Huddersfield home - Preview and Predictions

Tykes vs Terriers at Oakwell on Saturday for our first of 8 League 1 Yorkshire derbies this season. Both sides have made good starts to the season, with Town sitting 2 points and 4 places above the Reds in the table, after 4 wins from 5 in the league, and consecutive shootout wins against stronger opposition in the cup. The bookies give us the slight home advantage in this one, priced at 15/11, with the Terriers as marginal 6/4 outsiders.


After the Michael Duff era came to an end in March, former Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant was given his first crack at management, following Jon Worthington's spell as interim coach to end the season. Former Reds, Paul McShane and David Fox are part of Grant's backroom staff. Like Conor, Grant has limited first team coaching experience; he signed for Man Utd in 2018, presumably to be one of the English players they needed to register to play in Europe, and officially retired in 2022, before taking up a coaching role at Ipswich. From what I can see, he was initially the forwards coach for Kieran McKenna's side. A 1-0 loss at Bristol Rovers saw Huddersfield, who had been significantly backed financially last season, fall out of the play offs, a position they didn't recover. They ended the season with 12 defeats in their final 14 games, including the last 6 games of the season, eventually finishing 10th. Their record away from home was only 4 points worse than their home record, though it's on their travels where they have dropped points so far this season; despite playing most of the game with 10 men, Blackpool were able to withstand significant 2nd half pressure from Town to secure the 3 points at Bloomfield Road on matchday 3; from the highlights, it appears Blackpool kept it tight at the back and limited the Terriers to shots from distance once they went down to 10 men. In the early going, it's difficult to argue that Huddersfield are the strongest side in the division on paper. They have scored the joint most goals per game (we're 4th), conceded the 2nd fewest per game (we're 11th), have the joint most clean sheets (we're joint 12th), they take the most shots on target (we're 3rd), have the 4th highest xg (we're actually 2nd), 4th for most accurate passes (us, 5th) and the list goes on for measures where they're one of the best sides in the league. The only measures where Huddersfield score quite low, is for successful interceptions and tackles, though they have often dominated possession in games so far this season.


The recent history between the 2 sides at Oakwell has been mixed. This century, the Reds have won 6, Huddersfield 5 and 3 games have ended in a draw. Most recently, the Terriers took the spoils courtesy of 2 goals in 3 minutes in the second half by Josh Koroma and Ben Wiles, cancelling out John Russell's solo effort in the first half. The Reds last victory over the Terriers at Oakwell was on boxing day 2020, where a brace for Michal Helik, including a 93rd minute header, cancelled out an early Rarmani Edmunds-Green effort. It's a fixture which the Reds often scored goals in during the late 90s and early 2000's, including the obvious 7-1 win in 98, as well as a pair of 4-2 victories in 99 and 05, the latter including a Michael Chopra hat-trick.


Huddersfield have just 1 familiar face in their squad. Herbie Kane left Oakwell for the John's Smooth Stadium last summer, after 110 league games across 4 seasons. 9 of his 12 league goals came in his final season with the Reds, though it's fair to say, Herbie never quite lived up to the rumoured fee he cost the Reds. In the Reds side, of course there's Jon Russell. The Jamaican international is in his 4th season with the Reds, and has featured slightly more regularly than the aforementioned Kane; he's netted 14 league goals so far, including his 11 last season. He spent a season and a half with the Terriers, netting twice in 27 league games before making the switch to Oakwell.


With his predecessor having had the funds to strengthen in January, and he himself again this summer, Lee Grant has indicated that Town's strength in depth has been the key to their good start to the season. Despite rotating his back line in particular between games, the Terriers have kept 4 clean sheets out of 5 in the league. Summer signing Joe Low has been the only ever present in the back 4 for the Terriers in the league so far this season, with Jack Whatmough and Josh Feeney in rotation next to him. Experienced centre half, Murray Wallace, has most recently been preferred at left back, and Lasse Sorensen, primarily a central midfielder, has most recently been at right back. One area of concern for Huddersfield then, is that they don't seem to favour natural full-backs in those areas, something we've experienced ourselves recently. With our fleet footed wingers, that could be considered an area that we could exploit. The goals they conceded vs Blackpool were largely down to some lacklustre defending, with long time Reds target, Niall Ennis grabbing a brace (and a red card). Town have also recruited significantly in attack, with Marcus Harness and Alfie May added to their already experienced front line. Harness has netted fairly regularly at this level, though started last season with a couple of games in the Premier League with Ipswich, before scoring 4 in 41 for Derby. A more potent threat could be found in Alfie May; now at his 4th league 1 club in as many seasons, the 32 year old has registered 20 goals in 4 of his last 5 seasons. In his 8 meetings against the Reds, he has scored 4 times and assisted 3, though all of these have come in his last 3 meetings with the Reds for Birmingham and Charlton. Interestingly, his 3 assists all came for Birmingham and means that we're the side he has the most assists against (along with Lincoln). He has 3 goals in all competitions already for Huddersfield. Someone from their forum predicts their side to be Goodman's in goal, Gooch RB Whatmough and Low CB, Roughan LB, Ledson and Kane CM, Harness on the right, Roosken on the left, with Castledine behind May in attack.


Conor doesn't make big changes to the side, though after the defeat last weekend, and the positive 2nd half in midweek, there could be a bit of a shake up. I suggested that playing Barratt vs Bolton the other week would have been a brave move (though Earl was preferred instead), though after his performance on Tuesday, I think it wouldn't be a bad option, at least to have a right footer at right centre back. He did struggle with the bounce of the ball a couple of times on Tuesday, but I don't think Huddersfield will go as direct as Rotherham. Watson will come back in at right back you'd imagine. The midfield is a bit of a puzzle; I think I'd go with Connell, Phillips and Bland, which might offer a bit more protection to the back 4, especially if we go with Barratt who is inexperienced. I would like to see DKD down the middle, but I think Conor will stick with McGoldrick, particularly after Cleary's poor display on Tuesday. Farrugia had by far his best 45 for us in midweek on the right wing, but it's difficult to see him coming in for Vickers, who at the minute poses our biggest threat. I still feel the business to be done in the final few days of the window needs to include a centre forward, a centre half and a left winger.


Ed Duckworth takes charge of only his 3rd Barnsley game this weekend, with the previous 2 resulting in victory for the Reds over Bristol Rovers and Carlisle Utd. One odd stat from those games though is that of all 7 of the yellow cards he issued across those 2 games, none were for Barnsley's opponents. He's officiated Huddersfield just once, their league cup defeat to Walsall last season, courtesy of a late Michal Helik own goal and a Matty Pearson red card. His card average this season is on the low side, with 3.66 per game (no reds), down from 4.5 last season and a red just under every 5 games.


Given our defensive frailties, it's hard to be overly optimistic for the match tomorrow. I'm still going to try like, pessimism leads to weakness. If you think it's going to rain, it will (Clint Eastwood said that). I do think we can cause them problems in the wide areas, which could make it the perfect game to bring Russell into the side, who is particularly dangerous from crosses into the box. One certainty I feel, is both teams scoring. I often think we do up our game for the better sides in the division, particularly at home, and have only often come undone in recent memory after a red card. So if I was a betting man, a score draw at 100/30 is what I'd be considering. I'm going for a 2-2 draw, I think a topsy turvy contest where the spoils are eventually split.


You Reds!

P.s - I'm at a festival, so no proof reading today. Apologies for any typos.

 

Hope I'm wrong but 0-2

 

Sorensen was converted to right back years ago now, and is one of the best in that position outside the Championship.

Great in-depth preview as ever, and I think tomorrow will give us a really good gauge in terms of where we are this season. I hope we can be as competitive as we were against Bolton and take all three points this time.

Sadly, I think we’ll fall short and have to settle for another draw. I’ll go 2-2. Which I’d not be unhappy with to be fair.

 

Both teams to score

 

0-125

 

0-3

 

Fair enough, mate. I haven't followed his career that closely since he left Lincoln.

 

Lost our last 4 against them.

2-0 Terriers.

 

2-2

 

Win 7-1

 

Head says 2-2 but heart says 2-1 reds with Wiles scoring for them, DKD and Phillips for us.

 

Top preview as always. This is the biggest test of the season so far, and I think we'll need all our big guns firing – including you, Davis (just in case you're reading) – to get anything from it. Honestly, it might have come a touch too soon for us, and I can see us coming up short. That said, I’ve got my optimistic pants on tonight, so I’m going for a 1–1 draw, with the aforementioned DKD once again “doing nothing all game”… apart from scoring, that is. I've missed the last two league games so I'm looking forward to this one.

 

Defeat unfortunately