![Prost International [PINT]](https://prostinternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/PINTtFontLogoRoboto1536x78.jpg)
Darren Moore continued his search for a first win as Owls boss on Wednesday night as his side could only manage a point against Carlos Corberan’s possession dominant Terriers.
A brilliantly taken first half strike from Josh Windass wasn’t enough to secure the three points for the hosts, as substitute Callum Paterson stumbled the ball into his own net for a deserved Huddersfield equaliser with under 20 minutes to play.
The Terriers, who weren’t at their best by any stretch of the imagination on the night, managed 60% possession against a side who you could tell were second from bottom in their division.
Starved of attacking creativity throughout the season, Wednesday fans will be delighted to learn that former Manchester United starlet Ravel Morrison is now training with the Owls in a bid to boost their survival chances.
Captain Barry Bannan gave his all as expected, but couldn’t find a way through against a Town side that simply refused to be beaten. The result could’ve quickly changed however, with multiple strong penalty claims waved away by referee Robert Jones.
Despite a routine disappointment, Owls gaffer Darren Moore was in positive spirits about the result and displayed his optimism as the season draws to a close.
“You can’t knock the boys for their effort or their desire,” he said. “We’re disappointed to come away with a point but I thought we defended resolutely and I thought we might get a couple more opportunities to score.”
In spite of their significant improvements since Moore took charge, Wednesday remain nine points adrift of safety – and face a race against time to secure Championship survival.
The former West Brom boss reverted to a back five against Huddersfield, setting up in a 3-4-3 formation; inviting substantial amounts of pressure upon his backline as the visitors charged forward.
The first-half can be seen as a definite win for Wednesday, with the game-plan executed perfectly – play a low-block and hit them on the counter, which is exactly how the opening goal came about.
Town boss Carlos Corberan applauded the effectiveness of the low-block however, stating it wasn’t easy to play against such a system.
“It wasn’t easy because they defended close to their box and were very compact,” said Corberan. “The low block was very difficult to open. When they scored the goal they started to go into a low block and made it harder for us to change the game.”
Jordan Rhodes has looked off the pace this season, to put it nicely, but a flash of brilliance from the 31-year-old was instrumental in Windass’ well-taken finish.
The former Rangers man’s strike put him level with Callum Patterson as the Owls’ top scorer this campaign, with seven each to their names. Regardless, the fact their top scorer only has seven goals raises alarm bells in itself.
Unfortunately for the home side however, they didn’t appear to have the attacking quality to score again on the occasion, despite a great chance that fell for Callum Paterson to redeem himself in the closing minutes.
Huddersfield extended their unbeaten run to four games, and have taken nine points from their last seven games. A different result could’ve come about if Yaya Sanogo started from the whistle, but wasn’t cleared fit enough and entered the pitch with half an hour to play.
The former Arsenal striker’s commanding presence in the box was what led to the equaliser, forcing Keiren Westwood to parry his effort straight into the path of Paterson for an own goal.
As the business end of the season approaches, it’s no secret that both sides will have to step up their games in order to guarantee survival in England’s second tier.
Wednesday travel to high-flying Barnsley at the weekend who have remarkably creeped up into the Play-Off spots, while Town host fellow Play-Off competitors Brentford in Saturday’s early kick-off.
