Brentford 0 Huddersfield Town 1: Hogg and Town will '˜keep feet on ground'

LIKE his coach, Jonathan Hogg is not looking too far ahead as Huddersfield Town maintain the pressure on the top two.
Huddersfield Town's Rajiv van La Parra (2nd left) celebrates scoring..Huddersfield Town's Rajiv van La Parra (2nd left) celebrates scoring..
Huddersfield Town's Rajiv van La Parra (2nd left) celebrates scoring..

They are six points behind Newcastle and Brighton with a game in hand and can cut the gap with a win at relegation-threatened Bristol City on Friday.

Hogg, such an important component of the Town side, sitting in front of the defence, said after victory at Brentford: “We have just to look at ourselves. The next game is the most important.

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“We move on to a massive game at Bristol City and, if we win that, to have achieved three wins before the international break would be fantastic for everyone.

“The lads are buzzing. We believe in each other but we will stick together and keep our feet on the floor.

“We put on a right display and our game-plan worked against Brentford. Our pressing and our aggression won us the game. We had to be in their faces and had to keep a calm head. Most of the teams who work the hardest walk away with the three points in the Championship.”

Head coach David Wagner hailed it as a “good but not perfect performance” but refused to be drawn on talk of gatecrashing the automatic promotion places after Town followed up victory over Aston Villa.

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“We will only be focused on what we can influence and what we can influence is that we prepare for Bristol City so we can be as good as we can.”

Rajiv van La Parra’s second goal of the season just before the half-hour mark was all that separated the sides.

Brentford’s defence fell asleep and when a quickly-taken free-kick found Van La Parra wide on the left, the Dutch winger cut inside and his fierce cross-shot was punched into the net by Bees goalkeeper Daniel Bentley after it had deflected off Harlee Dean.

Wagner added: “It was a good strike and the goalkeeper was surprised so I am happy for Rajiv. We sometimes criticise his end product but today he delivered.”

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Hogg also enthused: “Rajiv has been massive this season. He just needs a couple more goals to take him to the next level and I think he can get there.”

Bees striker Lasse Vibe skied an almost open goal just after the break and their best chance had gone.

Brentford: Bentley, Colin, Dean, Egan, Henry, Woods, Yennaris (Hofmann 81), Jota, Sawyers (Kerschbaumer 73), Jozefzoon (Canos 64), Vibe. Unused substitutes: Bonham, Clarke, Barbet, Field.

Huddersfield Town: Ward, Smith, Hefele, Schindler, Lowe, Hogg, Billing (Mooy 57), Kachunga, Payne (Brown 46), van La Parra (Cranie 86), Wells. Unused substitutes: Hudson, Coleman, Lolley, Quaner.

Referee: O Langford (W Midlands).