After I confidently predictee defeat before the game, regular readers of this blog will have not been surprised to have seen Huddersfield Town’s players make me look silly. On Saturday afternoon Town put in a performance that few saw coming and outplayed Millwall for 90 minutes and came out worthy winners, even if it took a goal that required an outrageous piece of fortune to win the game for the Terriers.
While Millwall fans might curse the circumstances that led to the winning goal, few will argue that Town were the better team on the day and, if anything, I think 1-0 flattered the London team and Town really should have converted their dominant spells into a more commanding lead. That minor quibble aside, it was an excellent afternoon’s work for Town, so expect generous scores to follow!
Lee Nicholls – 6 out of 10
Had a surprisingly quiet afternoon, with only one significant piece of work required, when he had a frantic scramble across his line to collect a ball that was threatening to dribble over his line. Otherwise he was as commanding a presence as ever and did a good job of wasting time without incurring the yellow card that the referee was on a hair trigger to dish out the second he pushed it too far. This season’s directive to stamp out goalies wasting time is limiting Nicholl’s ability to practice his craft of killing time at the end of tight games but he’s still finding opportunities to wring out vital seconds from every opportunity.
Oliver Turton – 6 out of 10
Was doing fine at right back until he took a nasty looking tumble at a corner. Fotheringham wasn’t explicit about the nature of his injury but the boot he was wearing when he came out of the tunnel and the way he was limping made it look like he might have turned his ankle. I wasn’t all that impressed with how the player, coaching staff and physios managed this injury as there was widespread confusion after he initially went down and Turton waved away the bench and insisted he was fine when Holmes was first stripped to come on despite the fact he broke down a few minutes later. I feel like he should have been taken off straight away as keeping him on the pitch risked further injury to the player and could have exposed the team too as he was clearly in no fit state to play on.
Tom Lees – 7 out of 10
A commanding and assured performance from the senior centre back. He was strong and sensible at the back without doing anything too fancy. I think he’s more suited to being in a flat back four, as he doesn’t have to do as much with the ball at his feet and he can concentrate on his defensive duties.
Michel Helik – 8 out of 10
After a slow start to his time at Town, he’s now starting to come into his own. He’s a dominant presence at the back. He nodded away anything that came near him, both in open play and set pieces and cleared everything on the deck too. He’s not the type to over elaborate and there were a few times where I thought he might have been better controlling the ball and trying to pass instead of booting it clear but then again, if you mess up a clearance it might spin out for a corner rather than a thrown in whereas if you mess up trying to control the ball and pass out from the back it usually means conceding a goal. So I quite like the fact he keeps it simple and sticks to what he’s (very) good at.
Yuta Nakayama – 7 out of 10
I like Nakayama a lot more as a left back than as a central defender or a wingback. He’s not attacking enough to be a wingback and he’s not big or strong enough to be a centre back but he’s in the goldilocks zone for a fullback, with the mobility and defensive ability to keep things tight but also able to provide support for attacks too. Despite the fact his goal was spectacular to look at, it’s hard to give him too much credit because it was actually a terrible cross rather than a brilliant strike. He was looking to cross it to Sorba Thomas on the opposite flank and the ball spun off the outside of his boot in the best possible way. Unless it was some kind of incredible bluff to outfox the keeper, which is what I would be claiming if I was him, but in reality I think he was just very lucky.
Sorba Thomas – 8 out of 10
His pace and crossing was a useful tool for us in open play, even if he was a bit loose in some moments. The header that hit the post in the first half was unlucky, as he deserved a goal for the sheer effort he put into getting into the box. He was also unlucky to be pulled back for a foul when he was clear through on goal, it was a completely ridiculous decision and denied him a very good scoring opportunity. Whether his reaction was appropriate is debatable though, just like most the reactions that have led to bookings he’s received this season that now mean we’ll miss him on Wednesday night. Also, as always, his set piece delivery was superb. It’ll be interesting to see who steps up to deputise for him against Sunderland.
Etienne Camara – 7 out of 10
A mature performance from the youngster, where he anchored the midfield and provided a screen to protect the defence. He’s cutting out that habit of delaying his passes too long and wasn’t passing to marked men as often either. He also showed a bit more confidence on the ball at times, being more willing to drive forward on the ball when required to buy himself a bit of time and space when Millwall tried to press him. After a few iffy recent performances, this was a return to form.
David Kasumu – 8 out of 10
It was exhausting just watching this lung-busting performance, as he covered every blade of grass in both attack and defence, never letting Millwall rest and providing options for his teammates. I’d like it if he showed a bit more composure and better decision making when he gets into the final third but otherwise this was a very commanding performance and probably his best showing in a Town shirt so far.
Jack Rudoni – 7 out of 10
He looks like he’s in his most natural position in the number ten role of a 4-2-3-1 system, as he’s got the space to operate behind the striker and can drift out to either wing to support the build up play. He made some great runs and got into great positions, so seven out of ten might seem a bit harsh but he’s still not putting it all together and registering goals and assists like he was doing for Wimbledon last season. I know he’s taking a step up in terms of the quality of opponents but I still think he’s not producing as much as his ability suggests he should. It looks to me like his confidence might be down a bit, as when he gets into shooting situations he’s almost trying too hard – trying to blast the leather off the ball, whereas a player in form will just stroke the ball in. I have a feeling that he’ll go on a scoring run once he gets his first.
Ben Jackson – 8 out of 10
Started as a left winger but then had to fill in at right back to cover for Oli Turton’s injury. The fact he is properly two footed made this transition straightforward and he made a decent fist of playing right back. He was aggressive in the tackle and made every effort to get forward and support the attacking moves when he could. It’s a shame he didn’t get longer as a left winter as I’d have been interested to see what he could do with fewer defensive responsibilities but his versatility is a huge asset as Fotheringham confirmed after the game he also hopes to develop him into a central midfielders too – which makes sense given his tenacity, ball-playing ability and good engine. It could be that Jackson is the closest thing we have to a Lewis O’Brien replacement once he’s had a bit of time to adjust to life in the Championship but that might be loading up too much expectation on him.
Danny Ward – 5 out of 10
I feel like Ward is in a bit of a slump at the moment. He produced very little for himself and when Holmes laid on a good opportunity for him he blasted it wide and looked to hurt himself in the process. Our lack of better options means he won’t be out of the team for long but I don’t think he deserves to be starting games based on current form.
Substitutes
Duane Holmes – 8 out of 10
He looks to have gained a bit of fitness in recent weeks, as his work rate and tempo were excellent, particularly off the ball where he chased lost causes and made a nuisance of himself. His big moment came when he was clear in the box and got in a bit of a muddle which ended in a messy tangle of legs and a free kick to Millwall for Holmes’ alleged dive. While the decision against him was harsh, a more predatory attacker wouldn’t have been in such a situation in the first place but Holmes wouldn’t be playing at this level if he could add end product to his other talents. Even so, it’s frustrating that he can do so much right but so often doesn’t apply the final flourish to his work. However, he was a great outlet all afternoon and stretched Millwall with his counter attacking runs.
Jordan Rhodes – 6 out of 10
Neat and tidy as usual with a few speculative efforts but no huge chances to score. Helped run the clock down late on and used his experience well.
Will Boyle – N/A
Didn’t fall over his own feet, so an improvement on the last time he was brought on in similar circumstances. Good to see him back in contention and a useful extra body to chuck on to help us defend long balls.
Hope you are doing a preview of the Mackems TS.
Don’t forget the reverse psychology 😂
I agree with you, where did that performance come from? To outclass a team with four successive wins under its belt was a remarkable achievement. The centre midfield pair of Kasuma and Camara was outstanding, again, they are a delight to watch, especially Kasumu on this occasion and Camara looks a assured way beyond his years with the ball at his feet; two more potential Lewis O’Brien’s to add to your one in Ben Jackson.
As Nakayama was about to cross I said to my neighbour who is he crossing to – there was no-one in the frame, could it have been deliberate? There is however the terrible realisation that we are largely incapable of creating and scoring a proper team goal, not for the want of trying, On three or four occasions before halftime the opposition should have retrieved the ball from the back of the net. The passing statistics were horrendous – yet again, give a strong and clear reason for this.
I feared as the game unfolded in the second half Millwall were bound to score and gain a thoroughly undeserved point, maybe even three.
The whole team deserves mostly praise, even Holmes created chances, which is his forte, simulation in the penalty and tackling are not. Thomas was all over the place in both senses of the phrase, a driving force in many areas of the pitch but his skill set repeatedly let him down, if only he could cross a moving ball, pass, shoot, head and tackle properly he’d be one hell of a player sounds a bit harsh but the point has to be made. This was a performance that echoed the van la Parra specialism – looks a million dollars but rarely scores and rarely assists which is definitely not a regular criticism of him.
The eight added minutes surely a consequence of the Millwall players nicking our drying towel for throw-ins – all good fun though.
Hope returns again.
I’m sure you’ve noticed, Forest lost 5 nil – again. That could/would have been us (or worse). Unless we get a billionaire owner who won’t want his money back, we are better off where we are. Also noticed O’Brien played only 8 minutes after being ill and Toffolo is out with a hamstring injury.