B Team defeated away in the Central League
- Fleetwood Town 1-0 Huddersfield Town B Team
- Mustapha Olagunju returned after lengthy injury
- Next play Sheffield United on Friday 24 February at 1pm
Huddersfield Town’s B Team were defeated on the road by Fleetwood Town on Tuesday afternoon in the Central League.
After their narrow defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, the Young Terriers arrived on the West Coast with good energy and despite the result, they looked very strong.
Up against an experienced Fleetwood Town team, the youngsters did well to maintain majority of the possession in the first half, although neither side had a real chance on goal.
The Terriers were awarded their fair share of corners in the first 45 minutes, which started with the opening corner of the game in the seventh minute after Kian Harratt applied the pressure to force the defender into conceding a corner, but the Fleetwood put their players inside the box and they defended well to clear the ball.
Kyle Hudlin did well in the lead up to the second corner as he got into space on the side of the box and went to cross the ball into the box where Harratt was waiting for delivery. The cross took multiple deflections and went out; the set piece was taken quickly by Tom Iorpenda, but then headed out for a second successive corner, which was then cleared.
The first opportunity with the ball for Fleetwood came in the 15th minute when Darnell Johnson sent a long ball from the back line as he aimed to find Mikey Lane, but there was too much power behind the ball and it was scooped up by Michael Acquah.
Town went back to basics and played out from the back, which allowed Omari Mrisho to carry the ball down the right to the side of the box, which forced another corner out of Fleetwood. Despite a leaping Harratt inside the box, this set piece was cleared and put back into open play.
In the midfield, Myles Bright did well to take the ball from the feet of Akiel Raffie and sent a through ball to Mrisho, but his attempted cross ricocheted out for a Town throw in.
Town started the second half with the same spirit and effort as the first as Brodie carried the ball down the middle of the pitch, all the way to the box – but his through ball to Harratt came too late and the running striker was caught offside.
The first key chance for either side fell to Town in the 55th minute after a lovely long diagonal ball from Iorpenda to Harratt, who was running into the box. Harratt dribbled the ball that he controlled brilliantly into the box and took his shot, but Luc Rees got low, made the save and denied Town the opener.
Fleetwood were awarded a free kick in the 59th minute, which lead to the goal being scored in the 60th minute. Bright fouled Max McMillan in Fleetwood’s attacking half and the set piece found the head of Nathan Pond in the box and went into the back of the net.
Mustapha Olagunju made his first appearance in 20 months, following a lengthy knee injury, when he came on in the 73rd minute to replace Mrisho – it was good to see him back involved!
Within the first six minutes of Olagunju being on the pitch, he was involved in another great chance for Town as they looked to equalise. The defender controlled a high ball well and carried it to the halfway line, before he sent the ball to Cian Phillpott, who then crossed it to Harratt before the Fleetwood ‘keeper made the save.
The last action of the game was the same as the first, Town were awarded a corner as Hudlin and substitute Donay O’Brien-Brady worked together by the flag and forced the defender into knocking the ball out. The set piece found the head of Hudlin by the far post in the box, but the ball went just wide of the net – that was the final chance for Town to equalise.
Our Young Terriers are back in action on Friday 24 February in a 1pm kick-off at the Millers Oils High Performance Complex, when they host Sheffield United in a friendly.
Town’s Team (4-2-3-1)
Michael Acquah; Omari Mrisho (Mustapha Olagunju, 73’), Brodie Spencer (c), David Adewoju, Luke Daley; Tom Iorpenda, Dan Vost; Kian Harratt (Conor Falls, 90+2), Myles Bright, Cian Philpott (Donay O’Brien-Brady, 81’); Kyle Hudlin
Unused Subs
Michael Roxburgh, Michael Stone
