Huddersfield know play-off pain better than most, having failed in the League One post-season the past two seasons, but they took a significant step towards making it third time lucky with an impressive 2-0 victory at MK Dons.
These sides were almost inseparable during the season. A 1-1 draw here in September was followed by a 1-1 draw at the Galpharm Stadium in early February, and they ended the campaign one point apart, with Huddersfield nosing ahead into fourth, and securing second-leg home advantage, on the final day. Here it initially appeared to be little different, with the sides so evenly matched in the opening half-hour that they could almost have been playing mirror images of themselves.
That changed with Jordan Rhodes's intervention 32 minutes in. David Martin in the home goal did superbly to deny Kallum Higginbotham after Damien Johnson's break from midfield but, when Lee Novak swung the ball back in, Rhodes rose highest to glance home his 38th goal of a remarkably prolific season.
That moment of quality jarred in a half that tended to lack rhythm. The home side mustered one shot on goal and carried only an occasional threat through Daniel Powell's pace and power on the right and Alan Smith's scheming up front. Their pressure was more insistent in the second half, however, with Dean Lewington shooting straight at Ian Bennett from close range and the Huddersfield goalkeeper forced to scramble back to deny Powell.
But those two opportunities in the opening 15 minutes of the second half proved to be the high-water mark for the hosts. On the break Novak should have put Town 2-0 up when clean through midway through the half but with 17 minutes to go, Higginbotham and Jack Hunt tiki-taka-ed down the right, with the latter thumping the ball past Martin at his near post.
The goal seemed to break the Dons' spirit but they roused themselves for one last effort in injury time, with Bennett clawing away Jabo Ibehre's injury-time header. Read More
انسخ الكود التالى و ضعه فى موقعك او مدونتك.
