Some Credit For Spirit in Adversity But Another Defeat

It's hard to be angry or frustrated after that one, but that’s perhaps a reflection of downgraded expectations. We put in a spirited performance in the second half when down to 10 men, against a decent – but not exceptional – Huddersfield side. There is credit in that, especially considering the injury list (two weeks off for the international break but only one returning, another dropping out). Against that, we were poor (yet again) in the first half, might easily have been two down before we got back into it with a rather soft penalty, then - after paying the price for a rash challenge by Docherty, one which on another day might have just been a yellow but one you can’t say was an error by the officials – failed to make the most of some chances to draw level, against a Huddersfield side which struggled to kill off the game.

When the dust settles all we will be left with is now a five-game winless run in the league, with concerns that Leaburn could be added to the unavailable list with two more away games coming up. Oh, and into the bottom half of the league, now closer to the relegation places than the play-offs. By virtue of their win Huddersfield move into the top six, on the sort of run that we can only hope to put together, possibly, at some point in the future when players return.

The side showed three changes from Exeter with Mitchell(Z) seemingly not available through injury, replaced by Edmonds-Green, Taylor dropping out of the squad for some reason and Anderson in, plus Campbell(A) moving down to the bench and Small getting a start, in a 3-5-2. The surprise was he started on the right side, with Edmonds-Green, Mitchell(A) and Gillesphey the central three, Edwards the other wing-back. A midfield of Coventry, Docherty and Anderson, with Leaburn and Godden up front. On the bench the only defensive option was Laqeretabua, Campbell(A) and Berry for midfield, and Campbell(T), Ahadme and Hylton available. Of those assumed to be fit, no places in the squad for Taylor, Asiimwe or Edun, or Dixon.

After a fairly nondescript opening to the game we went behind, all too easily. We’d already appeared uncoordinated from their set pieces when a corner from their right was delivered well and from a central position their centre-back was able to shrug off the weak challenge of Small and plant what amounted to a free header in off the far post. Huddersfield had been taking a grip on the game and really should have doubled their lead before 20 minutes were up, another header from the same player, this time simply unchallenged from a decent free kick in from their left. His second effort crashed back off the bar.

We had shown nothing in their half in the first half-hour, but amazingly found ourselves level, curtesy of some Leaburn trickery causing confusion and a rather clumsy resulting challenge involving Edmonds-Green being able to go to ground under some contact. Whether or not he was already heading there before the contact is hard to say. No matter, Godden stepped up and converted well.

We were back in a game which Huddersfield had been clearly bossing, but after another five minutes the pendulum swung back against us. Out on the touchline their guy stuck out his foot to move the ball and Docherty saw enough of the ball to swing his own foot at it, the intention being to hoof clear. Instead all he made contact with was the outstretched foot. It was without malice, not especially dangerous, but probably painful (and their guy did make a meal of it). The ref thought long and hard (another way of saying he was waiting for instructions), eventually pulling out a red card. It was harsh, but the challenge gave him a decision to make.

Jones made no change in response and did manage to see out the half with no further alarms. But nobody was in any doubt that the second half would be a real slog.

We actually started the second half quite brightly, with Leaburn causing them all sorts of problems when given the ball. But eventually we were pegged back by Huddersfield’s decent use of the ball to exploit their man advantage and just after the hour turned that into a goal. Good interplay moved us around and ended with a ball laid back for a guy around the edge of the box. He shot home powerfully before the challengers could get to him. Echoes of the previous patch when we were conceding goals from long range by not closing down fast enough, although this time we were one less to cover.

You kind of thought then that the priority had to be to hang in there, not concede a third, and hope to apply some pressure in the dying minutes to try to get something from the game. Instead, as Huddersfield perhaps relaxed a little, we had probably our best spell in terms of actually creating chances.

Campbell(T) came on for Edmonds-Green, with Small moving over to the left and with around 20 minutes of normal time left we fashioned a couple of chances. Small beat his guy down the flank and whipped in an excellent cross. It seemed to take a deflection off a defender but either way was met by a firm Leaburn header, which whistled just past the post. Ahadme was introduced for Godden and just about his first action was to fail to convert probably our best opportunity. Their keeper failed to cut out a Coventry corner but instead of heading home from a yard or so Ahadme failed to make decisive contact, perhaps distracted by their keeper’s miss but nevertheless. In our position we just couldn’t afford not to take a chance like that.

Thereafter Huddersfield had their opportunities too, not surprisingly given the state of the game, and it required good saves by Maynard-Brewer to keep us in with a chance. Worryingly Leaburn went down with the ball a long way away and was replaced by Hylton, with Berry replacing Anderson at the same time. In the dying minutes Ahadme won a header and Hylton set up Berry, but he wasn’t able to get the shot away, then at the end of five minutes of stoppage time we won a free kick on the edge of the area but made a mess of taking it quickly, the game ending in some confusion right after that.

So yes, there were some positives in terms of commitment and creating chances even with 10 men. I wouldn’t say we deserved a point, Huddersfield were in charge through the first half and for periods of the second and led for the final 30 minutes or so. But we might have nicked one, with better finishing.

No doubt the dressing room will be down after a second consecutive defeat, again by the odd goal. Jones has to lift them quickly as away at bottom-placed Burton on Tuesday night is one which, even at this stage of the season, we just have to win, if we are to give the impression of possibly being able to hang on long enough to give us hope when players return. Our record against the teams around the bottom has so far been good. Fingers crossed it stays that way.