Colchester 1 Huddersfield 1: Villain Smithies turns hero with penalty save as Town grab a point

There was plenty of late drama at the Weston Homes Community Stadium as the Terriers picked up a point just when it looked as though their promotion challenge was going to take a hit.

Goalkeeper Alex Smithies was on course to be the villain when his attempted clearance allowed Steven Gillespie to give the hosts a third-minute lead.

But Smithies pulled off a brilliant penalty save in the 88th minute to deny Anthony Wordsworth after Joey Gudjonsson had carelessly felled Kemal Izzet in his own area.

That save proved crucial because Magnus Okuonghae then headed into his own net in the first minute of stoppage-time as Grayson’s team claimed a point.

“We had some really good opportunities, but sometimes you do start to think it might not be your day,” admitted Grayson, whose side are now six games unbeaten.

“But I thought that was the very least we deserved because we dominated the game for long periods.

“It was disappointing to start the game by conceding a sloppy goal, but the players have got great resolve and they kept battling until the end.

“That could be a vital point come the end of the season and, on another day, we could have won that one.

“I’m not bothered who scores for us as long as we’re scoring goals and trying everything we can to win matches.”

Reflecting on Smithies’s fine spot-kick save, Grayson added: “He made a mistake for their goal, but he’s a great keeper and his save was a big turning point.”

The result keeps Town in fourth, five points behind both Sheffield clubs but with a game in hand.

Colchester United: Williams; Wilson, Okuonghae, Eastman, White, Henderson, Izzet (Heath 90), Bond, Wordsworth; Odejayi; Gillespie (Massey 68). Unused substitutes: Rose, Sears, Duguid.

Huddersfield Town: Smithies; Hunt, Clarke, Morrison, Woods; Ward, Gudjonsson, Kay (Arismendi 77), Roberts (Lee 59); Novak (Arfield 77), Rhodes. Unused substitutes: Bennett, McCombe.

Referee: D Mohareb (Cheshire).

Man of the match: Alex Smithies.