THE CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY-OFF FINAL: AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW...

Last On List Schindler Slaughters Royals

Huddersfield Town 0-0 Reading 

(4-3 to Town on penalties…)

In ancient Roman times a chieftain of the Germanic  Cherusci tribe, Arminius, was a really feared leader and Huddersfield Town’s ex-Dynamo Dresden defender Michael Hefele was certainly his team’s Arminius in this Championship Play-Off Final at Wembley, alongside his less obtrusive standard bearer, Chris Schindler, who can list the winning penalty in a tense shootout on his CV from this time forth. I follow Dynamo Dresden strangely but Schindler’s old team 1860 Munich have just been relegated to Bundesliga 3 in a play-off amid awful crowd scenes at the Allianz Arena, whereby seats and shrapnel were thrown onto the pitch with 10 minutes remaining and Jahn Regensburg from Bavaria 1-3 ahead on aggregate in Bayern Munich’s stadium.  

This match though was more akin to watching a type of soccer chess, with two teams hogging (sorry Jonathan…) possession and patiently positioning themselves to make a striking move at their opponents’ defence. One major difference between the tactical passing approaches of the protagonists however was that the Terriers were more rapid in some of their offensive sorties, whereas the Royals were more cautious perhaps, often faltering in their approach and sometimes resulting in tedious and uninventive possession fizzling out disappointingly. The Terriers missed out a couple of times in the early stages of the opening period when Hefele was unable to direct a glancing header from Mooy’s accurate free-kick delivery and then Izzy Brown somehow failed to convert from 2 yards, following a low centre by the spiky Elias Kachunga.

THE THRONG APPROACHES...

HUGE, HOVERING SPIDER DRONES ABOVE...

Neither ‘keeper was troubled really until a John Swift shot for the Royals from George Jones’ assist at the beginning of the second period was saved by the plunging Danny Ward, an effort not seen by many Reading fans, who were still queueing for the lavatories, or for yet another drink. It is remarkable how some spectators continually leave their seats at these important games to climb and descend the steps to and from the concourse. A lot of money is thus paid by some individuals merely to drink, exercise, pee, then drink, exercise and pee again, etc, etc… Many others pay good money and attend these encounters to actually watch a football match.

ROMAN HELMET?

MY VIEW...

HMM...

The crucial midfield battle involved Reading’s outstanding individual on the day, Danny Williams and his sidekick, the ex-Bournemouth schemer Jann Kermorgant, who contested the ghostly figure of the neat, understated but inventive Terrier Aaron Mooy and his snarling colleague, the ball winner Jonathan Hogg, who would take over the skipper’s armband after Tommy Smith was removed from the action by stretcher with an ankle injury. Mooy wasn’t able to influence his offense dynamically perhaps but Williams was the reason for that, often restricting Mooy to short passes.

THE PRIZE...

THE HANDSHAKES...

THE GLOVES GO ON BUT LITTLE THREATENED THE READING 'KEEPER...

The pace of Nahki Wells, the trickery of Rajiv van La Parra on the Huddersfield left and the occasional burst by Brown offered a little more for the Town attack than Reading’s Swift, the intuitive Kermorgant and the touchline hugging Tyler Blackett could muster from their team’s more careful, maybe sometimes too deliberate approach. 

WARD: DECENT SAVE FROM SWIFT...

LET'S DO THIS...

REMEMBERING MANCHESTER...

...& TOTAL SILENCE...

The audience craved more goalmouth action no doubt but there was so much at stake and it seemed that attempting not to err, or concede a goal became more of an objective in this contest of such magnitude, than adopting a free-flowing offensive attitude. What is surprising though is that neither team really showed an inclination to avoid a penalty shootout, for the extra half-hour became a bland, even boring period, yet Reading’s boss Jaap Stam could clearly be seen instructing his four defenders to pass the ball calmly across the back-line during overtime. 

A FORBIDDING FIGURE...

A THOUGHTFUL CHARACTER...

Subsequently, all the real action arrived during the penalty shootout, bar a couple more awful finishes by Huddersfield, when first Collin Quaner stumbled over a Mooy pass and shoved it wide, whilst Wells waited behind him and then Wells himself snatched almost tiredly at a low right-side cross by Kasey Palmer and pulled a weak late effort wide. Reading to be fair had earlier been denied by three ‘Arminius’ Hefele interventions within two minutes; he made a superb challenge to deny Kermorgant at the near post from Chris Gunter’s assist, then headed the resulting corner away and finally sliced the next Royals’ delivery into the penalty-box to safety. Smith’s injury interrupted that short period of Reading ascendancy but the Terriers nearly grabbed a last second goal in overtime when Löwe’s free-kick was so nearly reached at the far upright by the sliding Martin Crainie, Smith’s replacement.

AND STILL IT GOES ON...

THE 'KEEPERS HUG BEFORE THE SHOOTOUT...

Löwe, bar one loss of possession late on was magnificent for Town and formed part of a dangerous left-flank for the Terriers, for van La Parra benefited well from the German left-back’s pacy support runs. Neither team fielded a ‘target’ striker interestingly, thereby underlining their will to pass the ball rather than hump it forward hopefully, although in truth, Reading’s midfielders won most of the aerial challenges in the midfield areas. 

Chances, as aforementioned, were at a premium and Lewis Grabban, well known to Kermorgant from their Bournemouth days of course, had curled an early effort off target, a Wells free-kick had struck a Royal skull in a defensive wall, Gunter’s free angled header late in the game had risen too high, Wells had driven a shot at Reading ‘keeper Ali Al Habsi, Garath McCleary, a Reading replacement had powered an effort wide in overtime and an angled Quaner delivery had been shuffled wide by the Biscuitmen’s defence for a corner. 

The otherwise efficient referee had caused player-frustration on a couple of occasions too, first allowing a Williams challenge on Wells to stand but then immediately cautioning Hogg for his subsequent challenge, before Joey Van Den Berg escaped even an infringement call when he too felled Wells. Then a foul on a Terrier led to Gunter’s late header going close, although in fairness the above were rare discrepancies by the main official…

HUDDERSFIELD GO CRAZY...

...& WHY NOT?

The goalies hugged, the penalty shootout began and Huddersfield’s Löwe confidently levelled after Kermorgant’s opener for the Royals but Hefele, looking a trifle stiff limbed, struck his shot acceptably for Al Habsy to save falling right, after Williams’ spot-kick had been successful. Both Liam Kelly and Wells scored with confidence and Town’s fans’ faces hung with doom. And then Liam Moore skimmed the crossbar with his penalty and the clever Mooy netted into the bottom left corner of the net to change the whole dynamic of the shootout. Incredibly, Jordan Obita saw his shot saved diving left by the impressive Danny Ward and up stepped Schindler to win it for the Terriers. He shot low to Al Habsy’s right but although the gloveman dived full length he was unable to get a touch as the ball struck netting to release the jackpot of millions for Huddersfield Town like a slot machine spewing its jackpot of coins…

DESPERATE ROYALS...

THANKS FROM AL HABSI...

TEARS FROM WILLIAMS...

THIS SUMS UP LOSING...

...AS DOES THIS...

And then it was over; free Reading flags and carrier bags lay strewn across abandoned tiers of tears as their fans left in droves and their players sat in disbelief, wept, stood in shock and watched in speechless, nauseous horror as the Terriers rushed about like looters in PC World… 

THE TERRIERS SNIFF THE PRIZE...

WHAT A FEELING...

...& DOWN THEY COME...

Huddersfield deserved the victory, if only for their swifter approach play on occasions and naturally because the Bavarian chieftain Michael ‘Arminius’ Hefele rampaged through the game like he cared nothing for the opposition, or even any random ancient Roman legionaries, better equipped than himself maybe but without his crazy winning resolve…

IT'S WHAT YOU DO...

FIREWORKS...

...& JOY...

Dresden should be very proud…

After missing his penalty shot and then beating the ground in anguish and anger like a chieftain who has lost his short sword and dropped his shield, Arminius Hefele recovered instantly and pounded the Wembley arena to the acclaim of his people… 

And Kachunga recovered from the frustration of being replaced, to race around like raging bull in a Spanish ring with delight showing on his previously frowning visage… 

And Reading fans wore their drooping jester hats still, as they departed, heads bowed from the stadium… 

And Town supporters bounced up and down in disbelief as well as joy… 

And David Wagner, the Terriers’ boss took it all in and hugged every member of his playing squad meaningfully… 

And Reading’s forlorn players sat silently, stood sadly and Williams wept openly… 

And Tommy Smith chucked his crutches away...

And so it came to pass that the drama, the pleasure, the tragedy and the theatre ended…

I fought my way through the ranks of pleased Huddersfield fans to reach a platform to find a train to Bicester North station, where my car tarried and in a quiet Pizza Express in Bicester’s quieter town, ate a meal, reflecting that the John Smith Stadium will be hosting Premier League soccer next term…

Remarkable. 

Me? I was watching out for a wild man in a headband in the crowd near the rail-station: 

Arminius Hefele, now the conquering Chieftain of Huddersfield…  

We liked him…

MICHAEL...

ARMINIUS...