By Nathan Findlay –
Are Huddersfield Town going to survive the drop? Two games to go for the Terriers and the space above the bottom of the table is getting tighter every week.
Huddersfield’s loss to Blackburn Rovers at the weekend now leaves them in an even tougher position to secure safety.
Town currently sit 20th in the Championship table. They have a total of 47 points, still only eight above relegation. This position would feel a lot better for Huddersfield if Rotherham did not have two games in hand.
All of the frustration of this season was almost perfectly encapsulated by the Terriers 5-2 loss to Blackburn Rovers this past weekend.
Match Highlights
The game was disappointing, to say the least. Blackburn opened the game with an early goal from Adam Armstrong, who I pointed out in the preview as the one to watch.
They followed up with another goal not long after coming in around midway through the first half. Huddersfield were gifted a goal back just before half time, however, after an own goal by Ryan Nyambe.
Alas, in what is becoming a tale as old as time for Huddersfield this season, we saw Blackburn pick right back up after half time and the Rovers managed to blast another three into the net in quick succession, with Armstrong completing his hattrick.
At this point, the game felt like simply another learning curve for Huddersfield, something that desperately needs to be sorted out after the season finishes. Making sure that you do not just drop off as a team because you are one goal behind is something the Terriers must work on.
Goals
(BLA) Adam Armstrong | Goal 8’
(BLA) Ben Brereton | Goal 22’
(HUD) Ryan Nyambe | Own Goal 45’
Half time – 2-1
(BLA) Adam Armstrong | Goal 54’
(BLA) Sam Gallagher | Goal 57’
(BLA) Adam Armstrong | Goal 60’
(HUD) Josh Koroma | Goal 82’
Final Score | Blackburn 5-2 Huddersfield
Post-Match Thoughts
After looking at the game, this is extremely disappointing. Blackburn is a remarkably close side to Huddersfield and on paper, and there is not much between the two teams, so for Huddersfield to lose 5-2 is incredibly frustrating. I mentioned after the loss against Barnsley that Huddersfield players seem to drop their heads after going down by a goal, which the Terriers need to improve on for the next season.
The stats from the game reflect the final score, and rightly so. Blackburn had a total of 16 shots, 12 on target, compared to Huddersfield’s eight shots with only one on target. From just this alone, we can see that this performance from Huddersfield was nowhere near good enough and if they’re looking to survive this season, they need to start improving.
Next Game: Huddersfield Town v Coventry City F.C.
Huddersfield will be playing Coventry City in their next game. It is Huddersfield’s penultimate game before the end of the 20/21 season and it will be another tough match for them.
In the Championship, currently, we have the automatic promotion slots set alongside the playoff positions set.
So, for all the teams guaranteed safety from relegation, there is not much to play for apart from bragging rights. It will also be an opportunity for these teams to give other players a run out onto the pitch and give them some game time and experience.
On the other hand, we have the lower end of the table, where everything starts to get tense. There are a lot of teams that are close together and there aren’t many games to go. Huddersfield and most other teams have two games left to go. Huddersfield’s target now is to get a win or, at the worst, a point out of these last two games.
Coventry City is only one place above Huddersfield Town, so I’m sure that this will be an interesting game between the two teams.