Huddersfield Town vs Rotherham United. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance19,378.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Huddersfield and Rotherham at the John Smith's Stadium as Duane Holmes and Jordan Rhodes scored for the Terriers to earn victory.
Thursday 29 December 2022 23:25, UK
Huddersfield lifted themselves off the bottom of the Sky Bet Championship table thanks to a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Yorkshire rivals Rotherham.
Last season's play-off finalists have laboured through most of this term so far, but this second successive win will offer renewed hope.
Rotherham, meanwhile, have now won just once in their last 11 games and were booed off by their fans.
Amid a rather subdued atmosphere inside the John Smith's Stadium, both of these struggling sides produced a rather nervy opening spell.
The Millers, backed by their sold-out travelling support, carved out the first half-chance.
Oli Rathbone delayed well before releasing Tom Eaves, but the big striker fired disappointingly straight at goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.
The hosts were trying hard to create a bit of rhythm in their approach play, but there was little end product from them in the opening 20 minutes.
David Kasumu found some space on the edge of the Rotherham box, but his shot was blocked.
Midway through the first half, the Terriers came close when an unmarked Duane Holmes met Jack Rudoni's cross, only to head well over the top.
Huddersfield broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark with a super individual strike from Holmes, who pounced on a loose Millers pass before taking the ball on and lashing home an angled shot in off the far post.
Holmes' first goal of the season was almost followed by the hosts' second a minute later, but Will Boyle glanced a header narrowly wide.
In first-half added time, the Terriers went close again when both Jordan Rhodes and Josh Ruffels somehow managed to just miss getting a touch to Rudoni's measured cross to the far post.
Both teams made a much livelier start to the second period.
Within minutes the impressive Rudoni produced another smart cross which Rhodes could not quite stretch enough to meet and guide an effort on target.
In the 53rd minute Rhodes met Holmes' cutback, only to then produce a weak close-range strike which Viktor Johansson saved easily.
Rhodes made no mistake in doubling the hosts' lead three minutes later, however, when he took a pass from Kaine Kesler-Hayden before curling home superbly from 20 yards.
The Millers appeared finally stung into action after the second goal, but both Chiedozie Ogbene and Jamie Lindsay missed gilt-edged opportunities to swiftly halve the deficit.
Sub Hakeem Odoffin also disappointed when he headed wildly over late on as the Millers slid to a worrying seventh defeat in their last 11 games.
Huddersfield's win moved them to within just two points of tonight's opponents, with a game in hand.
Huddersfield's Mark Fotheringham: "The first half-hour was very sloppy from us in possession, we've certainly been much slicker in recent games. But we kept at it, and in the end some individual class started to shine through. We all know there's pressure when you're in a position like ours but we have worked so hard as a group behind the scenes and we're putting higher and higher demands on one another.
"We're growing as a group I feel, and that's reflected in the results in these last two games. We've won again, but we need to back this result up now. We've broken the barrier of winning back-to-back games, but it's important we keep this momentum going. We believe in everyone in this squad, and there has been a bit of a mentality shift since the restart.
"Our fitness levels are incredible and that helps you win your individual duels and helps with the intensity you need. I know it's a cliche but we just need to focus on a game at a time now. We'll just keep taking it step by step."
Rotherham's Matt Taylor: "Not much is going our way at the moment, but we can't start feeling sorry for ourselves. Some of our play tonight wasn't up to the standard we expect of course, and we must start showing more signs of life and quality in our game. It's that quality that we've lacked again in this game, and it makes life difficult.
"We'll keep battling, though, although we know it's tough mentally. Sometimes we are a bit short at this level, but it's up to me and the staff to try and get the lads to believe. Everything seems to be going against us, but we have to keep plugging away. Some of our deliveries into the box were so, so poor tonight, and that's not helping the situation, but we know what we can improve on and where we need to be stronger."
