Huddersfield Town 1 v 0 Bristol City
Huddersfield Town story posted by Garfield (Admin) on 29/09/2001
An unusually bright and sunny day at the MacAlpine today reflected on the wonderful performance of the Town. Not only was it a wonderful performance but unlike our last match against Chesterfield we actually managed to capitalize on that advantage and score a goal. The only goal of the game that gifted us all 3 points and shot us straight into top table contention in third spot.
Once again, based on great recent performances Macari named yet another unchanged side. He also, for the second time running, decided that subsitutes were not need to take the place. Then again, that seems pretty clear when you look at our bench as it is and realise that the only player who even looks remotely likely to take to the field is Thomas Heary. And while Jenks is doing a top-notch job at Right-back that doesn't look very likely.
The match started a little cagily for both teams, with neither wanting to set out their stall for attack or defence. The only real notable event coming out of the first ten minutes other than a midfield battle of lobbed balls and headers was that of the strange slip by Bristol City's veteran keeper Mike Stowell. Apparently the grass underneath him was a little slippy and while doing a bit of early-match warming up he slipped on it and it is suspected that he has a groin injury. Just 7 minutes gone in the game and he was stretchered off and replaced by Steve Phillips. Our best wishes go out to Mike for a speedy recovery.
One thing I did manage to note down by the early stages was that Thorrington was once again having a bad day, even worse than Tuesday nights game when I criticized him. He seemed very unwilling to go after balls or to go at players and seemed too complacent when doing simple things like passing the ball which were going all over the place, and most noticeably, to the opposition. This is deffinitely a quality player we have on our hands but if his performances don't pick up in the next couple of games then it may be time to give Simon Baldry another run out this season.
Bristol did manage to get a few good attacking plays in before the 20 minute mark. Luckily for us Nathan Clarke was there to help with all of them. On the 12th minute Steve Jones was sent chasing a ball on the edge of the area. He was closed down well by Clarke and was forced to lob his shot wide of the target. Again, on the 18th minute on the edge of the area, Nathan Clarke made a great saving tackle to stop Tony Thorpe running clear through on goal. There were claims for a penalty but it was clear that Clarke had one the ball.
On the 27th minute it looked almost certain that Town would gift Bristol with the opening goal of the game when the so-called experienced Kevin Gray decided it was smart to try and take on two players inside his own half. Needless to say the ball was easily extracted from his feet sending Tony Thrope clear on goal. He then slipped the ball square to the incoming Scott Murray who had earlier assissted him in dispossessing Gray only for him to spoon the opportunity wide of the on-rushing Margetson's goal. It was a huge let off for Town and, in particular, Gray.
On the 35th minute Town stepped things up a gear. After much play in the center and a fair bit of possession they decided to finally go out and test the stand-in Goalkeeper. Nathan Clarke's now patented long throw into the box met John Thorrington's boot who knocked it up for Schofield who hit an absolute scorcher only to see it shave a few layers of paint off the post. It was very unlucky for Schofield, who, at the time was working very hard and had been showing great determination in tackling the Bristol defenders before they could even get the ball clear.
Town's ultimate spell of attack came just before the break when 5 chances in the space of as many minutes came their way. The first of which was Andy Booth's on the 40th minute. A freekick out wide-right from Jenkins was flicked on from Schofield and met the awaiting head of Boothy who powered a header low and to the right of the keeper. It looked destined to be in but a sprawling Phillips was equal to it and managed to touch it round the post.
Thorrington made a tight run along the goal line on the 41st minute and managed to warm the keepers hands, when he should've really cut the ball back. The angle was too tight to score from but did manage to force a save from Phillips.
Steve Jones was then booked on the 42nd minute when he brought down Mattis on a run into the area. From close range Irons lofted the ball into the area and Danny Schofield flicked the ball only to see Phillips use all of his leaping power to tip it from underneath the crossbar.
Undoubtedly Town's best chance of the half came from a Thorrington corner. It was met by the head of Kevin Gray who got the deftest of touches to send it low into the keeper's right hand corner. It looked like Town had finally broken the deadlock when a Bristol City defender perfectly positioned on the post managed to hook it clear before it crossed the line.
Thorrington also went close on the 44th minute when he hit a low shot from about 30 yards out making the keeper do a little more work.
Town may have had a penalty into the five minutes of stoppage time when it seemed that Chris Holland's shot was blocked by a Bristol City arm in the area. The referee was having none of it though and waved play-on.
Onto the second half then, and Town continued their domination of Bristol City when John Thorrington's cross was suddenly turned into a shot when Steve Phillips was sent back pedalling into his goal to tip it wide for a corner.
City did manage to get some goal line action though in the form of a goal line scramble on the 54th minute when Margetson made a good reflex save from a Thorpe shot and in the end the ball was finally cleared by left back Gareth Evans.
A great cross by the hard-working Chris Holland who had earlier put in some great tackles was met by the head of the one person you'd hope to be on the end of a cross - Andy Booth. Boothy rose above the defence and powered a header straight down the middle of the goal forcing a save from the keeper.
Once again a huge let off for Town came on the 60th minute. This one was deffinitely an even bigger let-off than the first. A poor pass-back by Steve Jenkins saw Margetson scarmbling to get to the ball. It looked like he'd done the trick when he turned the oncoming striker but he over hit it and the ball fell straight to the feet of Tony Thorpe only for him to hit the ball wide of the target at an empty goal from about fifteen yards out.
On the 71st minute Town finally managed to find the breakthrough that they had been looking for. Schofield made a run accross the defence drawing defenders out of the box and slipped the ball to Chris Holland out on the left wing. Chris hit a great ball to the back post picking out Andy Booth who headed the ball downwards into the center for an open shot by Thorrington. He cooly took it on the bounce and hit the ball straight into the back of the net.
Just two minutes after the goal Schofield sent an absolute rasper low to the keeper's right from outside the area. But, once again, he was equal to it and managed to sent it back out to the feet of Chris Holland who managed to hit a great shot of his own only to have it closed down by a Bristol defender.
On 77 minutes City went close on goal for the first time in the past 30 minutes when Murray hit a low, trickling volley that had beaten Margetson and, luckily, the post.
City ended the game the stronger, throwing everything they had at us. They made a change in bringig on Lee Matthews who on the 89th minute rattled the crossbar with a close range header on the end of a Aaron Brown header.
Aaron Brown was also involved again into stoppage time when a shot-come-long ball by him from about 45 yards out almost caught Margetson napping. He had to stumble back into his goal and only just managed to tip the ball over when it looked like it might just dip over his head.
Town ended the game with some good time-wasting tactics of taking the ball into the bottom right hand corner and keeping it there to play out time. The game finished with Steve Brown taking away the legs of Kenny Irons.
It was yet another good performance by Town, although they did come away pretty lucky from two very stupid mistakes at the back. They deserved all three points in the end and both teams probably deserved more goals. It's clear that the system we have in place now, on the whole, is working very well. We've had the same team for the past three teams and the young players are coming along very well. If they keep playing together than I think we can only go from strength to strength. Who says injuries are bad?
Town MOM - Chris Holland: by a mile. He's finally found his place at the Mac, and that is the left of midfield. He's always taking the right back all over the place and his covering defensive abilities allow Irons and Mattis to get forward a lot more.
Teams:
Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): 13. Martyn Margetson, 2. Steve Jenkins (captain), 3. Gareth Evans, 36. Nathan Clarke, 12. Kevin Gray , 8. Kenny Irons, 33. Dwayne Mattis, 24. Danny Schofield, 23. Chris Holland, 32. Andy Booth, 29. John Thorrington.
Subs (not used): 19. Fraser Digby, 20. Thomas Heary, 26. Adi Moses, 31. Paul Macari, 18. Chris Hay.
Bristol City (3-5-2): 28. Mike Stowell (14. Steve Phillips/7 mins), 3. Micky Bell, 7. Scott Murray, 8. Simon Clist (17. Lee Matthews/81 mins), 10. Tony Thorpe, 11. Brian Tinnion, 12. Aaron Brown, 15. Mark Level (captain), 21. Kevin Amankwaah, 25. Steve Jones.
Subs (not used): 19. Joe Burnell, 24. Tommy Doherty, 30. Mark Summerbell.
Bookings/Sending offs:
Huddersfield Town: 24. Danny Schofield (81).
Bristol City: 25. Steve Jones (42).
Attendance: 10,652
Once again, based on great recent performances Macari named yet another unchanged side. He also, for the second time running, decided that subsitutes were not need to take the place. Then again, that seems pretty clear when you look at our bench as it is and realise that the only player who even looks remotely likely to take to the field is Thomas Heary. And while Jenks is doing a top-notch job at Right-back that doesn't look very likely.
The match started a little cagily for both teams, with neither wanting to set out their stall for attack or defence. The only real notable event coming out of the first ten minutes other than a midfield battle of lobbed balls and headers was that of the strange slip by Bristol City's veteran keeper Mike Stowell. Apparently the grass underneath him was a little slippy and while doing a bit of early-match warming up he slipped on it and it is suspected that he has a groin injury. Just 7 minutes gone in the game and he was stretchered off and replaced by Steve Phillips. Our best wishes go out to Mike for a speedy recovery.
One thing I did manage to note down by the early stages was that Thorrington was once again having a bad day, even worse than Tuesday nights game when I criticized him. He seemed very unwilling to go after balls or to go at players and seemed too complacent when doing simple things like passing the ball which were going all over the place, and most noticeably, to the opposition. This is deffinitely a quality player we have on our hands but if his performances don't pick up in the next couple of games then it may be time to give Simon Baldry another run out this season.
Bristol did manage to get a few good attacking plays in before the 20 minute mark. Luckily for us Nathan Clarke was there to help with all of them. On the 12th minute Steve Jones was sent chasing a ball on the edge of the area. He was closed down well by Clarke and was forced to lob his shot wide of the target. Again, on the 18th minute on the edge of the area, Nathan Clarke made a great saving tackle to stop Tony Thorpe running clear through on goal. There were claims for a penalty but it was clear that Clarke had one the ball.
On the 27th minute it looked almost certain that Town would gift Bristol with the opening goal of the game when the so-called experienced Kevin Gray decided it was smart to try and take on two players inside his own half. Needless to say the ball was easily extracted from his feet sending Tony Thrope clear on goal. He then slipped the ball square to the incoming Scott Murray who had earlier assissted him in dispossessing Gray only for him to spoon the opportunity wide of the on-rushing Margetson's goal. It was a huge let off for Town and, in particular, Gray.
On the 35th minute Town stepped things up a gear. After much play in the center and a fair bit of possession they decided to finally go out and test the stand-in Goalkeeper. Nathan Clarke's now patented long throw into the box met John Thorrington's boot who knocked it up for Schofield who hit an absolute scorcher only to see it shave a few layers of paint off the post. It was very unlucky for Schofield, who, at the time was working very hard and had been showing great determination in tackling the Bristol defenders before they could even get the ball clear.
Town's ultimate spell of attack came just before the break when 5 chances in the space of as many minutes came their way. The first of which was Andy Booth's on the 40th minute. A freekick out wide-right from Jenkins was flicked on from Schofield and met the awaiting head of Boothy who powered a header low and to the right of the keeper. It looked destined to be in but a sprawling Phillips was equal to it and managed to touch it round the post.
Thorrington made a tight run along the goal line on the 41st minute and managed to warm the keepers hands, when he should've really cut the ball back. The angle was too tight to score from but did manage to force a save from Phillips.
Steve Jones was then booked on the 42nd minute when he brought down Mattis on a run into the area. From close range Irons lofted the ball into the area and Danny Schofield flicked the ball only to see Phillips use all of his leaping power to tip it from underneath the crossbar.
Undoubtedly Town's best chance of the half came from a Thorrington corner. It was met by the head of Kevin Gray who got the deftest of touches to send it low into the keeper's right hand corner. It looked like Town had finally broken the deadlock when a Bristol City defender perfectly positioned on the post managed to hook it clear before it crossed the line.
Thorrington also went close on the 44th minute when he hit a low shot from about 30 yards out making the keeper do a little more work.
Town may have had a penalty into the five minutes of stoppage time when it seemed that Chris Holland's shot was blocked by a Bristol City arm in the area. The referee was having none of it though and waved play-on.
Onto the second half then, and Town continued their domination of Bristol City when John Thorrington's cross was suddenly turned into a shot when Steve Phillips was sent back pedalling into his goal to tip it wide for a corner.
City did manage to get some goal line action though in the form of a goal line scramble on the 54th minute when Margetson made a good reflex save from a Thorpe shot and in the end the ball was finally cleared by left back Gareth Evans.
A great cross by the hard-working Chris Holland who had earlier put in some great tackles was met by the head of the one person you'd hope to be on the end of a cross - Andy Booth. Boothy rose above the defence and powered a header straight down the middle of the goal forcing a save from the keeper.
Once again a huge let off for Town came on the 60th minute. This one was deffinitely an even bigger let-off than the first. A poor pass-back by Steve Jenkins saw Margetson scarmbling to get to the ball. It looked like he'd done the trick when he turned the oncoming striker but he over hit it and the ball fell straight to the feet of Tony Thorpe only for him to hit the ball wide of the target at an empty goal from about fifteen yards out.
On the 71st minute Town finally managed to find the breakthrough that they had been looking for. Schofield made a run accross the defence drawing defenders out of the box and slipped the ball to Chris Holland out on the left wing. Chris hit a great ball to the back post picking out Andy Booth who headed the ball downwards into the center for an open shot by Thorrington. He cooly took it on the bounce and hit the ball straight into the back of the net.
Just two minutes after the goal Schofield sent an absolute rasper low to the keeper's right from outside the area. But, once again, he was equal to it and managed to sent it back out to the feet of Chris Holland who managed to hit a great shot of his own only to have it closed down by a Bristol defender.
On 77 minutes City went close on goal for the first time in the past 30 minutes when Murray hit a low, trickling volley that had beaten Margetson and, luckily, the post.
City ended the game the stronger, throwing everything they had at us. They made a change in bringig on Lee Matthews who on the 89th minute rattled the crossbar with a close range header on the end of a Aaron Brown header.
Aaron Brown was also involved again into stoppage time when a shot-come-long ball by him from about 45 yards out almost caught Margetson napping. He had to stumble back into his goal and only just managed to tip the ball over when it looked like it might just dip over his head.
Town ended the game with some good time-wasting tactics of taking the ball into the bottom right hand corner and keeping it there to play out time. The game finished with Steve Brown taking away the legs of Kenny Irons.
It was yet another good performance by Town, although they did come away pretty lucky from two very stupid mistakes at the back. They deserved all three points in the end and both teams probably deserved more goals. It's clear that the system we have in place now, on the whole, is working very well. We've had the same team for the past three teams and the young players are coming along very well. If they keep playing together than I think we can only go from strength to strength. Who says injuries are bad?
Town MOM - Chris Holland: by a mile. He's finally found his place at the Mac, and that is the left of midfield. He's always taking the right back all over the place and his covering defensive abilities allow Irons and Mattis to get forward a lot more.
Teams:
Huddersfield Town (4-4-2): 13. Martyn Margetson, 2. Steve Jenkins (captain), 3. Gareth Evans, 36. Nathan Clarke, 12. Kevin Gray , 8. Kenny Irons, 33. Dwayne Mattis, 24. Danny Schofield, 23. Chris Holland, 32. Andy Booth, 29. John Thorrington.
Subs (not used): 19. Fraser Digby, 20. Thomas Heary, 26. Adi Moses, 31. Paul Macari, 18. Chris Hay.
Bristol City (3-5-2): 28. Mike Stowell (14. Steve Phillips/7 mins), 3. Micky Bell, 7. Scott Murray, 8. Simon Clist (17. Lee Matthews/81 mins), 10. Tony Thorpe, 11. Brian Tinnion, 12. Aaron Brown, 15. Mark Level (captain), 21. Kevin Amankwaah, 25. Steve Jones.
Subs (not used): 19. Joe Burnell, 24. Tommy Doherty, 30. Mark Summerbell.
Bookings/Sending offs:
Huddersfield Town: 24. Danny Schofield (81).
Bristol City: 25. Steve Jones (42).
Attendance: 10,652
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