Huddersfield Town manager Martin Drury has called for more attacking variety after his side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Mansfield Town. The Terriers failed to score despite playing against ten men for most of the second half at the weekend.
Drury told reporters his team lacked a 'killer instinct' in Nottinghamshire. He said they must find new ways to break down sides that sit deep, a challenge they will face repeatedly this season. "We cannot expect to beat everyone on the counter," Drury explained. "We will face sides that drop off and we must find ways to break them down."
Mansfield's red card
The stalemate saw Mansfield's Owen Dodgson sent off just minutes after coming on as a half-time substitute. Drury reacted by making attacking changes, but the hosts dropped into a 5-3-1 shape. "We made attacking substitutions, and they went to a 5-3-1, which meant that the outsides were a little bit more open, and I thought we exposed that well," Drury said. He added, however, that his team could have exploited those spaces quicker and did not take advantage of 2v1 situations on the flanks well enough.
Huddersfield dominated the numbers, registering 19 shots, 38 touches in the opposition box and 24 crosses. Their overall expected goals was 1.49. Yet only two of those attempts were on target, underlining the lack of cutting edge Drury identified.
Midfield reshuffle
The match also saw an early injury to Ryan Ledson, who was replaced in the first half by Archie Collins. Drury praised the performance of Collins and fellow midfielder Cameron Humphreys. "I thought Cam and Archie Collins had a really nice balance together," the manager said. "It was disappointing to lose Ryan, and hopefully he won’t be out for too long, but full credit to Archie, who came on." He described Humphreys as 'a class above again'.
Ledson's exact return date is not yet known, but Drury is hopeful the issue is not a long-term one. Fans can check the latest on the squad's availability on our injuries page.
Unbeaten run continues
The point extends Huddersfield's unbeaten start to the League One season to six games. They sit second in the table with 12 points from three wins and three draws, just one point behind leaders Sheffield Wednesday. Their recent form reads DWDWW, with 10 goals scored and only four conceded.
Drury acknowledged the solid foundation but stressed the need for improvement in the final third. He wants his players to improve their crossing positions by taking an extra pass and to add more variety to their attacking play. The manager said the team must move on quickly, assess the performance, and push standards in training ahead of the next fixture.
This story first appeared at Yorkshire Live
