Late penalty for home side undoes great work from Huddersfield Town on the road
- Bristol City 1-1 Huddersfield Town
- Josh Koroma opens scoring for Town
- Wells equalises from penalty spot in injury time
Despite a fighting performance that saw the Terriers 1-0 up heading into second half injury time, a late equaliser via the penalty spot for Bristol City took two vitally important points away from Town.
Despite being played at a good pace and intensity, it was a first half largely without incident or note, with the Terriers profligacy in front of goal the only takeaway going into the break.
Creating a first opening inside five minutes, it was Josh Koroma’s clever flick on the right wing that created space for Brodie Spencer to sprint into, but the Northern Ireland international overplayed a through ball in behind, and the home side were let off with a goal kick.
Breaking into the box with 10 minutes played, it was Delano Burgzorg who found room on the right to create problems. Cutting back into space with Rudoni and Koroma streaming into the box, the ball was behind them both, and the home side were able to hurry it clear.
Making more problems down the right, another ball to Burgzorg allowed him to beat one before laying-off to David Kasumu on the edge of the box in space to bring the midfielder into play. Shooting after taking a touch, his effort smacked off a helpless Jack Rudoni, bouncing favourably out of play for the home side.
Remaining in the thick of the attacking action, it was Burgzorg’s turn to shoot next, with Sorba Thomas finding space on the wing to provide a low cross into the box. Working harder than the defender to get him boot to the bouncing ball first, Town’s seven was at full stretch and couldn’t control his touch, turning the ball over the bar.
Getting bodies forward, Sorba Thomas created more problems with his delivery from the right shortly after. This time lofting a ball toward the far post, Brodie Spencer rushed in late at pace to meet it, rising high enough to graze the ball with his forehead, but not making the contact required to turn the effort on target.
Delano Burgzorg remained instrumental as the half continued, and was involved twice more in quick succession. The first, working in combination with Koroma, saw him cut back from the left with nobody in position to capitalise, before his hard work pressing almost caught goalkeeper O’Leary in possession on his own goal line, before he scrambled clear at the final second.
Still pushing, Alex Matos saw a right footed half volley fly just wide following a corner before Josh Koroma had a great chance after Burgzorg’s clever flick gave him a run through on goal with a defender for company. Eventually beating his man after holding him off well, Koroma shot across goal with his left and saw the effort deflected out for a corner, which was defended well.
No changes came at half-time for either side, but Bristol City showed an impetus that evaded them in the first half, playing the ball forward with more pace and purpose. Defending excellently, Town diffused that early spell of pressure and began to reply with their own attacks when the game began to open in their favour, showing a game understanding and management that had cost them in midweek at Deepdale.
Despite both side stretching play, the first chance of note didn’t land until minute 70, with Jack Rudoni firing wide. Alex Matos won the ball back high and beat a man down the dead ball line before feeding Rudoni in the area, but his right footed effort across goal rolled past the wrong side of the upright. Pushing high after winning the ball back seconds later, Josh Koroma almost opened the scoring with an audacious scorpion kick, but the goalkeeper was well positioned to save it.
Koroma would get only more involved from then on, with one run down the left almost giving Thomas an opener of his own. Finding his fellow winger central in space, he carried the ball into the box before firing, with his effort saved well by the goalkeeper, who turned it behind for a goal kick. Putting more bodies in the box soon after, that’s when Koroma would make his most telling contribution of the afternoon.
Fizzed across by Rudoni via the heel of a Bristol City defender, his ball from right to left landed perfectly for Koroma to strike first time from close range, who made no mistake with his right foot, sending 816 Terriers behind the goal into raptures.
Defending excellently and still attacking with the game becoming more stretched, the referee made a decision to award a penalty with over 100 minutes on the clock, having judged Ollie Turton to have handled while blocking a cross. With all protests waved away, former Town forward Wells stepped up to equalise, with the full-time whistle blown moments later once play had resumed.
TOWN’S TEAM (4-2-3-1)
Lee Nicholls; Matty Pearson, Michał Helik, Tom Lees, Brodie Spencer; David Kasumu, Alex Matos; Sorba Thomas, Jack Rudoni, Josh Koroma; Delano Burgzorg
UNUSED SUBSTITUTES
Chris Maxwell; Bojan Radulovic, Jaheim Headley, Tom Edwards, Ollie Turton, Ben Wiles, Danny Ward, Ben Jackson, Rhys Healey
TOWN GOAL
Josh Koroma 81'
TOWN CARDS
Brodie Spencer 7', Alex Matos 12', Michał Helik 42', Matty Pearson 71', Ollie Turton 90+9', Jack Rudoni 90+10', Lee Nicholls 90+10'
GATE
21,003 (816)
