Hello and welcome to
Sports Mole's live text coverage of the West Yorkshire derby meeting between
Huddersfield Town and
Leeds United and the John Smith's Stadium.
We have an intriguing clash on our hands to kickoff this action-packed day of Football League action, as a Huddersfield side now under new management take on local rivals Leeds in what should be a feisty affair. Before taking a closer look at both teams' recent form, let's first check out some team news.
TEAM NEWS!HUDDERSFIELD TOWN XI: Murphy, Davidson, Hudson, Cranie, Wallace, Whitehead, Bunn, Lolley, Dempsey, Billing, Wells
LEEDS UNITED XI: Silvestri, Wootton, Cooper, Bellusci, Berardi, Dallas, Mowatt, Murphy, Cook, Antenucci, Wood
So
Steve Evans has opted to name an unchanged starting lineup for this lunchtime kickoff, which is not too surprising on the back of his maiden win in charge last time out. That does mean Sol Bamba misses out in the heart of defence, however, having initially lost his place against Cardiff City through suspension.
Mirco Antenucci and
Chris Wood will therefore be tasked with leading the line, while
Alex Mowatt - fresh from his belter against the Bluebirds - retains his place in midfield. Giuseppe Bellusci has seemingly been given a lifeline at the back, meanwhile, starting alongside Liam Cooper.
Huddersfield have made more sweeping changes, on the other hand, having brought in four new faces. I'm not too sure whether
David Wagner has had much say in the lineup this afternoon, or whether the more experienced
Mark Lillis has taken over things. Either way, this is a slightly different looking lineup from the midweek draw at Reading.
Joe Murphy, Dean Whitehead, Murray Wallace and Joe Lolley have all come into the first-team fold, while Jed Steer, Emyr Huws, Joel Lynch (suspended) and Martin Paterson (injured) make way. Nahki Wells scored his fourth goal of the campaign in the 2-2 draw at the Madejski, so he will be looking to build on that today.
BENCH WATCH!HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Steer, Smith, Vaughan, Carayol, Huws, Holmes, Bojaj
LEEDS UNITED SUBS: Horton, Bamba, Phillips, Adeyemi, Buckley, Botaka, Erwin
Emyr Huws having to settle for a place among the Huddersfield subs this afternoon, then, while the visitors have included Lee Erwin among their back-ups. The forward returned from his spell on loan earlier this week and has been told by his boss that he must make an impression or face being shipped out once more. No pressure.
No place in the starting lineup for Sol Bamba this afternoon, with Steve Evans opting to name an unchanged Leeds United team Well a lot of questions have been asked about Huddersfield's decision to part company with Chris Powell earlier this week. Many felt that he had done a decent enough job in West Yorkshire, but chief executive Nigel Clibbens clearly felt that change was needed in order for the club to push on.
The Terriers chief cited a "change of direction" behind the decision to appoint well-respected coach
David Wagner, who will not officially take charge of proceedings until after today's game. Wager has done a lot of good work during his time in Germany, which led many to believe that he would rejoin Jurgen Klopp as part of the Liverpool backroom staff.
Wagner's first big task is to improve Town's home record, with just two wins in their last nine at the John Smith's Stadium. Results were largely mixed under Powell's reign, but the club are currently five points above the drop zone and well positioned to climb up the table with a win here today.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Leeds have performed well in this fixture in recent times, winning each of the last three encounters and scoring 10 goals during that run. United have netted in each of the last eight fixtures, in fact, bagging 21 goals in all.
While Huddersfield are preparing for life under Wagner, Leeds are themselves still adjusting to their new era - another new era!
Steve Evans is the latest man to take to the Elland Road helm, picking up two battling draws and a win from his four games. Pretty decent results on the whole, and that victory over Cardiff to end their home hoodoo last time out could prove to be huge.
As mentioned, Mark Lillis will be taking charge of this afternoon's match before the new era under David Wagner can officially get underway KICKOFF! A minute's silence ahead of Remembrance Day is impeccably observed, and now we are underway at the John Smith's Stadium. Leeds are sporting an all-yellow kit this afternoon; Huddersfield in their traditional blue and white stripes.
Joe Lolley seeing plenty of the ball out on the right win in these opening few minutes, but his inability to use his right foot costs him as he fails to get down the outside. Huddersfield supporters right behind their team this afternoon, as are the many Leeds fans in the away section.
Antenucci is shoved into touch on the right-hand side, being left angered by the referee's failure to award a free kick. Plenty of early challengers but as of yet no real action in the attacking third.
Still all very balanced in these early stages, with both sides cautious of making any errors. David Wagner is an interested spectator up in the stands, while down below him
Mark Lillis is screaming out plenty of instructions.
Huddersfield look to counter after successfully defending a flat Leeds set piece, but Berardi simply smashes the ball into Row Z to kill any hopes the Terriers had of getting bodies forward.
Lolley makes some space inside the box but sees his shot blocked away. Liam Cooper is now down receiving treatment following a clash of heads inside the box.
This Cooper injury is worse than initially feared, with the Leeds medical team still on the field. Can never take any risks in situations like this, of course, so let's just hope that it is nothing too serious. Big blow for United, regardless, with Sol Bamba being readied to come on.
Bamba has undergone his stretches and is now waiting patiently on the sidelines. The club captain was dropped today, remember, so it will be interesting to see how his slots into the backline. Cooper, meanwhile, is now being put onto a stretcher.
LEEDS UNITED SUB! Cooper leaves the field on a stretcher to a brilliant ovation from every facet of the ground. Sol Bamba is on in his place, with the game now ready to resume following that seven-minute delay.
As expected all the tempo has gone following that big delay in proceedings. There was not a great deal of flow before the Cooper injury, in truth, with this game yet to fully take off.
Well picks out Dempsey on the right, with the midfielder getting to the byline before pulling one back. Silvestri was straight on the cross, though, bringing an end to another largely disappointing attacking move.
YELLOW CARD! The most cynical of challenges from Leeds right back Wootton on Bunn provides us with the first caution of this West Yorkshire derby.
YELLOW CARD! Cranie brings down Antenucci, who was breaking away for Leeds, to become the second player in quick succession to be booked. Still yet to see a single shot or chance of any note so far in a bland opening 26 minutes.
A goal on the counter appears to be the only way through at the moment, but even then the quality has to improve when it comes to the final ball. Billing twisted his ankle a few minutes ago and is currently limping around - not good news for the Terriers.
SAVE! Billing puts his long throw to good use to earn his side a corner, but that could very well be his last real involvement due to the ankle injury sustained a little earlier. From the set piece came the first shot of the match; Bunn firing away an effort from the left side of the penalty area that Silvestri got down well to handle.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUB! A chance for Emyr Huws to prove to his manager(s) that he did not deserve to be dropped this afternoon. The Wales international replaces the injured Billing in the second forced change of the match.
The game has certainly become a little more lively over the past few minutes. Things are a little more stretched now, but Leeds have yet to offer anything in an attacking sense across these opening 34 minutes.
Another short break in play for Whitehead to receive some treatment on this occasion. All very stop-start still, with just the one shot all afternoon. Let's just hope for an improvement in quality over the next 55 minutes or so.
Some very sloppy play allows Leeds to break in numbers yet again, with this latest attack showing a little more promise. The ball runs for Wood to strike on the edge of the box, but it is blocked aside. The corner is picked up by Mowatt, who fires across the face of goal.
That was arguably Leeds' best little spell of the game so far, but it is nothing to get too excited about. Quality still lacking from both sides, making that opening goal - if it does indeed arrive - all the more important.
Leeds supporters making plenty of noise at the moment, perhaps spurred on by that Mowatt flash-shot a couple of minutes ago. This game is badly petering out to half time, which is still about 10 minutes away due to the lengthy stoppage early on.
Wells so nearly gets in behind Bamba, before conceding a free kick after getting his timing slightly wrong. Not been enough movement from Huddersfield's attacking players so far, but that offered a bit of hope for the remainder of this match.
YELLOW CARD! Bamba gets nothing of the ball but a lot of Bunn, earning the game's third yellow in the process. Wells curls the resulting free kick a yard or so over the bar.
We are now three minutes into eight added on at the end of this first half, and we have the game's biggest talking point so far. Wootton, already booked remember, escapes a second caution for bringing down Huws. That was a second yellow for me, but the referee has instead taken his time and given the Leeds man one last chance.
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-1 LEEDS UNITED (MIRCO ANTENUCCI)
Well Huddersfield fans are furious now. Two minutes after seeing Wootton somehow avoid a red card, Antenucci fires Leeds into the lead. It came about following a fine Dallas cross from the right, which the forward got on the end of at full stretch.
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-2 LEEDS UNITED (CHRIS WOOD)
Well it may have taken them around 47 minutes to come to life, but Leeds now have what appears to be an unassailable advantage on the brink of half time. This second goal was down to some poor Huddersfield defending, with Cranie in particular at fault, allowing Antenucci to burst forward and round Murphy before cutting the ball back into a central position for Wood to fire into an empty net.
Hudson's challenge on Murphy leads to another break in place. Incidentally, Antenucci was shown a yellow card for taking off his shirt when celebrating the opening goal. Half time just seconds away now.
HALF TIME: HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-2 LEEDS UNITED
So Leeds United hold a two-goal advantage over Huddersfield Town at half time in the West Yorkshire derby. For those just tuning in, the prolonged first half - 11 minutes added on in all - was down to an injury picked up by Liam Cooper inside the opening 15 minutes.
Up until the end of the initial 45 minutes this had been the blandest of derby affairs. Just the one shot-to-nothing up until that point, provided by Bunn on the half-hour mark, was all the match had to show in terms of goalmouth action. Then came an explosive end to the half, with Scott Wootton somehow avoiding a second yellow card.
To make matters worse for the hosts, Mirco Antenucci then fired Leeds ahead from a few yards out thanks to Stuart Dallas's inch-perfect cross, before Chris Wood picked out an empty net after the Italian rounded Joe Murphy and squared the ball for the easiest of finishes.
Plenty of thinking for Mark Lillis to do at half time, then, in his final team talk before handing the baton over to David Wagner. Both teams have been forced into one change already, but here is a reminder of the other options available:
BENCH WATCH!
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUBS: Steer, Smith, Vaughan, Carayol, Holmes, Bojaj
LEEDS UNITED SUBS: Horton, Phillips, Adeyemi, Buckley, Botaka, Erwin
Goals deep into the first half by Mirco Antenucci and Chris Wood have helped Leeds United into a comfortable 2-0 lead over West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town at the break RESTART! We are back underway at the John Smith's Stadium, with Wells failing to tap home Lolley's miscued shot from just a few yards out. That was the best chance the home side have had all afternoon, just seconds into the second half.
Wells is in behind the Leeds defence, something he didn't manage once in the first half, but Bamba gets across well to recover. Two decent openings for Huddersfield inside the opening 90 seconds of the second half.
SAVE! What a superb start to the half for Huddersfield. They created one half-chance in the opening 45 minutes, but this is their third chance already since the restart! Bunn seemingly had the ball glued to his foot, weaving his way into the box before forcing Silvestri into action. Lolley felt that he should have been given a pen after Bellusci stuck out a leg in the build-up.
Mowatt is receiving some treatment, but the fans believes he is simply looking to disrupt the home side's momentum. The referee agrees, telling the midfielder to continue being looked at off the field.
SHOT! No way through for Huddersfield at the moment, but this is a very good response so far. They just need a goal to put some real pressure on their opponents. Steve Evans must be thinking about making another change, as Dempsey gets another attempt on target from range.
GOAL! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-3 LEEDS UNITED (ALEX MOWATT)
It may be the ultimate smash-and-grab from Leeds, scoring at a time when their opponents were well and truly on top, but this is a truly special goal from Mowatt. The midfielder has bettered the midweek strike we saw against Cardiff City by smashing a belter of a shot into the top corner from range, having been given far too much space by the Huddersfield defence.
HUDDERSFIELD TOWN SUB! Nahki Wells has been replaced by James Vaughan, as Town look for a different approach. The hosts looked so much better in the opening 10 minutes of the half, but they were dealt a real sucker punch by that Mowatt special.
Leeds will end this game up in 14th place, with the points surely now in the bag. For Huddersfield, on the other hand, David Wagner certainly has his work cut out as the relegation zone looms ever closer. Steve Evans will be delighted by what he has witnessed over these past four days or so.
SAVE! Silvestri has been the busier keeper this afternoon ironically, but in truth all his saves have been pretty straightforward so far. Up until this point, at least, as Vaughan fires in a shot destined for the bottom corner, only for the United stopper to push it aside.
While play goes a little stale, it seems like a good time to remind you that we will have coverage of the Cardiff City vs. Reading game straight after this one. Leeds beat Cardiff in midweek, of course, putting them on their way to what is likely to be two wins from two.
Leeds a little more settled now but, while they may be sitting on a three-goal lead, Huddersfield do look like they have at least one goal in them. Could make things interesting, but they will need to find a way through soon.
Vaughan has looked lively since coming on, turning inside the box and firing over on the half-volley. Well wide in the end, but he almost made something out of nothing there.
SAVE! Another big save from Silvestri, which makes this 3-0 scoreline even harder to believe. Bunn did well to get a decent effort away with very little backlift inside the box, though Silvestri was equal to it with a top reaction stop.
Bunn at the heart of this latest Huddersfield attack, teeing up Whitehead to smash one narrowly over from the edge of the box. This second half has been so much better than the first in terms of action at both ends, but it is as good as over at this stage.
SUBS! Tom Adeyemi, a box-to-box midfielder, replaces Scott Wootton for these final 17 minutes or so. Duane Holmes comes on for Huddersfield's final change, replacing Joe Lolley who has flattered to deceive.
Dallas does very well to win a free kick from nothing deep in the opposition half. Huddersfield's dominance in the opening quarter of this half has now disappeared, with the Whites back on top and seeing this one through with ease.
Two wins in the space of four days for Steve Evans, who has now also suffered just one defeat in his five games at the Elland Road helm Marching On Together belts around the away section; a pretty telling anthem at this stage in Steve Evans's short tenure. The Scotsman will be delighted by his side's reaction since the 2-0 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers recently.
I've got a stat here in front of me highlighting Huddersfield's decent record when falling behind this season, with only two other sides in the division recovering more than the Terriers' eight points from losing positions. That will not be the case this afternoon, however, although Vaughan is trying his best to at least pull one back.
LEEDS UNITED SUB! Jordan Botaka replaces Stuart Dallas for the final change of the afternoon. Job done for Dallas, who bagged a fine assist for the opening goal.
SAVE! The fresh legs of Botaka pose a different threat entirely for Huddersfield's tiring backline, as the substitute's shot appears to be dipping in off the crossbar. Murphy did well to get a fingertip to the ball, however, keeping the scoreline at 3-0 heading into the final five minutes.
This also makes it four wins on the bounce for United over their rivals; claiming three of those victories at this ground. Leeds have also netted 13 goals during that spell - no wonder they enjoy this fixture so much!
A simple catch for Silvestri to make, as Leeds edge closer to their first successive wins since March. The playoffs are unlikely this term, but Evans will be hoping to build on these last couple of displays and secure a top-half finish at the very least.
Three minutes left to play and, like the vast majority of this second half since Leeds went three to the good, there is not a great deal currently happening. A good day at the office for Leeds.
Bunn fires wide of goal in what will surely be the last attacking move of the match. It just has not happened for Huddersfield, who will need to work hard prior to their next outing. David Wagner will need to get his ideas across quickly.
CHANCE! Dempsey is clean through on goal, but he looks to square the ball to Vaughan for some reason. The ball is cut out, summing up the home fans' frustrations.
FULL TIME! HUDDERSFIELD TOWN 0-3 LEEDS UNITED
Bragging rights for Leeds United, then, as they cruise to a comfortable enough 3-0 win at the John Smith's stadium.
The Whites were on their way thanks to two goals deep into first-half stoppage time, provided by Mirco Antenucci and Chris Wood. Alex Mowatt provided the goal of the afternoon 10 minutes after the restart to round things off, ensuring that the Whites claimed West Yorkshire bragging rights for the fourth time in succession.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events in West Yorkshire, but be sure to stick around as we provide running commentary from Reading's trip to Cardiff City shortly.