Huddersfield Town were held to a 1-1 draw by Swansea City in the Sky Bet Championship on Tuesday evening.
The Terriers were the better of the sides for the majority of the game but Karlan Grant had to draw Town level shortly before half-time after Jay Fulton’s opener for the Swans. Trevoh Chalobah was sent off late on as the sides couldn’t be separated at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Town Manager Danny Cowley named an unchanged squad from the one that drew 1-1 at home to Birmingham City on Saturday.
It meant that the same starting XI took to the pitch for Town on a chilly evening at the John Smith’s Stadium. That familiarity showed inside two minutes as Elias Kachunga found Trevoh Chalobah who forced Swansea ‘keeper Freddie Woodman into action early, tipping the midfielder’s effort over the bar.
The visitors’ first threat at getting an opener came with a succession of corners on 18 minutes. After the first one was cleared behind, the second fell to Swansea midfielder Jay Fulton who fired his strike past Kamil Grabara at the near post to give the Swans the lead.
Having gone ahead moments earlier, the visitors nearly had a moment to forget at the back. Fraizer Campbell pressed Freddie Woodman and got close enough to slide for the ball but despite making contact, it rolled wide of the goal.
If anything, it was a statement of intent from Town. Danny Cowley talked in his match day programme notes about Town needing everyone to contribute for the team to be successful and that was evident as Town pressed high to win the ball back midway through the first-half, but Elias Kachunga’s low cross from the right was blocked and cleared.
Both sides continued to battle in what was turning into a physical encounter. A Town free-kick on the left side of the area was worked short and came to Alex Pritchard who fired towards the goal, only for his strike to deflect off Christopher Schindler and fall to Karlan Grant who tucked the ball into the bottom corner to level the game and go into double figures for the season on 41 minutes.
The goal ensured Town deservedly went in level at the break. Straight after the interval, Jon Gorenc Stanković made a good block to help deny a goal at one end, before another tip over the bar from Freddie Woodman stopped Alex Pritchard’s free-kick putting Town ahead.
Danny Cowley’s side continued to play with the momentum and were inches away from going ahead on 66 minutes. A Swansea clearance fell to Juninho Bacuna on the right side of the box, the midfielder connected sweetly, firing just wide of the goal and a whisker away from the head of Fraizer Campbell.
The John Smith’s Stadium was rallying behind Town in search of the go-ahead goal, with the atmosphere increasing as the game went on. Alex Pritchard was the next to go closest, seeing his curling effort from the edge of the box parried away on the dive by Freddie Woodman.
Swansea had soaked up the pressure for most of the half and went in search of their own winner late on, but Town ‘keeper Kamil Grabara, who had been kept relatively quiet throughout the night, was alert to stretch out his foot to make a good save.
The attention quickly turned back down the other end, but it wasn’t good for Town, as an off-the-ball altercation between Trevoh Chalobah and George Byers saw the former shown a red card and the Terriers reduced to 10 men for the final four minutes of normal time.
Danny Cowley swiftly moved to bring on Florent Hadergjonaj for goal-scorer Karlan Grant in an attempt to hold on to a point with a player less. It didn’t stop the Terriers from venturing forward in the closing minutes but neither side could get a late winner as the sides shared the points at the John Smith’s Stadium.
Next up for Town is a trip down to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday 30 November 2019; 3pm kick-off.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-2-3-1)
Kamil Grabara; Lewis O’Brien, Jon Gorenc Stanković, Christopher Schindler (c), Juninho Bacuna; Jonathan Hogg, Trevoh Chalobah; Karlan Grant (Florent Hadergjonaj, 87’), Alex Pritchard (Adama Diakhaby, 79’), Elias Kachunga; Fraizer Campbell (Steve Mounié, 70’)
Unused subs
Joel Coleman, Terence Kongolo, Josh Koroma, Matty Daly
SWANSEA CITY (4-2-3-1)
Freddie Woodman; Jake Bidwell, Mike van der Hoorn (Ben Cabango, 46’), Ben Wilmot, Connor Roberts; Matt Grimes, Jay Fulton; Kristoffer Peterson (Sam Surridge, 68’), Bersant Celina (George Byers, 61’), André Ayew; Borja Bastón
Unused subs
Kristoffer Nordfeldt, Barrie McKay, Yan Dhanda, Kyle Naughton
REFEREE
Jarred Gillett
GATE
20,062
