Huddersfield Town vs Nottingham Forest. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance11,299.
Saturday 26 September 2015 18:31, UK
Emyr Huws struck his fourth goal in three matches to rescue a point for Huddersfield in a 1-1 home draw against Sky Bet Championship rivals Nottingham Forest.
Midfielder Huws crashed home a long-range equaliser via a deflection off Forest defender Jack Hobbs and the crossbar to cancel out Ryan Mendes' first-half opener for the visitors, for whom substitute Chris Burke hit the woodwork in the second period.
Huws, on loan from League One side Wigan, scored in the recent win at Charlton and notched two more in last weekend's 4-1 victory over Bolton as Chris Powell's side completed a mini revival after failing to win any of their first six league matches.
A point for Town looked very much in doubt for most of a game that was short on quality after they had fallen behind to Mendes' goal, his first in English football following his arrival from French side Lille earlier this month.
Huddersfield threatened first through on-loan Bournemouth defender Elliott Ward, who headed Sean Scannell's corner narrowly wide in the sixth minute.
The home side continued to look the more likely throughout the opening quarter but as so often happens when one side has had a lively start without delivering a goal, it is the opposition who break the deadlock.
Forest did that in the 23rd minute in a rare foray forward with a three-touch move that caught the home side flat-footed.
Defender Daniel Pinillos swung over a cross from the left and fellow full-back Eric Lichaj played the ball back towards the penalty spot with a neat cushioned header for Mendes to sweep the ball into the roof of the net.
Huddersfield had made all the running before Mendes' goal but lost all their early cohesion and laboured to break down Forest's well-organised defence.
Harry Bunn's thumping goalbound drive from the right side of the penalty area early in the second half cannoned off Forest centre-half Kelvin Wilson, but the visitors carried a threat on the counter.
Defender Michael Mancienne headed wide from a corner for the away side, while Bunn's fine run into the area at the other end came to nothing.
Powell sent on striker Nahki Wells for Mustapha Carayol in the 67th minute before defender Joel Lynch headed Bunn's corner over the crossbar.
Forest responded through forward Chris O'Grady's low angled shot, easily gathered by Jed Steer, and while Town continued to probe, mainly through the efforts of Bunn, it was easy pickings for Forest central defenders Wilson and Hobbs.
The visitors replaced Ward with Burke in the 76th minute and he hit the post after being sent clear 90 seconds later.
O'Grady followed up to smash the rebound goalwards but Town defender Martin Cranie denied him with an excellent block on the line, but Town had the last laugh.
Huws' late shot from outside the penalty area took a deflection off Hobbs and bounced down over the goalline to earn a hard-earned point for the home side.
Huddersfield manager Chris Powell:
"To be honest Forest defended manfully, they really did," Powell added. "You think maybe it's not going to be your night, a couple of times we were in good areas to get a good ball in and when we did Forest's defenders were there and you just thought it may not happen."
Nottingham Forest boss Dougie Freedman:
"Apart from the first 15 minutes when Huddersfield gave it a right good go, we looked to control the game through our defending, which was fantastic. Our midfield three, their defending and the way they passed the ball was great and we created enough chances, especially in the second half with Burke's one-on-one, to have won the game but for a wicked deflection."
