Michael Duff hails Huddersfield match-winner Ollie Turton
Michael Duff was delighted to see Ollie Turton get his first goal for Huddersfield to snatch a 1-0 win over Wigan.
Full-back Turton missed over a year of football with back-to-back knee injuries before returning towards the end of last season, only to find himself out of Duff’s plans at the beginning of the campaign.
But he has been in solid form since breaking into the side and was warmly congratulated by delighted team-mates after his winner, with Duff saying: “On and off the field he’s had a tough year.
“He won man of the match so he came into the dressing room a little bit late and got a massive big cheer from the lads.
“He was out of the squad for the first three months of the season and just got on with it. We’ve had a few conversations and I can’t pick everyone, but he’s got his opportunity and he’s taken it.
“He’s not in the team to score goals – first and foremost his defending was excellent.”
The Terriers boss added: “It was a tough game and was only going to be 1-0. I thought for all Wigan’s possession, we had the best chances in the game. I don’t remember our keeper having too many saves to make in the game.
“We had to change shape at half-time because they were causing us problems, but we turned them over in some dangerous positions and didn’t have the final pass, then late on we defended really well and put bodies on the line.”
Wigan boss Shaun Maloney was frustrated that his side’s bountiful possession did not turn into more of a threat.
“We did a lot right but probably not enough in the final third,” he said. “We maybe lacked a little bit of quality to go and show what they can do. It’s disappointing but if you don’t do it in the final third, you probably don’t deserve to take anything.
“I wanted more aggression when we had one-v-ones and crossing opportunities.
“We can compete, Huddersfield are a good side and in our league they’re a really big club, so that makes me even more disappointed. I really wanted to take something from this game.
“The biggest thing we’ve spoken about after the game is the belief. They’ve been brilliant the past three games, so we’ll get back to work for another game against Leyton Orient on Saturday and we’ve got to be ready for it.
“I want more from them. They’re a close group and they’re disappointed, but in fairness to them, they understood why we didn’t deserve to win this game.”