Match report: Huddersfield Town 1 - 0 Leeds United

Feb 16 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TOWN’S performance coach Steve Black predicted it would take a cool head to settle this derby showdown.

But it was a firm one from Nathan Clarke which meant Town collected a sweet third successive win against their arch-rivals, and a first double over them since 1930-31.

Leeds left the centre-back unmarked as Gary Roberts swung in a 16th-minute corner, and paid the price as a powerful header beat a man on each post plus keeper Casper Ankergren.

The visitors argued that their Danish stopper had both hands on the ball when Town debutant Lukas Jutkiewicz made the challenge which led to the flag kick.

But that will cut little ice with the 16,973 Town fans in a bumper 20,928 crowd, who celebrated long and hard, both after the goal and at the final whistle.

That came after four minutes of stoppage time and following a string of top-class saves by Alex Smithies, who was once again watched by a posse of Premier League scouts, plus Glasgow Rangers manager Walter Smith.

The top teenage talent, who won his first England Under 19 cap against Spain last Tuesday, endured a nightmare full debut when Leeds beat Town 4-0 at Elland Road back in December 2007.

Town have claimed revenge for that drubbing in spades, and on Saturday, Smithies showed just how much he has matured in the intervening 14 months.

He had already denied Robert Snodgrass, Leeds’ scorer when Town won 2-1 at Elland Road in November, by the time Clarke counted.