Pointing the finger 

Malpas fumes as Town's unbeaten run comes to an end

 

Coca-Cola League One

 

RESULT: Huddersfield Town 1 Swindon Town 0

 

Huddersfield scorer: P Jevons 1

 

Double trouble: Malpas and assistant manager Dave Byrne have asked for a response from the players in advance of Tuesday night's crucial clash with Cheltenham

Swindon's ten game unbeaten league run came crashing down with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Huddersfield.

All the damage was done in the first minute of the game when a poorly directed clearance from the usually faultless Jerel Ifil fell to Phil Jevons who easily fired home from close range.

This was the worst possible start for Town, who have struggled for goals of late, and despite the presence of new signing Simon Cox, Swindon never managed to find the goal that would have rescued a point.

The unlucky Blair Sturrock once again had to settle for a place on the bench, despite his goal in the last game, as Cox was partnered up front by Watford loanee Moses Ashikodi.

The early goal was the only bright moment of an otherwise lacklustre first-half from both teams.

 

System change

As Swindon emerged for the second period, the ineffective Ashikodi was surprisingly replaced by midfielder Michael Pook, as Malpas decided to change the system and play 4-5-1.

Although Swindon did come into the game a lot more in the second-half, all to often their final pass let them down as they looked to break down the mean Huddersfield defence.

Sofi Zaaboub went closest for Town when he met a Christian Roberts cross, but his neat volley flashed across the face of the goal and out for a goal kick.

In an effort to push for an equaliser, Sturrock was introduced as the Town boss once again changed the system, adopting a more attacking 4-3-3 formation with Lee Peacock playing the central striking role.

As the final whistle loomed, Town's inspirational captain Hasney Aljofree nearly produced a piece of magic as he cut in from the right and blasted the ball towards the Huddersfield goal only to see it creep agonisingly over the bar.

Despite the loss, Town boss Maurice Malpas declared that the players would be working hard in training to ensure their attacking play was improved for Tuesday night's visit of local rivals Cheltenham Town, where a win is vital if Town have any serious aspirations of a play-off berth.

 

League One Table

 

1 Swansea 28 31 60
2 Doncaster 29 16 50
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3 Carlisle 28 12 48
4 Nottm Forest 28 20 46
5 Walsall 30 10 46
6 Tranmere 30 6 46
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7 Leyton Orient 30 -4 45
8 Leeds 30 23 44
9 Southend 29 2 41
10 Swindon 28 4 40
11 Northampton 30 -4 39
12 Brighton 27 5 38
13 Yeovil 30 -6 38
14 Oldham 28 3 37
15 Bristol Rovers 27 2 37
16 Huddersfield 28 -13 37
17 Hartlepool 29 1 36
18 Gillingham 29 -14 32
19 Cheltenham 29 -16 31
20 Millwall 28 -13 30
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21 Crewe 30 -19 30
22 Luton 29 -8 24
23 Port Vale 30 -21 21
24 Bournemouth 30 -17 19

NEXT GAME:

Cheltenham (h)

Tuesday 12 Febuary 2008, 7.45pm

Coca-Cola League One