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Matches

“He may have done enough to earn another contract.” Player ratings for Town’s win over Bristol City

“He may have done enough to earn another contract.” Player ratings for Town’s win over Bristol City

Matches
Huddersfield Town registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over a misfiring Bristol in the final game of the regular season despite fielding a weakened team. The game had the feel of a dead rubber at times but Town managed to raise their levels enough during certain spells to become dominant and create good chances. Forest conceding a late equaliser against Hull meant that Town finished above them and now face Luton Town in the playoff semi finals. Those games will provide a much stiffer challenge than a relatively poor Bristol City but it’s to Town’s credit that they managed to competently beat their opponent without expending more energy than they had to. Here are my individual player ratings. Jamal Blackman - 7 out of 10 Made a couple of smart saves from close range. Probably th...
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Bristol City – Who will Carlos rest?

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Bristol City – Who will Carlos rest?

Matches
Huddersfield Town play Bristol City this lunchtime in a game that isn't likely to make a huge difference to Town's season one way or another (sorry to those that like a hit of prematch hype). There's a chance for Town to finish third rather than fourth if our result is better than Nottingham Forest's but that doesn't count for much as we don't know which teams will finish fifth or sixth. Even if we did, I don't think it matters who we play in the semis, they're all good but none are teams that Town should fear.  Carlos has a few injury concerns going into the game, a few players due a rest and others that will want to impress in the hopes they can get a game in the playoffs. Picking the lineup is a fool's errand given it's a dead rubber and they're are likely to be several changes....
Making luck, Toffolo’s extra gear, O’Brien’s knack for getting fouled, Chelsea loanee shines, getting the second – Notes on Town’s win against Coventry

Making luck, Toffolo’s extra gear, O’Brien’s knack for getting fouled, Chelsea loanee shines, getting the second – Notes on Town’s win against Coventry

Matches
Huddersfield Town beat Coventry yesterday in a game that will have little influence on the final league placings for Town but helped to maintain momentum and confidence ahead of the playoffs. There was also a notable contribution from Tino Anjorin when he came off the bench, which suggests he may finally be coming good at just the right time in our season. Coventry were a tough opponent and probably deserved more from the game. But a combination of wasteful finishing from them and good defending from us meant that their late goal was merely a consolation and Town took the three points.Here are some of my thoughts on the game. Were Town lucky? I mentioned above that Coventry probably deserved more out of this game and that’s been a familiar story all season. Town have the knack for...
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Coventry – Will Carlos take this game seriously?

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Coventry – Will Carlos take this game seriously?

Matches
Huddersfield Town take on Coventry this afternoon in a rare Saturday three o'clock kickoff. Depending on your outlook, the game is a chance for Town to keep the possibility of a top-two finish alive, a chance to keep their form going and achieve the highest possible league position or it's of little more consequence than a preseason friendly.  As you'd expect, Carlos spoke in his press conference about how he is only focusing on this game, wants to respect the integrity of the competition and isn't worrying about the playoffs yet. But we've heard him say something similar before cup games and then made wholesale changes anyway. I have a suspicion that he won't rest the entire best eleven because he'll want to maintain momentum and injuries means he's already forced into a few unwel...
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Barnsley – Who can fill Sorba’s shoes?

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Barnsley – Who can fill Sorba’s shoes?

Matches
Huddersfield Town can confirm their entry to the playoffs with a win tonight over Barnsley. In fact, it's possible we could be certain of finishing in the top six if other results go our way even without a victory. Our opponents find themselves at the other end of the table and have to win to avoid confirming their relegation to League One. So plenty at stake in the Yorkshire derby!  Dialing down the hype a notch, Barnsley are almost certain to go down and Town are similarly likely to qualify for the playoffs. It’s not quite a dead rubber but I feel like I was a bit over the top in the opening paragraph. Regardless, it's likely to be a competitive game and there are, as the saying goes, no easy games in the Championship. Carlos has said he intends to name a strong lineup tonight, s...
“He still has a lot to offer despite recent doubts.” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s superb away win at Middlesbrough

“He still has a lot to offer despite recent doubts.” Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s superb away win at Middlesbrough

Matches
Huddersfield Town put in one of their best performances of the season in a masterclass of counter attacking football that saw them win 2-0 despite spurning a string of presentable chances. Maybe it was a bad day at the office for Middlesbrough but Town hardly put a foot wrong despite only even though they only had about a third of the possession. Expect plenty of high scores as every player stuck to their task over the course of the game, kept a solid shape and were a constant threat when going forward. Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Not his busiest afternoon between the sticks but he snaffled up everything that came near him, including a few threatening balls that sneaked past our defence. A lot of the skill in Nicholl’s game comes in keeping the players in front of him organised wel...
Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Middlesbrough

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Middlesbrough

Matches
Town continue their hectic run of games with a trip to Middlesbrough this lunchtime. It comes with just two days gap since their somewhat disappointing draw with QPR on Good Friday and the tight turnaround means it's likely Carlos will shuffle the pack when making his team selection today.  Middlesbrough have become a very good side under Chris Wilder since he took over earlier this season and they are in with a good shout of reaching the playoffs. Given the stiff opposition and the tired legs in the camp it will require a fine balance of keeping things fresh but playing the strongest possible lineup.  Here's how I think we'll look today…  Goalkeeper: Nicholls  There's very little to say about Nicholls selection, he's one of the best keepers in the league an...
Wild Chelsea loanee theories, square pegs in round holes, tactical errors, ugly points, pitch invader review and greediness – Notes on Town’s draw with QPR

Wild Chelsea loanee theories, square pegs in round holes, tactical errors, ugly points, pitch invader review and greediness – Notes on Town’s draw with QPR

Matches
The dust has settled on Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw with QPR on Good Friday and I’m still feeling disappointed about the result. We’re still in a great position in the league, we’ve passed the 70 point mark, and there are any number of reasons to feel good about Town but I still feel a bit annoyed that a winnable game ended in a draw. Worse than that, Town were probably a bit lucky to escape with a point after QPR had a couple of excellent chances to score a winner in the closing stages. Here are a few of my thoughts from the game. I thought it was a bit of a nothing sort of game and I'd not have a lot to say but somehow it turned into a whopper. Enjoy!  Square pegs in round holes  I know Carlos has spoken often about how he values having flexible players that can be de...
“He looks miles off the pace” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw with QPR

“He looks miles off the pace” – Player ratings for Huddersfield Town’s 2-2 draw with QPR

Matches
Huddersfield Town took the lead twice and were pegged back twice against QPR this evening. It wasn't a vintage performance but at least Town managed to take a point from it. Results elsewhere suited Town and mean they are still in a commanding position in the playoff race without many games left to play.  Peformances in this game were a mixed bag, some players struggled in unfamiliar roles, others were OK and a couple were poor without much excuse. Here's what I thought…  Lee Nicholls - 7 out of 10 Not at fault for either goal, reliable with his distribution and commanded his area well when coming for crosses. There were very few saves for him to make but he did everything required of him. Oli Turton - 6 out of 10  Didn't get tight enough for several crosses and...
Predicted lineup, formation, tactics and score for Huddersfield  Town v QPR

Predicted lineup, formation, tactics and score for Huddersfield Town v QPR

Matches
Huddersfield Town take on QPR today in yet another televised game, this time with the odd kick off time of 5.30pm. Town come into the game buoyant after their crucial 2-0 win against promotion rivals, Luton Town. Not long ago it would have seemed like playing QPR would have been another game against playoff rivals but a run of five straight defeats has all-but ruled them out of contention for the playoffs and they come into this game in stinking form. I can’t be bothered to go back into the records to check if my hunch is correct, but Town seem to always help opponents end bad runs by losing to them. Most notably this season we played Nottingham Forest at home after a spell when they had been absolutely awful under Chris Hughton but sadly they had sacked their manager and beat us comfor...