I talked about Huddersfield Town being consistently inconsistent before Tuesday night’s game and that was how it proved, when they followed up two pretty dire defeats with a thrilling victory over a high-quality opponent. While it might not have been a perfect performance, there was plenty of effort and a fair amount of quality on display from the Terriers and that was what helped them secure the three points.
It’s probably a bit late to be publishing a player ratings article two days after a game but a busy schedule and a desire to linger on a game that could prove significant to Town’s season made me write this article anyway.
Lee Nicholls – 8 out of 10
He will have wanted to have done better with the penalty as he managed to get a glove to it but wasn’t able to get enough on the ball to push it wide but he picked the right side and was very close to keeping it out. He also made a tricky save from a Brereton-Diaz header that could easily have gone in. His command of his area and his distribution were consistently good, which is a relief after he nearly cost us a goal with a poor pass last weekend.
Matty Pearson – 7 out of 10
One of a host of Town players that really should have done better for Blackburn’s opener but otherwise he was solid. He did a good job of dropping into the space behind Thomas when he pushed up field. I’ve still got reservations about Pearson’s ability on the ball but he is generally steady (though he needed bailing by Lees and Thomas shortly after Town scored).
Tom Lees – 7 out of 10
My appreciation for Lees has slowly increased as he’s played more and more for Town. He’s a calming presence at the back and reads the game well enough to often be in the right place to mop things up and relieve pressure. His experience was particularly valuable with Hogg out of the side.
Naby Sarr – 6 out of 10
Colwill’s injury meant that Sarr had a chance to come in and show us what we’ve been missing. Sadly it didn’t quite work out for him and his passing was erratic and he gave away a (slightly iffy) penalty. Whether the ref was right to blow or not, Sarr showed poor decision making when he threw himself at the Blackburn player in the box and even if it wasn’t a penalty, he shouldn’t have given the referee a decision to make. For what it’s worth, I thought it probably was a penalty as he caught the player and didn’t get the ball even though the minimal contact provoked the kind of histrionic reaction that made it looked like there was a sniper in the Kilner Bank.
Sorba Thomas – 8 out 10
After being shackled by opposition defenses and singled out for special treatment in recent games, he found himself able to get into space more often in this game and Blackburn paid the price for not keeping closer tabs on the soon to be Welsh international. His energy down the right flank was superb and when he managed to get into attacking areas he tended to put in quality balls. Another two assists mean his stats for this season continue to be ridiculous. Couple this fact with the way he plays football with a smile on his face and his heart on his sleeve and it makes it impossible to not like him. I’m already worried that other clubs will come sniffing in January now he’s showing signs that his blistering early-season form may be something he can consistently produce.
Alex Vallejo – 8 out of 10
I’m always a bit nervous when Town don’t have Hogg in the starting lineup but in this game we saw an alternative way of playing the deep-lying midfielder role and it was an impressive display. He took his goal exceptionally well, stroking it into the bottom corner without any fuss. He lacks Hogg’s hustle bustle and doesn’t get on the ball as much but when he does he always looks to move it forward and has the ability to play the ball to our attackers in good areas. It was a shame his game was ended prematurely by injury and I hope he’s available for the Luton game.
Lewis O’Brien – 8 out of 10
My pick for Man of the Match on an evening where there were several strong candidates. He stepped up to the occasion of wearing the captain’s armband by leading by example and being an absolute pest to Blackburn. He made a whopping eight tackles over the course of the game, double the amount of the next highest tacklers (Sinani and Pearson with four each) and covered every blade of grass in the process. His work on the ball was impressive too, regularly popping up to receive the ball and link things up with those around him. He should have scored from the opportunity that saw him strike the crossbar but other than that it was an excellent evening’s work.
Harry Toffolo – 8 out of 10
I feel like I’ve been giving out a lot of high scores for this game but Toffolo was another player that had a great game. He provided width down the left and his clever reading of the game and willingness to take a risk saw him pop up in the box at just the right moment to head the ball square for Ward to score the winner.
Danel Sinani – 6 out of 10
Not all that impressive though he did work hard to put pressure on Blackburn’s defence. I feel like there’s more to come from SInani but we most likely need to find a role for him that plays to his strengths and covers up his weaker areas. For a forward he lacks pace, so he isn’t a lot of use out wide. However, he does have a magic wand of a left foot, so when he gets in possession he can make things happen for those around him.
Danny Ward – 8 out of 10
It looked like it might be another one of those games for Ward when he spurned a presentable chance early, heading over. Yet he still worked away, challenged for every hopeful ball played up to him and threw himself around the pitch. His effort was rewarded when we finally produced quality deliveries for him to work with. The first goal was set up with an excellent cross from Thomas but Ward’s desire and strength flattened the Blackburn defender in the process of scoring. The second was a bit easier to finish but he did well to get into the right position to be able to nod home. While Ward has had plenty of critics in recent weeks, he deserves all the plaudits coming his way for this performance. I hope this game is a turning point in his second spell at Town and we see him kick on from here.
Josh Koroma – 6 out of 10
Saw very little of the ball and didn’t do a great deal with it when given opportunities. I’m struggling to remember much about his part in the game at all really. It’s fairly typical of wingers to have the odd game where things don’t work out for them. It’s not such an issue if there are other players that can step up and steal the limelight, which happened tonight. I’m not marking him any harsher than a six though because every single player grafted last night and the team effort was a huge factor in the win, so Koroma did his part off the ball at least.
Substitutes
Scott High – 7 out of 10
Brought some energy into the midfield and did a decent job as a defensive midfielder despite usually playing further up the pitch.
Turton, Holmes and Ruffels – N/A
All did an effective job when we needed to see the game out but the context of the game meant sacrifice for the team was more important that individual brilliance, so they had specific roles to play and did them well. (p.s. Ruffels was allowed on as our fourth sub because we were given an extra one after Blackburn had a “concussion sub” earlier in the game.)
Once again I am having to eat my words.Towns inconstancy once again proved me wrong.Town were fantastic on the night and I suppose I am not the only one who was proved wrong.I hope that this result against Blackburn is pivotal in the way the season takes shape and long may it continue.
I can’t help but feel your scores have been influenced by the entertainment value and the final result. I don’t think your scores would have been anything like as high if it had remained 2-2.
Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed the match and the result. But it could have been a much easier win if Town had taken 3 very presentable first half chances. Ward missed a reflex chance to score in the first minute, Sinani blazed over from no distance on his wrong foot, and you’re too kind on O’Brien – he made a mess of the first pass, the ball fortuitously came back to him, he chose to control the ball rather than take a first time strike, well if you do that and you’re only about 10 yards out, surely you must hit the target. So 1-0 at half time, could, and perhaps should, have been 2-0, 3-0 or even 4-0 and job done.
But then we wouldn’t have had the nail-biting finish which only Town can bring about due to their complete inability to retain possession.
My man of the match was Vallejo. At times he looked majestic, stroking the ball about, always finding his man, decent strike for his goal. Fingers crossed that he’s not badly injured.
Another challenge awaits on Saturday against Luton who I note stuck 5 past Coventry last night.
I agree with most of your comments TS, except I too agree with Simon nominating Vallejo as man of the match; another thought in relation to Ward mainly but others as well we were much better and occasionally successful in challenging for the ball from defensive clearances and passes – a vey pleasant change.
It was great to watch a game where Town showed some footballing skills, we competed and contributed to a highly entertaining game, which admittedly could have gone either way but I believe we were justly rewarded following a performance that happily contrasted with the recent efforts of over pragmatic dross.
The catalyst was undoubtedly a central midfielder who knows how to play football, contrasting sharply with the man he replaced, why he is subjected to the criticism of lacking place does not bare scrutiny when compared with his pedestrian predecessor. I hope his injury is not serious – he should be a permanent fixture.
Against Forest in front of the biggest home crowd of the season, the biggest crowd for some time, the players of Huddersfield Town lost an opportunity to entertain some new faces in the stand and reignite the passion of a few disillusioned ones. This was a collective mess of a performance.
The Swansea game was equally, possibly more embarrassing; the substitute Odubeko arrived, as he has in all his appearances, to discover the fate of many a recent Town attack leader – redundant with little or no serviceable ball.
Ward fell into that category until this game, a gloriously energetic performance that has to be repeated. Thomas deserves a mention and O’Brien and Toffolo upped their contributions. These four improved immeasurably on recent offerings.
I could be wrong here but is that O’Brien’s first victory as captain?
I crave mid-table security and some enjoyment – nothing more!
Earlier debates seemed to conclude that Hogg & Vallejo don’t fit in the same team. It might be a discussion worth reopening? There is a place for the ever-reliable Hogg sitting in front of the back four, particularly for away matches against sides who have attacking strength. But to take the game forward and to press the opposition, Vallejo ticks the boxes. It might be a case of horses for courses and Hogg has to sit on the bench sometimes?
I have said who I would plump for in this debate, Hogg is not a strategist and is too much of a ball watcher to my eyes, accommodating both in the same team would lead to the very problematic issue of pace or lack of it, plus who would then be left out!
I so like Vallejo because of his passing ability and you can see him looking around all the time his awareness of the position of his teammates is crucial and obviously beneficial.
Its very difficult doing the Vallejo vs Hogg thing, but one thing is quite clear, very simply Vallejo goes forward, Hogg dosnt, playing against Hogg must be a nightmare, but the trouble starts when he gets the ball, usually he goes sideways or backwards and we have trouble getting out of our own half, when Vallejo gets the ball he is looking up to make that forward pass, Hogg has become a Town legend and rightly so, but today does Vallejo’s style suit Corberans style more. we have some great young players at the moment backed by a hard core of minders, but for those players to be succesful we have to go forward and take the game to the opposition.
all Town fans know what happens when we dont do that. UTT
Wanted to comment on your rating of Danel Sinani for the Blackburn game and wonder why you have not mentioned the unbelievable quality of corners this guy is delivering match after match – we need to go back to Jacob Butterfield to find anyone close to the quality he is putting in and only a matter of time before we start converting them. Worth his place in the team for that alone.
I think the high scores across the board are, unlike other commenters, entirely justified. Town worked hard against a team who is destined for a Top 10 finish this test and thoroughly earned the win, despite losing their best player on the night to injury and conceding two equalisers against the run of play.
Of the three player ratings shared online that I actually pay attention to (the other two coming from Chicken of YorkshireLive and Wobschall of Yorkshire Post) I feel as though yours most fairly reflect a performance full of grit, ambition and perseverance of the type we saw on Tuesday evening. One criticism I do have though, which runs throughout all 3 sets of ratings, is the scapegoating of Naby Sarr in lieu of Matty Pearson. Yes, Sarr gave away the penalty, but he did so making a last-ditch attempt at preventing a clear goal-scoring opportunity – having arrived from the other side of the pitch – after Pearson had been turned inside-out by Brereton. If we’re looking for a culprit for the pen, Naby Sarr is not the one. Couple this with the fact that Pearson was also well and truly skinned for the first goal too, and I’m struggling to see how he gets away without a low rating this week. I like Pearson, and think – usually – he offers real defensive bolstering, but Tuesday really wasn’t his night…
Going forward, I thought we looked great. It doesn’t take a genius to realise that is likely to happen when you take a stopper out of the team and replace them with a creator. Hoping for a swift recovery for the latter.
Onwards and upwards. UTT