Harry Toffolo hits the heights as Huddersfield Town turn on the style

In his own way, the buccaneering Huddersfield Town left-back, a player who empties the tank every time he wears the blue and white, epitomises every positive virtue of Carlos Corberan’s brave new world.

On a nourishing occasion which illuminated a cold winter’s day, Toffolo would see his name in lights after his first goal at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Humble and down-to-earth, the word that he used to describe his feelings after playing his part in a fine team display which saw insatiable Town win their battles across the pitch said it all.

Asked to sum up the afternoon’s events, he said: “It was knackering... We matched them man for man and ran all over them and showed our fitness and the hard work we have put in on the training pitch.

“To get a clean sheet and a win is massive at home. We have another home game on Tuesday and it is important to build on this and go back to back, as you know what can happen in the league when you do.”

In this mood, Town are a treat to watch and some of their incessant, intelligent one-touch football and movement in the first half especially was a joy.

The platform was laid by a wonderful third-minute opener from Josh Koroma, who again showed his penchant for the spectacular – seven days on from his super winner against Middlesbrough.

He cut inside from the left and with QPR players standing off, he needed no second invitation to curl home a beauty with his right foot. In truth, the visitors never got over that early blow.

Koroma turned provider to set up Toffolo for an early chance to make it two as the visitors were dissected again with surgical precision, only for R’s goalkeeper and former Doncaster Rovers loanee Seny Dieng – the only QPR player to emerge from the game with credit – to make an outstanding save low down.

But the axis bore fruit again on 39 minutes and this time Toffolo was not to be denied as he steered the ball home after another incisive home move.

The full-back would show his capabilities at the other end late on when he diverted a goalbound shot from Yoann Barbet.

It was a very rare incursion by the toothless, browbeaten visitors, who were subjugated by a home side who possessed energy across the park in the likes of Toffolo, Koroma and Lewis O’Brien, who came to the party alongside several others.

On his strike, Toffolo added: “It was lovely as we have been working on that movement a lot. It was good to see it come to fruition. We work tirelessly in the week for moments like that.

“Lewis and Josh are fantastic players and to be able to play with them is a joy every week and anyone who steps in does a great job.

“Josh got a goal and an assist and he is having a phenomenal season and if he continues to do that, it will only help the team. We will continue to work hard to do ourselves and the team justice.”

It was the precursor to an excellent afternoon – the sort of occasion that would undeniably have been sweetened by the presence of home fans. How they would have feasted upon this.

Sadly, as is the way for Town in recent years, luck did not totally befriend them on the day.

The sight of captain Christopher Schindler, who produced a super show as he and his defensive cohorts produced a splendid reaction to a difficult night at Cardiff, hobbling off in distress late on was a significant worry.

The German appeared to twist his knee after a saving challenge to deny Bright Osayi-Samuel.

After a fair bit of treatment in a game which ended up having seven minutes of stoppage time, Schindler was helped off the pitch by Town’s medical staff.

It was rotten luck on such a day and untimely given the absence of another senior lieutenant at the back in Richard Stearman with Huddersfield facing an anxious wait upon the results of Schindler’s scan ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s visit tomorrow.

Next to each other in the table, many may have been expecting a tight and even contest between these two sides. In the event, it was as one-sided as it gets.

Pedestrian and passive, QPR never got going with their poor display harkening back to a similarly bereft show on their last trip to Yorkshire when they were also pitiful in a 3-0 loss at Barnsley.

But it would be disingenuous not to pay credit to the aplomb of the hosts. As much as Rangers were wretched, Town were excellent across the pitch.

Town passed up the chance to inflict a heavy beating over the R’s, whose manager Mark Warburton said that he would have made ‘seven or eight changes’ at the break if he could have. But this was dominance, all the same.

Dieng kept the score down by making smart saves to thwart Pipa and O’Brien as Corberan cajoled his charges incessantly.

Inside, he would have been delighted, even given his exacting standards. This was one of those occasions where training-ground work and intensity reaped a harvest on game day as his side followed his orders to the letter.

Huddersfield Town: Hamer; Pipa (Bacuna 73), Schindler (Edmonds-Green 79), Sarr, Toffolo; Hogg, Elting, O’Brien; Mbenza (Duhaney 87), Campbell (Ward 73), Koroma. Unused substitutes: Schofield, Pritchard, Diakhaby, Brown, Daly.

QPR: Dieng; Kane, Dickie, Barbet, Hamalainen; Cameron (Ball 56), Carroll; Osayi-Samuel (Kelman 81), Chair (Adomah 81), Willock (Thomas 56); Dykes (Bonne 45). Unused substitutes: Kelly, Masterton, Kakay, Bettache.

Referee: D Whitestone (Northants).

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