Match report: Huddersfield Town 2 - 1 Walsall
Dec 8 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Town also had a let-off a minute later when Craney cleared off the line after ex-England striker Michael Ricketts met Walsall’s only corner of the game, swung in by Chris Palmer, with a powerful header.
Other than those two chances and Nicholls’ goal, lashed home after Town could only partially clear Palmer’s ball into the box, there were few moments to worry 18-year-old goalkeeper Alex Smithies, who was handed his first league appearance in a year, and only the third senior start of his career, at the expense of Matt Glennon.
Like the rest of the Town defence, the England junior showed no signs of fear in dealing with forceful frontmen Ricketts and Ibehre, and it will be interesting to see whether he is back between the posts at Southend.
With Keigan Parker still suspended and Phil Jevons remaining on the bench, Town were without an out-and-out striker as they attempted to turn promising approach play into goals.
Frontmen Cadamarteri, who brought a decent 15th-minute save from Gilmartin after cutting in from the right, Roberts and latterly Kamara, who tried his luck with a 90th-minute overhead kick which was deflected for a corner, all worked tirelessly in a bid to unpick a Walsall defence well marshalled by Stevie Gerrard’s cousin Anthony and ex-Doncaster man Stephen Roberts.
Craney also showed his willingness to forage for chances, but there were few moments of genuine worry for the visitors.
And it took a spot kick, won by Collins and only Town’s second of the season, to open the scoring.
Town had been denied three penalties in the previous 1-0 home defeat by Leyton Orient, so it was a relief to see Tyne and Wear whistler Andy Haines point to the spot after Collins’ run into the box was halted when Rhys Weston clipped his heels.
David Unsworth had missed Town’s previous penalty down at Millwall, but Roberts stepped up to shoot left-footed and send Gilmartin the wrong way to register his sixth goal of the season.
