Chris delighted with second half showing vs Bolton
- Chris Powell reviews 4-1 home win over Bolton
- Manager delighted with the second half performance
- Chris praises several players in wake of win
Huddersfield Town Manager Chris Powell was a happy man after his side put in a great second half performance to beat Bolton Wanderers 4-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium this afternoon.
Town fell behind inside three minutes to a Liam Feeney strike, but rallied to run out as comprehensive winners.
“I’ll get this out of the way first – I wasn’t happy about the goal we conceded!” Chris admitted after the game.
“At Championship level, you very rarely string a total 90 minute performance together, but I think I got 85 out of them today. The start rocked the whole stadium, but I thought the response was good. That was even in the first half when we had one or two opportunities; that wasn’t how we really want to play at home, but the signs were there.
“The first goal was well worked between Harry Bunn and Emyr (Huws); it was a set play move we have worked on. That gave us a lift, but I also lifted them at half time in a bit of an ‘old school’ fashion; you can imagine what that was!
“We played a bit slowly and we are better when we’re quicker, as we saw on Tuesday and for a lot of today. The response from them was first class. It finished 4-1 and it could – and maybe should – have quite easily been more. Nahki came on at the end and could have got two goals.
“I thought the whole team structure was good. Harry played just off Ishmael to pick up balls from him in good areas, whilst Muzzy and Sean could get up and down the flanks to get up the pitch. That allowed us to create and score the goals we did.
“Our fans want to see application in a committed performance in every game, but I know they want to see skill too. We didn’t give it to them enough in the first half, but we certainly did in the second.
“It’s a very good day for us. We got confidence from the performance on Tuesday and I’ve been telling them it was all about back-to-back wins. We wanted to win the football match and if we could do it in an entertaining way, then fine. Ultimately, we need wins.”
Powell was particularly happy with his central midfield duo; Captain Dean Whitehead and Emyr Huws, who grabbed two goals on his home debut:
“I thought Dean Whitehead was terrific again today; he led by example and allowed the likes of Bunny and Muzzy to play.
“Emyr is my sort of midfielder. He has good balance; an eye for a pass; he wants the ball; wants to get in the box and doesn’t shirk his responsibilities. He’s got a great left foot and we’ll see goals from distance from him. He’s a good player.
“He caught my eye a few years back when he played against my Charlton side for Birmingham and when it didn’t really work out at Wigan, we were looking for an opportunity. We targeted him and managed to get him.
“He’s working his way back to fitness and the original idea was to give him 15 minutes at Charlton and maybe half an hour today. In the end he made his debut at Cardiff and played a half on Tuesday. The plan was to get an hour today, but he looked fine and wanted to continue.”
The Manager was also full of praise for striker Ishmael Miller:
“I wouldn’t want to be a centre back playing against Ishmael at the moment. He’s been terrific for us. He’s led the line and I wanted him to get his goal today. We must remember that he’s playing catch-up fitness wise, but his contribution is appreciated by me and his teammates. We know he is a good focal point and at the moment he has the shirt. We’re playing in this way because we feel it is right for us.”
Another player to score on his full home debut was winger Mustapha Carayol and Chris praised his reaction after a talking-to during the half time interval:
“He gave me a lot more in the second half, but I can tell you there would have been changes if Emyr hadn’t scored the goal before half time. I told him and Jason Davidson that and they responded magnificently.
“Muzzy will infuriate at times, as wingers do, but there are other times when he will leave you panting for more. I will always tell the likes of Muzzy, Harry (Bunn), Sean Scannell and Joe Lolley to take people on, but they have to choose the right time to do it.
“He’s another player working back to fitness; he hasn’t played 90 minutes for a long while.
“I’ve always had belief in the players; if they get to anywhere near their full potential, they can be a force. They know they have the quality, but they have to apply themselves and do all the things in a game before you can really express yourself. They want to do the best they can.
“We’re trying to get the right blend and we’ve tried different players and formations. I have some good personalities in the group and this group of players will do well for this football club.”
Now the Manager and his squad must quickly look forward to Thursday night’s home game against Nottingham Forest:
“I will enjoy this moment and I want our fans and players to also. We’re not going to get carried away, even though this home win was long overdue. We have to do the right things before we play again on Thursday. It’s a bit of an odd day, but we have to be ready for it and carry on in the same vein.
“It is unusual to be playing on a Thursday on TV, but we’ll get on with it. We’ll prepare correctly this week and we’ll make sure the boys are rested up so they can come out of the blocks and give Forest a game.
“There’s a long way to go. We’re eight games down now and we have a couple of wins. Maybe it should have been more, but we’ll carry on doing exactly this and see where it takes us.”
