Huddersfield Town: Winning plaudits but Terriers now need results

The Terriers took a point against a good Coventry City side despite playing poorly. Nobody, though, was fooled.

There were two reasons Huddersfield did not lose for the third time in four matches: good luck, and even better goalkeeping from Lee Nicholls.

“It’s difficult to accept the best player on the pitch is the keeper,” said coach Carlos Corberan, once one himself.

Former striker and Huddersfield manager Mark Robins, now in charge at Coventry, put it another way: “We had enough chances to win this game, next week’s game and the one after that.”

That might cast doubt on the idea Huddersfield are better defensively this season, but they are. Nicholls is a big part of that, as is the reconstructed back-three in front of him. But as Corberan always stresses, all aspects of a team are linked – attacking well is part of defending well, and vice-versa. Getting the job half-done is not getting it done at all.

“If we are only more solid in defence that’s not enough,” he acknowledged. “It’s important to always find the balance to be a good team in defence but a good team in attack too. Without this balance it’s not enough to win games.”

It was completely missing on Saturday. In the early part of the campaign, Corberan’s side got by through set-piece goals and the brilliance of Sorba Thomas. The former are drying up and the latter appears to have hit a wall after such an explosive start to his first full Championship season. It leaves a burden no one else is stepping forward to shoulder. Pipa is hopefully reaching the end of the tunnel in his battle against an on-going groin problem, but is not there yet.

Danny Ward’s 19th-minute goal was brilliant in its execution, Scott High and Lewis O’Brien getting the ball wide to Harry Toffolo, who pulled it back. Ward produced a finish from the edge of the area which belied the fact the pass was a fraction too far behind him for comfort. When he wearily trudged off in the 71st minute, it was actually good he left the field at one of the furthest possible points from the tunnel because it allowed the much-maligned striker to lap up richly-deserved applause.

The problem was, that against-the-run-of-play moment was about it. A good Josh Koroma ball to Duane Holmes, whose shot was touched around the post by Simon Moore and some good work in the corner by Thomas undermined by a cross to nobody raised hopes the hosts would show more second-half get up and go, but then Jamie Allen hit Huddersfield’s post and it was back to the more familiar pattern.

A header Matty Pearson ought to have buried when High’s blocked shot ballooned to him was a rare treat as the Terrier tried to hang on for what turned out to be 79 minutes of football. They somehow survived 76 before Matt Gooden ran onto a Todd Kane cross as too many in blue-and-white stood still and glanced a header which left Nicholls no chance. It was the very least the visitors deserved.

“I was pleased with the effort but without the personality to play it’s not enough,” warned Corberan.

“After scoring the goal we seemed to lose confidence. The team thought the best way was to play long and it’s not true.

“The goal we scored should have increased our level of confidence. It was a very nice move that showed we could play.

“As soon as you start to play long and contest second balls you’re not doing what we need to. We need to press, to have the ball and attack and it’s part of my job to convince the players to do this.”

This season the team is mirroring Thomas and a little of the confidence which turned what most expected to be a relegation battle into a play-off push has disappeared.

“The season always moves into different moments and in the moments where you are feeling it’s hard to win three points it gives you a bit more focus to defend a positive result rather than be focused on the things that allow you to get the result,” explained Corberan.

“You play more safe. If you only play safe in football and don’t take risks, it’s impossible to attack.”

Even if mid-season reinforcements are signed, they are likely to be on the cheap because the money for more is not there. But cheap need not mean rubbish. Thomas was cheap.

Nicholls came on a free transfer as a 28-year-old with no Championship experience in the summer. His only real mistake came taking a risk, a pass High did not appreciate with Callum O’Hare on his back, but he saved the resulting chip.

His hoofed clearance minutes later brought ironic cheers but there were plenty of sincere ones after a reflex save with his feet from O’Hare, and tip-overs from Dominic Hyam (who missed the target with another good header) and Michael Rose.

“Having been here, I know what it was like,” said Robins, who has known little else in a fine managerial career. “If your recruitment is decent then you get the players in from wherever and if you have the coaching acumen they are going to get better. But the other trick is you need to win games with it.”

Corberan has done an important task in developing the defensive qualities of this side but he needs to get back to winning to buy the time to press on with the other half of the job.