Inpressive County Deny Huddersfield

A solid performance by County on their return to League One, after an absence of three years, denied Huddersfield Town a centenary year opening day win.

There was no room for new boy Carl Baker in the starting line up as he had to settle for a place on the bench, but other recent signings Stephen Gleeson, Johnny Mullins, striker ‘Pistol’ Peter Thompson and Owain fon Williams all started.

Midfielder Dominic Blizzard didn’t recover from a calf strain, so Michael Raynes started as the holding midfielder.

New emergency loan signing goealkeeper Lloyd Rigby started the game on the bench. Rigby, fro Vauxhall Motors, will sign a one year deal on Monday.

Ex-County man Jim Goodwin started in midfield for Town, but prolific ex-Hatters striker Luke Beckett started the game on the subs bench. Chris Lcketti lined up in defence, the man who made one appearance for County as a youngster. Ex-Premier League David Unsworth, with 500 senior appearances to his name, played in midfield after a successful trial period with the Terriers on Thursday.

County started the game a bit nervously it would seem, withg the usually influential Gary Dicker giving balls away and passing it waywardly an numerous occasions in the early goings. Uncharacteristic from the normally reliable Irish-man.

But The Hatters, supported by around 2400 singing fans behind the goal, got a grip of the game and started passing ther ball more confidently – this was more like the County side that had magnificently won promotion at Wembley 76 days ago.

Tricky winger Anthony Pilkington was coming into the game down the right, and as Gary Dicker played him in, he twistd and turned before unleashing a 20 yard drive that Stockport fan Matt Glennon could only palm away in the Town goal. New striker Peter Thompson could only blast wide from the rebound.

But Huddersfield are not amongst the promotion favourites for nothing. Gary Roberts, a £250,000 signing from Championship Ipswich, was causing the County back-line problems with his pace and consistently good set-pieces.

County’s Welsh under 21 keeper Owain fon Williams was proving his worth in goal, forcing away any threat that came his way and tipping over a Roberts 30 yard free kick.

The best save from fon Williams, though, came in the 26th minute – a long distance piledriver from midfielder Michael Collins took a significant deflection off Jimmy McNulty. fon Williams had already committed himself to the dive, but twisited his body mid-leap, adjusted and kicked the ball away with his foot.

Despite fon Williams’ heroics, Huddersfield still took the lead on the half hour mark. Roberts drifted in another dangerous cross, and club legend Andy Booth, somewhat fittingly, headed in the first goal of Huddersfield’s centenary year.

County were not playing badly, but we were not in full gear – no doubt about it.

From then on, County were put under the kosh, and wave after wave of Huddersfield attacks were repelled.

County were looking to get in at the break without falling further behind, and even the Town fans would have admitted that after the first half display, a level score was probably fair.

So in typical County fashion, a minute before half time we were level.

Three time loan favourite Stephen Gleeson sprayed the ball down the right to fellow new boy Johnny Mullins. Mullins showed his attacking skills by getting to the byline, cutting inside and suddenly, the Galpharm fell silent. And two thousand-four hundred County fans erupted as winger Tommy Rowe met Mullins’ ball into the box with a dink over the keeper.

So at the interval, County went in with a deserved equaliser to their names.

Jim Gannon must have read the riot act at half time, as Michael Rose and Anthony Pilkington were sacrificed for Matty McNeil to partner Peter Thomspon (who was blatantly in need of a partner), and new signing Carl Baker.

Jimmy McNuty moved to left back, and Michael Raynes, who was playing the holding role in the first half, moved to centre back to accompany captain Gaz Owen.

County were now attacking the away end, with 2400 COunty fans in good voice and in hope of a magnificent win.

County, in a reversal from the first half, started brightly and Matty McNeil was hauled down for what would have been a penalty if it wasn’t David Unsworth who commited the foul!

Assistant manager Peter Ward, a former Huddersfield player, becamse so frustrated with The Terriers physical approach to the game that he ran towards the 4th official – only to slip on the rain drenched gravel!

Wardy was later sent to the stands for his protests.

Huddersfield were still looking dangerous though, and as Goodwin was hacked down just outsied the penalty area, they had an opening.

After a rather lengthy debate between Unsowrth and Roberts over who would take the free kick, the 14 stone Unsworth won – and blasted the resulting free kick over the roof of the stand!

A few minutes later, there was a loud booing noise emanating from the County end.

Only this time it wasn’t due to Huddersfields physical nature towards the game – nor was it booing.

Goalscorer Andy Booth was being replace by none other than the former County goalscorer Luke Beckett. And of course the loud booing noise was rather a rendition of ‘LUKE LUKE LUKE LUKE LUKE!’ from the County fans!

County still had the time, and the chances, to win the game. Stevie Gleeson, perhaps still thinking of his Wycombe thunderbolt (which apparently changed nothing) in the play-offs, was bein egged on to shoot by the County fans. A contender for Man Of The Match, Jimmy McNulty had charged down the left, and slid the ball across the greasy surface for Gleeson to heed the County fans advice and fire a shot just past Glennons post.

County had settled in the game, but it was a good performance in which we hadn’t even stepped our passing game up a level.

The real chance to win the game came from playmaker Baker in the 87th minute.

Baker ran with ease and grace past the advancing Huddersfield defenders, before unleashing a 25 yard curler that almost caught out Glennon, who parried the ball out for a corner. Town then cleared their lines and it ended a point a piece.

So then, a point first up for the Hatters, and Leicester twice in one week to come. We were also the only promoted team to get any points yesterday as well.

Was it a good point for the Hatters? Should/Could we have won the game?

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