Huddersfield Town boss Michael Duff pleased to see Terriers get back to old selves
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN manager Michael Duff felt a mixture of relief and pleasure after beating Stevenage to return to winning ways in League One.
Callum Marshall put Town ahead after three minutes and although Brandon Hanlan equalised eight minutes later, Nigel Lonwijk headed the winner in the 24th minute.
Town stay fifth having put two disappointing defeats behind them and Duff said: “We looked much better and I think if we get the third, we go on and get more.
“Their keeper has made some great saves, Callum Marshall’s gone round him and hit the outside of the post, but we’ve had to dig in and fight.
“We had to ride our luck a little bit, they clipped the bar in the last minute although I don’t think it looked like it was going in.
“But it’s a horrible feeling to have because all it takes is a bounce of the ball or a missed tackle.
“We started the game well, scored a really good goal, and then we got done by a whack down the pitch and an individual error.
“To be fair to Nigel, he’s gone down the other end and won the game.
“It’s been really tough but the players have been fighting and they’ve been trying.
“It looked a little bit more like us.”
The visitors took the lead early on when Boro failed to deal with an awkward ball forward that bounced high.
It was pushed wide to the left for Ruben Roosken to beat his man and cross low, with Marshall tapping home.
Josh Koroma was denied by a diving save from goalkeeper Murphy Cooper but Boro were level after 11 minutes, Hanlan using his strength to get clear and then lash the ball high into the net from a tight angle.
Dan Kemp should have made it 2-1 to Stevenage but in the end a header by Lonwijk from an Antony Evans corner sealed the win after 24 minutes.
Jordan Roberts could have equalised in the first half but headed straight at Lee Nicholls before Cooper made the save of the game, clawing a Marshall header away and then blocking the rebound.
Jamie Reid hit the bar at the end but Boro were always second best.
Stevenage: Cooper, Freeman, Sweeney, Piergianni, Freestone, Thompson (Phillips 82), White (King 82), Edwards (Butler 60), Kemp, Roberts (Reid 60), Hanlan (Young 84). Unused substitutes: Ashby-Hammond, Goode.
Huddersfield Town: Nicholls, Spencer, Lonwijk, Ruffels, Turton, Joseph Hodge, Evans (Wiles 82), Roosken (Sorensen 73), Chirewa (Hogg 59), Marshall, Koroma (Taylor 73). Unused substitutes: Hurl, Charles, Ladapo.
Referee: James Linnington (Isle of Wight).