Huddersfield Town 1, Torquay Utd 1

Jan 10 2005 By The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

There was some brief respite for the Torquay defence when a 79th-minute counter attack brought successive corners, Rachubka needing two attempts to gather Woods' header from the second.

But the final 10 minutes mirrored the previous 80 as Town still pushed forward, only for Worthington to have a shot saved, Brown to drive wide and Gottskalksson to pull off a fine save from Brandon after a neat link between Schofield and substitute Lee Fowler.

Man of the Match: CHRIS BRANDON

AS one Examiner reader put it last week, the midfielder is proving to be a snip of a signing. Hard-working, creative and very unlucky not to grab a last-gasp winner.

How they rated:

Paul Rachubka Beaten by an excellent shot which flew into his top right-hand corner, but looked a little shaky at other times. Rating: 6/10.

Andy Holdsworth Again asked to play in the 'problem' left-back role and worked hard throughout the clash. Rating: 7/10.

Nat Brown Retained at right-back after impressing against Bristol City and did a pretty solid job albeit against a limited threat. Rating: 7/10.

Nathan Clarke Calm and composed as ever in defence, and played some probing upfield balls to kick-off Town attacks. Rating:8/10.

Efe Sodje Claimed his first goal of the season with a brave header but then made a hash of his clearance when Torquay levelled. Rating: 6/10.

Tony Carss Used the wind well to fire in some testing corners and free-kicks but didn't really impose himself in open play. Rating: 7/10.

Jon Worthington Looked a little below-par in a busy midfield showdown with Jamie Gosling and Paul Robinson. Rating: 6/10.

John McAliskey Produced some nifty footwork and was very unlucky not to count with a 51st-minute header against the post. Rating: 8/10.

Danny Schofield No doubting his workrate and good intentions but suffered from a lack of quality ball and drifted. Rating: 6/10.

Akpo Sodje Looked determined to make a mark on his first League start but should have done better with 27th-minute header. Rating: 7/10.

Chris Brandon Once again looked bright and inventive and came very close to snatching a last-gasp winner only for keeper Gottskalksson to do his job excellently. Rating: 8/10.

Spotlight on the Ref: IT MIGHT have been a problematic journey up from Lincolnshire, but Darren Drysdale, who was delayed by traffic jams, had no difficulty in taking firm charge of this game.

He showed his intentions by giving a yellow card to Jamie Gosling for a slightly late tackle on Tony Carss just 11 minutes into the clash, and gave a 90th-minute booking, and a no-nonsense ticking off, to visiting defender Craig Woodman for time-wasting.

Town substitute: Fowler (for Akpo Sodje, 65mins). Not used: Ahmed, McCombe, Lloyd, Senior.

TORQUAY: Gottskalksson, Villis (Phillips, HT), Woodman, Taylor, Hill, Gosling (Hockley, 52mins), McGlinchey, Woods, Robinson, Akinfenwa, Lopes (Story, 77mins). Subs not used: Pulis, Skinner.