Stoke (0 1 Huddersfield (1) 1 – 1/4/24 3pm
Ki-Jana Hoever’s brilliant equaliser was the story of this 6-pointer against the Terriers. City can be satisfied with 4 Easter points, but after hitting the bar & having headers cleared off the line, Stoke will feel they came up short. Here’s how this one unfolded in real time:
6 changes vs Hull, now 4 changes today, as Burger is back from suspension & Enda Stevens is rested. Niall Ennis finally gets another start up front for Mmaee.
0.00 As the players take the knee, Huddersfield players try to kick off, then realise the ref (right beside them) has ducked out of view. Laughable.
7.50 Ref fails to get across to the players that he’s given a free kick to Stoke and not Huddersfield. Everyone very confused.
10.01 Looked like a goal from a corner for Town, but disallowed for a some offence. It went in direct from a header, so either an infringement by the scorer (leaning on defender) or the keeper Iversen was being impeded (more likely).
21.57 Rose boots the ball right into Burger’s face. He seems mightily surprised.
28.05 Laurent wins the ball and puts Junho practically through with a great ball, but Junho is muscled off the ball. Not his game.
30.20 Lunging tackle by Leris deservedly gets a yellow card. He’s been fishing for one for some time now.
33.02 As Huddersfield win another corner, their fans wake up. Forgotten they were here. Away end is two-thirds full. Then when Stoke fans chant a minute later, they claim that they’d “forgot that you were here”! Pot kettle black!
36.35 Junho wins free kick, but the replay hardly looks like a foul.
37.20 Baker’s free kick hits the bar, but McNally can’t put in the rebound.
39.45 Another foul on Junho, again by Matos who gets a yellow card, although again the replay makes it look mostly harmless.
44.10 0-1 !! As Stoke fail to clear, Huddersfield’s Bojan Radulovic strokes the ball home with ease. he then celebrates in front of the Stoke fans.
45+3 HT 0-1
45.00 Haksabanovic on for Baker.
45.45 Ball flashes through all the Stoke defenders, spinning harmlessly away. Stoke not starting brightly. But wait…!
49.28 1-1 !!! What a cracker from Hoever!!! Came in from the right and hit the far top corner.
51.20 McNally takes one for the team, in that he pulls the shorts of an opponent and is yellowed.
Attendance 23917
56.01 Mmaee and Million on for Ennis and Leris.
64.35 Burger is through, but his flick shot is cleared by keeper Lee Nicholls.
65.20 Stoke headers cleared off the line from subsequent corner! McNally and Laurent denied. Haksabanovic is yellowed in the counter attack.
74.22 Haksabanovic has a chance to shoot from a narrow angle, but trips himself up! Not his day either! He makes up for it with a mazy dribble, but it comes to nothing.
87.20 Enda Stevens on for Burger. Frantic finish.
90+5 FT 1-1
