Saturday 24 August 2013

Huddersfield give Cherries another horrible away day

Match Description
Huddersfield Town 5 V 1 AFCB
24 August 2013
Attendance 12,025 (including 335 away fans)

AFCB made two changes to last game with Tommy Elphick and Andrew Surman coming back into the side, while Pugh dropped to the bench and Elliott Ward was not even named in the 18-man squad, as he rushed back to be at his wife's side as she went into labour. The change in the back line looks like it made a mess of Howe's pre-match game tactics, because the Cherries were to be 3 down by half time, despite having some good early spells of possession. At the moment it is not happening on the road and that is a big problem if it starts to affect home form as well. 

There was some discussion BBC Radio Solent as to whether Bournemouth would start 3-5-2 to match up to Huddersfield expected line up, but 4-4-2 looked most likely with Surman playing on the right wing. I wondered if Pugh was feeling an injury or if Surman was preferred for some reason for this game with Fraser starting on the left. 

Match description of BBC radio Solent commentary

The John Smith's stadium as it is now called welcomed some 300 AFCB fans according to the official clubs Live blog. Huddersfield won an early corner with Harte conceding the corner and Hammill had the first shot on goal that Allsop did well to hang on to.  

Huddersfield kept the ball well at the start, but Cook and MacDonald started to get involved and before long Pitman and Fraser got involved. Arter then tried to get on the end of a Fraser move but headed over. Patterson and Hammill set up a chance which Surman broke up tracking back.


Clayton was caught by Pitman who received a yellow card. On nine minutes Fraser, Surman and Pitman almost made an opening but it was deflected for a corner. The AFCB trademark step over move came to Francis but it was blocked.

The atmosphere was said to be very quiet, a strange atmosphere but the Cherries seemed to be thriving on the support they had. AFCB had seen most of the ball in the first 12 minutes. While Huddersfield asked for a penalty against Surman that was not given, Adam Hammill managed to do some fast step overs running into the right side of the penalty area and dazzled three AFCB players, before scoring for Huddersfield in the bottom corner. 1:0 to the Terriers on 14 minutes.

Carroll and Patterson linked up and Francis was next to give away a corner as the Cherries came under more pressure on 17 minutes. The Cherries got the ball away and Surman countered. Grabban looked for Pitman, but his shot was blocked. Fraser's low cross was also cleared.

Paterson then clattered in Fraser and picked up a yellow card. Fraser's cross was met by Grabban, but he headed right at the keeper when a powerful header could have brought the scores level.

Clayton tried to pass Vaughan through but Elphick cut it out. Harte was having one of those games where he put the ball straight out for a throw! Arter was not seeing that much of the ball and his influence would be needed if AFCB were going to get something from this game. Norwood was playing well for Huddersfield and the right side of the pitch was where Huddersfield were doing well.

Francis gave the ball away, but Surman got hold of it again looking for Harte and then Fraser who crossed. Bournemouth retained possession with Francis and Surman but it was sideways play. Arter now swung the ball in but it was too strong for Francis and was over hit.

Arter tried to beat a few players but lost the ball and Huddersfield were on the attack. Elphick gave away a free kick on half way. Hammill left Harte behind and had a shot but Allsop coped with it well. Allsop next gave a corner away when he came out then stopped for a long ball from Vaughan and got away with perhaps a poor decision. Allsop then saved another shot from Hogg that was a great save. Huddersfield were well on top now after 31 minutes with the crowd getting behind them.

Grabban had a shot deflected with the keeper scrambling. Another corner left footed from Surman, aimed towards the near post. Arter picked up the pieces and won another corner with Pitman. Norwood stopped Arter's effort. Cook stayed forward, Grabban mis-kicked when he had a good chance dribbling through, Arter then failed to weave a way through. 

Hammill floated a ball in and it was defended by AFCB for a corner. Hammill then crossed for Vaughan who headed in nine minutes before half time to make it 2:0. AFCB were left flat footed with Allsop having no chance.

AFCB have been looking like they have been struggling to find their shape and not really getting into the game, according to BBC Solent. AFCB now had to be resilient, 2:0 down and half time would be bad enough.

But Patterson played through Vaughan on 41 minutes, straight between the centre halves and Vaughan put it past Allsop for 3:0! This was now really worrying considering what had happened at Watford.

So at half time it was 3:0. Eddie Howe really needed a big half time talk and perhaps there would be a change in personnel.

The Second half
AFCB made a change with Surman being replaced by O'Kane at half time. Grabban was put on the right with Pitman the lone striker. Vaughan got in early behind Elphick and almost made it four. 

O'Kane and Fraser took up the battle again. Vaughan's free kick was fed over to Hammill and then Hog and Hammill down the right into the penalty area where Paterson tried to get on the end of it. Fraser was now on the right hand side. Arter still was not playing well and put the ball straight out.

O'Kane was starting to get involved since coming on. Francis and Grabban were also working better. Arter picked up the ball in the D, but O'Kane makes a mistake and Hogg and Clayton clear. Harte crossed to Grabban and Pitman but again the ball did not fall for the Cherries.

Fraser passed to Pitman and Gerrard put it out for a corner. Harte's in swinger is powerfully headed away. BBC Solent's Willo said we had started "much brighter" in the second half, but with 10 minutes of the second half gone it was still 3:0.

Fraser was clipping in crosses but Smithie collected well. Marc Pugh was limbering up and about to come on. Hammill and Paterson interchange and crossed to the far post. Carroll was fouled by Francis and the referee gave a penalty to Huiddersfield. Vaughan was to take the kick and while Allsop got a hand to it the ball went in to make it 4:0 on 57 minutes. That was Vaughan's hat-trick!

Marc Pugh then came on after 58 minutes and Pitman was taken off. That is now 10 goals conceded for AFCB away from home this season. O'Kane was down injured and received attention, but Hughes had to come on for him.

Pugh's first touch wins a free kick. Ian Harte crossed to Cook but it went out for a throw. Cook crosses to Pugh but Smithies collected the ball. Elphick and Vauhan then tangled and the free kick went Huddersfield's way. Hammill delivered it but Hughes and Francis cleared.

MacDonald then got tripped by Hogg. Ian Harte fired in the ball with Elphick ending up in the net, bit not the ball. Grabban passed to Pugh who came in field. Francis crossed and Pugh got between two defenders to get Bournemouth on the score sheet 4:1. A nice little brave header after 68 minutes.

Hughes celebrates in the next minute by taking down Norwood who was given a yellow card. With 20 minutes left Lynch played a long back pass. It looks like Huddersfield were settling for the current score line.

Grabban caught Gerrard on the ball but Hughes gave the ball back. Hogg and Vaughan then started to play the ball around much to the home crowd's delight. With just 16 minutes to go MacDonald found Francis and Fraser crossed for Clarke to clear. Fraser tried again and won a corner, but Harte puts it straight out on the full.

Callum Woods came on for Gerrard on 76 minutes as Huddersfield go to a back four. Pugh nicks the ball for Grabban who shot but it was deflected and the keeper saved.

Arter gave the ball away and Hogg found Adam Clayton who smashed another shot in for 5:1 , from 35 yards out into the top corner. Another trouncing! The nature of the goals were not that bad though, says Willo.

Huddersfield then brought on Stead for Vaughan and Paterson came off for Scannell. The Huddersfield keeper heads it away after close attention from Ryan Fraser. Jonathan Stead then blasted his shot over the bar.

MacDonald intercepts and passes to Arter, but Pugh was out fought on the wing. Hughes played the ball behind Cook when he was not under pressure. That kind of sums up AFCB's afternoon. Half of the Cherries support has already left with five minutes of normal time to go.

Grabban was still running hard. James Vaughan picked up the man of the match as the hat-trick hero.  Huddersfield almost made it six when Norwood had a header that mercifully went wide. Allsop did not come for the ball when perhaps he could have done.

Summary
A tough weekend and bouncing back after these kind of away defeats every week. The Trotters scored in several different ways which is a worry and while they have a million pound striker they are not seen as a front runner for promotion. Eddie and Jason have lots of work to do again and the difficult of this league has been shown again. I am sure Eddie will have something to say about not being able to set up the team in quite the way he wanted to but it sounds like too many players are not doing their job away from home, closing down players and stopping dangerous balls before it is too late. 

AFCB starting XI
Allsop, Francis, Cook, Elphick (c), Harte, Fraser, Arter, MacDonald, Surman (45 O'Kane, 61 Hughes), Grabban, Pitman (58 Pugh).

AFCB Subs
Flahavan, Daniels, Hughes, Pugh, Thomas, Addisson, O'Kane.

Huddersfield Town starting XI
Smithies,  Lynch, Clarke (c), Hammill, Gerrard (76 Woods), Norwood, Carroll, Clayton, Hogg, Paterson (80 Scannell), Vaughan (80 Stead).

Huddersfield Subs
Bennett, Hunt, Woods, Gobern, Ward, Scannell, Stead.

Referee Darren Bond.

No comments:

Post a Comment

tag: