Match report: Huddersfield Town 4 Leyton Orient 0

Oct 26 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield Town 4 Leyton Orient 0

PATIENCE paid off as Town hit four without reply for the second home match in a row.

Lee Clark’s men were forced to bide their time by the stubborn Londoners, finally making the breakthrough with Gary Roberts’ neatly-placed shot in first-half stoppage time – their seventh effort on target.

The winger then turned provider, having a hand in all the second-half goals as Town underlined their superiority with a trio of headers.

Centre-back Nathan Clarke, midfielder Michael Collins and striker and top scorer Jordan Rhodes, with his 12th of the campaign, were the names on the scoresheet as Town took their League I goals tally to 28 – an average of two a match and the highest in the division – and their goal difference to 12, bettered only by third-placed Colchester (14) and leaders Leeds (13).

The figure, of course, was helped by a fourth successive home clean sheet, and Clark will have been delighted with a defensive effort well marshalled by skipper Peter Clarke, who made a crucial 19th-minute block from Jimmy Smith’s low shot and a key 25th-minute tackle on Andros Townsend as the on-loan Tottenham man romped in.

Townsend looked lively throughout, and Town had to be wary of Orient’s ability to counter-attack, but Glenn Morris was by far the busier of the two goalkeepers.

The 25-year-old made the first of five good saves (before he was finally beaten) in only the fourth minute as Town made their attacking intentions clear.

Rhodes’ diving header from winger Anthony Pilkington’s fourth-minute free-kick was blocked and hacked away before Robbie Williams shot wide.

Then Roberts, operating on the right early on, tested Morris with a sixth-minute dipper before Antony Kay’s 15th-minute header from Nathan Clarke’s long throw was held just under the bar.