Big Match Verdict – ‘We blew it,’ admits Huddersfield Town captain Tommy Smith

Green Street, complete with market traders shouting their wares as visiting supporters attempted to avoid eye contact with the menacing-looking locals standing outside the Queens Pub, was a true throwback to the old East End.

Edgy, proud and the total antithesis of the route that takes fans towards the London Stadium from Stratford Station.

High-end brands such as John Lewis, Armani and Hugo Boss line the walk, while those desperate for a bit of pre-match sustenance head to Jamie’s Italian and Caffe Concerto rather than those famous cockney institutions, such as Ken’s Cafe and Nathan’s Pie and Eel Shop, that fed generations of Upton Park regulars.

One link to the past that has been retained is the playing of the club anthem I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles over the PA system as the teams emerge from the tunnel ahead of kick-off.

After this latest defeat, Huddersfield will surely empathise with the line, ‘Fortune’s always hiding, I’ve looked everywhere’.

Not for the first time this season, the Terriers were left scratching their heads in bemusement at how defeat had been snatched from the jaws of victory.

Leading 3-1 with just 15 minutes remaining, Town seemed firmly on course for just a second victory in eight outings under Jan Siewert.

Two exquisite finishes from Karlan Grant and Juninho Bacuna’s first goal in English football had put Yorkshire’s sole top-flight representative firmly in charge.

Defensively, Huddersfield had been excellent. A rash challenge by Aaron Rowe on his full debut had handed the home side an early penalty that Mark Noble converted in a typically cool manner.

But, after that, the Terriers had put in a tremendous defensive shift to go with the attacking verve that had brought three league goals on the road for the first time since beating Watford 4-1 in December, 2017.

Then it all went horribly wrong. Poor marking by Terence Kongolo allowed Angelo Ogbonna to halve the deficit with a firm header from Ryan Cresswell’s corner.

Suddenly, there was a sense of belief among the home fans who had stuck around when many of their brethren had headed for the exits in the wake of Grant’s second goal.

It proved well-founded, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez levelled matters six minutes from time after taking advantage of dreadfully slack marking to meet Sami Nasri’s cross unchallenged at the back post.

By now, the London Stadium, a venue not known for its electric atmospheres since West Ham moved in almost three years ago, was in full voice.

The winner the locals craved came 60 seconds into a scheduled five minutes of stoppage time. Hernandez again did the damage, heading over a stranded Jonas Lossl to send the home fans into raptures.

Adding to the despair felt by Town and their 1,300 followers was the knowledge that their own chance to bag all three points had gone begging just moments earlier when Jason Puncheon had somehow side-footed over with the goal at his mercy.

“I don’t know how we can score three goals away from home and be in the position we were in, and let is slip,” said captain Tommy Smith. “We blew it.

“For 75 minutes it was almost the perfect away performance. But the last 15 were naive. Very, very disappointed as a team.”

The London Stadium was where Huddersfield Town lost their first Premier League game, way back in September, 2017, in what was the club’s fourth outing of last season.

Another 41 defeats have been endured since then but few hurt as much as this.

For much of the 75 minutes that preceded West Ham’s dramatic fightback, Town had impressed hugely.

Siewert reverted to his preferred 4-3-3 formation with teenager Rowe, the first Huddersfield player to be born in the new Millennium, and Alex Pritchard deployed either side of Grant.

Bacuna netted Town’s equaliser just three minutes after Noble’s penalty from the spot, the midfielder heading in from Aaron Mooy’s corner.

Huddersfield went in front on the half-hour in an equally clinical manner. Pritchard’s disguised free-kick released Chris Lowe down the left and his cross was swept into the net by Grant.

His second in the 65th minute was even more impressive. Collecting a pass from Kongolo, Grant, a £2m buy from Charlton Athletic, turned smartly past Issa Diop before smashing a 20-yard shot that Fabianski got a hand to but could not keep out.

That seemed to be that, as the stream of locals heading to the exit turned into a flood.

But then came the stirring fightback that ensured the bright lights of John Lewis, Armani et al were in stark contrast to the dark mood of the Huddersfield fans making their way disconsolately back to Stratford Station.