Huddersfield Town 0, Lincoln City 1 (Carabao Cup 1st Round)
Huddersfield Town fans booed boss Jan Siewert off the pitch after Lincoln City dumped the Terriers out of the Carabao Cup with a Harry Anderson goal.
Embed from Getty ImagesEx-Town midfielder Jack Payne managed to miscue a late tap in from a yard out which would have made the game safe for the visitors while claims for a penalty for the Terriers were turned down as they tried in vain to get the equaliser.
Siewert, who remained behind in the dressing room with his players for some time after the defeat, declared that he doesn’t fear the sack but the pressure is surely growing after a poor start to the season.
Despite winning only once in 2019, the German handed debuts to seven Terriers players in their Carabao Cup game against Lincoln City who were second in League One.
Ryan Schofield, Herbert Bockhorn, Jaden Brown, Rarmani Edmonds-Green, Reece Brown, Trevoh Chalobah, and Josh Koroma all made their first team bows for the Championship side.
Only Juninho Bacuna kept his place from the Terriers’ 1-1 draw with QPR at the weekend while new signing Fraizer Campbell watched the game from the stands as Town’s reserves flopped.
Lincoln made only five changes from the side that beat Rotherham at the weekend.
Ex-Huddersfield Town midfielder Jack Payne started for the Imps while veteran ex-Oldham Athletic player Neil Eardley was on the bench.
Town had Ryan Schofield’s saves to thank for staying in the game in a sloppy first half against League One Lincoln.
Sloppy defending and poor finishing by Brundo Andrade and Harry Anderson while John Akinde and Payne forced Schofield into a fine double save to deny the Imps a first half lead.
The Terriers looked ponderous going forward until Grant Smith saved a pair of 30 yard raspers from Bacuna either side of an Isaac Mbenza chance as Town threatened to rouse themselves at the end of the first half.
The Imps lost Joe Morrell to injury early in the second half and Smith spilled an Elias Kachunga effort with nobody reacting quick enough for the tap in.
Harry Anderson’s goal caps fine Lincoln City performance
Schofield pulled off another fine save from Payne as the game picked up momentum but he couldn’t prevent Harry Anderson from opening the scoring from Harry Toffolo’s cross ten minutes into the second half.
It was the least that the Imps deserved and the confidence seemed to drain out of the Town players.
Rajiv van La Parra and Steve Mounie came on as late substitutes and Bacuna sent another 30 yarder straight at Smith.
Schofield gratefully pounced on the loose ball after Payne managed to make a mess of a tap in off Tyler Walker’s cross from a yard out with 11 minutes to go.
But despite the let-off the Terriers couldn’t find the equaliser with Bockhorn firing well over the bar after a square ball by van La Parra before the Dutchman forced a save out of Smith in a late finish.
Referee Peter Wright turned down calls for a handball by Cian Bolger from the resulting corner as Town rallied but Steve Mounie headed wide from van La Parra’s cross as the Terriers ran out of time with disgruntled fans booing at the team at the end.
GOAL – Huddersfield Town 0, Lincoln City 1 (Carabao Cup 1st Round)
Huddersfield Town 0, Lincoln City 1: 55. Harry Toffolo’s looping cross from the left was caught by Harry Anderson whose low strike bobbled past Ryan Schofield.
MATCH STATS – Huddersfield Town 0, Lincoln City 1 (Carabao Cup 1st Round)
Huddersfield Town: Schofield, Bockhorn, Stankovic, Edmonds-Green, J Brown, R Brown (Mounie 76), Bacuna, Chalobah, Kachunga (C), Mbenza, Koroma (van La Parra 73)
Huddersfield Town Subs not used: Coleman, Quaner, Hadergjonaj, O’Brien, Daly
Lincoln City: Smith, Lewis, Bostwick (C) (Eardley 61), Bolger, Toffolo, Morrell (O’Connor 49), Chapman, Anderson, Payne, Andrade, Akinde (Walker 70)
Lincoln City Subs not used: Vickers, Adebayo-Smith, Grant, Sault
Booking: Anderson 83
Goal: Anderson 55
Referee: Peter Wright