Terriers boss Grant 'expected' Nicholls' heroics

Lee Nicholls celebrates with the travelling Huddersfield Town support after his penalty save earned a win over Sunderland.

Huddersfield Town manager Lee Grant said he had "almost an expectation" that Lee Nicholls would be the hero of his team's Carabao Cup penalty shoot-out win at Premier League Sunderland.

The 32-year-old goalkeeper has been sidelined in the Terriers' rise to second place in League One this season after being replaced as first choice by on-loan Crystal Palace arrival Owen Goodman.

Nicholls has reminded everyone of the form that saw him named in the 2021-22 Championship PFA Team of the Year by saving two penalties in the first-round win over Leicester City and then making the only stop of the night as the Yorkshire side pulled off a shock win at the Stadium of Light.

Nicholls saved Milan Aleksic's spot-kick to put the Terriers in the hat for the third round and Grant, a former goalkeeper himself, said it came as no surprise.

"It was almost an expectation, and I feel guilty for saying that because I've been in a similar position and have come off a lot worse than Lee does, repeatedly," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"That's the trust and belief we have in Lee in these moments because he has such an assured nature in the game that it spills over into those penalties.

"He really does give us an air of control and calmness, and I think that helps our takers as well to be honest, because they feel we have another opportunity and a chance because we have someone who is going to help us if we were to be unsuccessful.

"He's working so hard every day and has shown across the two cup fixtures that he's ready, and those penalties are an example of that."

The sudden-death decider came after Marc Guiu had equalised late in the game after Leo Castledine's spectacular volley had seen Huddersfield lead from the ninth minute.

Grant said of the goal: "Similar to the penalties, it's a goal you can't execute unless you have real clarity about what you're about to do.

"It's so nice to see young players go and express themselves in those moments, back their technical level and have the confidence level and bravery to go and risk that in that moment.

"To see it fly in was wonderful.

"I'm delighted for him but wasn't too surprised when it flew into the top corner because that's what we brought him here to do."

Lee Grant took one his first managerial role after agreeing a three-year contract at Huddersfield in May