Terriers on a wag break
Ward 79
COVENTRY
1
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN are staying up – though it was events elsewhere that saved their skins.
Few teams survive having won just once on home soil since December but the failure of Derby and Rotherham to close the gap on the Terriers camouflaged their own problems.
Coventry looked on course for a fifth win in seven games when Jordan Shipley came off the bench to fire them into a 69th-minute lead, courtesy of a wicked deflection off Naby Sarr.
But their advantage lasted just 10 minutes when the visitors failed to clear a right-wing corner and Terriers’ substitute Danny Ward scored his first goal of the season with a smart finish at the far post.
The result stretched Huddersfield’s winless run at home to seven games and coach Carlos Corberan knows a big improvement is required next season to avoid another Championship relegation fight.
“I have mixed feelings,” he said. “We wanted to achieve our target by ourselves with a win, which we didn’t manage to do.
“But after some difficult moments, it was important to keep the team in the Championship, which we have done, and make sure we didn’t finish at home with a defeat.”
The Terriers had Coventry pinned into their own territory in the first half.
Keeper Ben Wilson kept out a close-range Josh Koroma shot and Lewis O’Brien’s 20-yarder.
He should have been beaten in the 27th minute when Duane Holmes’ corner dropped at the feet of Richard Keogh – but with the goal gaping, he produced an air shot. Coventry, who completed their own salvage mission last week, had a strong penalty appeal turned down just before the interval when Viktor Gyokeres’ drive struck Keogh on the arm only for the referee waved play on.
Just 28 seconds after the restart, Huddersfield keeper Ryan Schofield got down well to push a Gyokeres’ shot onto the post, and then the keeper saved from him again five minutes later.
Coventry boss Mark Robins said: “The second half was much better and we deserved to win it.
“But the goal we conceded was really sloppy and typical of what we do. It’s something we must put right next season.”
HUDDERSFIELD: Schofield 8; Rowe 6 (Pipa 58, 6), Keogh 5 (Edmonds-Green 83), Sarr 6, Toffolo 5; O’Brien 7, Hogg 6; Bacuna 7 (Eiting 70, 6); Holmes 6 (Aarons 58, 6), Koroma 6, Sanogo 6 (Ward 70, 7).
Unused subs: Pereira, Stearman, High, Eiting, Thomas, Ward.
COVENTRY: Wilson 6; Rose 6 (Pask 69, 6), McFadzean 6, Hyam 6; Dabo 6 (Burroughs 59, 6), James 6, Hamer 6 (Eccles 69, 6), McCallum 6; O’Hare 6; Gyokeres 7, Walker 5 (Shipley 45, 7). Unused subs: Marosi, Allen, Biamou, Bakayoko, Tavares.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Ryan Schofield. Two brilliant saves early in second half. REFEREE: Keith Stroud 6.