Planet Swans ArchivesThere were 46 seconds on the Liberty Stadium scoreboard when the first chants of “Jackson you’re a w nker” came from the crowd. And those chants may be absolutely spot on but he is not a w nker with three points under his belt after a pretty gutless display from the Swans this afternoon.
Our second home defeat of the season was deserved with the only undeserving part of the scoreline being the fact that we only went down by a single goal. But even that was because we scraped one in the last ten minutes to put a somewhat unfair perspective on a scoreline that saw Huddersfield record their first victory in many.
After the disappointment at Gillingham last weekend there was some hope that this, being the first of two home games in four days, would be a springboard to the season ahead. Sitting in eighth place having looked anything like convincing for the most part of the season, there was even an outside chance that in seven days time we could have been back at the top of the league. I did say an outside chance, at 2.45pm nobody probably suspected how much of an outside chance that was.
Lining up with Butler back in the line up as expected, Jackett tweaked again and moved Robinson to the right. I guess having broken the “never change a winning team” rule after Brentford you may as well change a losing side. We all know that Robbo on the right doesn’t work but pre-kick off you have to not let facts get in the way of a poor team selection.
Willy
Amankwaah Lawrence Izzy Austin
Robbo Pratley Tate Butler
Knight Bayo
Oakes, Williams, Way, Fallon, Britton
We have heard it said many times this season that sides come to the Liberty for a point and that is the way that Huddersfield approached the game. There was less than 15 minutes gone when they started the time wasting antics but it didn’t take them much longer to realise that they didn’t have to time waste for long – we were there for the taking as much as their fans predicted they would be.
The best chances of a dull and uninspiring first half pretty much fell to the visitors who tested Willy on more than one occasion as well as creating panic in our back line which looks less solid with every passing game. Robbo was closest for us – cutting in from the right (I just knew that would happen) and forcing a good save from their keeper who nudged it around the post for a corner.
Remember this script? Half time nil nil against a side that started for a point and realised they could win. Fifteen minutes later two goals down and in total disarray? It happened against Cheltenham and it happened today as Gary Taylor-Fletcher pounced on two horrendous defensive cock ups to score not one but two and send the away side into celebrations they really didn’t expect to see today. Both goals were well taken but gifted by a static defence that had been forced into a change by the second with Williams replacing the injured Austin.
Britton was on for Butler and three minutes later it was Way for Amankwaah with Tate dropping to right back as we looked for a change. And at two goals down the site of one of a striker we paid £300,000 for pretty much summed up the afternoon for us. Ronaldo Fallon isn’t but at two goals down with less than 30 minutes to go surely you play your last striking option of the day?
Not long after the sub Darren Way passed back from fully 40 yards to Willy and then spent a good five second chastising his keeper for not lumping it forward quick enough. At that point you just knew that the three points were heading to Yorkshire (okay, you probably knew it before that but thats another story!)
Leon Knight got his customary consolation with less than ten minutes to go but those minutes, plus the additional five of stoppage time, passed with more frustration, less application and no real worries for Huddersfield Town.
A chorus of boos rang around the Liberty at the final whistle and the usual suspects were the only ones remaining to, not so much thank but apologise, to those that gave up a Saturday afternoon – all 12,000 of them – a figure bound to drop for the visit of Crewe on Tuesday night.
Summing up – we’re just not very good.
