Huddersfield Town

Town burst out of the blocks and went ahead with Danny Ward’s goal after just 47 seconds, but had to dig in against a good County side as they tried to find a way back into the game. 

“I thought we started the game brilliantly – we came out of the traps in lively fashion and for the first 20 minutes I thought we were outstanding,” Keith told htafc.com.  

“The game then descended into a bit of a scrappy pattern, but the lads showed real resilience and great character. For all the possession Derby had in the second-half, I don’t think they troubled Alex Smithies too much.”

Ward’s goal came about through a great bit of wing play from new boy Adam Hammill and Keith – who knows the Wolves loanee from a previous spell together at Blackpool – knows exactly what he is capable of.

“I’ve known Adam for a long time. He is a lovely kid and he just needs to be encouraged and nurtured. The Gaffer knows him from his time at Blackpool, just like I do, and I think that was a big deal in the Club coming here. He’s got all the ability in the world, he’s only 24 years old and I know things haven’t quite worked out for him as he would have liked at Wolves, but he’s got many years ahead of him.”

Former Blackpool midfielder Southern excelled in the game, breaking up play and keeping possession in the engine room as Derby pressed.  

“I don’t mind that scrappy side of the game. This is a really tough League and you need to dig in, roll your sleeves up and grind the points out. I thought we deserved it today; to a man we were excellent. 

“Any decent side is built on a platform of clean sheets and we’ve got a couple already this season. That’s what we have to do week in, week out. We have to come off the pitch totally shattered and sweating for the cause; if we do, I’m sure we’ll finish in a respectable position. Anything below those standards today and we’ll get turned over – it’s as simple as that. 

“Every game in this League is tough. Today was a good benchmark as they are a decent side – they’ve come here on the back of a 5-1 win – but I thought our lads stood up to the test brilliantly. We’ve had a tough start on paper with the fixtures, but hopefully we can build on this now.” 

The 31 year-old has improved game on game for the Terriers since his summer move, but admitted the big pitch at Town’s home has taken a bit of getting used to!

“If I’d joined Huddersfield 10 years ago, I’m not sure I’d still be playing now! It’s a hell of a pitch to be honest, but I’ve got some legs alongside me and I’m probably as fit as I have been in my career. 

“I’m enjoying it here – it’s given me a new lease of life. This is a good club with good people. 

“The potential at this football club is frightening, on and off the pitch – who knows what we can achieve this season? However, we can’t get carried away. We are on a nice little unbeaten run, but we have two really tough away games coming up; we have to keep our feet on the ground and see where we are in a couple of weeks.”

Next up for Southern and co is an equally tough trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday night.

“We’ll go to Hillsborough on Wednesday and we’ll have to grind it out again; hopefully we can get another three points.

 

“We’ve not won away from home this season – we are only a couple of games into it though. Your home form is vital if you are going to achieve anything, whether that is just staying in the League or threatening the Play-Offs, and we are building a little bit of momentum.”