Huddersfield Town: March 2011

Greetings from Canada and I hope you enjoy this months report as we move closer towards the end of the season.

We began the new month with an away game against Crystal Palace and I welcomed the return of Anthony Moguena to the first team after recovering from injury. The game started very evenly but the home side took the lead when Sean Scannell masterminded a goal that completely split our defence. By half time we were looking a sorry bunch and after a dressing room tantrum the players responded and started to play our game and within 9 minutes of the restart Sigborsson had latched onto a Nowlan cross to square things up. Nowlan himself would it the woodwork before setting up Moguena in the same way for the equalizer which proved to be the winning goal.

We were back at home for the following game with Southend being the visiting team. After a nervy start where Oscar Jannson pulled off a string of saves, Sigborsson gave us the lead after great link up play between Nowlan and Sekour which Sekour’s threaded pass found the Icelandic striker to make it 1-0. Southend proved to be a difficult opponent once more and it was only Jansson’s efforts that kept the visitors from scoring. After the restart we got a goal almost immediately as Sigborsson broke free and his cross found Wigan loanee Tomasz Kupisz unmarked on the far post for an easy header to double our lead. Sigborsson got his second of the game with midfielder Goodwin being the supplier straight through the heart of the Southend defence.

The next game was away to Walsall and we should have been three up within the first ten minutes but both Sigborsson and Moguena seemed to lack the power to finish off. Walsall of course took the lead against the run of play and scored in the eleventh minute and that proved to be the only goal of the game. It was a very lack luster performance by the whole team and we deserved to lose.

The following game was at home to Wycombe and I asked the lads to go out and get all three points. After intense pressure on the Wycombe goal for the first twenty minutes Austin was finally able to find some space and neatly tucked home a through ball from Berrett. Wycombe though replied almost immediately when the ball somehow trickled over the line from their corner to the bemused look of our defenders. Wycombe added a second right on half time from Mousinho who was left all alone to head in a cross. We laid siege to the Wycombe goal for the entire second half but their Milan style defending kept us at bay until we were finally rewarded with a penalty that Sekour converted. We racked up the pressure to seek the winning goal with Sekour hitting the bar in the final seconds but in the end we had to settle for a draw.

We stayed at home for our final league game of the month against second place Millwall. The visitors certainly justified their league position as they completely outplayed us for the first half and it was only the woodwork that spared us from being three down at half time with their only goal coming from a piercing through ball that was watched by our statue like defence. We came out looking more competitive after the break and finally got an equalizer through Morten Neilsen who played a brilliant one-two with Sigborsson before firing home. With the game coming to a close and the crowd enjoying end to end excitement Steve Gohouri headed in the winner from a corner and the home fans went wild as though we had won the cup. It was great game and an even greater way to finish

We had one more game to play before March was over and that was a trip to Wembley to face Southampton in the JPT final and hopefully put to right last years defeat in the final by them. We couldn’t have wished for a better start in front of a crowd of 90,000 with no less than six players linking up in a string of passes that culminated with Sigborsson sliding that ball into the net after two minutes. We went searching for a second and almost doubled our lead minutes later but Nowlan’s effort went narrowly wide. Southampton stated to claw their way back in the game but some resolute defending both by the midfield and defence broke down any attack. We went into the interval with a slender 1-0 lead but soon after the restart a lovely chip by Sekour found Kupisz at the edge of the box and he buried it into the corner of the net. I had to change things around at the hour mark as both central midfielders picked up injuries and had to be replaced. Southampton pressed forward in the last ten minutes of the game but Neilsen intercepted a loose ball being played across the half way line by their defenders and sprinted away from them with only the keeper to beat which he did in fine style. It was 3-0 and we had won the cup to the delight of our travelling supporters.

In my celebratory mood I kept clicking «continue» and forgot about a league table screenshot and have played one game in April though we find ourselves still in fourth place.

The win over Southampton gave me a lot of satisfaction, probably the most I’ve had in playing CM or FM. I realiaze that the JPT in not much of a competition and the achievment doesn’t reach the giddy heights of say Notts County or Real Union which are indeed incredible but it meant a lot to me to win something and I guess that is all that matters.

Thanks for reading.