Huddersfield Town 1, Bristol City 0

Aug 10 2005 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

While Dave Cotterill remained a threat on the break - Nathan Clarke making two timely clearances - it was all about Town and whether they could force a breakthrough.

Had one of the first-half chances gone in then Town might have filled their boots but, as the game wore on, their failure to score was becoming a big worry.

Thankfully, the crowd responded to Jackson's plea for big backing by remaining patient and they were rewarded in glorious fashion near the end.

Everyone at the back played well, especially the towering Martin McIntosh on his Galpharm debut for the club, and the only disappointment was the injury to David Mirfin (hamstring) which could sideline him for a while. Mirfin was top man at Forest and, last night, was rampaging well again from right back in a 4-4-2 formation.

He linked particularly well with Brandon, who had City defenders chasing shadows in a tremendous first-half show, while Abbott and Booth proved they would not be outdone.

Much was made of Marcus Stewart's return and his potential influence alongside Steve Brooker and Michael Bridges, but they found the home back line in mean mood while the Town strikers thrived on super service from the likes of Danny Adams and never stopped working for chances.

It was a performance which deserved a win and, while the decisive strike took a long time in coming, the team and the fans can't wait now to tackle Swansea at home on Saturday.