Michael Duff warns Huddersfield over complacency

Posted Sunday, August 18, 2024 by PA

Huddersfield manager Michael Duff admitted he has warned his side over complacency despite running out 2-1 winners over Stevenage.

Josh Koroma and Ben Wiles were on target for the Terriers with Harvey White’s stoppage-time penalty coming too late for the visitors to salvage anything.

But it could have been a different story if Elliott List had take advantage of a golden opportunity moments after the break and hit what would have been an equaliser for Stevenage.

Duff said: “I thought we were excellent first half and not very good second half. We’ve got to credit Stevenage for the way they came out second half, but we have to do better than what we did.

“We got sloppy and complacent, and once you start like that it’s hard to change. The last kick of the game is the disappointing moment for us, but ultimately it’s a win.

“We’re trying to shift the mentality and say you can’t pick and choose when you turn up and when you don’t. They’ve been excellent and set their own standards and they fell below them, so they got a bit of stick there from me, because that’s my job.

“It was just basic things really – not running hard enough, being sloppy, basically thinking the game was won when it wasn’t.

“I think we deserved to win the game, but from my point of view it’s a weird emotion because I’m frustrated and you’re saying well done at the same time. It’s very rarely that happens, but it’s a warning shot really.”

Stevenage boss Alex Revell was left wondering what might have been after that glorious missed chance to equalise.

He said: “It was a bit Jekyll and Hyde, I think is the way to put it. First half we didn’t get enough pressure to the ball and allowed them really to just dictate the play.

“We’d changed the shape a bit to counteract what Huddersfield do, and it didn’t materialise how we wanted it to. That’s not an excuse, we still need to match a runner, and for all Huddersfield’s good play, they’ve scored from a cross where we haven’t marked their player. You have to take accountability for that.

“For the first 10 minutes of the second half we absolutely stung them and had them, and ultimately you cannot, at this level, miss those opportunities.

“That then comes back to haunt you because we know they’re a threat from cutbacks and goalscoring midfielders, and all of a sudden there’s a goal and we find ourselves 2-0 down when we should be 1-1, and all of a sudden the place has changed.

“So the first half was not where we want to be, but the second half was much better.”