Luton Town 1 Huddersfield Town 1: Rivals locked in scramble to reach Wembley

It was gritty rather than pretty and you could argue if it was deserved – it probably just about was – but Huddersfield Town took a draw from their Championship play-off semi-final first leg at Kenilworth Road last night.

Terriers coach Carlos Corberan may have had a very intensive crash course under Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United but the Spaniard has a pragmatism which proved beyond his mentor, and it was very much on show in the 1-1 draw at Luton Town.

If two-legged football can serve up some thrilling finale, it is not averse to the odd stultifying first leg to set it up. The Hatters might have played their most famous fan Eric Morecambe’s theme tune Bring Me Sunshine at full-time but it was certainly not the pre-match instructions.

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Corberan was not in the mood to lay on a party bag of a performance on his 100th game in charge of Huddersfield, just give his team the best chance of game 102 being played at Wembley.

Huddersfield Town's Danel Sinani celebrates scoring. Picture: PAHuddersfield Town's Danel Sinani celebrates scoring. Picture: PA
Huddersfield Town's Danel Sinani celebrates scoring. Picture: PA

“It was important if we couldn’t win we didn’t lose and go into the home leg with the possibility that if we win we’ll progress,” explained Corberan, showing that even though English is only his second language, he has mastered football’s great clichés.

How much was the occasion, how much the opposition – both these sides are shockingly under-rated – it was hard to tell, but Huddersfield were far from sparkling in Bedfordshire. At times like that, though, they have an uncanny habit of getting the job done – or in this case half-done.

They will need to be better in front of their own supporters on Monday but it is not unreasonable to expect they will be.

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Luton can be physical at times, so Huddersfield matched that. They were unafraid to go long at times or run down the clock. And when Danel Sinani got on the end of one of their few chances, he took it. It was one of only two Huddersfield shots on target all night, five in all.

Huddersfield Town's Danel Sinani nets for the visitors. Picture: PAHuddersfield Town's Danel Sinani nets for the visitors. Picture: PA
Huddersfield Town's Danel Sinani nets for the visitors. Picture: PA

Kenilworth Road was pumped up and Luton fed off it, forcing Lee Nicholls’s first save in the third minute when he tipped a James Bree effort over. When Jonathan Hogg, playing in the centre of a back three, tried to play a pass out wide to Harry Toffolo – bringing up his own ton, in his case of Championship appearances – but hit it way behind him, it seemed to sum up Huddersfield’s disappointing start.

But this is a team which finds a way, and they scored from their first attack of note, in the 12th minute. The ball was shifted around quickly and when it found left wing-back Toffolo, who had drifted inside, he measured a lovely ball down the channel to Sinani, who beat Matt Ingram at his near post.

Every time Huddersfield played like that, they looked threatening. The problem was, it happened too rarely.

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A similar move set Sinani free again in the 15th minute, Jon Russell finding Lewis O’Brien to play the ball through, but the shot was smothered at birth.

Huddersfield Town's Tom Lees (left) and Luton Town's Cameron Jerome battle for the ball. Picture: PAHuddersfield Town's Tom Lees (left) and Luton Town's Cameron Jerome battle for the ball. Picture: PA
Huddersfield Town's Tom Lees (left) and Luton Town's Cameron Jerome battle for the ball. Picture: PA

Luton reasserted themselves and the only Huddersfield-born player on the pitch, veteran striker Cameron Jerome, came to the fore. Jerome’s header from a Bree cross was deflected wide, and it was he Tom Lees fouled when dragged out wide.

Kal Naismith put the 31st-minute free-kick over and Sonny Bradley gave the scoreline a fairer look.

Jerome broke away minutes later, only for Naby Sarr to hold him up and Nicholls to save. Luton wanted a penalty but without a video assistant referee, Robert Jones’s word was final, as when Toffolo had an earlier appeal waved away.

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Nicholls had to rely on Jerome’s next effort to clear the bar as he stretched out under it.

Sarr blocked a Henri Lansbury effort from another counter-attack caused by Russell trying to be over-fancy.

The second half became very cat and mouse, Huddersfield at times testing their 1,014 travelling fans’ hearts by trying to draw Luton players onto their defenders, and making passes at the last possible moment. Forced by injury, Pipa’s half-time introduction for Ollie Turton was positive and Holmes was moved right to link with him.

Corberan reckoned “the position of the team in the first half did not allow us to attack and in some situations we were losing simple balls, but we changed to be the total opposite in the second half.” As a result they saw much more of the ball but it did not translate into much goalmouth action at either end.

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Cornick’s audacious flick and Jordan Clark’s very long-range effort showed Luton confidence, but neither troubled Nicholls, who pushed the time he took over goalkicks as far as he could.

When Holmes drove deep into Luton territory on the counter-attack, O’Brien’s shot went out off a defender. A Pipa strike deflected wide in the 87th minute when Nicholls’s throw released O’Brien.

“Now we are going to have another demanding game at home where the pitch is a little bit bigger and we have our own fans but I expect another equal and balanced game,” said Corberan.

We are no clearer who will be playing the part of David against Goliath at Wembley.

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Luton Town: Ingram; Burke (Hylton 80), Bradley, Naismith; Lansbury (Lockyer 67); Bree, Bell, Campbell, Clark; Jerome (Snodgrass 89), Cornick. Unused substitutes: Potts, Mendes Gomes, Kioso, Isted.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Lees,Hogg, Sarr, Turton (Pipa 46), O’Brien, Toffolo; Sinani (Thomas 85), Holmes; Ward (Rhodes 72). Unused substitutes: Anjorin, Blackman, Colwill, Eiting.

Referee: R Jones (Merseyside).

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