Soccer
Huddersfield boss Martin Drury believes Oxford win was well earned
Huddersfield head coach Martin Drury praised his side’s mentality after they conceded an equaliser to Oxford only to come roaring back and win the game 3-1.
Joe Taylor’s brace made the difference in the end – and the in-form striker was as relieved as anybody after missing two huge chances before finally finding his touch.
Drury said: “Joe’s come off and I said ‘well done’, and he said ‘I was bloody rubbish tonight!’. I said ‘look, you’re fine Joe, don’t worry about it’.
“The way he worked without the ball, as all the team did, was first-class.
“He’s a top-quality player and he’s got a real instinct for goal, and finishes really well.
“But my belief in life is that you get the rewards through work, and he’s working so hard every day.
“The distances he’s running and the humility he’s showing, you’ll get a little bit of luck from that alongside his quality.
“So it’s testament to Joe and it’s testament to the all the players that are finding his runs.
“I do want us using the ball better, and I don’t want us to be defending for such long periods.
“But at the same time, if that takes us a bit longer to develop and we’re making the chances we’re making and scoring goals like we are, then we’ll accept that for now.
“We will keep working to develop the in-possession stuff, because there’s moments where we can just take more control and be better.”
Oxford boss Aaron Ramsey said: “Obviously, it is difficult to accept defeats. That is definitely not something I want.
“But I think for large periods in that game, we showed real courage to get on the ball and dominate. For me, there were a lot of positives in there.
“There were moments in the game that we need to learn from, but I am not going to let that cloud my judgement on large periods of that game.
“Set pieces are a massive part of the game, and they can definitely win or lose you games – so for us to concede from one is obviously disappointing.
“There are moments in the game when, once you get back into it and feel like the momentum is with you again, that is the moment when you really need to double down and take the game to them.
“There is always learning to do in every single game, and there is loads we can learn from that, both positives and things we can improve on.
“We would have liked to have created a few more clear-cut opportunities, and just to have that more more composure and calmness that you really need for that last pass or shot.”
