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Stoppage-time loss criminal blasts Ritchie
Mar 17 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
MANAGER Andy Ritchie is calling for a big response at home to Brighton tomorrow after a performance against Southend he described as “criminal”.
And chairman Ken Davy will be almost as concerned about the crowd as the result after just 7,823 turned out for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.
It was the lowest attendance for a Saturday home league game since Town left Leeds Road and the sixth poorest league gate in all since the 1994 switch.
With Brighton unlikely to bring many followers, the fear is that the turn-out will be worse than the current stadium league low of 6,326 against Millwall last month.
Whatever the figure, Ritchie is determined his 15th-placed team get back to winning ways after a fifth defeat in six outings and seventh of the season at home.
Town fell to a stoppage-time strike by Alan McCormack after Andy Booth had equalised Hal Robson-Kanu’s 40th-minute shot with a 73rd-minute header.
“I’m livid,” said Ritchie, who is continuing to scour the market for a loan striker.
“We fought so hard to get back into the game then let them get a cheap goal by failing to go with a runner from midfield. It was criminal.
“After we scored, we sat off them. You have to be as alert and as willing to run back towards your own goal in the 93rd minute as you are in the first.
“I thought we played well and made them look ordinary in the second half up to getting the goal, but that’s worth nothing if you don’t keep it going all the way.”
Ritchie, who gave 18-year-old frontman Danny Broadbent a home debut as a 78th-minute substitute, added: “We were slow to second balls all the way through.
“It’s about anticipation, but sometimes we don’t react until after the event.”
"We get another chance tomorrow night against an in-form Brighton side, it will be a tough test but I expect us to cope better than we did on Saturday, the players owe the supporters a perfromance and I expect us to be bang at it tomorrow evening."
While admitting making the play-offs is virtually impossible, Ritchie insisted: “With nine games still to go we have to get as many wins as we can and finish as high up the table as we can, Brighton have shown what you can do if you put a good run together and I see no reason why we cannot finish above them come what May.”
Dougies Ruling - Town are at a low for the season after Saturdays debacle, but I expect them to show their mettle with a battling performance. Brightons away form is poor and I back Town to battle to a one goal victory.
Mar 17 2008 by Dougie Thomson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner
MANAGER Andy Ritchie is calling for a big response at home to Brighton tomorrow after a performance against Southend he described as “criminal”.
And chairman Ken Davy will be almost as concerned about the crowd as the result after just 7,823 turned out for Saturday’s 2-1 defeat.
It was the lowest attendance for a Saturday home league game since Town left Leeds Road and the sixth poorest league gate in all since the 1994 switch.
With Brighton unlikely to bring many followers, the fear is that the turn-out will be worse than the current stadium league low of 6,326 against Millwall last month.
Whatever the figure, Ritchie is determined his 15th-placed team get back to winning ways after a fifth defeat in six outings and seventh of the season at home.
Town fell to a stoppage-time strike by Alan McCormack after Andy Booth had equalised Hal Robson-Kanu’s 40th-minute shot with a 73rd-minute header.
“I’m livid,” said Ritchie, who is continuing to scour the market for a loan striker.
“We fought so hard to get back into the game then let them get a cheap goal by failing to go with a runner from midfield. It was criminal.
“After we scored, we sat off them. You have to be as alert and as willing to run back towards your own goal in the 93rd minute as you are in the first.
“I thought we played well and made them look ordinary in the second half up to getting the goal, but that’s worth nothing if you don’t keep it going all the way.”
Ritchie, who gave 18-year-old frontman Danny Broadbent a home debut as a 78th-minute substitute, added: “We were slow to second balls all the way through.
“It’s about anticipation, but sometimes we don’t react until after the event.”
"We get another chance tomorrow night against an in-form Brighton side, it will be a tough test but I expect us to cope better than we did on Saturday, the players owe the supporters a perfromance and I expect us to be bang at it tomorrow evening."
While admitting making the play-offs is virtually impossible, Ritchie insisted: “With nine games still to go we have to get as many wins as we can and finish as high up the table as we can, Brighton have shown what you can do if you put a good run together and I see no reason why we cannot finish above them come what May.”
Dougies Ruling - Town are at a low for the season after Saturdays debacle, but I expect them to show their mettle with a battling performance. Brightons away form is poor and I back Town to battle to a one goal victory.
