Huddersfield Town 0 Burnley 2: Second-half food for thought for Lee Grant, but some first-half encouragement at least

Just shy of three months later, it was bestowed in the direction of new manager Lee Grant, in his introduction to the Terriers faithful in the sunshine. And so the page-turning process, following a exasperating 2024-25 which went the way that few envisaged, could officially begin. For Town, there were some elements of encouragement in the first half in particular, but the second period was decidedly flat and dominated by the visitors, who deserved made the breakthrough with a 63rd-minute header from substitute Tom McDermott, not long after entering the fray.

Another replacement in Joe Westley added a late second to reflect their second half dominance.

A former Burnley player, Grant was given a bit of food for thought. But it’s healthy enough at this stage of proceedings against a Clarets side who are Premier League class again.

There was one big tick in the box for the hosts in the shape of the excellent performance of summer arrival Owen Goodman, with the young keeper, on a season-long loan from Crystal Palace, showing just why he was coveted by a number of lower-division EFL clubs.

Burnley - who included a certain Kyle Walker in their ranks who captained the side - were doubling up, having sent a first-team side to Shrewsbury alongside Huddersfield, with manager Scott Parker electing to station himself in West Yorkshire.

A team whose masterful organisation and defensive discipline was the key to their outstanding promotion campaign last season, the Clarets are a group who give little away.

That was reinforced by events in the first half, although their mask did slip once and Town - with Ben Wiles wearing the captain's armband - should have punished them.

It came when a pinpoint cross from Lynden Gooch - whose work ethic and willing reflected well upon the new arrival - found another new boy in Josh Low.

The big defender, who looked safe and sound, was presented with a free header, but nodded wide.

In fairness, Burnley had the better of the first half chances and hogged the territory. Town, well organised in a 4-2-3-1 without the ball and more of a 3-5-2 with it, were steady enough and it was a good exercise in that regard.

There were a couple of scares, with Josh Laurent rattling the bar with a curler and former Leeds United loanee Jaiden Anthony denied by an excellent one-on-one save from Owen Goodman, who got his angles right. That said, Anthony should have scored.

From a Town perspective, the second half produced piecemeal offerings. The action was chiefly towards their goal, with interval substitute Lasse Sorensen, a replacement for Gooch, struggling down his side in particular.

Goodman soon made his second good save to thwart Jacob Bruun Larsen, close in. Town dropped deeper as the Clarets pressed and the opener arrived with an air of increasingly inevitability.

Goodman got his angles right to deny Burnley a second, through substitute Joe Westley as Town - who made a plethora of second-half changes - struggled to make an impact going forward.

Brilliant reaction from gamestar Goodman kept out McDermott';s drive, but he was helpless to prevent Westley from adding a late second for the dominant Clarets.

Huddersfield Town: Goodman; Whatmough (Balker 72), Low (Feeney 61), Sway (Ashia 61); Gooch (Sorensen HT), Kasumu (Ledson 76), Kane (Vost 76), Roosken (Ladapo 83); Harness (Charles 72), Wiles (Radulovic 72); May (Taylor 72). Substitutes unused: Nicholls, Hurl. Attendance: 4,949 (1,158 Burnley supporters)