Huddersfield Town 1-0 Forest – Player ratings – An unexpected man of the match

Huddersfield Town won their first game of the season last night in a one nil victory over Nottingham Forest. It was a well-deserved win and the best performance we’ve seen under Town’s new Head Coach, Carlos Corberán. There were still plenty of areas to improve upon but there was a clearer sense of the new identity Town are striving for in this game.

There were a number of individual performances that stood out, including some players that have received a fair amount of criticism. It’s so nice to be able to sing the praises of Huddersfield Town players for a change! With that in mind, here are my player ratings.

Ben Hamer – 9 out of 10 (Man of the match)

Made a couple of stunning saves that kept Huddersfield Town in the game in the first half. Knowing how much conceding goals affects the confidence of this team, it seems very likely we would have lost the game had we not seen Hamer pull off a pair of incredible, instinctual saves. He also did well with his kicking, often receiving the ball under pressure and still finding a man.

This was exactly the kind of performance Hamer needed to boost his confidence and get the boo boys off his back. I hope this is the start of his rehabilitation with Town fans and the start of a good spell for him. If he can remain error-free for the next few games he could really kick on for us. Avoiding mistakes isn’t easy though when playing out from the back so much,

Pipa – 7 out of 10

In his first interview on the club’s YouTube channel Pipa described himself as a bit crazy and that was in evidence at times last night when he regularly popped up in unexpected areas of the pitch and tried to break through Forest’s defence. He gave Mbenza loads of space by getting ahead of him and pulling defenders out of position. It’s such an aggressively attacking way of playing fullback it takes a bit of getting used to but I can see the advantages when we are trying to break down a stubborn defence.

Richard Stearman – 8 out of 10

Used his experience to lead the defence and support the younger players around him. This involved doing a fair amount of dirty work and niggly fouling to snuff out trouble early. Rode his luck a little with some fouls he made after getting booked but knew just how far he could push it. Not always pretty but effective.

Romoney Chrichlow – 8 out of 10

Had a few nervy moments in the early stages and opted for safety first clearances where he could have passed instead of putting the ball out for a corner or throw in, but better to do that than make a mistake that gives the ball away in a dangerous place. As the game progressed he seemed to grow in stature and looked very assured despite being up against a couple of the best Championship strikers of recent years in Taylor and Grabban.

Harry Toffolo – 8 out of 10

A lovely ball for Campbell’s goal, where he got to the byline and put in a cross that set up the opportunity for Frazier to smash it in. He deserved the assist for his tireless running down the flank and overlapping. Great to see him bounce straight back after coming off with an injury last week.

Jonathan Hogg – 3 out of 10

I’m going to go in on Hogg two-footed in my ratings just like Hoggy went in on Harry Arter in the first minute of the game. Knowing that Hogg had a score to settle with Arter makes that lunging, stamping tackle seem even worse. The pair clashed back in Town’s Premier League days in a 0-0 draw with Cardiff and Hogg received a red card for a head butt following some sort of provocation from Arter. The tackle last night deserved a straight red and had the ref or linesman had a clear view then Town would have faced 89 minutes with 10 men and it would have been a very difficult evening. 

I personally think that Hogg put settling a personal vendetta over the welfare of the team and I feel like he let himself and his teammates down. That makes it hard for me to be too complimentary about the otherwise fine performance he put in after that tackle. He broke up play excellently and was one of our best players but I just can’t compliment him too much when he could have broken another player’s leg in his first act of the game. The injury that forced him off seemed to come from Taylor knocking his hip, suggesting a return of the long-running problem he’s had in that part of his body. So even if he avoids a retrospective ban, he could still face a period on the sidelines injured.

Juninho Bacuna – 7 out of 10

This was a very different and more disciplined performance from Bacuna. He did a lot of running, closing down and general dirty work in the middle of the pitch. We didn’t see him messing around with the ball as much but equally didn’t see a lot of creativity in dangerous areas either. He made a good contribution to the team and showed a bit more responsibility, it’s just a shame he didn’t show a bit more flair in the right areas of the pitch.

Alex Pritchard – 7 out of 10

Another midfielder that turned in an improved performance, with a workmanlike but not exceptional showing from Pritchard. He played further forward that usual last night and appeared to be more like a typical number ten. This was because he was man-marking Colback and he pretty much ruined the Forest midfielder’s night by constantly pressing him and stopping him getting time on the ball. 

The creative aspects of Pritchard’s game are still not firing properly and he gave the ball away and struggled to find quality deliveries at set pieces. This performance was a step in the right direction but I hope there’s still more to come from him.

Issac Mbenza – 7 out of 10

One of Mbenza’s best performances for Town, which tells you all you need to know when he still only received a 7 out of 10. He made some good runs down the right and managed to get crosses whipped into the box. The accuracy of his crosses could be improved but the speed and curve he uses when he puts them in make them dangerous. Lots of positives.

Despite it mostly being a good performance, there were still a few signs of the issues that have blighted his Town career. He showed some nice skills on the ball at times but in the first half he failed to trap a ball that was rolled to him from less than 10 yards away, taking his eye off the ball and letting it bump off his foot and out for a throw. He also misplaced simple passes under no pressure. So he did well but the basics are still letting him down too often.

Frazier Campbell – 8 out of 10

What a strike! A perfectly timed volley that would have been so easy to sky over the crossbar given the height he struck the ball at. It was a truly wonderful finish and could be the first of many this season if he stays fit and regularly receives good service like Toffolo provided him last night. Alongside the goal he was the usual energetic self and seems to be enjoying football under Corberán after struggling to play through injury for much of the end of last season.

Josh Koroma – 8 out of 10

Had enough chances to have scored a hattrick if he had taken them all but his poor finishing stopped him from capping off what was an otherwise excellent performance. His tenacity and creativity made him a massive handful for Forest and he was the creative spark that looked most like scoring despite not being able to put away the multiple good opportunities he had to score. I’m looking forward to seeing how he develops with a decent run of games under his belt because he’s already looking like a good player for Town.

Substitutes

Carel Eiting – 8 out of 10

Made his debut at the end of the first half when Hogg came off injured and showed us some flashes of the quality he has. I was watching him quite carefully off the ball last night and his movement and awareness are superb. He was constantly looking to get into good positions and make positive passes. I liked to see how vocal he was in the middle of the park and he looks like he could be a very influential player for Town. 

Adama Diakhaby – 4 out of 10

Had the perfect chance to score and fluffed his lines. I’d have loved him to show Forest fans that they had got him wrong with their hurtful remarks about him but sadly he blew his big chance from five yards out. 

Jaden Brown – 6 out of 10

Didn’t have much time to influence the game but came on and provided some width down the left. I’m not sure of him as a left winger but it was sensible to put him in that area and allow Toffolo to concentrate on his defensive duties while we were seeing the game out.