Swindon Town 1, Huddersfield Town 1

Oct 31 2005 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

On Saturday against a Swindon side well drilled by Iffy Onuora and playing well above what their League position might suggest, very few Town players hit their normal form.

Andy Holdsworth was easily the best, raiding with genuine intent down the right flank and invariably using the ball well.

It was fitting that he should get the assist for Chris Brandon's neatly-taken equaliser on 54 minutes, because his precision pass was exactly the kind the midfield just couldn't muster.

Brandon's finish, only his second goal of the season, rewarded a brighter second-half effort from the busy No7 and promised much more from the joint League leaders.

It never materialised.

Instead, Swindon mounted a series of dangerous counter-attacks as Town pushed forward and keeper Paul Rachubka, who did little wrong throughout, had to make smart saves from Andrew Nicholas and Bouazza twice - the second a brilliant fingertip effort to push the ball wide.

Swindon, with young David Stroud finding plenty of space on his impressive League debut, looked ominously capable of adding to Andy Gurney's 39th-minute penalty at that stage.

They had worked hard to ensure Town didn't make a runaway start and, after being lucky to escape handball appeals against both Gurney and Jerel Ifil in the box, earned one of their own when skipper Nathan Clarke blocked an awkwardly-bouncing Steve Jenkins through ball.

Gurney made no mistake, drilling the ball past Rachubka's dive, and three sides of the stadium fell flat, frustrated and dispirited.

Even the Singing Section were eerily silent for long spells, perhaps realising that while Swindon were playing above their usual form, Town were playing well below theirs.