<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="305" border="0"><tbody><tr><td><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="305" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="305" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" align="left"><span class="date">The Times</span></td><td valign="top" align="right"><span class="date">April 03, 2006</span></td></tr></tbody></table> <h1>McPhail shows quality to rise above pack</h1><span class="byline">By David Lynch</span> <h3>Huddersfield Town 1 Barnsley 0</h3></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td height="5"></td></tr><tr><td><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="305" border="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top"><div class="textcopy">FOOTBALL IS SOMETIMES described as a game of fractions, with small margins between glory and failure. This is proving to be the case in League One, which has a congested look about it. While Southend United command a comfortable lead, second and seventh place are separated by only six points. Teams have jostled for position all season, but the bumper-to-bumper feel persists and a similar grouping exists at the other end of the table. The meeting of two of the gridlocked pack, produced a suitably tight encounter in which the pedigree of Stephen McPhail, the Barnsley midfield player, stood out, his talents honed in more illustrious company. </p> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="right" border="0" valign="TOP"><tbody><tr><td id="mpuHeader" name="mpuHeader"></td></tr><tr align="right"><td align="right"><script type="text/javascript"></script></td></tr></tbody></table>While similarities abound in League One, the division can also conjure a striking contrast. Three years ago, McPhail was appearing as a substitute for Leeds United at Old Trafford. The man he replaced was Raúl Bravo, the defender, now of Real Madrid. Instead of running around in the Yorkshire rain, he spent his Saturday in front of 98,000 at the Camp Nou, attempting to shackle the likes of Ronaldinho, of Barcelona. </p> Local rivalry produced a first half brimming with commitment, but devoid of cutting edge. The second period was markedly more entertaining, the breakthrough arriving ten minutes after the interval when Andy Holdsworth, the full back, crossed for Gary Taylor-Fletcher to bundle in at the near post. </p> Barnsley rallied and came within inches of an equaliser just four minutes later, when Chris Shuker, the midfield player, thudded a 20-yard half-volley against the crossbar. Shuker then combined with Paul Hayes to provide Marc Richards, the striker, with the simplest of chances but he miscued horribly from seven yards, to the disbelief of the 3,000 travelling fans. </p> Five minutes from time, Barnsley’s chances of a draw faded, as Daniel Nardiello, a substitute, received two yellow cards within 60 seconds for dissent. Surprisingly, Andy Ritchie, the Barnsley manager appeared to sympathise with his player. “It seems you can’t say one expletive to a referee these days,” he said. </p> Peter Jackson, the Huddersfield manager, enthused about his team’s achievement. “This was a big pressure match today in front of a massive crowd,” he said. “I’m delighted we’ve managed to keep a clean sheet, and this is tremendous three points.” </p> Jackson also praised the home support. “The fans were fantastic, that’s probably the best atmosphere for a league match in my time as manager,” he said. “In my programme notes, I asked for their help and they certainly responded.” </p> When the league table is this close, any assistance is welcome in the attritional battle for the coveted fast lane of automatic promotion. </p></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
