Huddersfield’s 100 per cent start to the League One campaign ended in South Yorkshire.
Huddersfield's perfect start to the Sky Bet League One campaign came to a dramatic end as they were beaten 2-1 by Rotherham in a match filled with controversy. The Terriers saw red cards handed to head coach Michael Duff, goalkeeper coach Andy Quy, and striker Danny Ward, while Rotherham celebrated their first win of the season with a late strike from Mallik Wilks.
Huddersfield's assistant coach, Martin Paterson, voiced his frustration over key decisions that he believes cost his side the match. The first flashpoint came in the 72nd minute when Ward was sent off after colliding with Jamie McCart in an aerial duel. Things escalated further after the final whistle when Duff was dismissed for remonstrating with referee Sebastian Stockbridge, and Quy received a red card for time-wasting.
Paterson felt the officiating played a decisive role in the outcome. "We think the key decisions probably were not correct," he said. "The penalty, in particular, we don't think it’s a penalty. It's a player who goes through in the box wraps his leg around our player and goes down. It looks a soft penalty to us and something we are going to have to swallow."
Rotherham, however, capitalized on their opportunities. After falling behind to a Joe Hodge goal, they equalized through a Jonson Clarke-Harris penalty—one that Huddersfield strongly disputed. Wilks, who won the penalty, went on to score the decisive goal in added time, cutting in from the right flank and firing a powerful shot beyond Huddersfield goalkeeper Lee Nicholls.
Rotherham manager Steve Evans praised his team’s resilience and determination to secure their first victory of the season. "That was a real team performance," Evans said. "We have beaten a very good team and we deserved to do so. We were dominant 11 v 11. We gave a naughty goal away, but we got back in the game and had the desire to win it. That is the DNA of Rotherham United."
Despite the controversy, Huddersfield will need to regroup and focus on their next challenge, while Rotherham will look to build on this morale-boosting victory.
