Town are set to face their first friendly game of their preseason tonight against Bury. It’s the second preseason in a row we’ve visited Bury in a friendly, with Town winning 3-1 when we played them last July.
It feels strange to be playing friendlies while England are still involved in a World Cup. Stranger still, the game will be taking place at the same time as France take on Belgium in their other World Cup semi-final.
Here are a few things to watch out for in today’s game…
Will our new signings make their first appearance?
One of the biggest draws of preseason friendlies is the chance to see new arrivals pull on a Town shirt for the first time. It’s likely anyone at the game will get to see Ben Hamer between the sticks at some stage and Juninho Bacuna is also likely to get some minutes in his legs.
Kongolo is likely to play too, but we’ve already seen how good he can be in a Town shirt, so there’ll be no surprises if he turns in an excellent performance.
I wouldn’t expect Ramadan Sobhi to be at Gigg Lane though, as he’ll be joining his new colleagues later in preseason due to his involvement in the World Cup. I’ve not heard how much extra time off the World Cup players have been given, but their preseason is likely to be a good bit shorter than the rest of the squad.
How fit are the players that had injuries last season?
Danny Williams and Elias Kachunga missed our run-in last season because of nasty injuries but have started preseason alongside the rest of the squad. Hopefully they’re back to full fitness and raring to go. If they get on the pitch against Bury, it’s a good sign that all is well.
Michael Hefele, Jon Stankovic, and Christopher Löwe all had injury-hit seasons last year too. Stankovic has been out so long there’ll be some uncertainty about his ability to perform at a high enough level. Hopefully a good preseason will cement his position as backup to our main central defenders.
What tactics will Wagner use?
Another interesting element of friendlies is how David Wagner sets his team up. With no pressure to get a result and (in theory) weaker opposition, he can experiment with new ideas and shapes without risking anything.
Wagner’s usual formation is 4-2-3-1 with overlapping fullbacks, inverted wingers, and a deep-lying central midfielder when in possession, with everyone pressing all over the pitch.
Kongolo’s arrival makes me think that Wagner may use three central defenders more often in the coming season. It’s certainly the tactical trend in the Premier League, and in the English national team.
It wouldn’t surprise me if there are several different formations tested over the course of the game, so Wagner can see how best to fit his players to the system, and vice-versa.
Will some ex-Town players play for Bury?
Ex-Town men, Lee Clark and Chris Lucketti both managed Bury last season, though both have since been sacked. There are, however, plenty of former Huddersfield Town players on Bury’s books. Here’s a quick run down:
- Joe Murphy – a reliable goalkeeper for Town, though mostly as backup
- Harry Bunn – we plucked him from Man City’s youth system and brought him into our first-team. He was a valuable member of the team, and had a knack for scoring goals
- Joe Skarz – A home-grown left-back that wasn’t a world-beater but was a good servant to the club
- Neil Danns – Looked skilful during his loan-spell from Leicester but his lack of pace made him appear older than he was
- Jermain Beckford – Scored eight goals in 22 appearances for Town but I’m not sure Town fans warmed to him because of his history with Leeds
Will many fans turn up?
As I mentioned above, the game takes place while France play Belgium in the World Cup semi-final, so I’m dubious about how many fans will turn up. It’s also priced at £15 a ticket for adults, which seems a bit steep to me, particularly as it’s our first game and it’s likely the flow will be spoilt by wholesale substitutions.
Bury were beaten 6-0 by Rangers last weekend. I can imagine their fans won’t be excited about the prospect of facing a similar defeat from Premier League opposition, so may stay away.
When we played Bury last season there were 3,306 fans there, and I think there were more Town fans than home fans, (but I don’t have the stats to back up that claim). I suspect it will be closer to half that figure that turn out this time around.
Excellent Thanks.