Huddersfield Town 2, Notts Forest 1

Nov 28 2005 By Mel Booth, The Huddersfield Daily Examiner

If Town keep playing like they did on Saturday, especially in the first half, they should have no problems keeping tabs on leaders Swansea, even though the Welsh club's next two games are at home to Scunthorpe and Colchester.

Town, after an uneasy start in which Wes Morgan and Nicky Southall sent headers uncomfortably close for the visitors, produced their best football of the season to take command in such fluent, aggressive and attractive style that Forest's travelling contingent of 3,232 fans booed their team off at the break.

Despite switching formation from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 as early as the 31st minute with defender Morgan being `sacrificed' for striker Lester, Forest were comprehensively outplayed by Town's red-hot young guns.

Chris Brandon served notice of what was to come when his header from a Nathan Clarke cross was touched over the bar by Paul Gerrard while, from the resulting corner, the impressive Mark Hudson flashed a volley just wide.

The quality of Town's goals, however, set the seal on a victory which avenged their opening-day defeat at the City Ground.

The first, on 21 minutes, came after skipper Jon Worthington - who was responding to some late and clearly illegal Forest challenging - won a crunching tackle which enabled Danny Adams to play a searching pass to Schofield down the left.

Town's skilful attacker was faced with keeper Gerrard racing from the box, but a brilliant first touch gave him a couple of yards' advantage and he scored with a magnificent lob from fully 30 yards out.

Less than five minutes later Town were two ahead thanks to highly polished approach play prompted by Andy Holdsworth down the right and a fantastic turn and run by Brandon which unhinged the visitors defence.

Two red shirts and Gerrard were unable to deal which his fierce low cross to the near post and, as the ball cannoned up in the air, Booth was on hand to nod the 118th and easiest goal of his Galpharm career.

At that point, Forest were in complete disarray and, had Schofield added a third instead of hitting the post from a flowing multi-pass move only three minutes later, the floodgates would probably have opened.