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Huddersfield logo
Championship
Jan 10, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Watford logo

3-1

Wells (52'), Vaughan (76'), Lynch (83')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Ighalo (65')

Live Commentary: Huddersfield Town 3-1 Watford - as it happened

Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of Huddersfield Town's 3-1 victory against Watford at the John Smith's Stadium.
2

Watford failed to close in on the Championship's automatic promotion zone having suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town this afternoon.

A goalless first half at the John Smith's Stadium was followed up by an action-packed second 45 minutes, which begun with Nakhi Wells firing the hosts into the lead.

Odion Ighalo managed to level things up shortly after the hour, although goals from James Vaughan and Joel Lynch - the latter of which was an overhead kick which went in off the crossbar - saw the Terriers claim all three points.

Relive Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in West Yorkshire below.


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Well that's all from me for today, but be sure to stick around as we bring you a full match report plus all the reaction from the John Smith's Stadium. Thanks for joining!

There we have it then, as Huddersfield Town see out the final few minutes to claim a well-deserved 3-1 victory. Watford could have won the game had they taken the chances which fell their way, but credit to the Terriers for sticking with it and regaining their lead, before adding a third in spectacular style.

FULL TIME: HUDDERSFIELD 3-1 WATFORD

YELLOW CARD! Layan picks up a booking late on at the end of this first piece of action in English football, bringing down Butterfield to enter the referee's book.

It is a quiet end to a fascinating second half at the John Smith's Stadium, which will suit the Terriers just fine. Watford have two minutes to find two goals.

HUDDERSFIELD SUBSTITUTION: Vaughan leaves the field with Lolley coming on in his place. I watched the former non-leaguer play in an England youth game a couple of years back - he has come on leaps on bounds since that day.

The fourth official indicates that we will play an additional six minutes of added time.

Watford unable to create any openings since falling behind, and with time running out the points look to be going Huddersfield's way now.

Pele, sorry, Joel Lynch, is down receiving some treatment after a challenge with Aghalo left him in discomfort. He looks as though he will be okay to continue, though.

It could have been so, so different had Abdi tucked away his one-on-one 10 minutes ago, but since then Huddersfield have added two more of their own to race into a 3-1 lead. This second half has provided plenty of entertainment, but it looks as though Watford have run out of ideas now.

This is a special, special goal from Joel Lynch, who has just fired Huddersfield to all three points with an overhead kick. That's right - an overhead kick from the centre-back. The ball fell nicely to the Welshman inside the area, and he opted to try his luck, seeing the ball bounce over the line off the underside of the bar.

GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 3-1 WATFORD (LYNCH)

CHANCE! Huddersfield should be out of sight, if not for a poor piece of decision making by Butterfield. Some fine link-up play saw the returning midfielder in on goal, but he opted to pass instead of take on the shot, which proved to be the wrong call. Let off for Watford.

That's just his second goal of the campaign, which came at a time when Watford looked to be really pushing towards a second. The Hornets find themselves behind now, however, with a little over 10 minutes to play.

Talk about game-changing moments. Abdi blew the cleanest chance of the game when he blasted over the bar, and less than two minutes later the ball was in the back of the net up the other end. Vaughan's hold-up play has been brilliant this afternoon, and it his neat, flicked finish at the end of Well's cross from the left which could be the difference here.

GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 2-1 WATFORD (VAUGHAN)

CHANCE! What. A. Chance. Some fine, patient play by Watford culminated in Abdi playing a neat one-two and running through cleanly on goal. He failed to make the most of the one-on-one situation, however, firing the ball over the target.

Deeney has just squandered a brilliant opening for his side. Anya burst down the left before picking out his teammate in a central position inside the area, but instead of taking on the shot he looked to return the pass, only for Anya to have stopped his run.

SAVE! Well we've certainly seen plenty of action in this second half, as Gomes is forced to turn behind another shot. This one really could go either way as we enter the final 20 minutes.

The triple substitution works wonders for Jokanovic, as Ighalo's strike shot at goal trickles over the line. That is an absolute howler from Smithies, who really should have kept that effort out. Game on at the John Smith's Stadium.

GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-1 WATFORD (IGHALO)

YELLOW CARD! Robinson becomes the latest player to receive a caution, as Watford ring the changes. It appears as though Ighalo will play alongside Deeney up top.

WATFORD SUBS: Gomes, who missed last weekend's meeting with Chelsea due to injury, appears to have aggravated a groin strain while pushing that Robinson cross onto the bar, and his afternoon is now over. Bond is on in his place, while Vydra is replaced by Ighalo. There's a third sub for the Hornets incredibly, as Ikechi Anya comes on for Daniel Pudil.

CLOSE! Well he almost bagged a fortunate second for Huddersfield a minute or so ago, but there was nothing lucky about this strike from Robinson, who unleashed from around 30 yards out with a shot that rustled the roof of the net.

OFF THE BAR! Robinson's cross from the left has Gomes scrambling towards his back post, and he appear to get the faintest of touches on the ball to help it onto the bar.

Smithies makes a hash of a ball played back to him, kicking it straight out of play for a Watford through. It could have been worse to be fair, but no danger was brought onto his side following the error.

CLOSE! Gobern's deflected effort drops narrowly wide of the post, as Chris Powell's men attempt to double their advantage. This game desperately needed a goal, and now that we have one the chances are starting to flow.

Wells showed great instinct to just hover in the right zone for his 11th goal of the season, giving the Terriers a lead to hold onto. Watford need to up things now; they started the half well but drifted off slightly which has cost them dearly.

Huddersfield make the breakthrough in the driving hail. Butterfield drove a cross into the box which Scannell couldn't quite connect with, but the ball fell perfectly for Wells in a central position to blast home beyond Gomes.

GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 1-0 WATFORD (WELLS)

An eventful start to the second period, then, which has seen Watford take early control of proceedings as the skies open up above the stadium. The conditions have taken a turn for the worst with the strong wind now being accompanied by heavy hail.

CHANCE! By far the best chance of the game so far falls Watford's way, but they are unable to find a way through. Vydra led a strong counter with four against three in the visitors' favour, and Layun was the man to eventually get the shot away from a slightly tight angle inside the area. He was in acres of space, but Smithies was the hero be keeping out the shot with a solid stop.

YELLOW CARD! An early booking for Hudson who enters the referee's book just a minute after the restart for a foul on Vydra.

SECOND HALF UNDERWAY! Referee Chris Kavanagh blows his whistle to signal the start of the second 45 minutes, with Huddersfield playing with the wind behind them in this half.

A quick look at the Championship table highlights just how tight things are right now. Watford will close right in on the automatic promotion zone if they can pick up all three points here, while a win for Huddersfield could potentially take them up a few places level on points with Nottingham Forest. All to play for then, as the teams enter the field once more...

A view from the away end, where Watford supporters have yet to have a great deal to get too excited about thus far:



BENCH WATCH!

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Allinson, Dixon, Lolley, Crooks, Billing, Pletier, Majewski

WATFORD SUBS: Bond, Paredes, Murray, Anya, Ighalo, Doherty, Smith


Huddersfield have looked lively at times in attacking positions, with Scannell in particular a threat in the early stages, while Wells and Vaughan also look dangerous. We are still goalless at the break, though, meaning that the incentive is there for both sides following the interval.

Much like the contest between Ipswich and Derby earlier today, we have witnessed a fairly lively albeit goalless opening 45 minutes in West Yorkshire. Watford came close to making the breakthrough courtesy of Munari's fine strike, which forced Smithies into making an equally as impressive save, although it is the home side who have edged things slightly overall.

HALF TIME: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-0 WATFORD

SAVE! Vaughan does brilliantly to hold up a long ball before playing in Wells, and the striker's effort almost lands right at the feet of his teammate, but it is just about cut out. Watford don't fully clear their lines, however, and a shot which came back in from Butterfield forces Gomes into making a solid stop down low.

We will play two minutes of additional time at the John Smith's Stadium, although a goal doesn't look particularly likely at this stage.

The visitors are seeing more of the ball now, winning themselves a corner which comes to nothing, yet Huddersfield are hardly having to break a sweat to keep out their opponents. Two minutes remaining of the first half.

CLOSE! Wells latches onto a cross into the box with his head, which Gomes easily handles in the end. If the striker could have directed the header anywhere other than right at the Brazilian, we may have had a breakthrough goal.

SHOT! Vaughan is allowed to turn on the edge of the Watford area and fire away a shot, which much like his earlier attempt ends flying over the bar. Encouraging signs for Huddersfield supporters, nonetheless.

Things appear to be evenly matched as we close in on the half-time interval. Both sides have had their chances, but so far they have cancelled each other out all over the pitch.

Following a bit of treatment on the sidelines Hudson appears to be okay to continue for the time being. I'll keep on eye on it (pun most definitely intended).

A worrying sign for Huddersfield as Hudson takes a big blow to the face. His eye has swollen up quite badly already and if it continues to do so the Terriers' skipper will have little choice but to leave the field.

SAVE! Watford finally get an attempt in at goal through Munari's well-hit volley on the edge of the box, which forces Smithies to parry the ball away. That was as route one as you like; punt up the field from Gomes, flick on by Deeney and shot from Munari. Good effort, good save.

Wells moves out to the wings in order to pick up the ball, although when he looks up he has no options in the way of support. The cross is eventually played in but is well cut out.

SAVE! Gomes is forced into action to push Wells's header over the bar as the Terriers continue to add the pressure. A cross in from the left following some good play by Vaughan allowed the former Bradford City man to head back across goal, but he was unable to get the better of the Brazilian stopper.

The game's best two chances have fallen the way of the home side, then, with Watford still looking to find their feet. That's not to say they have looked poor, but you sense that there is still a lot more to come from Jokanovic's charges.

CHANCE! Another decent opening for the home side, who perhaps should be ahead at the John Smith's Stadium. Vaughan managed to get in behind Cathcart to bear down on goal, although he lifted his shot over the bar.

Hardly the most entertaining of contests thus far, with just the odd shot on goal to report back on in the opening 20 minutes. Tozser came close to picking out Pudil moments ago with a fantastic ball right through the Terriers backline, but there was a little too much on the pass.

Watford create their best opportunity of the afternoon so far, with Deeney opening up his body on the edge of the box where he was looking to bend the ball into the back of the net, only for a fine block to deny him. Huddersfield looking the better side still, but the Hornets are growing into the contest.

YELLOW CARD! Tommie Hoban becomes the first player to enter the referee's book for a challenge on Wells, as Watford continue with their struggle to win possession.

A pretty frantic start to this game looks to have finally settled down, yet we are still no closer to finding any real rhythm. Huddersfield have looked stronger on the ball, particularly through the lively Scannell who has already produced one decent attempt.

Scannell is again involved as Huddersfield look to up the tempo slightly, working some space on the right and sending in an inviting cross which evades everyone inside the area.

Both sides have looked good in attacking transitions so far, as you would expect, although the closest we have come to a breakthrough came via that shot-cross from Scannell a few minutes ago.

CLOSE! The first real opening of the contest falls the way of Huddersfield's Sean Scannell, who picks up the ball on the right flank before drifting inside and lashing a shot right across the face of goal. He may have been caught in two minds whether to cross or shoot, which played a part in the dragged attempt.

The winds have continued to swirl around the John Smith's Stadium, which is causing Watford a few problems as they line up a corner. In the end the ball eventually came into the box where it was cleared away.

Huddersfield appear to be lining up in a 3-5-2 formation early on, which should provide a nice balance to the game with Watford also opting to field wing-backs.

KICKOFF! We are underway in West Yorkshire, with Nahki Wells and Jacob Butterfield kicking things off.

PREDICTION: Derby County's slender victory against Ipswich Town earlier today has given Watford even more incentive - if it was needed at all - to pick up all three points in West Yorkshire. A win will take the Hornets to within four points of the automatic promotion zone, while also strengthening their position in the playoffs should result go their way. Huddersfield, meanwhile, need points to climb up the table, and on the back of their triumph against Bolton I believe they will claim a 1-1 draw at the John Smith's Stadium today.

DID YOU KNOW? Watford come into this game on the back of an impressive run of form on the road, winning their last three matches away from Vicarage Road. They have also won four of their last five matches against today's opponents, including a 4-2 win earlier this term.

Watford have hit a rich vein of form lately, meanwhile, by winning four of their last five games. That run has seen them move to within seven points of the automatic promotion zone - with a game in hand to spare - with promotion to the Premier League a real possibility under Jokanovic this season. They boast the fourth best attack in the division, too, with Troy Deeney topping the club's scoring charts on nine goals.

Having gone seven games unbeaten between the end of September and the early stages of November, manager Chris Powell looked to be working his magic on his group of players. A crushing 5-0 defeat at Norwich City proved that a lot of work has still got to be done, though, while two late goals conceded against Rotherham recently to surrender a 2-0 lead further strengthens this point.

Well Huddersfield's biggest problem so far this campaign has been consistency - or a lack of it. The Terriers have won just two of their last nine league games coming into this one, which has seen them fall back to within five points of the relegation zone. A 2-1 victory against Bolton Wanderers gave cause for supporters to look ahead once more, though, and three more points here today could help Huddersfield start a charge up the table.



Odion Ighalo drops to the bench for Watford this afternoon, alongside Ikechi Anya who was a doubt heading into this one and clearly not fit enough to start. In terms of the hosts, there are places among the bench for Matt Crooks and Philip Billing, who will both no doubt be keen to make an impression if called upon.

BENCH WATCH!

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Allinson, Dixon, Lolley, Crooks, Billing, Pletier, Majewski

WATFORD SUBS: Bond, Paredes, Murray, Anya, Ighalo, Doherty, Smith


Almen Abdi also returns in midfield alongside Daniel Tozser and Gianni Munari, while Troy Deeney and Matej Vydra lead the line for the visitors. Fernando Forestieri doesn't make the matchday squad due to a hamstring injury, joining Joel Ekstrand on the sidelines.

Likewise, Slavisa Jakanovic has also made four changes to his starting lineup, bringing Heurelho Gomes back into goal in place of Jonathan Bond who misses out. Miguel Layun comes in for his Hornets debut, meanwhile, replacing Juan Carlos Paredes at right wing-back.

Elsewhere, Jacob Butterfield, Sean Scannell and Oscar Gobern all come into the fold, with the latter coming in for his first start of the season in place of the suspended Jonathan Hogg. Adam Hammill and Harry Bunn both drop out of the side for what should be an entertaining battle against an in-form Watford side.

Starting with the hosts, then, and Chris Powell has opted to make four changes to his side for today's clash. The big news is that Joel Lynch returns to the starting lineup having missed his side's last six games through injury. He replaces Murray Wallace, who misses out on the squad altogether due to a hamstring injury sustained against Reading last weekend.

TEAM NEWS!

HUDDERSFIELD TOWN STARTING XI: Smithies, Lynch, Hudson, Smith, Robinson, Coady, Butterfield, Gobern, Scannell, Vaughan, Wells

WATFORD STARTING XI: Gomes, Hoban, Cathcart, Angella, Layun, Abdi, Tozser, Munari, Pudil, Vydra, Deeney


Kickoff is less than 30 minutes away in West Yorkshire, so let's take a look at how these two sides line up for this one...

The Terriers have badly struggled to find any sort of consistency in recent months, coming into this game hovering just five points above the relegation zone. It has been a different matter completely for today's visitors, however, who have won four of their last five games to keep alive their promotion hopes.

Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Championship meeting between Huddersfield Town and Watford at the John Smith's Stadium.

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Jacob Butterfield of Huddersfield Charlton during Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield Town and Charlton Athletic at Galpharm Stadium on August 23, 2014
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