Ride of the Terriers gathering pace under Huddersfield Town coach Carlos Corberan

YOU have to go back to February, 2017 for the previous time that Huddersfield Town won four successive league fixtures on home soil and elements of this victory were Wagnerian in nature.
Great start: Fraizer Campbell celebrates his opening goal with Issac Mbenza. Picture: Bruce RollinsonGreat start: Fraizer Campbell celebrates his opening goal with Issac Mbenza. Picture: Bruce Rollinson
Great start: Fraizer Campbell celebrates his opening goal with Issac Mbenza. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

The ferocious work-rate, intensity, strong togetherness and fervent desire of every player in a blue and white jersey to watch each other’s backs was radiant on this particular winter’s day. As it consistently was in that glory season of 2016-17.

But this is very much the time of Carlos Corberan and not David Wagner, no longer making the music in these parts.

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The collective intent and identity of Corberan’s Terriers contrasted starkly with a Watford side who resembled a gathering of individuals, albeit with some talent.

Own goal: Huddersfield celebrate Etienne Capoue's own goal.  Picture: Bruce RollinsonOwn goal: Huddersfield celebrate Etienne Capoue's own goal.  Picture: Bruce Rollinson
Own goal: Huddersfield celebrate Etienne Capoue's own goal. Picture: Bruce Rollinson

Yet a fair few seem to be looking out for number one. Watford have used 32 players this season and it is easy to see why. This is a group who are not tight enough.

All was clearly not well afterwards with Vladimir Ivic, who conducted a spiky post-match press conference after being questioned about the non-involvement of captain Troy Deeney, an unused substitute.

The pair had been involved in a bust-up and Ivic’s mood was dark. By the time that the Watford team bus got back to Hertfordshire, he was shown the door.

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Town had their own pre-match issues. Big characters and players such as Schindler, Stearman and Koroma were absent.

Crucially, others, many others, stepped up to the plate, with the performance all the more impressive given the events of seven days earlier when Town were dismantled 5-0 in sorry fashion at Bournemouth.

What a difference a week makes. As it often can do in the capricious Championship.

Across the board, there were contributions wherever you looked from home players at the John Smith’s Stadium.

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From the alertness and sound goalkeeping of Ryan Schofield to the growing maturity of Rarmani Edmonds-Green. There was the drive of Lewis O’Brien, the team play of Juninho Bacuna and the leadership of the likes of Fraizer Campbell, Naby Sarr and the inimitable Jonathan Hogg.

Then there was Isaac Mbenza. A player who has had his difficulties in West Yorkshire, but one who has persevered and is now being afforded his moment. The ovation he received when he was substituted late on said it all.

It was his desire to stop Ben Foster from playing out from the back which started off this exemplary afternoon for Town.

The former England international may be viewed by many to be the best goalkeeper in the Championship, but he certainly is not the best footballer.

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His dodgy pass out was blocked by the on-message Mbenza and Campbell, so selfless in his work this season, received the sort of present that all striker’s crave at any time of year as he gleefully slotted the ball into the unguarded net. It was a goal earned for his previous labours.

Worse, much worse was to come for Ivic’s Watford. A team who came into the game with the worst goal-scoring record in the division on their travels, but conversely, the best defensive away record, they are clearly a side who crave order. Here, they got chaos.

Mbenza – denied moments earlier by a last-ditch challenge from Ismaila Sarr – swung in a routine corner which was there to be cleared by Etienne Capoue.

Under no pressure, the midfielder took his eyes off the ball for a split-second and instead of hacking clear in routine fashion, the attempt hit his thigh and skewed horribly into his own net.

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It was a moment of high farce and pure comedy, not that Ivic would have been laughing. He is not that sort of guy.

Watford did have opportunities in the first half. Yet there was something not right and half-hearted about this performance.

Huddersfield ran harder and performed the ugly side of the game better and had a plan and spirit. The impression you got with Watford was that they felt they could get by on talent alone which does not get you too far on December days in the north.

A big moment in the context of the game arrived when the ball ricochetted in front of goal to James Garner. His attempt was weak, indicative of Watford’s day and Schofield blocked.

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The young goalkeeper then got in the way of a sharp near-post header from Andre Gray, and Bradford-born midfielder Tom Cleverley curled a shot just wide.

All the while, Town posted threat on the counter and they broke with force in numbers.

It almost delivered a goal for Mbenza, sent clear by a delicious pass from Campbell. Moments later, Capoue was on cue to gift-wrap a second for the hosts.

The game was set up perfectly for Town, who picked their moments to attack on the restart, while keeping their shape in sentinel fashion – with the defensive discipline of the likes of Mbenza and Bacuna among the many outstanding facets of a fine day.

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The hosts protected their precious gains admirably with Watford’s pressure being intermittent. The ever-reliable Schofield made a couple of sharp saves to deny Gray, yet this was nothing resembling an onslaught.

Huddersfield Town: Schofield, Pipa, Edmonds-Green, N Sarr, Toffolo; Hogg, Eiting (Pritchard 63), O’Brien, Bacuna (Diakhaby 90); Mbenza (Rowe 81), Campbell. Unused substitutes: Pereira, Vallejo, Duhaney, R Crichlow, Brown, Jones.

Watford: Foster; Kabasele, Troost-Ekong (Sierralta 30), Wilmot (Masina 77); Ngakia (Navarro 77), Garner, Capoue (Perica 67), Cleverley, Sema; I Sarr, Gray. Unused substitutes: Bachmann, Deeney, Chalobah, K Crichlow, Phillips.
Referee: L Doughty (Lancs).

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