Match report: Huddersfield Town 1 Middlesbrough 2

IN front of the stand packed with around 3,500 travelling fans, Middlesbrough needed a cool head. Deep in to stoppage-time at the end of the game, the visitors had been handed a lifeline after conceding a late equaliser to Huddersfield Town.

Step forward Grant Leadbitter. Again.

Despite the influx of exciting new signings at the Teesside club under Aitor Karanka, it was the reliable Leadbitter stepping up to the plate for not the first time this season. Not content with scoring one of the best free-kicks in any division or league you will see, the skipper then converted a pressure-pot of a penalty without any sign of fear or nerves.

His double took his tally, from an apparent largely deep-lying midfield position this term, to six goals in seven appearances; three more than Spanish striker Kike. Karanka continues to be impressed by him, making him a regular starter in a squad full of new faces.

“Leadbitter is a very good player, who leads by example,” said Karanka. “He is a player who has really impressed me since I came here and he is the kind of player we need to play. He is a strong character, he is always working hard and is a player who can score goals. The first goal, especially, was a special one.”

After George Friend had been awarded a foul following a challenge from Nahki Wells deep inside the Middlesbrough half, few could have imagined what was on the cards nine minutes before the break.

As red shirts jostled for position on the left, with Karanka actually frustrated by a lack of movement, it was easy to surmise that there would be an attempt to dink a delivery in to the area with some 35 yards to goal.

Leadbitter had other ideas. The former Ipswich and Sunderland man crashed an incredible right-foot drive with the outside of his boot which curled around the wall and flew straight in to Alex Smithies’ top left corner of the net. There is not a goalkeeper in the world who would have got near it.

From that moment on Middlesbrough dominated. Kike and Adam Clayton, the former Huddersfield man, went closest to adding to the lead before half-time. After the break, the Terriers struggled to get out of their own half.

The closest Middlesbrough came to grabbing the crucial second, however, was when Jelle Vossen, handed his debut from the bench following his move from Genk on deadline day, fired wide from distance seven minutes before the end.

And three minutes later Huddersfield capitalised. Jacob Butterfield, who only left Middlesbrough last month, fed substitute Danny Ward down the left. He delivered a fine cross in to the area for former Sunderland striker Jon Stead to turn beyond Konstantopoulos, who performed solidly after Karanka left out Tomas Mejias.

Huddersfield must have felt they had done enough, but then young full-back Tommy Smith tugged at Adam Reach’s shirt in the penalty area as he ran away from goal to try to retrieve a half clearance. Referee Kevin Wright spotted it, pointed to the spot and Leadbitter did the rest.

Karanka said: “It was a very important win for us because we have worked hard to improve the team to bring in new players before the deadline. I couldn’t believe it when their equaliser went in. I don’t know how many chances we’d had to go further ahead before that.

“Kike, Vossen and Patrick Bamford all had opportunities. I still thought we were the better side and deserved to win the game. For me, I’m learning more about the Championship as we go on. I am very pleased with the way we went about it here because we showed strong character and that we have very good players.”

After back-to-back defeats, Middlesbrough needed to make the most of the improved morale following the arrival of so many new additions to the squad building up to the transfer deadline two weeks ago; particularly after suffering back-to-back home defeats.

With that target achieved, the much bigger goal of promotion lies in front of them ahead of playing a further five games over the next 18 days.

For a Premier League return to be achieved, Karanka knows greater consistency is required after winning three and losing three of their opening six league games. Having ended a dramatic afternoon in West Yorkshire as winners, though, his new-look squad has made a decent start.