Stoke City and Huddersfield Town share the spoils in West Yorkshire

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Stoke City fell victim to poor officiating as they were held by Huddersfield Town.

The spoils were shared at The John Smith’s Stadium with Jacob Brown’s powerful 78th-minute strike cancelling out Josh Koroma’s speculative opener. The 23-year-old Terriers winger netted midway through the first period as his deflected effort sailed over Stoke shot-stopper Jack Bonham.

However, the goal did not come without controversy as the goalscorer was fortunate to still have been on the pitch. Minutes earlier, Koroma could have seen red as he was trying to chase an overhit Danny Ward pass when he planted his foot into the thigh of Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

Referee Gavin Ward became the centre of attention once more, denying Stoke a penalty after Tyrese Campbell was tripped by Tom Lees.

Despite the Potters’ misfortune, the hosts deserved their lead at the break as they piled on the pressure. Stoke were showing very few improvements from their lacklustre display at Coventry City on Tuesday, however, manager O’Neill uncharacteristically made three changes before 65 minutes had elapsed.

Joe Allen replaced Jordan Thompson at the interval, Nick Powell was introduced 14 minutes later in place of the injured Mario Vrancic and forward Jacob Brown was tasked with leading the line.

These changes rejuvenated Stoke and showed their supporters the potential hidden within the 4-2-3-1 formation that has been trialled by the Northern Irish manager this week with the poor first half and questionable refereeing decisions behind them.

With the 80-minute mark looming, the ball fell to Aston Villa loanee Jadon Philogene-Bidace who rattled the post. It then ricocheted to Campbell whose shot was blocked but the Potters’ pressure paid off and it was a case of third shot lucky as substitute Brown turned and rifled his effort into the top corner to tie the contest.

The enticing encounter ended level but Stoke can be happy with the performance that was eventually shown. The introduction of Joe Allen was key as the Wales international linked the defence to midfield more effectively than his predecessor Thompson, completing 91% of his attempted passes.

The result extends the Terriers’ impressive unbeaten run to 10 games and maintains their top-six status for now, however, a victory for Middlesbrough against Coventry City this weekend will see them slip to seventh.

The Potters, on the other hand, sit 10th, six points off the play-offs, but if they can replicate what was seen in the second half in West Yorkshire for the remainder of the campaign, they will be tough to contend with in the ever-changing hunt for a place in the Championship’s top six.

Stoke face League One high-flyers Wigan Athletic in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup next weekend before hosting Swansea City in the league.

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