HUDDERSFIELD Town's ‘schools focus’ initiative meant youngsters swelled the crowd to a very respectable 16,401.
And if this game doesn’t bring a good few of them back, nothing will.
The new generation of fans, some of them watching their hometown team for the first time, were treated to a good old-fashioned tear-up of a match.
Nothing malicious, but plenty of full-blooded challenges, two sets of supporters getting behind their team in the right way, and from a home point of view, two terrific goals.
Much of the talk during the build-up was of Wolves’ bid to set a new club record of four straight away games with clean sheets.
But the men from Molineux were prised open just 10 minutes in, with the Terriers looking more like a pack of bloodhounds as they tore into their visitors right from the kick-off.
The excellent Adam Clayton set the tone with a crunching, but fair challenge on Bakary Sako, and Town’s containment of Wolves two dangerous widemen, Sako and on-loan Stoke star Jermaine Pennant, was as crucial to this triumph as their goals.
Full-backs Jack Hunt and Calum Woods both worked overtime, but they got great support from their teammates, with every man in the side making a contribution as Wolves, particularly in the first half, were simply not allowed to play.
Town’s pre-break superiority was reflected in their two-goal half-time advantage, supplied by Vaughan’s well-taken header from right-back Hunt’s inviting cross, and Jermaine Beckford’s spectacular volley from Clayton’s teasing delivery.
Click on the link below to view a gallery of match pictures, including both goals, taken from pitchside
It was Vaughan’s third goal for Town and fellow loanee Beckford’s second, and 100th of his career in the league, and this partnership, full of pace, power and energy, looks truly exciting.
Town really could have put the game to bed in the first half, with Vaughan whipping in a cross which only just eluded Beckford, then twice shooting just wide, while Hunt was also narrowly off target before Beckford was denied by keeper Carl Ikeme’s parry.
Click on the link below to see our gallery of fans taking in Huddersfield Town's win - are you pictured?
The lead might also have been stretched by another Vaughan header in the 58th minute, but Ikeme again rescued his side before the momentum changed as Wolves struck on the counter, Sylvan Ebanks-Blake turning in Sako’s low cross from the left at the near post via Peter Clarke’s deflection.
Now Town had to dig deep with Sako and half-time substitute Dave Edwards, the Wales international midfielder, featuring heavily.
Alex Smithies stood firm as set-piece specialist Sako, the former St Etienne man, swung in some testing corners, and it was great to see Simon Grayson’s side striving to avoid giving away too many free-kicks within shooting distance (Sako had served a warning in the first half by putting one onto the roof of the net).
Centre-backs Clarke and Anthony Gerrard again defended strongly (they were given extra support when Joel Lynch replaced Vaughan in the 80th minute), and Town got that slice of luck so often required when Edwards’ glanced header from a Pennant corner smacked against Smithies’ right-hand post and out.
Much improved on their previous two home performances, Town now take to the road to play Peterborough tomorrow and Millwall on Saturday with every cause for optimism.
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