Cobblers claim share of the spoils from scrappy Huddersfield Town stalemate

Nesta Guinness-Walker’s magnificent volley gave Town an early lead but Leo Castledine headed Huddersfield level before the break and that was how it remained after an extremely fragmented and bitty second half.

The two goals were pretty much the only two bits of quality throughout the contest as both sides struggled for fluency in difficult conditions, but it's nevertheless a useful point for Cobblers against a team expected to challenge for promotion this season.

Kevin Nolan was forced into one change from the team that beat Plymouth in Town’s last league game as Guinness-Walker replaced the injured Jack Perkins at left wing-back.

There was an early test for Ross Fitzsimons’ handling as he gathered a low effort from Marcus Harness inside the first two minutes but it was Cobblers who took a spectacular ninth-minute lead.

Terry Taylor and Jack Burroughs combined on the right for Conor McCarthy to cross but he appeared to have put too much on it – until Guinness-Walker ghosted in at the back post and let fly with a fabulous volley that flew beyond a motionless Lee Nicholls.

That was a rare moment of quality in a first half that was otherwise dominated by the blustery conditions at Sixfields as Dion Charles twice blazed well over for Huddersfield while Tom Eaves didn’t get the connection he desired when swinging a leg at Michael Forbes’ low cross.

Cobblers seemed relatively comfortable as half-time approached but they conceded a poor goal to be pegged nine minutes before the break. A tackle was lost in midfield, Harness picked out Charles on the right and his cross was headed in by an unmarked Castledine.

Huddersfield then missed the chance to complete the turnaround before half-time when Charles broke the offside trap but fluffed his finish, before Jordan Thorniley almost glanced home Tyrese Fornah’s wonderful cross.

There was a noticeable increase in urgency to Huddersfield’s play at the start of the second half but it remained a scrappy, disjointed affair that was blighted by mistakes from both teams.

Nolan changed one of his defenders 10 minutes into the second half, swapping Forbes for Max Dyche, but there were just so many errors that it became almost impossible for either side to build up a head of steam.

An injury to Thorniley meant Jon Guthrie came on for his first league appearance in almost a year and Kamarai Swyer and Elliott List were also introduced as Nolan looked to inject some energy into his team.

As the side harbouring aspirations of promotion, Huddersfield did more of the pressing in the final 15 minutes and they were close to taking the lead through substitute Cameron Ashia who shot too close to Fitzsimons from the middle of the box.

Cobblers were forced into a fifth change after Guinness-Walker limped off, Sam Hoskins coming on, but there was to be no late drama as six uneventful minutes of stoppage-time came and went to confirm a share of the spoils.

Match facts

Cobblers: Fitzsimons, McCarthy, Thorniley (Guthrie 69), Forbes (Dyche 55), Burroughs (Swyer 69), Guinness-Walker (Hoskins 84), Campbell, Taylor ©, Fornah (List 69), Wheatley, Eaves. Subs not used: Burge, Edwards

Huddersfield: Nicholls, Sorensen (Ashia 73), Wallace ©, Low, Roughan, Feeney, Harness, Kasumu, Castledine (May 86), Radulovic, Charles (Taylor 77). Subs not used: Goodman, Wiles, Balker, Vost

Referee: James Durkin

Attendance: 5,584

Huddersfield fans: 386