Thoroughly deserved 3-0 home win for Huddersfield Town thanks to Headley, Thomas and Burgzorg!
- Huddersfield Town 3-0 Blackburn Rovers
- Jaheim Headley puts Town ahead in first half
- Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg complete rout
Three goals and three points were just the belated Christmas present Town wanted, with Jaheim Headley, Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg extending the festive feeling in HD1 for a few more days at least!
Showing no signs of a post-Christmas slump, both sides traded half-chances in the opening five minutes, with Blackburn getting forward first through Szmodics looking for a one-two on the edge of the box, only for the return pass to be played heavy and out of play.
Playing with pace, Town almost caught their visitors on the break moments later. Jack Rudoni slipped Sorba Thomas away down the left from inside his own half, with the Welsh winger switching play to David Kasumu via a touch from Ben Wiles on the right wing midway into the attacking half. Crossing to the far post, Thomas was there again, but his swivelled half volley was much too much under the ball as he fired safely over.
Blackburn’s first shot on target came through Niall Ennis, but Chris Maxwell wasn’t troubled by the weak effort across goal from the right hand channel, gathering with ease. Looking to apply pressure, Town subjected Rovers to back-to-back corners, with the second headed goalward by Tom Lees who did well to rise highest. Bouncing into the ground before heading toward goal, Wahlstedt was well positioned between the sticks to claim.
It was the Terriers who came closest to opening the scoring in the early play, with Delano Burgzorg reaching into his bag of tricks to beat two defenders on the edge of the box with well disguised feints, before seeing a sharp shot blocked. Falling to Wiles, he couldn’t find the space to fire himself, playing Kasumu in on the right, with his low cross clipped goalward by Sorba Thomas - appearing to be tricking into the corner of the goal, Wahlstedt got down quickly to his left to claw the ball back off his own line.
Burgzorg showed his ability again after a short while on another charge into the box. Sitting one defender down with a Cruyff-turn, the body feinted past a second before firing into a third.
Building on that momentum, Town went forward down the right once more. Playing it quickly, Kasumu’s ball to Wiles was turned around the corner to Thomas, who played it wide again to Headley in space on the edge of the box. Taking a couple of touches to get it out of his feet before shooting, his effort seemed to go through the goalkeeper on the way to the back of the net, giving the Terriers a deserved lead.
Looking lively after the goal, Kasumu was the next to trouble the defence. Sprinting down the right, he knocked the ball cheekily past the full-back into the penalty area, chasing around him to try and claim. A split second late to regather possession, he blocked the clearance and kept Blackburn hemmed in until conceding a goal kick after the ball was kicked against him.
The first booking of the game went Blackburn’s way shortly after, with Carter cautioned for a cynical scything down of Delano Burgzorg who was on another race forward. Having found space and beaten a man, Burgzorg had clear room to travel into and looked certain to go through alone, only for Carter to lunge in desperately behind him and bring him down. A yellow card at least, the home support were of the opinion that the challenge may have deserved more.
Taking the resulting free-kick, Thomas found the head of Rudoni, but his effort was weak and claimed with easy by the Blackburn goalkeeper at the base of his upright.
A first half that had just about everything, Town were then forced into a change with 10 minutes of play before the break remaining. Rushing off his line to claim a through ball, Chris Maxwell dropped to his knee appearing to feel his hamstring, and was taken from the field after being assessed by the medical staff. Replaced by Jacob Chapman, he young Australian goalkeeper made both his Town and Sky Bet Championship debut from the bench as Lee Nicholls continued to be under concussion protocol.
The final meaningful moments of the first half, the referee blew his whistle after seven minutes of added time with Town taking the advantage into the break.
Clearly unhappy with the first half performance, Blackburn made two changes in the break with Tronstad and Moran making way for Travis and Garrett, who seemed to give the away side an added urgency in the few minutes after play resumed. Moving the ball much faster, Tom Lees was victim to one such move, booked for a slightly late challenge in midfield.
With the away side on top for the first five or so minutes of the half without creating a clear chance, Town stepped back into the contest. Flying forward as they did before the break, Sorba Thomas was away down the left and found David Kasumu free on the opposite side of the pitch. Taking a touch before shooting, the defence just got back in time to block before he could test the goalkeeper.
Making no mistake in their next venture forward, Sorba Thomas went from provider to scorer, with Delano Burgzorg laying one on for him on the break. Flying up the left, Burgzorg left the defence behind before raising his head to see Thomas alone in the centre, squaring perfectly for him to turn home first time, with the John Smith’s Stadium rapturous in response!
Making a double change, Moore introduced Josh Koroma and Loick Ayina from the bench, with the young French defender making his Sky Bet Championship debut. Coming on in place of Ben Wiles and Sorba Thomas, both men left the field to a huge ovation from the home supporters.
Not taking long to make an impression, Josh Koroma set up Delano Burgzorg to make in three with his first involvement of the game after Rudoni had battled for the ball back in the final third. Unselfishly laying the ball off to Burgzorg in the box after beating a defender, the Dutch forward’s strike was too powerful for Wahlstedt despite him getting a touch, with the crowd bouncing as the ball hit the back of the net.
The most comprehensive result and performance of the Moore era to date, Town managed the rest of the half professionally, only too aware that their next Sky Bet Championship outing was just three days away back here in HD1. Clapped and cheered from the field, the result takes the Terriers to within three points of today’s opponents.
TOWN’S TEAM (3-5-2)
Chris Maxwell (Jacob Chapman 41’); Tom Lees, Michał Helik, Yuta Nakayama; David Kasumu (Rarmani Edmonds-Green 78'), Ben Wiles (Loick Ayina 67'), Jonathan Hogg, Jack Rudoni, Jaheim Headley; Sorba Thomas (Josh Koroma 67'), Delano Burgzorg
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
Brahima Diarra, Kyle Hudlin, Josh Austerfield, Tom Iorpenda, Michael Stone
TOWN GOALS
Headley 29’
Sorba Thomas 55'
Delano Burgzorg 68'
TOWN BOOKINGS
Tom Lees 49'
GATE
20,516 (2,265)
Join us back home in HD1 for our final home game of 2023 on Friday 29 December for the visit of Middlesbrough. CLICK HERE to secure your seat!
