Michael Duff on Huddersfield Town’s ‘statement’ win at Wycombe Wanderers spicing up the intrigue at top of League One
ON At the final whistle of Tuesday night’s crucial match against Wycombe Wanderers, Huddersfield Town was the
team with the warm glow as their League One rivals sat by the fireside at home, watching events develop.
The outcome was crucial for Town, not how it got there, in what was possibly their most important game since their
home derby against Barnsley on October 7—a game that was significant for several reasons.
Style was a bonus. The crux of the matter was substance. In fact, there was a little of the first and a lot of the other on
Michael Duff’s side.
Herbie Kane won the match with a brilliant early shot that brought the silk. Wycombe put up a fierce fight in the
second half, and Town refused to concede, showcasing the steel.
After a miserable run of seven losses in eight games across all competitions, Town demonstrated their strength in
that aforementioned encounter against Barnsley at a time when some Terriers supporters were publicly questioning
Duff’s tenure.
Another defeat could well have been the tipping point for many more followers.
Those in Huddersfield colours found a way and haven’t looked back since. It was a turning point in their season.
Tuesday’s game had a bit of a similar feel. Should Town have been beaten by a direct rival who could have gone top,
then it would have represented a major blow to their top-two hopes. Instead, they put themselves firmly in the picture.
They are four points behind second-placed Wycombe and the team just behind them on goal difference in Wrexham
with a game in hand on both.
Before the end of the season, they must play them at home and also welcome title favourites Birmingham City later
this month.
Tuesday was useful preparation in that regard, while Duff was happy enough to use the word statement in his
description of it.
Duff stated: “The outcome was quite satisfying. At this point in the year, performance is not a major concern.
Everybody looks at the outcomes.
“The last two outcomes were well-earned victories that we failed to secure. We have been successful in winning those (recent) games against the two teams in and around us, Wycombe and Stockport.
It’s likely that they are even more valuable than losing to them, defeating the bottom-seeded teams, and not accruing enough points in your section of the table.
The main reason it was a statement victory was because the whole league was watching. “Oh, go on, then,” they all said as they watched.
“We are in that strange’middle ground’ where we have to decide whether to push for the top two or drop in (to the play-off pack).” We hope to add, but we’re becoming a hard nut to crack.”
Town’s unwavering resolve has kept them undefeated in 15 league games since the beginning of October, so defence is definitely not where they will be looking to add players.
This season, only Birmingham (17) and Wrexham (18) have given up more goals than Town (19).
Glory was added in Buckinghamshire when Radinho Balker, a large center-half, made his first appearance of the season after missing the entire preseason due to an ankle fracture. He entered as a replacement in the 71st minute.
That being said, the evening was not entirely standard. Town rarely does, since they were unable to have Michal Helik because of illness.
Thankfully, Matty Pearson, who took his place, excelled when he and Tom Lees gave a perfect lesson on how to defend against hosts who went straight for fair spells.
Their manager, a former center-half with comparable stature who was in a good position to comment, was pleased with what he observed.
“I would have liked that game,” Duff continued. Balls, nettles, and mud were flying in from all directions.
“You’d think they were bouncing bombs in there at one point and Matty and Leesy were heading it.
“That is when they were running out of ideas because when they started crashing it, we were quite happy at that point because we are sitting in a back five and didn’t have to jump out. I thought to a man they all stood to task.”
Both the disturbance and Town’s undefeated streak continue. Helik was in this situation, and Duff can certainly be forgiven for wondering what would happen next.
He joked: “When we learnt about Micha, we thought, ‘Well, nothing else can go wrong.'” You’re anticipating something like the bus to break down or the bus driver to go down the stairs. You assume it’s a hoax when you think Jeremy Beadle is going to come around the corner.
“After that, there was quite a commotion inside. If you can support it, it’s a huge victory.
A caveat, as ever with Duff.
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