Football / Coca-Cola Cup: Le Tissier makes the difference

Huddersfield Town. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

Southampton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

TAKE away Matthew Le Tissier and Southampton often do not look much of a team. With him, however, they can never be discounted and so it was last night when Second Division Huddersfield finished with less than they deserved from the first leg.

The futuristic Alfred McAlpine Stadium, hosting its first major occasion, had witnessed an uplifting performance from the Yorkshire team, who were denied a goal only by Bruce Grobbelaar's eccentric goalkeeping and the goal-line interception by Simon Charlton.

But with the tie in injury time, an apparent misunderstanding between the Huddersfield goalkeeper Steve Francis and defender Jon Dyson allowed Le Tissier to head home Charlton's cross.

Neil Warnock's side has been assembled at a fraction of the pounds 16m for the geometrically spectacular stadium yet they gave a highly accreditable display before a crowd of 13,814 despite a filthy night of driving rain.

Huddersfield Town (4-3-3): Francis; Trevitt, Scully, Dyson, Cowan; Logan, Starbuck, Reid; Billy (Jepson, 74), Booth, Dunn. Substitutes not used: Clayton, Blackwell (gk)

Southampton (4-3-1-2): Grobbelaar; Kenna, Hall, Benali, Charlton; Allen, Magilton, Maddison (Ekelund, 67); Le Tissier; Dowie, Heaney. Substitutes not used: Banger, Beasant (gk).

Referee: P Jones (Loughborough).