“He looked happier on the pitch” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Hull

Huddersfield Town managed to shake off a dodgy start and end up comfortable winners of their Yorkshire derby against Hull, giving Mark Fotheringham his first win. It wasn’t a completely convincing Huddersfield Town performance but there were plenty of positives anyway, most of them came in the second half when Town established themselves as the dominant team.

While it was clear that Hull are not a good team, it was pleasing to see Town manage to finish the job against a weaker opponent and hold on to a lead. It felt like a third goal was close for Town on several occasions but in the end we had to settle for a 2-0 win. Here’s what I thought of each individual performance…

Lee Nicholls – 6 out of 10

There was a slightly hairy moment in the second half where he became a sweeper keeper and came out to intercept a loose ball but he dealt with the danger well and stopped a threatening attack developing further. Beyond that, Hull’s wasteful potshots from distance didn’t trouble him. His distribution wasn’t always amazing but he was otherwise fine.

Tom Lees – 7 out of 10

Very solid at the back, dealt with everything that came near him without any fuss. Had a good opportunity in the first half to score that he might have done better with. I think he’s starting to build a relationship with Helik which will be useful as the season progresses and they play more together. 

Michel Helik – 8 out 10

Like Lees, very solid at the back, snuffed out plenty of danger without any fuss at all. Doesn’t try to do anything fancy but does the basics very well. He did pull off a superb one-on-one sliding tackle that would have meant big trouble if he didn’t time it perfectly. The rest of the time he was positioned well enough to not need to make last ditch interventions. He also did a great job with his goal. I loved how the ball, the Hull defender and Helik himself all got powered into the net with the force of his header. 

Yuta Nakayama – 6 out of 10

Like several Town players, Yuta had a very iffy start to the game but finished it strongly. He misplaced too many passes in the swirling wind in the opening exchanges and didn’t settle into the game. Then after we took the lead he seemed more assured on the ball, was able to pick out blue and white shirts more easily with his passes and generally looked classier. Not to mention that he won the header in the set piece that went on to set up Helik’s goal. I think he’s a good addition to a back three with Lees and Helik as he’s more capable of carrying the ball upfield whereas the other two aren’t that way inclined. He’s certainly less of a liability than Mbete and makes far fewer errors.

Sorba Thomas – 7 out of 10

Perhaps not back to his fluent best in open play but his set piece deliveries were excellent once more. There was a plan to blast corners into the near post which I wasn’t sure about but they did cause a bit of chaos. His free kick led to the second goal and there seemed to be menace and whip on every delivery. Despite picking up a petulant yellow card for a revenge tackle on the player that crocked him moments earlier, I thought he generally looked happier on the pitch than he did in the last few games of Schofield’s time as head coach. The dark cloud seems to have lifted over him and he seems to be happier which I think he needs to produce his best football. There are some players that can thrive on negativity and use it as fuel to propel their performances but Sorba needs to be loved and looks at his best when the crowd are cheering him on and he’s getting the full backing of his coaches.

Etienne Camara – 8 out of 10

I’m being a bit generous with this rating as he was dire until the great bit of play he produced that led to the opening goal, then he seemed to grow in confidence along with the rest of the team. Early on he dithered on the ball too much and didn’t get into a rhythm with his passing. Later in the game he had the awareness to nudge the ball into space before taking a look around to see what passes were on. I still think he takes a little bit too long on the ball at times and invites more pressure on himself because of this tendency but he rode that pressure well in the second half and made Hull’s players look silly at times with his clever footwork. I think he’ll look better when Kasumu returns to partner him to share the defensive duties as Rudoni and later Mahoney weren’t naturals at playing as deep lying midfielders.

Jack Rudoni – 6 out of 10

Like Camara, Rudoni really struggled in the early stages of the match and with both our central midfielders not firing it meant we couldn’t get a foothold in the game and possession was squandered far too easily and Hull kept getting the ball back. Unlike Camara, Rudoni didn’t dramatically improve as he continued to misplaced passes as the game went on and he didn’t get to grips with the job he was given. Too often he tried to pull off hopeful hoofed balls forward to nobody in particular when we needed to build play up patiently or at least play a more intelligent long balls to the forwards. 

Ben Jackson – 7 out of 10

A very solid showing at left wingback, motoring up and down his flank with purpose, both in attack and defence. I like the intensity he brings onto the pitch and his attitude. There’s probably a bit of development required on the ability side, which will come in time as he adjusts to the Championship, but I think he’s showing the mental and physical attributes that are needed to make an impact at this level.

Duane Holmes – 6 out of 10

Buzzed about and got himself into some useful areas to cause problems for Hull’s defenders. It would have been better if this busy work actually led to more end product in terms of either shots, assists or even decent passes to set up chances for colleagues but that wasn’t often the case. However, I think this role of sitting behind the front two suits him as it gives him the licence to roam around the pitch and drop into the wing areas and drive into the box. While he may aspire to be a box-to-box midfielder, this free role behind the strikers may be his most natural position. 

Jordan Rhodes – 8 out of 10

I thought Rhodes was superb at the bits and pieces he was doing in the channels in this game. While it isn’t glamourous to pick up the ball on the wings and exchange passes with the midfield, it does help to build up play. He was neat and tidy in everything he did which helped everyone else in the team. It’s not headline grabbing stuff but it makes it easier to get a foothold in the game. Then he also provided the threat we needed in the box too, blasting the decent chance he was given towards the far post to elicit a great save from their keeper that led to a goalmouth scramble with two more attempted shots that didn’t go in. 

Danny Ward – 6 out of 10

Rhodes was the one given the task of dropping off more and Ward tended to be further forward, as far as I could tell, so he was less obviously involved in the game but still did plenty of running and bothering the back line even if it didn’t get him much in terms of tangible results. He did get himself an assist for our second goal though, with a creative lofted cross to the far post which was headed home by Helik. I think the fact that Ondo was called up from the B Team suggests that Fotheringham wants something a bit different up top, as Ward and Rhodes are similar propositions. For now though, I think Ward’s starting position is safe.

Substitutes

Connor Mahoney – 7 out of 10

I thought Mahoney was absolutely reprehensible in the league cup earlier in the season, genuinely,  disgustingly bad. However, in this outing he looked a completely different proposition, much better. Clearly a spell in the B Team has done him good and his fitness levels have got closer to where they need to be and he looked more up for it. 

Oli Turton – 6 out of 10

Fine, did a good job of shoring things up on the right-hand side in the late stages of the game. Much more defensively sound than Sorba Thomas, even if he isn’t likely to set pulses racing when he gets forward.

Josh Ruffels – 6 out of 10

Another one that was solid and dependable off the bench. Helped to see the game out and keep Hull’s limp attempts to get back into the game at bay.

Charlos Ondo – N/A

A nice cameo performance, he ran his socks off and showed willingness to run the clock down, picking up a booking in the process. There weren’t any opportunities to see what he can do with the ball at his feet really but it’s good he got his senior debut under his belt and hopefully more meaningful amounts of minutes will be given to him in the future.