Delroy Facey's sixth goal of the season earned lowly Huddersfield three vital
survival points and sent Sheffield United tumbling to a third successive
defeat.
Facey headed home Craig Armstrong's 79th-minute corner to raise hopes that
Huddersfield can beat the drop to division two.
The visitors had been looking for a victory to re-ignite their dwindling
play-off chances but, after a bright opening from the Blades, it was Town who
stole the lead.
On-loan striker Lee Morris flighted a cross from deep on the left for fellow
former blade Martin Smith to head goalwards.
Smith's header looped over goalkeeper Simon Tracey but was kept out by the
inside of the post. As the ball trundled along the goalline Smith was quick to
recover and bundled the ball in for his first goal in five games.
The lead was barely deserved and Sheffield could have been three up inside the
opening 18 minutes if Peter Ndlovu and Paul Devlin could have found the target.
Town winger Simon Baldry almost doubled the lead after 26 minutes but Tracey
was on hand to pull off a fine save diving to his right.
United finally got their reward after 35 minutes when Carl Asaba grabbed his
first goal for the club since his move from Gillingham two weeks ago.
The goal was an absolute gift from the home defence when Adi Moses failed to
deal with skipper Chris Lucketti's mishit header and merely succeeded in pushing
the ball into Asaba's path.
Asaba had little trouble in firing past a helpless Nico Vaesen from 10 yards
out.
Devlin forced a fingertip save from Vaesen after 40 minutes and from the
resulting corner Ndlovu fired wide.
Moses, who was enduring a torrid afternoon, almost gift-wrapped another goal
for United two minutes after the re-start when he passed straight to Michael
Brown after cutting out Tracey's long punt. But the midfielder's curling effort
was again palmed away by Vaesen.
The game appeared to be heading for a stalemate, which would have been little
comfort or use for either side, when Facey popped up with the winner.
Huddersfield kept their nerve and clung on to increase their survival
chances.
Teams
Huddersfield: Vaesen, Jenkins, Moses (Heary 81), Dyson,
Lucketti, Gorre, Armstrong, Baldry, Smith (Irons 90), Facey,
Morris (Gallen 88).
Subs not used: Margetson, Gray.
Booked: Lucketti, Morris, Armstrong.
Goals: Smith 25, Facey 78.
Sheffield U: Tracey, Ullathorne, Kozluk, Curle, Murphy,
Montgomery (Peschisolido 65), Brown (Jagielka 87), Devlin,
Ford, Ndlovu, Asaba (D'Jaffo 77).
Subs not used: Suffo, Woodward.
Booked: Brown.
Goals: Asaba 35.
Att: 13,918
Ref: W Jordan (Tring).
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