Clean sheet for Smithies as Town progress

Nov 30

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Port Vale 0
Huddersfield Town 1 (N. Clarke)

Huddersfield Town progressed to the third round of the FA Cup with a nervy 1-0 win over Port Vale this weekend. With a 2-1 away league defeat to Swindon midweek, Town had to put this behind them in the winner-takes-all game at Vale Park. Nathan Clarke scored the only goal of the game in the first half, with an audacious overhead kick which went in off the underside of the bar. Town were unable to double their lead, but managed to hold on despite strong Vale pressure in the second half.

Goalkeeper Alex Smithies will be pleased with his performance in so far as that he kept a clean sheet, only their second on the road this season. This kind of away form needs to be improved if Town are going to keep up the pressure on the top teams in the league, starting with a home game against Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday.

Town have drawn West Bromwich Albion at home in the third round of the cup. The midlands team sit second in The Championship.

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Smithies keen to stay at Town

Nov 18

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Huddersfield Town fans will be relieved to read the Sky Sports story that Alex Smithies has expressed his desire to stay at the League One club despite interest from Premier League side Stoke City.

Tony Coton is Smithies’ ‘advisor’ (or ‘agent’ to me and you!) and he has stated that the young goalkeeper is “very happy at Huddersfield, he is a local lad and he is learning his trade.”

The Stoke City rumour was fuelled by the fact that assistant manager Peter Reid was spotted in the stands during Huddersfield’s 1-0 win over Oldham, however Coton has been quick to deny such a link, “Peter is a good friend of mine and as we were going to the same match we decided to go together.”

Coton finished by praising the development of Alex and the potential that the goalkeeper has to progress in the game, “I have no doubt Alex will play at the highest level at some point in his career as he is a top talent, but all he is focusing on at the minute is playing for Huddersfield and continuing his education in the game.”

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Clean sheet and top display from Smithies as Town thrash Wycombe

Nov 14

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Huddersfield Town 6 (Peter Clarke (2), Roberts, Pilkington, Duberry o.g, Robinson)
Wycombe Wanderers 0

Town fans were left amazed by their team’s performance today in front of the Sky Sports cameras as the Terriers hit six goals past a hapless Wycombe Wanderers side. Another home league clean sheet for ‘keeper Alex Smithies makes that five on the bounce, and his distribution today received a lot of praise from Huddersfield fans in a discussion on the Down At The Mac messageboards. One shining example was for Town’s second goal. A Wycombe corner was plucked out of the air by Smithies, who quickly rolled the ball to Michael Collins and within ten seconds Town were celebrating a goal as Collins, Pilkington and Gary Roberts linked up to provide the latter with his fifth goal of the season.

A top quality display that has further cemented the fact that the Galpharm Stadium is quickly becoming a fortress as Town boast the best home record and second best goal difference in the league. Next up to face the Terriers are Hartlepool United, who travel down from the north-east next Saturday and will already be fearing the prospect of playing the in-form team in the entire Football League. Hartlepool sit ninth in the league after beating Leyton Orient 1-0 at home today.

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Town smash Dagenham but no clean sheet for Smithies

Nov 9

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Huddersfield Town 6 (Williams, Novak (2), Roberts (2), Rhodes)
Dagenham and Redbridge 1 (Benson)

Huddersfield Town eased past Dagenham and Redbridge to make the second round of the FA Cup after hitting the Daggers for 6. However, a late consolation goal for the away side meant that Alex Smithies came away from the game without a clean sheet. Town showed their strong attacking ability by going into half-time 4-0 up after goals from Robbie Williams, Lee Novak, Gary Roberts and Jordan Rhodes. Novak and Roberts each added to the rout by getting their second goals of the game after the break.

Town have been drawn away in the second round of the competition at either Port Vale or Stevenage Borough, depending on a replay between the two sides a week tomorrow. Next up for the Terriers is another home game against Wycombe Wanderers this coming Saturday, a match which kicks off at midday and is broadcast live on Sky TV.

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Stoke assistant in the stands as Smithies shines again

Nov 1

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Oldham Athletic 0
Huddersfield Town 1 (Williams)

Stoke City assistant manager Peter Reid was in the stands today as Huddersfield Town picked up three much-needed away points by beating Oldham Athletic 1-0 at Boundary Park. Reid’s presence at the game has added more fuel to the rumours that the Premiership side are looking closely at goalkeeper Alex Smithies and may in fact have made a few bids for the highly-rated youngster. One ‘in the know’ insider on the Down On The Mac forum suggests that Town have turned-down £2m and £5m bids for Smithies and that the player himself has ruled out any possible move because of his attachment to his current club.

With or without Smithies, Town will be hoping to continue this current run of form which has seen them creep into the top-6, a position that many fans will be expecting them to hold come the end of the season. It was a second-half Robbie Williams free-kick that gave them the lead today and a dominating display throughout meant that they held on to take all three points. Next up is Dagenham & Redbridge at home in the FA Cup, which will be played on Friday night due to a rugby game at the Galpharm stadium on the Saturday.

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Smithies clean sheet in four-goal rout

Oct 26

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Huddersfield Town 4 (Roberts, Clarke, Collins, Rhodes)
Leyton Orient 0

Alex Smithies kept another home clean sheet as Huddersfield Town demolished Leyton Orient 4-0 this weekend. Gary Roberts opened the scoring just before half-time with a lovely left-footed volley, with goals from Nathan Clarke, Michael Collins and finally Jordan Rhodes finishing the job. Town’s strong defensive performances mean that a huge 444 minutes have passed since they last conceded a goal at the Galpharm, which they are quickly turning into something of a fortress.

Next up for the Terriers is Oldham Athletic away on Saturday, a fixture which always proves difficult for the Terriers; but with a performance matching those of the past two weeks and they should put up a strong challenge for all three points.

Town have drawn Dagenham and Redbridge in the FA Cup First Round – the match will be played either on Friday 6th or Sunday 8th of November.

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Smithies to Stoke rumour rears its head again

Oct 22

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He is one of the hottest young prospects in the country, so it is no surprise when the national newspapers are printing rumours about Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Alex Smithies. Stoke City are a team mentioned a lot around the ‘keepers potential signing, and the Daily Mirror reports that the Potters are due to bid £1.5m for his signature, yet Town are holding out for a massive £4m.

Town fans’ worries will be eased by the presence of chairman Dean Hoyle on the popular messageboard Down At The Mac last week, simply posting ‘no chance’ in response to previous rumours surrounding Smithies another young prospect Jordan Rhodes.

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Town quash Smithies exit rumours

Oct 13

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Huddersfield Town chief exec Nigel Clibbens has laughed off rumours that Alex Smithies could be on his way to Premiership side Stoke City. A number of newspapers reported the rumour yesterday, including the Mirror and the Mail, however the club have been quick to deny any transfer news.

Speaking to the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, Clibbens insisted that Town “are not your usual League I club” and that “we have a different approach.”.

He went on to speak about the future of the club and its dedication to developing young talent such as Smithies. “Led by (chairman) Dean Hoyle, we are focused on the long term, recruiting and developing talented young players and creating an environment that gives them the best chance of success.

“We are investing heavily in developing all aspects of the club and moving it forward. Selling our best players for short-term profit is not part of the plan.

“Money is not a motivation for Dean, in any shape or form. He is not involved for personal financial gain, he is successful enough in his own business!”

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Town back to their best and a clean sheet bonus for Smithies

Oct 11

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Huddersfield Town 4 (Novak, Rhodes x3)
Exeter City 0

A stunning hattrick of headers by Jordan Rhodes led Huddersfield Town to a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Exeter City this weekend. After having picked up just two points from the last five league games, this win had been a long time coming and did a lot to appease the Terriers fans, who were becoming uneasy at the club’s recent form.

Exeter’s attacking presence was barely noticeable, with Alex Smithies having to perform one save and watch a further two efforts on goal not force him into a save. This clean sheet will have done wonders for the young goalkeeper’s confidence, however a trip to London to play high-flying Charlton next week will certainly offer more in the way of a challenge. That said, yesterday’s result and performance shows just what Town are capable of on their day, and that they certainly possess the ability to put them among the promotion contenders this season.

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More disappointment for Smithies – this time on penalties

Oct 7

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Chesterfield 3 (Talbot x2, Bowery)
Huddersfield Town 3 (Pilkinton x2, N. Clarke)

Chesterfield win 4-2 on penalties

A dramatic late comeback from Huddersfield Town was not enough to ensure their progression to the next round of the Johnstones Paint Trophy last night as they lost 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out to Chesterfield. Three goals conceded in normal time then four from the spot will have harmed Alex Smithies’ confidence, as he has only kept two clean sheets this season (both in 0-0 home draws).

Chesterfield looked like romping home with the win when Bowery scored on 90mins to make the game 3-1 to the home side, however this goal seemed to spur Town into life, who immediately pulled one back through an Anthony Pilkington free-kick (his second goal of the night). Nathan Clarke then bundled the ball into the net from a Pilkington corner. However, the resurrection attempt was in vain, as Pilkington and Jim Goodwin went on to miss in the penalty shoot-out, whereas Chesterfield scored their first four, securing the win.

Exeter at home on Saturday, and it has already become a ‘must win’ game for The Terriers. A scrappy 1-0 win will appease the fans just as much as a four or five goal demolition – they just want to see three points on board as soon as possible.

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