Soccer
Mixed feelings for Martin Paterson as Notts County hold Huddersfield
Notts County boss Martin Paterson was left with mixed feelings despite watching his side extend their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-1 draw away to high-flying Huddersfield.
Both sides remain without defeat so far this campaign after Marcus Harness’s well-taken opener for Huddersfield was cancelled out by Ollie Cooper, who exploited goalkeeper Matty Young’s error from a corner.
Huddersfield dominated much of the second half while the visitors looked to play on the counter.
Paterson said: “There are so many things I’m happy with but there are also things I think we can rapidly improve, and they are quite obvious.
“It is just about keeping those emotions in check, knowing that we are coming into a new league, with a new group and we have come up against Huddersfield Town, who, if you think about their budget and what they are spending on centre-forwards and on their squad, are a really strong side.
“I think it says something that I am actually sat here disappointed with the point, but also respectful enough to know that they put us under a lot of pressure in the second half.
“We stood up to it, and then tactically we changed things to hit them on the break late. We did that, but we just did not take the chance.
“Over the course of the season, I just want to keep working with my players to get us better, but without ever forgetting where we have come from and the journey we are on.”
Huddersfield head coach Martin Drury said: “We scored a really good goal, really well worked from the players and a great finish from Marcus.
“We then created another two or three really good chances that we have to take. We have to be a little bit more ruthless, which is something we slightly lacked.
“They then obviously scored a disappointing goal — a really disappointing goal.
“Not just the corner, but the way it was a throw-in before that. For us to allow them to get a corner from that throw-in is unlike us.
“That rocked us a little bit, I think, but at the same time, I thought the response in the second half was good.
“I looked at the data afterwards to see whether my feeling in the game aligned with some of the numbers, and we had 38 touches in Notts County’s 18-yard box, which is staggering. We had five big chances, 18 shots, 15 shots from inside their box.
“When you look at those numbers and you have only scored one goal, I think you have to be a little bit disappointed in terms of the end product.”
