the game came. Kenny Irons lobbed a well flighted ball into the area from out left. The ball was brilliantly won in the air by small Danny Schofield. He rose above all of the defence and it seemed that the hardest part for him was over. Unfortunately for Danny he missed the target from just a few yards out where he should've done much better. Just a few inches inwards would have deffinitely have beaten the 'keeper.
Town's final chance of the game and almost last kick of the game came from Kenny Irons, who, throughout the game had hit a few long-rangers with little luck. His last was no different. The ball set up very nicely for him about 30 yards out from goal and he let fly with a blistering shot that looked destined for the top corner. It wasn't. Like all his others he could only manage to get it the wrong side of the crossbar much to the agony of the Town fans.
It was a good game from Town's point of view. We dominated the majority of it and should've come away with all three points for definite. It was clear to see from the Chesterfield reactions ? defenders hugging each other ? that they knew they had just come away with a lucky point from one of the Divisions promotion favourites.
Town MOM - Kenny Irons: He was tireless all night. He was always trying to invent ways to get at the Chesterfield players and always willing to take risky shots that may have paid off on a better night.
Teams:
Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): 13. Martyn Margetson, 2. Steve Jenkins, 3. Gareth Evans, 36. Nathan Clarke, 12. Kevin Gray (captain), 8. Kenny Irons, 33. Dwayne Mattis, 24. Danny Schofield, 23. Chris Holland, 32. Andy Booth, 29. John Thorrington.
Subs (not used): 19. FraserDigby, 20. Thomas Heary, 26. Adi Moses, 31. Paul Macari, 18. Chris Hay.
Chesterfield (4-4-2): 1. Nathan Abbey, 4. Lee Richardson, 6. Ian Breckin (captain), 7. Jon Howard, 9. David Reeves, 10. Marcus Ebdon, 11. Luke Beckett, 14. Martyn Booty, 21. Jamie Ingldown, 23. Steve Payne, 29. Rob Edwards.
Subs (not used): 26. Richmond, 19. Danny Williams, 17. Greg Pearce, 27. Mark Jones, 22. Andy Rushbury.
Bookings/Sending offs:
Huddersfield Town: None.
Chesterfield: 11. Luke Beckett (69)
Attendance: 9,399.
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