“A mixed bag” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 1-0 win against Derby

Last night, Huddersfield Town beat Derby one-nil in a game that didn’t see Town reach their fluent best but was enough to overcome an opponent that looked badly out of form. In a way, I was quite pleased to see us get a scrappy win over the line as we’re not going to play beautiful football every game this season.

It’s quite hard to give scores for this kind of a game because we didn’t look great for long periods but did do enough to win the game. Some players had excellent games and others were nearly anonymous, so it was a mixed bag in terms of performances. Here’s what I made of each player last night.

Ben Hamer – 7 out of 10

I felt sorry for Hamer when I saw the way Derby had chosen to target him at set pieces and when he was in possession. It was clear his former teammates from last season wanted to force him into the kind of mistake that he made for them several times. This season’s Ben Hamer is made of sterner stuff though and he stood up well to the additional pressure and didn’t give them the satisfaction of making errors despite their best efforts to force one. His passing was wayward at times and he didn’t have any difficult saves to make but made a couple of good punches and regulation saves.

Pipa – 7 out of 10

Very nearly scored an outrageous goal from outside the area but was denied by a good save. Had a difficult task in containing Tom Lawrence but did enough to stop him getting any clear cut shooting opportunities. Looked to have taken a knock when he was subbed off late in the game, hopefully it’s nothing serious as we need him for the upcoming fixtures.

Richard Stearman – 8 out of 10

Looked ropey in the early stages but was a commanding presence later in the game. He plays like a leader on the pitch, organising those around him and throwing himself at danger. He won a lot of balls in the air and snuffed out attacks on the ground. He even managed to overlap Pipa on the rightwing at one point and get a cross in. Is it called a double overlap when the centre back overlaps the overlapping right back?

Naby Sarr – 6 out of 10

Was responsible for giving the ball away far too often in the first half with careless passes. Too often he just scuffed it straight to a Derby player and brought pressure upon Town. Improved later in the game and was more settled when Schindler came on after Bacuna’s goal. His height is helping Town for set pieces at both ends of the pitch. It feels like he’s getting closer and closer to scoring from corners, hopefully he can be another source of goals soon.

Harry Toffolo – 9 out of 10

Yet another brilliant performance from the leftback. It was his surge forward and pass that set Bacuna up for the winning goal. His stamina is absolutely incredible to watch as he runs at speed from one end of the pitch to another. He did his defensive work diligently and still put in some quality balls to the box.

Jonathan Hogg – 6 out of 10

It’s often easy to not notice the work that Hogg does because it’s not particularly attention grabbing but we miss him when he’s not there. He put in that kind of a shift yesterdayl, screening the defence and doing the dirty work that meant Derby couldn’t get into space in front of our box. He had a rare shot at one point from the edge of the area which was somewhat out of character and sadly didn’t lead to anything.

Carel Eiting – 5 out of 10

I’m a big fan of Eiting and love to see what he can do with the ball at his feet but this wasn’t a game for him tonight. He’s still adjusting to the pace of the Championship and Derby didn’t give him the time he wanted to settle on the ball. I suspect the teams playing Ajax in the Dutch league are more respectful and he’s used to being allowed time to pick out passes. He’s unquestionably the most cultured passer of the ball in our squad but he’s struggling to impose himself upon games.

Juninho Bacuna – 8 out of 10

Took his goal very well and was smart to shoot across the keeper who was expecting the shot to go the other way. It was typical of Bacuna to see him bursting forward to support Toffolo’s run and he deserved his goal as a reward for continuously making those runs into the box. Bacuna’s all-round game was an improvement on his recent performances too. He got on the ball more and didn’t indulge in silly tricks in dangerous areas. It was also nice to see him getting the better of the physical battle and winding up Derby’s players without losing his own temper.

Isaac Mbenza – 4 out of 10

Mbenza is doing a lot better this season, and one poor game isn’t enough to change the narrative about him but this wasn’t his night. Limited to just 15 touches before he was sacrificed on 55 minutes to bring on an extra defender straight after we scored. He just didn’t seem to be able to get himself into the game. Oggy and Glennon commented on his obvious frustration when taken off, which at least shows there’s a bit of fire in his belly. On the bright side, his early exit from the game should mean he’s fresh for the weekend.

Frazier Campbell – 5 out of 10

He played like many of his games under Danny Cowley last season, putting in the hard yards and pressurising the defence but never looking much of a threat. Like Mbenza, he didn’t have much possession and didn’t trouble Derby’s keeper. Despite playing the full game he only had 22 touches, few of which were in the penalty area. He was given very little service from his teammates though and can’t be entirely blamed for not getting involved as if he had dropped deep to pick up the ball I’d be criticising him for that instead.

Josh Koroma – 6 out of 10

Probably the most threatening of the front three and got himself involved more than them. Disappointingly, he had a few opportunities to run at the opposition defence but opted to play a simple pass instead. Like many of the players, he didn’t look as fresh or as sharp as he had done against Swansea at the weekend.

Substitutes

Christopher Schindler – 7 out of 10

A useful player to bring on after we had gone one up in a tight game. He resumed his role in the middle of the defensive three and helped to shore things up at the back.

Lewis O’Brien – 7 out of 10

Brought energy into the middle of the park when he entered the pitch and must surely have done enough to earn a starting position for the weekend’s game against Preston North End.

Demeaco Duhaney – N/A

Came on to replace Pipa and made some decent runs down the right flank. May be needed at the weekend if Pipa’s injury rules him out of contention.