The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield 1-2 Wrexham
By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

29/11/04

Chris ArmstrongFALTERING Town have now reached a critical stage in the season.

Wrexham's first ever victory on Huddersfield soil has pushed Peter Jackson's side into the bottom half of the table and thrown up question marks about where they will go from here.

Town are still only four points off the play-off placings in a mega-tight League I table despite a run of six matches without a win.

However, they are only six points above the drop zone as teams below continue to eke out odd wins to condense the standings.

So, with only 10 points separating the play-off and relegation zones, Town cannot allow this miserable trot to fester much longer.

Sickeningly, Town now have as many home defeats as wins and that's a statistic which has to be put right if the club's rise with a promising young home-produced side isn't to wane after 18 months of hard graft and honest enterprise.

Saturday's showing against a workmanlike Wrexham certainly wasn't good enough.

Town's passing was pitiful and, despite the willing efforts of Chris Brandon, they were woefully second-best in midfield.

Darren Ferguson exposed that fact with clinical use of the ball which Town simply couldn't match.

He created the first goal on nine minutes for Andy Holt and then supplied the pass from which substitute Chris Armstrong earned and scored a very soft penalty as David Mirfin slid in just four minutes into the second half.

Town had been level at the break thanks to Danny Schofield's angled shot, which went in off the bar following a move involving the outstanding Nathan Clarke, the out-of-touch Pawel Abbott and Tony Carss, who was later switched from wing-back in an unsuccessful effort to spark something in midfield.

An early ankle injury to Andy Booth far from helped Town's cause because they sorely missed his ability to link the play and dominate in the air.

Abbott and substitute Junior Mendes couldn't do it, although the latter had chances which could have changed the whole tenor of the game.

Twice in two first-half minutes, keeper Matt Baker saved superbly from the Montserrat man who, in the second half, blazed high and wide from one of few clear openings.

Had any of those gone in, Town might even have won it - but they didn't deserve a point, to be fair, against a Wrexham side who battled out the final seven minutes with 10 men after substitute Hector Sam was sent-off for stamping on Jon Worthington.

With Steve Yates injured, Rob Edwards and Nat Brown were sent on to try and lift Town's game, leaving Lee Fowler's passing ability unused on the bench, and there were fleeting moments of hope as Brandon and Mirfin made excellent runs to pressure Denis Smith's defence.

It was hope, however, rather than belief that something was going to happen because Town - with Clarke and Brandon the exceptions - lacked any of the swagger which destroyed the likes of Hull and Port Vale.

Until they get more from the forwards and midfield - where passing and possession was abysmal and the major direction disappeared- it's going to be difficult to regain best form and sustain positive performances.