Cowley thrilled by ‘sexy’ Bacuna
DANNY Cowley hailed Juninho Bacuna after he came off the substitutes’ bench to rescue a point for his Huddersfield Town side.
Karlan Grant’s precise penalty in the 13th minute set Huddersfield on their way, but Tommy Elphick’s poor pass led to an equaliser for Lewis Holtby eight minutes later – his first on his full debut for the club.
The German then set up Bradley Dack, whose superb strike completed the comeback in the 33rd minute, but Bacuna changed the game within six minutes of his introduction, netting with a left-foot strike – his third goal of the season.
Boss Cowley said: “Juninho gives us a real impact off the bench. He’s got so much to give as a player.
“He came on again and changed the game. He adds that bit of a difference. You want a sexy bench and great options and he fits the bill.
“He obviously wants a start and we’re working on that. He has all the tools but, sometimes, we want him to use the hammer and screwdriver and he uses something else. But it will come good.
“We had 13 attempts, they had 12, so it was quite even, but we know we were coming away to play a good team, so this is a positive result for us.
“Four unbeaten (in the league) is really pleasing. It was a real tactical battle, but we showed fortitude, determination and application and got a result.”
The Terriers were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when the lively Adama Diakhaby wriggled clear of two Blackburn players on the touchline, before being brought down by Elliott Bennett.
Referee Darren Bond pointed to the spot and Grant emphatically dispatched his 12thminute penalty into the bottom left corner of the net.
The visitors shot themselves in the foot eight minutes later when Elphick’s poor pass was intercepted and Blackburn made them pay as Dack squared to hand Holtby the easiest of finishes.
Holtby then shot narrowly wide, but he made amends in the 33rd minute, holding the ball up for Dack, who struck first time from 20 yards, curling the ball beyond Kamil Grabara’s despairing dive for his sixth of the season.
Bacuna reminded Rovers of his threat, pulling the trigger with a rasping drive that just missed the target.
And then he powered past two players and received the ball in the area before making space to let fly with a left-foot shot that beat Christian Walton’s dive.
The substitute continued to torment Rovers, but neither side could force a winner.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray called for greater consistency from his side.
He said: “After going down so early to a penalty, to perform to the levels we did in the first half, we have to strive for consistency over 90 minutes.
“We should be able to win lots of matches playing at the level we did in the first half.
“Second half, they swung the momentum their way. I’m disappointed to lose the second half 1-0 because we could have been out of sight by then. So frustration is the ultimate feeling for me.”