Huddersfield Town played out a 0-0 draw with Coventry City at the St Andrew’s Trillion Trophy Stadium.
Isaac Mbenza came closest for Town, hitting the side-netting after going round the Coventry goalkeeper in the first half, but the points were shared in the Sky Bet Championship meeting with the Sky Blues.
Carlos Corberán made six changes to the Town side as the Terriers looked to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat, in the Midlands.
Among those was Ryan Schofield who came in to take the gloves in goal whilst Jonathan Hogg returned from injury to captain the side.
Returning to St Andrew’s for the third time in 2020, it was the Terriers who registered the game’s first clear-cut chance.
Sporting the Kirkwood Hospice logo on their red away shirts, Town went close through Isaac Mbenza who forced Coventry ‘keeper Ben Wilson into a low diving save to deny his curling effort that was angling for the corner.
At the other end, the hosts crafted out their first real opening on goal swiftly after. Coming on the counter, Gustavo Hamer powered forward before firing over the crossbar on the run.
In what was turning into an end-to-end affair inside the opening 20 minutes after a relatively quiet start initially, Mbenza again was in on goal and probably should have scored.
The forward had the option to square it to Juninho Bacuna but instead went alone and around the goalkeeper before hitting the side-netting with his shot.
That flurry of chances as the game approached the midway point in the half was followed by a period in which the sides cancelled each other out at St Andrew’s.
In the minutes before the break, the hosts’ Jamie Allen produced a good save out of Ryan Schofield from long-range, with the ‘keeper getting down well to keep the effort out on his return to the starting XI.
Having gone into the break deadlocked, the encounter remained tightly fought with chances hard to come by again early in the half.
Despite Town having the majority of the ball, the hosts were continuing to frustrate the Terriers with a structured defensive shape when out of possession.
Having absorbed the majority of the game’s pressure in the second 45, it was the hosts who were just inches away from taking the lead as the contest entered its closing stages.
Rarmani Edmonds-Green superbly cleared the ball off the line after Fankaty Dabo had won the ball off Harry Toffolo high up the pitch.
That opportunity at one end was the catalyst for Town’s best of the half soon after on the attack. Determined work from Carel Eiting worked a chance on goal for substitute Alex Pritchard who had his goal-bound effort parried away by Wilson.
They were the closest either side came to the all-important goal in the second 45 as the deadlock remained intact at the final whistle with the Terriers taking a point from the contest at St Andrew’s.
Next up for Town is a return to the John Smith’s Stadium to face Watford in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday 19 December 2020; 3pm kick-off.
COVENTRY CITY (3-4-2-1)
Ben Wilson; Dominic Hyam, Kyle McFadzean, Leo Skiri Østigård; Sam McCallum, Ben Sheaf, Gustavo Hamer, Fankaty Dabo (Julien Da Costa, 89'); Jamie Allen, Callum O'Hare (Ryan Giles, 89'); Tyler Walker (Maxime Biamou, 62')
Unused subs
Lee Camp; Josh Pask, Amadou Bakayoko, Jordan Shipley, Gervane Kastaneer, Will Bapaga
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN (4-3-1-2)
Ryan Schofield; Harry Toffolo, Naby Sarr, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Pipa; Jonathan Hogg (c), Lewis O’Brien, Carel Eiting; Juninho Bacuna (Alex Pritchard, 74’); Isaac Mbenza (Adama Diakhaby, 87’), Frazier Campbell
Unused subs
Joel Pereira; Álex Vallejo, Demeaco Duhaney, Romoney Crichlow, Jaden Brown, Aaron Rowe, Ben Jackson
REFEREE
Tim Robinson
