Huddersfield Town look like they have struck transfer gold on post-Michael Duff evidence | OneFootball

Ruben Roosken was involved in everything the Terriers did right in the 5-1 victory over Crawley Town

The post-Michael Duff era at Huddersfield Town got off to the best possible start last weekend, with the Terriers trouncing Crawley Town 5-1 at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The shackles had been let off for the Yorkshire outfit under the interim management of Jon Worthington, with the division’s worst defence proving the perfect tonic after a tumultuous few weeks.

The home supporters would have loved seeing their side playing with free abandon as they ploughed forward to put the relegation-battlers to the sword, with Ruben Roosken taking the chance to fully announce himself to his new fanbase.

The Dutch left-back had taken his time to get going in his new surroundings after joining in January, but after a barnstorming performance against the Red Devils, the Terriers will be excited by what is to come from the 25-year-old.

Ruben Roosken struggles to get going after disaster debut for Huddersfield Town

Roosken’s debut as a Huddersfield Town player could hardly have gone worse back in January, with the former Heracles player seeing red just nine minutes after being introduced from the bench in a 0-0 draw with Rotherham United.

While the official line would be violent conduct, the Dutchman was probably only guilty of over enthusiasm in trying to introduce himself to the John Smith’s Stadium crowd in his first outing in blue and white, as he was adjudged to have gone in to a tackle with Cameron Humphreys a bit too firmly.

From there, the wide man had to bide his time to try and make an impact due to his enforced suspension, and returned to the fold after Town’s form had taken a turn for the worse.

Having ended 2024 with hopes of automatic promotion, Town had won just one in six by the time Roosken returned to the fold against Birmingham City, as he started both the defeat to the Blues and the following reverse against Northampton Town.

Playing in a side devoid of confidence, the new arrival offered glimpses of the quality he can provide, but was unable to really show his class as the mood continued to turn sour under the former Barnsley boss.

His energy on the left side helped to provide Callum Marshall with the opener in the 2-1 victory over Stevenage at the start of the month, with signs starting to appear that he could add plenty if used in the correct manner in the future.

Crawley Town evidence points to bright Ruben Roosken, Huddersfield Town future

With the departure of Duff, Town will be hoping their fortunes turn around in the battle for a play-off place, as they hold on to sixth spot with just nine matches remaining in the season.

The visit of a defensively weak Crawley side was exactly what they needed to boost their confidence heading into the final stretch of the campaign, with the attacking unit thriving when given the platform to do so.

Roosken played a key part in the emphatic victory over the Red Devils, and he did so higher up the pitch as a left winger as opposed to being at left-back, and further imprinted his quality into proceedings as he establishes himself among his new teammates.

It was the Dutchman’s grace and composure which set up his side’s first of the afternoon, as he nabbed half a yard to get a shot away from the edge of the penalty area, leading to Joe Taylor tapping in after Jojo Wollacott spilled the initial effort.

His determination to thwart a Crawley counter played a huge part in the second, as he acted fast to win the ball back in his own attacking third, before he stole the show with his prowess from the dead ball.

Set-piece goals can be priceless in the battle for promotion, and Roosken’s delivery could prove to be a vital weapon over the next few weeks, with Taylor grabbing the third after the visitors failed to deal with a whipped delivery into the box.

Another pinpoint execution was despatched by Matty Pearson on the half-hour, before the Dutchman got in on the act himself in the last 15 minutes of the encounter, with a fierce drive on the angle.

This was the day that Roosken proved just what he can do to Town supporters, and if he can use the weekend’s performance as a springboard for the remainder of the season, things could well look a lot brighter at the John Smith’s Stadium by the time the campaign comes to a close.