Terriers celebrate Powell’s return to Charlton
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN defeated Charlton at The Valley last night for their first victory of the season – and the first as a manager for Chris Powell at his former club.
The result lifted the visitors out of the Championship’s bottom three to secure a satisfying night for former Addicks boss Powell, who was sacked by club owner Roland Duchatelet in March 2014 little over two months after he had taken charge.
Harry Bunn and Emyr Huws had the visitors two goals to the good within 34 minutes and, although the hosts pulled one back through Naby Sarr five minutes before the break, they could not force an equaliser.
Charlton threatened first when in the fourth minute the classy Johann Gudmundsson sent a well-struck, low, leftfooted shot from the edge of the area just wide of the right post.
Huddersfield responded swiftly, however, and took the lead seven minutes later with a goal Charlton will no doubt feel they could have prevented.
Taking advantage of both time and space on the right wing, midfielder Sean Scannell crossed for Bunn. He connected well with a right-footed volley, sending the ball bouncing off the turf en route to goal, but home goalkeeper Nick Pope was at fault for failing to keep it from the back of the net.
Encouraged by his first goal of the season, Bunn tested Pope minutes later with a header, this time from Mustapha Carayol’s left-wing cross, but, while his effort was accurate, it lacked power and Pope routinely saved.
Capitalising on their momentum, Huddersfield’s second goal came in the 34th minute. Huws, from a 25-yard free-kick, impressively curled a left-footed effort beyond the defensive wall and into the net.
Within five minutes, however, Charlton responded. From a free-kick on the right wing, Gudmundsson crossed towards central defender Sarr, who glanced his header beyond Huddersfield goalkeeper Jed Steer and just inside the left post.
The second half was a more promising one for Charlton, but the equalising goal ultimately remained beyond them.