A superb start – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Peterborough United

Huddersfield Town got off to the best possible start to life in League One with a 2-0 away win at Peterborough yesterday evening. While Town didn’t have it all their way, they were worthy winners and did a particularly impressive job of seeing out the game in the second half and will perhaps wish the scoreline was more emphatic after creating several good chances to extend the lead further but not applying the finishing touch.

The first game of the season always has too much importance applied to it, because football fans spend so long anticipating it but even allowing for that, the omens for Town’s upcoming season were good if this game can be used as a barometer. While Peterborough showed some impressive moments, Town weathered the storm and showed some excellent pressing play and used possession to create good chances and to strangle the life out of Peterborough. 

In this article I’ll pick out my main talking points from the game, which I better get on with, as I’ve covered a lot of them in the introduction that most people skip past…

A frenetic start 

The game started a bit like a basketball match, where each team would have an attack and then everyone would sprint down the other end for the opposite team to have an attack. It was fun, breathless, open football but it also suited Peterborough a lot more than Town. Their attackers are quick and can find gaps in our defence when play breaks down. Whereas our attacks tend to need a more patient approach that relies on getting numbers forward and getting balls into the box from wide areas.

I’d say Peterborough were the better team for this first stage of the match and Town struggled to find a rhythm. This was definitely not helped by the frequent fouls that were given away (11 given against us compared to one in our favour by half time). Some were clearly fouls and others were a bit picky but the majority of the times the ref blew it was because Town were enthusiastically pressing Peterborough high in their own half. But the ref kept bailing them out, probably with good reason in most cases, and it stopped us from getting those little nibbles on the ball that a high press often rewards the defending team with.

It wasn’t just the ref though, Town’s passing game didn’t quite find its feet in the early stages and we often saw our passing play break down too soon as we advanced up the pitch. Most of Peterborough’s best chances came from careless passing from players further back while other players had bombed forward to give options. Then Peterborough’s speedy attackers found it fairly easy to exploit the gaps we had left at the back. 

Evans shows his worth straight away

Town made the breakthrough in this game just before the half-hour mark and it’s no coincidence that the goal came as the crowning moment of one of our best pieces of passing play up to that point in the game. We strung together about ten passes before a (I think) Koroma shot was blocked in the box then we hoovered up the loose ball and rebuilt again, building up with neat passing to probe around Peterborough’s backline, looking for gaps.

Ben Wiles picked out Antony Evans on the edge of the box and the combination of hitting the ball hard into the ground and taking a deflection off a defender was enough to outfox ex-Town loanee Jed Steer and open the scoring. Deflected goals can sometimes feel a bit lucky but it’s amazing how teams that are playing badly rarely get them and teams that play well often do. So perhaps it’s more a case of getting the luck you deserve.

While we’re talking about Antony Evans, I want to say that I love him already and he’s only played one competitive match for Town. I like the way he combines scrappiness with a bit of class too. He got stuck into the midfield battle, pressed relentlessly all over the pitch and had that bit of quality that we needed in the final third to either take a shot or play a key pass. I also liked how well he combined with Sorensen down the right, I can see them being a productive partnership in that area of the pitch.

Wiles gets an assist and a goal to confirm his fresh start at Town

After Town scored, the game was more evenly balanced and while Peterborough continued to have chances on the break, Town looked more confident on the ball, which often comes when you take the lead. 

I liked how Town stuck at their game plan even when the results weren’t immediately coming. They kept pressing high up the pitch and carried on trying to play short, quick, passing football to advance up the field. If anything, Town were trying to move the ball forward too quickly and this was why we didn’t hold possession well in the first half but I can understand the urgency to get forward after sitting through season after season of watching Town’s ponderous build-up play, even if it means play breaks down from time to time.

Ben Wiles was one of those players that kept on plugging away, pressing Peterborough and trying to string passes forward whenever he got the chance. He’d got his reward already when he’d intelligently picked Evans out for the first goal but he went one better when he tidied up Koroma’s blocked shot and smashed the ball through a crowded box into the far bottom corner. Lovely stuff.

I’ve watched the replay back several times now and I genuinely can’t tell if Wiles control of the loose ball is sloppy and it drops fortunately for him to line up his shot or if he deliberately cushioned the ball into the space on the edge of the box to allow him to get the ball out of his feet to unleash a powerful shot. It doesn’t really matter but if the first touch was purposeful it was superb, regardless, his shot was excellent and fully deserved after a very good preseason which forced him into Duff’s plans. Thinking about it, this is the kind of goal only confident players score, as he’d have tried to blast it too hard if it was last season’s Ben Wiles or dummied to shoot then dribbled wide or some other complication rather than shoot the thing. Like the whole team, Ben Wiles feels different this season.

Town put the squeeze on Peterborough

With Town being 2-0 up at half time, away from home, against a team with fast, skilful forwards who have repeatedly got in behind us in the first half, I would have forgiven Michael Duff if he’d instructed his team to sit deeper in the second half and just killed the game off by keeping nice and solid. We went the other way though and it was excellent to watch. Instead of sitting deep, Town played some of the best pressing football I’ve seen them play since Carlos Corberan coached Town (only a few years ago I suppose but 7 permanent managers back now). 

For the ten minutes from half time until around 55 minutes, Peterborough imploded because they couldn’t cope with the intensity of Town’s press. For some reason, they kept playing the ball out from the back but every time they did we pushed up and forced repeated errors from their inexperienced defence. It was brutal and it turned the game in Town’s favour during a stage of the game when last season we often let opponents back into games.

It’s crazy how much a team can change in just a few months, with a new head coach a sprinkling of new signings. Admittedly we’re competing at a lower level too but the way Town played in this opening stage of the second half is the most I’ve enjoyed watching Town for a very long time. 

My only criticism of this phase of play would be the number of times we intercepted play in Peterborough’s half should have translated to more good opportunities and goals for Town because we were absolutely dominant. Sharper passing and more clinical forward play could have put the game to bed. But we already had a commanding lead and the way we ground them into the ground with our pressing noticeably crushed their spirits and restricted their opportunities to get forward because they couldn’t get out of their own half for long periods.

A dominant second half

I said that Town were a bit lucky to take a 2-0 lead into half time but as the second half progressed they proved that this was, if anything, a score that flattered Peterborough as we completely dominated the game. The initial pressing phase of the second half eased slightly, as Peterborough managed to occasionally get forward and Town conceded a few fouls to let them off the hook but we still dominated the game.

In possession, Town became more comfortable on the ball too and stroked the ball around with more patience and were, therefore, able to enjoy longer spells in Peterborough’s half when they got forward. Though we were always pushing and probing for opportunities, it never seemed like possession for its own sake. 

Ward, Kane, Kasumu and Headley’s introduction as subs helped to inject a bit more energy into Town as the starting eleven started to wane midway through the second half. Kane showed some nice touches in possession and helped to resist pressure from Peterborough and release teammates. Kasumu added bite and energy, Headley carried on where Miller left off on the left, and Ward looked spritely and would have had a one-on-one with the keeper but for some good last-ditch defending.

While it’s possible to see out games and protect leads by pulling everyone back and digging in to defend until the final whistle, I liked this approach from Town a lot more. They still managed to control the result with their play in the second half but instead of relying on defending their own box to protect the lead they closed out the victory by denying Peterborough the chance to get on the ball in dangerous areas with breathless  pressing and kept the ball ourselves a lot better too.

Some thoughts on each players

Nicholls – Very solid and commanding.

Lees – No nonsense and coped well against a talented and mobile attack.

Helik – Made the tackles he needed to and unlucky to have a goal chalked off that looked fine.

Spencer – A mixed bag: too many errors but also made some excellent covering tackles too. Needs to avoid jumping in after he’s made a mistake and trust his teammates will bail him out, as he could have conceded two penalties from these situations.

Sorensen – Relentless up and down the right side, very aggressive with his forward runs. 

Evans – As mentioned above, already becoming one of my favourite players.

Hogg – Just when we thought he was out, he pulled himself back in. Here, there and everywhere, as he’s done throughout his Town career. Played the game like it was a bleep test and kept running and running. 

Wiles – A goal and an assist to re-announce himself to Town fans. The Ben-aissance, the Wiles-surgence, Big Ben’s, Big Comeback? I don’t know what to call it but he’s now looking like a serious player for Huddersfield Town and that can only be a good thing.

Miller – He’s been good in preseason but this was the best I’ve seen of him yet, quick, direct and aggressive. He was a bit too energetic with his tackling and gave away too many fouls early on and picked up a silly booking but otherwise excellent.

Healey – Made some good near-post runs where his flicks didn’t quite get the contact they needed to score. Grafted off the ball to put pressure on Peterborough’s shaky back line and was a general nuisance. He’ll have better days but looks a threat.

Koroma – Looked very sharp and had some great runs at their defence. The finishing touch wasn’t there for him though and he frequently shot wide or straight at defenders. He looked greedy at times when he took chances himself rather than involving a colleague, but nobody will complain about this if he starts finishing those chances. 

Subs

Kane – Showed some nice touches and good ball retention. The whole team looks better with him on the pitch because he gets everyone else involved.

Headley – Replaced Miller without too much of a drop-off, which is going to be his challenge for this season. Miller’s injury record and tendency to pick up bookings will give him chances, he just has to take them.

Ward – Lively but wanted more time than he had available when his biggest chance came his way and was tackled.

Kasumu – Injected some much-needed energy to the middle of the park.

Harratt – Didn’t have long enough to make an impact. Will this be the last we see of him for a while with the arrival of Marshall from West Ham and more strikers potentially on the way? If the plan is to loan him out, this cameo was an odd choice as he’ll now only be able to play for one other club this season (if I’ve understood the rules correctly).

“It looked like a Championship team against a League One team”

Not my words Carol, the words of Darren Fergusson! The above quote came in his post-match press conference as he tried to make sense of his team’s second-half capitulation to Town. It’s hard to argue too much with this assessment either. Peterborough couldn’t cope with Town in the second half, despite the fact they had been pretty decent for long spells of the first part of the game. 

I found Peterborough a strange team to watch, as they seemed to have a lot of talent and speed in their forward line, some nice passing ability in midfield and some pretty shocking defenders. I thought this game might give Town fans an idea of what to expect from League One this season but I’m not sure they are. For a start, they clearly like to get the ball down and play, which isn’t going to happen in every League One game and they also have some very good players that have probably not yet found their best form as they bed in replacements for the players they’ve sold for big money this summer.

If anything, this game felt more like a mid-table Championship team (Town) playing a poor Championship team (Peterborough). I could be wrong in this assessment but this version of Town seems like a significant improvement on the one that went down last season, so I’m feeling pretty good about what we might be able to achieve this season. It seems that Darren Fergusson is now also convinced that we will do well in League One too!

As for Peterborough, I think we probably played them on a bad day for them and they’ll improve as the season goes on. I’d be shocked if they aren’t better organised when they come to the Johns Smith’s Stadium in February for the reverse fixture.

Stevenage will be a very different test

I’ve said above that Peterborough played a bit like a poor Championship team, because they clearly had aspirations to play out from the back and use their quick attacking players to score decent goals. I think next weekend’s game will be more of a “Welcome to League One” sort of game, with Stevenage having a reputation for direct, physical football. 

If you would like a stat to illustrate my point above, in Town’s game against Peterborough there were only 27 aerial duels (headers to none stattos), with us winning 14 and Posh getting 13. Only four of those duels came in either box, most of them were contested around the middle of the park. In contrast, Stevenage, in their 1-0 win over Shrewsbury, competed for 72 aerial duels and won 49 of them. 

So we can most likely expect to receive a bit of a bombardment next Saturday if Stevenage get their own way. Which will be an interesting challenge for Town to come up against. I’m not against teams playing in a more direct and physical way. They won their game yesterday, so it must work for them. I remember all the talk of anti-football when Neil Warnock was picking up points for Town with twenty-something percent possession and I didn’t care because we were finally winning games. 

Town showed their intention to play high-pressing, fast-passing football against Peterborough, who also wanted to try and play their own version of attractive football; it will be interesting to see how Town cope against a less fancy team. Hopefully, we’ll look to dominate and play our game rather than allow them to dictate the play. 

But we’ve got Morecambe to look forward to first

Maybe it’s the euphoria of Town winning their opening game of a season (the first time since Crystal Palace away in the Premier League apparently) but I’m actually looking forward to watching Town play Morecambe in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night. It’s highly likely that the we’ll see a very different team lineup up to the one that started against Peterborough but even a second-choice eleven would currently include the likes of Herbie Kane, Matty Pearson, David Kasumu and Danny Ward, so there’s enough depth in the squad to think we’ll field a decent side.

I like watching League Cup games as there’s a bit less pressure and it’s a chance to watch some of the fringe players. I’m excited about the potential of the likes of Tom Iorpenda and Pat Jones, neither of whom made the bench on Saturday but if they can catch the eye with a good outing in the cup they could force Michael Duff’s hand. He’s shown with Ben Wiles that he’ll make space for players if they impress him. 

There’s also the potential for new signing, Callum Marshall, to make his debut. He was registered too late to make the bench against Peterborough but I’d expect him to feature at some point against Morecambe to get some competitive minutes under his belt.