Match report: Colchester United 1 - 0 Huddersfield Town

Oct 5 2009 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

TOWN might have lost, but there were definite signs of the green shoots of a recovery in this battling performance at the windswept Weston Homes Community Stadium.

Up until the harsh 75th-minute sending off of Peter Clarke, they were comfortably keeping Colchester United at bay and doing the bulk of the attacking.

But with the captain back in the dressing room, the home side took advantage of their numerical superiority – and a slip-up by Joe Skarz.

The left-back allowed dangerman Kevin Lisbie to cut in from the touchline, and his cross was converted from close range by Kayode Odejayi in the 80th minute.

It was a third goal in two games for the Nigerian striker on loan from Barnsley and it condemned Lee Clark’s side to a third away defeat in a row.

Town, now ninth in League I, haven’t won in five outings, but if they can reproduce this kind of resilience and add a goal or two, victory can’t be far off.

Tomorrow’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy second-round tie at Chesterfield presents an opportunity to hit back.

But Town will have to do so without Clarke, who will serve a one-match suspension after walking for two bookable offences.

Yellow carded in the 65th-minute for a foal on Odejayi, the former Southend United man saw red after a pretty innocuous-looking mid-air collision with right-back John White.

Surrey referee Gavin Ward read the situation as illegal use of the arm, and Town were down to 10, with Andy Butler brought on and Danny Drinkwater sacrificed.

Butler was once of three demoted to the bench in the wake of Tuesday’s 2-1 loss at Walsall, with Anthony Pilkington and Jordan Rhodes also out of the starting XI.

In came Robbie Simpson, Nathan Clarke and James Berrett, who was handed the sweeping role in a 5-3-2 system.

All three responded to their call-ups with bright displays.

Simpson, playing alongside workaholic Theo Robinson, won a host of headers against giant centre-backs Magnus Okuonghae and Danny Batth.