Huddersfield Town desperately needed a win against Plymouth on Saturdays and thanks to a decent performance and a tweaked approach from Lee Grant, they beat Plymouth 3-1. After a poor run of form that saw many fans calling for Grant’s head, this victory should be enough to keep him in a job a bit longer.
There were encouraging elements in Town’s performance beyond just the result and some players that have previously struggled, showed their value to the team. It’s worth noting that Plymouth were pretty bad, so much so that they looked like Town at their worst. But regardless of the opposition’s failings, this was the positive result and performance Town needed and could potentially be a turning point in the season.
Here’s what I made of each player’s performance…
Owen Goodman – 6 out of 10
A surprise inclusion, with Lee Nicholls not particularly deserving to lose his place but I think Goodman’s better ability with the ball at his feet was probably the deciding factor in him getting in ahead of him. After some notable howlers against Barnsley and Harrogate, Goodman looked solid in this game. None of the saves he made were spectacular but he did everything right.
Lasse Sorensen – 7 out of 10
A very hardworking performance, where he played as both a right-back and right-winger, with Ben Wiles playing too narrow to help out much down that flank. This might sound an odd thing to say, but Sorensen plays a lot better when everyone else around him is playing well too. When we’re pinned back and he’s having to do a lot of defending, he struggles but when we have a lot of the ball and he has chance to motor up and down the wing, he looks to be at his best. His deliveries weren’t always great but the times he got the final ball right, it caused problems for Plymouth. He stood off his man a bit too much for their late consolation goal, which I think was physical and mental exhaustion after putting in a big shift.
Josh Feeney – 6 out of 10
Unlucky to see his goal-bound header saved by their keeper from close range. Was typically the one left to deal with their quick striker (Oseni in the first half and Mumba in the second), which he struggled with at times. Plymouth repeatedly tried to pick out runs and if the balls were better executed we could have been exposed a few times. Thankfully in League One, few players can pick out those killer balls so Feeney’s difficulties mostly went unpunished. Otherwise, a steady performance and he did seem more comfortable with Balker alongside him when we were playing out from the back.
Radinio Balker – 8 out of 10
Given that he’s been out for so long and only had Tuesday’s EFL Trophy game to prepare him for this first league outing since April, he did remarkably well. His range of passing is really impressive and his charges up the field with the ball really helped advance us up the pitch. He looked comfortable with the physical challenge of big Lorent Tolaj even if he maybe lost a few too many aerial battles.
Ruben Roosken – 7 out of 10
Ruben Roosken and Mickel Miller always look good when they’re on the pitch at the same time, so it wasn’t a huge surprise that Roosken looked decent in this game. He was a bit more restrained than usual, perhaps because Sorensen was frequently the more swashbuckling of the fullbacks, but when he did venture forward, he either did well himself or took a player with him to make space for someone else. His set piece deliveries were generally excellent too, he should give Harness a few pointers on how to clear the first man and get the ball in the danger zone.
Ben Wiles – 5 out of 10
I’ve been disappointed with Ben Wiles performances for quite a while now, so I’m not sure if I’m basing my score on my preconceived ideas about him or if he was genuinely the only player to have a poor game for Town. He played right wing some of the time, other times he drifted in to play the number ten role but whatever job he had, he didn’t do enough of it and was a passenger too much of the time. He perked up a bit in the second half and looked a bit more interested but I don’t really want players that only graft for bits of games. I’m also a bit sick of seeing him lolloping around cursing his luck and flapping his arms everytime he gets something wrong.
Marcus Harness – 8 out of 10
Moving a winger into central midfield could look like the last desperate throw of the dice from a manager that knows he’ll be sacked if he can’t turn around his team’s fortunes. As it happens, after two great performances in this role, Grant looks like he’s made a very intelligent change. Maybe his hand was forced by all his other midfielders being injured and even his first makeshift midfielder (Gooch) getting injured, but I really like seeing Harness in central midfield. He’s got a real eye for a pass and links things up nicely, so there’s a logic to him playing deeper. While he’s not a natural at the defensive side of things, he did put in the required effort to close down space and keep things tight. My only grumble was that far too many of his set piece deliveries didn’t clear the first man.
Ryan Ledson – 7 out of 10
Ryan Ledson has been second only to Ben Wiles in terms of being a whipping boy during our recent downturn in form but I thought he really showed his worth in this game. He was very busy defensively and played some nice passes here and there too. I’ve been complimentary about Harness’ conversion to midfield but he was given a platform to get forward and show off his passing because he had Ledson behind him doing the dirty work. I also felt like I saw Ledson being more vocal on the pitch, adjusting other players’ positioning and looking more like the captain.
Mickel Miller – 7 out of 10
This was the first time since his return from injury that he looked like he was properly fit enough to play and now he looks to be finding his rhythm back. Like Roosken, he’s primarily a fullback, so he’s a bit out of his element as a winger but he seems more comfortable with this than Roosken. He was a handful with the ball at his feet and provided genuine width compared to recent players that have had a go in this problem position for us. Hopefully he can stay fit and provide us with a long-term answer on the left wing.
Bojan Radulovic – 7 out of 10
Scored another goal, a tap-in after Harness picked out Charles’ run to the byline and Charles selflessly cut it back for his colleague. While your Granny could have finished this chance in her slippers, Radulovic deserves credit for getting into the right area to have a simple finish. With the usual one striker system, I’m not sure we’d have scored because May or Taylor often make similar runs to the one Charles made but then have nothing in the box to aim for. Of the two strikers, Radulovic played deeper and had to fight hard to get into the game, which involved a lot of selfless running and tussling with defenders to create space. After looking too lightweight for English football when he arrived, he now seems better at the pointy-elbowed side of the game, which has led to a big improvement in his performances.
Dion Charles – 8 out of 10
Worked his socks off, which he does every time he plays in fairness, but has that little bit of extra edge to his game which I suspect was caused because he’d scored a couple in midweek. He was relentless in closing down their defenders on the ball and made a lot of runs that weren’t picked out but it paid off on the occasions teammates did give him some service. Bolton fans have spoken about how he had long dry spells for them followed by short prolific periods. Three goals and two assists in two games suggests he may have just entered one of his good spells. Let’s hope it lasts.
Substitutes
Cameron Ashia – 8 out of 10
Had his fullback on toast and for a spell our main tactic was to give Ashia the ball and see what he could do. Every time he ran with the ball at his feet there was a surge of excitement in the stands and he typically produced something interesting. So it wasn’t a huge surprise when he eventually cut inside and curled in a beauty of a strike with his right foot. We’ve had Karlan Grant and Josh Koroma specialise in these sorts of goals in recent years and it seems like Ashia could be another left-sided attacker with a habit of scoring right-foot curlers whenever there’s a chance. I’ve seen a lot of clamour for him to start games but I think his explosive energy is probably better suited to coming on fresh against tiring defences.
Sean Roughan – 6 out of 10
Looked OK until he backed off his man too much and allowed Tolaj a free header to score their goal.
Gooch – 7 out of 10
A valuable sub to have, as he can play almost all the outfield positions, slotting in at leftback to give Rooksen a break. As well as being a decent player, he’s also got maturity and game management abilities that younger players don’t always possess. His most significant contribution was to grab the ball after they scored and stop their attempt to resume play quickly. While it was unlikely they’d get another two with only a few minutes to go, Bolton taught us to stay professional when we’re seeing out games. Gooch might have picked up a booking for hugging the ball but he stopped them from picking up momentum too.
Leo Castledine – 6 out of 10
I’m guessing he probably wasn’t really fit enough but wanted to help the team out. Most of our attacking play came down the other wing, with Ashia providing all the excitement.
Joe Taylor – N/A
Didn’t get much chance to show what he can do. And given Radulovic and Charles looking like a decent partnership, Taylor may be relegated to the bench for a while to come.
Amazing what a couple of wins can do.
I’ve only seen the 10-minute highlights plus read the various reports. I’m now in the ‘cautiously optimistic’ camp. Definitely a shame to have the international break other than to possibly get a few players out of the sick bay.
I thought Harness was the stand-out player in his deeper role last Tuesday and I’m delighted to read he did well again on Saturday. To be creative and link the play from that position is so important. I loved the first Town goal in which Harness played a part. It was a really constructive passing movement, and the final pass from Dion Charles was a real gem. Very often I think players are given too much credit for a pinpoint pass when in reality the ball has just been crossed into a general area, but you can see Charles look up, pick out his man and play a precision pass. Even his pass to Ashia for his second assist had more about it than one might think – he played the pass at the right moment, outside of his right foot, perfect pace so Ashia didn’t break stride and lose momentum. It was the pace of the counterattack that created the opportunity.
Two things to add. Wiles – I’m totally with you, TS, on your thoughts about him. He must do great things in training to keep getting a starting spot. And Ashia – according to Grant, Ashia spends extra time in training practicing his cut-in and right-footed shot. That’s great but what makes the inverted winger a real handful is the ability to also go on the outside. You mention Karlan Grant and Josh Koroma – neither convinced me going on the outside and using their left peg. What could really put Ashia a cut above these two would be to feel confident going on the outside and finding left-footed crosses. With his pace, his direct running and his ‘party trick’ of the right-footed curler, he’d become not just an automatic starter, but a player destined to play at a higher level……hopefully with Town.
Very food report as usual, thank you.
Just a couple of points. I think you’re being a bit harsh on Wiles in this particular game. He played the pass of the match to put Charles away for the first goal. A few minutes before that Wiles won the ball with a great sliding challenge which seemed to energise the crowd and his team mates and led to a sustained period of Town pressure. For the rest of the game he did nothing wrong and was pretty solid throughout.
The other point is about grabbing the ball to, apparently, delay the restart. In the age of multi-ball this makes no sense whatsoever and usually just results in a totally unnecessary booking.
This was against the apparently worst side in the league, so despite the upbeat tone of your analysis TS, best to wait until they meet better opposition before daring to hope.
Your comments and comparisons about Ashia are pertinent, but I would disagree with Simon in that he has failings with his left peg rarely going on the outside, but he is keen to have a go and it is remarkable how similar his goals have been.
As you say it was good to see Ledson in particular and to a lesser extent Wiles doing something useful.
Balker and Charles were the eye-catching performers for me, the former for his passing and energy the latter for looking like a proper centre forward. We have goal scoring forwards at long last!
It has to be said that the passing of both sides was distinctly shoddy at times.
Have we turned a corner at last? I wouldn’t put money on it.
The game is easy if you let the players strengths come to the fore. Uncomplicated formation the team knew their job, they were pleased and so were the supporters. How long it will last?, hopefully Grant recognises we’re in league 1, and not in the top six of the Premiership. Harness looks a natural in that position.
Hi TS
Many thanks for your review. One point perhaps worth mentioning is that LG has perhaps spent too long trying to get a tune out of his boys, that’s the players he recruited and only turned to the players he didn’t recruit in desperation. Seven of Saturdays starting eleven were in “The Group”, before he was “In the building”. We all look at new players and assume they are an upgrade on what went before but it’s not always the case. I would suggest that Balker may be our best defender despite the close season recruitment and Radulovic although not the best can do a job in this league that neither Taylor or May can do. Let’s hope that he doesn’t cast out these guys that have shown that they want the shirt .
David
They played like a team. I thought having Balker take the lead made it easier for Feeney, they both had a good game. The real wins for me were watching Dion and Bojan linking up so well. The amount of work Dion put in, and the results, were excellent. The other was Harness in the deeper role, as he played against Mansfield. It gave us a link between the defenders and attackers and allowed Ledson to concentrate on the role I think we got him for.
We should have players back after the international break, and Charles and Balker will have been on international duty, but I hope LG doesn’t mess with this formation and personnel too much.