Huddersfield Town (0) 0
Port Vale (1) 1

Reported by Matthew Nethersell

I would like to say we lost because Makel was left hobbling around after we had used our 3 subs but I can't.

I would like to say we lost because the referee was pathetic but I can't.

I would like to say we lost because we had Williams playing for the first hour and he couldn't pass a ball if there was a bloke with a shotgun threatening to kneecap him. (He may play better if that happened.) Tempting though it is, it would be unfair to blame all of our problems on Williams.

I could say that we lost because Horton subsituted Bullock and Payton at half time (quite why he took Payton off and left Williams on the pitch was beyond me). Rumour has it that Bullock had spent the previous night in the 'Farmers Boy' (?) so perhaps that is why he was taken off early.

I could perhaps justifiably say that the continuing absence of Stewart and Morrison was behind the poor performance, but that in itself is a woorying problem.

Anyway the fact of the matter is - we were just bad.

It started off brightly enough, as early as the 6th minute, Williams was flying down the right wing, twisting and turning in between 2 defenders to put in a good cross that won a corner. The crowd gasped in awe, cheered. I actually believed that maybe there was more to him than met the eye. Perhaps this week, the town faithful would be singing his praises as we walked home happy after a victory against one of our bogie teams.

Then I woke up and faced reality.

Apart from the odd break caused by Payton, Bullock and Edwards standing up front we were out played and out passed in the first half. What Horton demonstrated yesterday was a complete lack of tactics and no ability to put the team into any shape. We were out passed for long periods of the 1st half because no one seemed to know who they should be marking, and where they should be standing. Williams was particularly good at standing on the right wing, and watching people run past him to set up attacks.

One of the people I go to the game with, was talking to Lawson on Thursday and asked him if he was playing. He said that he'd been dropped and that there would just be Payton up front. What a pity that no one told Edwards, Bullock and to an extent, Williams about this. At times we played a flat back five, with two in the middle and three up front, at other times we were treated to even stranger variations.

I suppose I should really have written this yesterday when the events of the match were clearer in my mind.

Jenkins was continually exposed down the right. Not really through any fault of his own, mainly because Williams didn't understand about defending (add that to the list of tackling, passing, dribbling etc... and those people who haven't had the 'pleasure' of seeing him play can understand a bit better how bad he really is). Jenkins was normally left trying to mark two players. With the best four minutes in the world for Wales he is still going to struggle doing this.

Half time came, Francis had been superb again, as had Burnett. The team went off to jeers and the now all to common shouts of "Get him off Horton" and "Send him back" all designed to increase Williams's self esteem of course.

The teams came out for the second half. Willams was there. We groaned. Then after the shock of seeing him on the pitch had worn off, we realised there were only nine players on the pitch, and Lawson and Dalton were brought on. Almost immediately Dalton turned in the midfield and set off. Past two vale players into the box. The excitement mounted, but it came to nothing.

Then Vale started knocking the ball about, and about 10 mins into the second half they got the goal. Not the prettiest thing I've seen, but to be fair they deserved it. A bit of a scramble in the box, the ball hit McCarthy, he controlled it, and bang "1-0 to the Port Vale" as we continued to hear for the rest of the game.

Makel had a shot which he appeared to fluff, but he came away limping. Alarm bells started ringing, but apparently the injury wasn't bad enough for him to want Dr Death to look at it, and he carried on.

Just after the hour, off came Williams booed to the edge of the pitch, and on came Crosby to cheers and applause.

Now I know last week I said I thought criticism of Crosby was unfair and I'll say it again this week. In the pub afterwards one of the people I go with said he could have been Towns MOTM. He wasn't on long enough for that (as was pointed out last week) and Burnett and Francis clearly beat him, but apart from that he wasn't far off in performance terms.

Crosby's first touch of the ball, had him hairing up the right wing, past three or four Vale players only to have the resultant cross blocked.

We certainly had serveral chances in the rest of the game, but the best one was falling to Burnett, when Dalton appeared beside him and put it into the stand.

There were several 'hot spots' in the match. Mainly involving tempers being lost, and pushes and shoves. But the ref declined to send any one off and apart from a few bookings to McCarthty and a couple of other players nothing really mattered.

Francis.
I noticed when the teams were introduced, the normal "No. 1 and still No.1" was skipped for him this week. Hopefully after yesterdays performance they'll put it back in, because without him it would have been a lot worse. --- 8/10

Jenkins
Given far too much to do by Williams, but having said that with a better ref I would have placed money on an early shower for Steve but as it was he didn't even get booked! --- 6/10

Cowan
There is a phrase about "can't cut the mustard" and he was guilty of a couple of appalling clearances and a bit if unaware if not inept defending. --- 5/10

Bullock
Spent most of his time too far up front, looking to start break away attacks, when he was really needed to help stop us being overrun in midfield. If he did have a hangover, he did well to head the ball as much as he did. Taken off at half time. 5/10

Sinnott & Gray.
This comes from writing the report the day after the night before, but I can't really remember anything good or horrendous that they did so I'll stick the with 6/10 each and if someone else can remember something then I'll stand corrected.

Makel
Pretty quiet but still showed himself to be capable of some great thinking. In the first half when he slipped the ball behind the defender, you just have to wonder "If it had been anyone apart from Williams.......". Would have been taken off through injury after about 65 mins, but all the subs were gone and he battled on even though at times it looked as though he could hardly walk let alone run. 6/10

Burnett
I'll criticise Hortons' tactics (or lack of them) till the cows come home. Getting Williams on loan has been a bad move. But lets not forget we got Burnett for 150,000. What a bargain. If he was out aswell as Stewart and Morrison, then we would have a problem. Town MOTM in my opinion. 8/10

Edwards
Pretty inconsequential in the great scheme of things. Did go through a purple patch where he was tackling everyone in sight, but other than that, seemed to be out of position for long periods. 5/10

Payton
I still don't know why Payton was taken off. My only thought (apart from "see Bullock") is that he had an injury. Half time was way to early to use two of the three subs with Williams still on the pitch. Pretty ineffectual but he was the main source of hope as far as attacking excitement was concerned (or just getting the ball into their half of the pitch) 6/10

Williams
I'll keep it short and sweet. He put in a good cross at the start of the half, and a won a corner and the end of the first half. Apart from that it was almost like playing 10 men against 11.5 Vale players. "Send him back"/10

Dalton
Apart from the bad miss in the last minute. Did pretty well when he came on. 6/10

Lawson
Maybe it was just me, but he didn't appear to be that effectual having been put on as a straight replacement for Payton. 5/10

Crosby
The guy made an effort, Ok?. He was running forward putting a couple of crosses in. Supporting the attacks. Tackling back to help Jenkins out inside the box. Ok, he may be getting on a bit, or not the best player in the world. But he is everything that Williams isn't or Williams can't be bothered to do. How Horton could leave Williams on the pitch for over an hour is beyond me. 7/10.

We've got a lot of problems at the moment. Not least of which is an injury crisis and an inability to score goals. Send Williams back. Put him on from the start and see what happens. If he's crap then he's crap. But with the team as it is at the moment, what have we go to lose. Might as well play someone who seems to want to play, like Burnett and Francis.