Clark: We showed our resilience to clinch victory
CIARAN Clark has admitted Newcastle United were not good enough in the first half against Huddersfield Town.
The Magpies improved vastly after the break against David Wagner’s side and grabbed a goal through Salomon Rondon before clinging on to their precious lead with some excellent defending.
Clark was a defensive rock for United, but said it was hard work keeping the hosts at bay on a freezing afternoon at the John Smith’s Stadium.
He said: “We knew in the second half we had to step it up. We knew it wasn’t good enough from our point of view.
“We soaked up the pressure in the second half and had something to hold on to with the goal.
“I think it was a good defensive team performance.”
Clark also had praise for the Terriers after they dominated for large periods of the clash. The hosts remain in the relegation places while victory means Newcastle are now six points clear of the drop.
The Republic of Ireland international added: “They put us under a lot of pressure especially in the first half.
“They were winning a lot of first balls and second balls but generally we put ourselves under pressure through our own mistakes.
“In the second half we were still under pressure but we got the goal and it was a great move. We got the goal and then it was all about hanging on.”
Players and fans celebrated the win in style after the final whistle with the Geordie faithful staying in the ground long after the game had been concluded.
Clark, speaking to BBC Sport, said: “They were so disappointed last week against Wolves as we didn’t come away with anything.
“We definitely wanted to get something. To come away the three points is massive especially against teams in and around us.”