Huddersfield Town were held to a 1-1 draw with Notts County on Saturday afternoon. Town started the game strongly and went ahead after a period of sustained attacks. Notts County equalised from a corner, against the run of play, and from there grew into the game. Town dominated possession and created chances but Notts County made it difficult for Town and defended well.
The draw was frustrating but wasn’t entirely unfair, given how well Notts County held us out and stopped us finding any fluency. If this game come during a poor run of form then I’d be more inclined to criticise Town’s performance but as this result sees us continue our unbeaten run and keeps us in the automatic promotion places in the embryonic league table, it’s not such a bad point even if we should have taken two more from this game.
Here are my more in-depth thoughts on this game…
A blistering start
Town started this game in the same vein that they finished the Oxford United game on Tuesday night. Our attackers were running rampant, getting in behind Notts County at will and creating multiple high-quality chances. The finishing was a bit sloppy at times and failing to make the most of this dominant spell was probably the chief reason we didn’t win this game.
Town’s opening goal included many of the elements that Town have been getting right these last few weeks. Good pressing forced the keeper into a poor clearance. Ledson mopped up the ball and immediately moved it forward. Fletcher made a neat little pass to Fernandes. Fernandes played a clever through ball to pick out Harness’ run. Then Harness finished powerfully on the turn. The credit should go to Fernandes and Harness for the creativity but the chance only came about because of our willingness to press high and our instinct to move the ball forward quickly when we win it back.
It’s hard to explain why Town were so much better in this opening section of the game than the period after Notts County equalised but it felt like there was a lot more space for Town to exploit when we went forward. Perhaps our movement was so good that we kept picking up pockets of space but my suspicion is that they were too open during this period and that invited pressure.
This is one of several times this season when Town have really turned it on for around a fifteen to twenty minute spell in a game. The problem is that we’re creating loads of chances during these moments but aren’t scoring enough from them.
The equaliser turned the game
I felt like Town were on course for an easy win up to the point Notts County scored but the game didn’t feel as easy again once the scores were leveled.
It was a poor goal to concede, with Matty Young getting stuck in a crowded box and flapping at the ball he should have claimed. There’s an argument that he was fouled but I think Young should have done more. If he launches himself full blooded at the ball he’ll either knock everyone out of the way and get to the ball first or he’ll get bumped out of the way and be awarded the foul. The flap he made towards the ball was unconvincing and his mistake was compounded when Fletcher couldn’t sort his feet out, so the ball bounced off him into Ollie Cooper’s path for a simple tap-in.
The goal seemed to facilitate a transfer of both confidence and momentum, with Notts County turning into a completely different team after the goal. Where they’d previously looked harassed, nervy and stretched they suddenly looked organised, clever and resilient.
It takes two to tango and Notts County only looked so much better because Town suddenly looked much worse. The quick balls forward from our defence weren’t finding their mark and they equally quickly came back at us. The free-flowing positioning stopped looking dynamic and started to look a bit desperate and the gap between our defenders and attackers seemed too big for us to effectively launch attacks.
Town increased the pressure but couldn’t land the killer blow
One of the biggest issues I had with last season’s Huddersfield Town team was how easily their confidence could be knocked and how rarely they bounced back from a setback. It felt like Town were reeling for periods of the first half after Notts County equalised but then the game settled into a rhythm, with Town dominating the ball for long spells but struggling to carve out chances against a resolute Notts County team.
Most of our best moments this season have come from quick breaks, attacking when we’ve won the ball back high up the pitch and targeted long balls into space. As the game settled into a dynamic of Notts County allowing us plenty of the ball but making the space in their final third very compact, we suddenly couldn’t do the thing that’s been successful for us.
I don’t think Town were particularly bad in this spell where they were chasing a winner but the frequent stopping and starting with minor fouls and injuries made the game fragmented and frustrating as a spectacle. This made it hard to build up the kind of pressure we needed to score the goal we needed. Our best patch came from the string of corners we had in the second half but the deliveries and the movement in the box weren’t good enough to carve out chances from all these opportunities.
Town did have their chances to win this game though. Most notably the double chance that came from their keeper inexplicably coming out of his box and missing the ball. Fernandes snatched at it and had his shot easily blocked but he did well to direct the rebound to Fletcher who hit the other defender that was back to cover for the missing goalkeeper. A bit more composure from either would have meant we went back in the lead but sadly it wasn’t to be.
Fernandes had a couple of more speculative efforts. Fletcher nearly got on the end of a long throw that caused chaos in the box but, again, couldn’t sort his feet out quickly enough to control the ball. Radulovic had a good turn and shot that drew a decent save. All of these were at least half chances, some more than that, so better finishing would have seen us get over the line in this game.
Notts County were quietly impressive
I won’t try to convince readers that Notts County were an attractive team to watch in this match but I do think they came with a clear gameplan and, first twenty minutes aside, they implemented it very well. They put in some excellent tackles, clearances and headers to keep us out and I can see why they’re unbeaten so far because they make life very difficult for their opposition.
Maybe they’re still riding high on their promotion from League Two last season but my suspicion is that they’re a well-drilled and disciplined side that will pick up plenty of points this season. They didn’t have a great deal of flair or creativity in the final third but Kanu was an absolute nightmare for Murray Wallace to deal with all afternoon and will cause plenty of other defenders problems this season.
It’s debatable whether a solid (biscuit) base is enough to have you competing at the top end of League One but I saw enough in this game to be pretty confident they’ll be at least mid-table this season, if not pushing for the playoffs.
A good point or two dropped?
Wins are nearly always positive, defeats are rarely satisying but draws can bring up a lot of different feelings. On balance, I think a draw was a fair reflection of the game but it’s hard not to look back on the chances we missed and the strong start we failed to capitalise on.
Luton and Leicester have both drawn with Notts County before us, so we’re not alone in coming away from an encounter with them feeling frustrated. Though if you look at the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday run we’ve just completed, seven points is an excellent return. It’s also not unusual to underperform a little when playing games in close succession.
Despite wishing we’d taken all three points, a draw like this isn’t the end of the world. Importantly, there was no lack of effort from Town and we took risks to try and win the game, they just didn’t come off. Hopefully we’ll do better when we next come up against a well-organised defensive team but at least the effort was there for all to see in this game.
AOB
Net smashing – I’ve considered Notts County’s equaliser as the turning point in the game for Town but it’s equally plausible that it was the extended stoppage that we had while the officials fixed the nets, after Joe Taylor smashed the ball so hard into the goal that it broke them. It felt like a nice way to celebrate Harness’ goal at the time but in retrospect, this pause meant the momentum seeped out of the game and Town didn’t ever really get that fluency back that they showed up to and including our opening goal.
Slipping up – I’m finding it annoying how often our defenders have slipped at the wrong moment in recent games. Balker slipped in this match and allowed their man through on goal, which required a save from Young to bail him out. Bowat has made similar slips in previous games twice now too, once leading to a goal another not being punished. Pitches are watered a lot these days to help the ball zip along quickly during passing moves and players want the shortest studs possible so they’re light on their feet but I’d suggest our defenders think about getting some longer studs on their boots if this keeps on happening.
Hotel plans – The full plans have now been submitted for the hotel that is hopefully going to be built where the leisure centre and swimming pool used to be. It’s worth taking a look at the article on Yorkshire Live’s website to see the details. The most interesting part was the “Owner’s Suite” plans on the third floor, which looks like it’s been designed to accommodate Kevin Nagle when he’s over from America.