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Wounded animals, winning runs, stinky fans, and extra rest – 6 talking points ahead of Huddersfield Town’s trip to Blackpool

Wounded animals, winning runs, stinky fans, and extra rest – 6 talking points ahead of Huddersfield Town’s trip to Blackpool

Matches, Talking points
The games are coming thick and fast now the new season is properly underway and Town have a trip to the seaside to take on Blackpool on Saturday afternoon. The game follows quickly in the wake of Town’s impressive penalties victory over Leicester in the League Cup on Wednesday night but Lee Grant will want to make sure there’s no hangover for this game.  Huddersfield Town fans are less likely to be avoiding hangovers, as a boozy do on the coast is almost certain for many in the sold out away end. With Town winning their opening three games of the season and Blackpool losing all three of theirs, the omens look good on paper but the reality is likely to be different.  Here are a few of the main talking points ahead of this fixture… Can Town keep their winning start going? ...
Control vs Chaos, winning with kids, enjoying penalties and rival manager remarks – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s cup win against Leicester City

Control vs Chaos, winning with kids, enjoying penalties and rival manager remarks – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s cup win against Leicester City

Matches, Notes
Going to midweek cup games can be a real gamble with your time. It’s very easy to come away from these games feeling like you’ve wasted your evening, particularly if you get the impression that the players cared even less than you did. The fact the attendance was around a third of a typical league game tells you that many fans are not up for the cup. Thankfully, those fans that did turn up to watch Town play Leicester on Wednesday night were treated to an excellent evening’s entertainment. Town fought back from behind to draw the game 2-2 in normal time and then went straight to penalties and won 3-2 thanks to some heroics from Lee Nichols. While the competition might not be a priority, seeing a youthful Huddersfield Town team go toe to toe with one of the bigger Championship teams show...
“Like a glitching video game character stuck in celebration mode” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s penalty win against Leicester in the League Cup

“Like a glitching video game character stuck in celebration mode” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s penalty win against Leicester in the League Cup

Matches, Player ratings
Huddersfield Town came from behind twice to take Leicester to penalties on Wednesday night in the first round for the League Cup. The game was a tense tactical battle in the first half before opening up into a genuinely exciting and well matched game. Despite making a raft of changes to the team, Lee Grant managed to get another good performance to maintain his 100% win rate with the Terriers for a third game.  Or can you call it a 100% record if we won the game on penalties? Technically the game was a 2-2 draw at full time, so maybe he's won two and drawn one. It doesn't really matter, as Town won the penalty shootout 3-2 with a kick to spare and created a huge buzz in the stadium. Here's what I made of each player's performance… Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Looked uncomfortabl...
All change! Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Leicester in the League Cup

All change! Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Leicester in the League Cup

Matches, Predicted lineups
Huddersfield Town face Leicester in the League Cup tonight and will most likely be making a raft of changes to the eleven that started the game against Reading at the weekend. These sorts of games would be a nightmare to predict the lineup if I cared about being accurate but I actually enjoy the challenge of cup fixtures even if it is a fool's errand.  Here's how I think we'll lineup but if I get 7 out of 11 right I'll be pleased with myself… Goalkeeper: Lee Nicholls  Jacob Chapman's injury means Lee Nicholls is the only experienced pro who can replace Goodman. This could be Nicholls’ last game for the club, as he seems too good a keeper to play second fiddle to a loanee keeper. It'll be interesting to see how he behaves at full time, an emotional farewell to the fans is...
Does Grant care? Poor atmosphere? Sticking or twisting? Fringe players stepping up? 4 talking points ahead of Huddersfield Town’s cup game against Leicester

Does Grant care? Poor atmosphere? Sticking or twisting? Fringe players stepping up? 4 talking points ahead of Huddersfield Town’s cup game against Leicester

Matches, Talking points
After back-to-back wins in the league, Huddersfield Town's attention now turns to the League Cup, where they'll host Leicester on Wednesday evening. While I'm sure many fans will hope to see a strong first team fielded by Town, I can't remember the last Town manager that played a full strength lineup in the early rounds of any cup competition. The good thing is that Town have a relatively deep squad and the players not currently starting league games are capable of stepping in and doing a good job for Town.  Leicester were relegated from the Premier League last season but will be aiming to yo-yo themselves back up there this year, starting that project with a win against beleaguered Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend. Having said that, they've shipped out a host of players and only...
A kamikaze keeper, winning moments, Ashia bursts onto the scene and passing problems – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win at Reading

A kamikaze keeper, winning moments, Ashia bursts onto the scene and passing problems – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win at Reading

Matches, Notes
Huddersfield Town kept their 100% win record on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Reading. The performance was not always fluent but the dedication and effort were consistent across the players involved. The scoreline hints at an easier victory than this game actually was but I think Town did enough to deserve all three points.  Town now sit top of the embryonic league table and are showing signs of being a strong team this season. It’s very early days but all the current indicators point towards huge potential. There will be tougher tests ahead for Town this season but I’m really pleased with how well they’ve navigated their two tricky opening games.  Here are some of my thoughts on this Reading win… A tight game, decided by 3 moments There are millions of variables that ...
“Showed the desire needed” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Reading

“Showed the desire needed” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-0 win over Reading

Matches, Player ratings
Huddersfield Town made it two wins in two with their 2-0 victory against Reading on Saturday lunchtime. The game was finely poised, with both teams being too wasteful in the final third despite the two teams trying to play good football. Thankfully, two set piece goals won the game for Town but it could have been a different story if Reading had taken their chances at the other end. I’m not sure I’d call it lucky though, as a game between two well-matched opponents will usually be decided by fine margins and Town made the most of their chances and Reading didn't. Collectively, Town weren’t quite as good as they were in their opening game but we were away from home against a good League One team, so perhaps that was to be expected. I thought Town would need quite a few games to get up to...
May and Taylor both starting? Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Reading

May and Taylor both starting? Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to face Reading

Matches, Predicted lineups
Huddersfield Town head to Reading for a Saturday lunchtime game, where they’ll be hoping to keep their momentum going after beating Leyton Orient 3-0 last weekend. There are fitness doubts over Marcus Harness and Sean Roughan but better news in terms of Josh Feeney being available now after suspension and Murray Wallace getting closer to full fitness.  Despite Reading losing their opening game to Lincoln, they will provide stiff opposition for Town and I have a feeling we’ll see a good game. While I thought League One would be full of cloggers when Town were relegated, there are actually quite a few teams that want to play football on the ground and build up possession from the back, Reading are one of those teams. So I'm expecting two teams having a good go at each other and some ...
Birmingham comparisons, Grant’s honesty, tactical conundrums and new pressure – 4 talking points ahead of Reading v Huddersfield Town

Birmingham comparisons, Grant’s honesty, tactical conundrums and new pressure – 4 talking points ahead of Reading v Huddersfield Town

Matches, Talking points
Huddersfield Town head to Reading tomorrow (Saturday) for their first away game of the season against Reading, in an early kickoff in front of the Sky cameras. After last weekend’s 3-0 win over Leyton Orient, Town find themselves top of the table on goal difference. While some naysayers may question the validity of the league table after one game, I think those people should shut up.  Reading were an oddity last season, as they had a remarkably good end to the season on the field while having all sorts of turmoil off it. Usually when a club is in financial strife or being emperilled by a dodgy owner we see results tail off but Reading defied that narrative and narrowly missed out on the playoffs with a seventh placed finish. They’re under new, seemingly stable, ownership now and wi...
Optimism, a penalty, partnerships, & the fan contribution – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s 3-0 win over Leyton Orient

Optimism, a penalty, partnerships, & the fan contribution – Notes on Huddersfield Town’s 3-0 win over Leyton Orient

Matches, Notes
Huddersfield Town opened their season with a 3-0 against Leyton Orient on Saturday in glorious sunshine and even scored a penalty. After finishing last season so pathetically, particularly in the final home game against Leyton Orient, this game went a long way to emphasise that we’re now in a new era at Huddersfield Town.  Lee Grant fielded eight debutants (not debutantes, as I spelled it in my last article, suggesting Grant was introducing young ladies to polite society) but against a Leyton Orient side that was also full of new blood, Town looked the more cohesive team of the two. It’s early days obviously, but there was a lot to like about this performance even if we still look to be gelling as a group.  How the game unfolded  The game started at a frenetic pace,...