Predicted Huddersfield Town starting XI and pre-match talking points for Wigan at home

Huddersfield Town take on Wigan on Saturday lunchtime in front of the Sky TV cameras in a 12.30 kickoff that I nearly missed. It’s only a matter of time before I turn up for a lunchtime kickoff at three o’clock and miss the game but thankfully it won’t be this weekend.

Huddersfield Town sit second in the table (level with leaders Stockport on both points and goal difference but with a lower goals scored figure) while Wigan are at the very bottom of League One, having won two, drawn one and lost the rest of their games. It would be foolish to assume this game will be an easy ride for the Terriers though, as Wigan can be the kind of stubborn, defensive team that we often struggle to break down. Where the Peterborough game was two teams (inexpertly) having a go at each other, this match has potential to be a much cagier and more tactical game. 

Here’s my team prediction and pre-match talking points…

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Wigan

I think we’ll see light tinkering with the starting eleven for this match at best. I expect the goalkeeper, defence and central midfield are very likely to be unchanged but the forward line might be changed. Though any changes won’t include Bojan Radulovic as he’s picked up a hamstring tweak that will keep him out for a few weeks. 

Against Peterborough, Ashley Fletcher struggled to get into the game and wasn’t able to get the same kind of joy that Taylor and Fernandes were out of their defence. He’s been in and out of the team lately though, so he might be just a bit rusty. With Bojan unfit, it would make sense to give him some time on the grass to play himself into form.

There’s another option for Drury though. Rather than sticking with Fletcher, he could instead bring Harness in on the left of the attacking three, with Taylor in the middle and Fernandes on the right. Obviously it means we lose the physicality a big striker brings but if we’re mostly going to be keeping the ball on the deck and zipping balls about for the front men to run on to, this selection might work quite well. 

When he’s been able to, Martin Drury has preferred to play two out-and-out strikers in his starting eleven, even if one of the strikers plays slightly out of position, like how Taylor plays a bit deeper and out towards the left flank. So I’m guessing we’ll see Fletcher starting up front rather than experimenting with Harness in the front three. 

At the end of a three-game week, it may be asking a lot of the starters to keep playing full games but I think there’s something to be said for consistency in selections wherever possible. 

Predicted starting eleven: Young, Bronkhorst, Low, Bowat, Roughan, Mumba, Collins, Humphreys, Fernandes, Fletcher, Taylor

Note: I originally published this article before the press conference, so didnt know Bojan was injured and picked him up front. I’ve since updated it with Fletcher starting up front.

How can Town break down Wigan?

Huddersfield Town have been at their best this season when they’ve played against teams that want the ball. They mess about at the back and that allows us to pinch the ball up field, their defensive line is higher up and leaves space for Taylor and Fernandes to run into and typically defenses that are picked on how good they are with the ball tend to be less useful when having to do the basics of defending. 

Wigan aren’t likely to come to the Accu and play expansive football in this game. They’ll most likely look to sit deep, frustrate us and try to catch us out on the break. Town’s job will be to try and find a way to break them down. 

Breaking down a team that parks the bus is often not straightforward. Teams like Man City will keep the ball and grind down their opponents by making them chase after the ball but we’ve not been playing like that much this season. The problem with this approach is that it can look a bit Russell Martin if it doesn’t work, with plenty of sideways and backwards passing but no real penetration. 

I think our best chance will come from clever off-the-ball running and trying to find gaps with fast passing moves. This might involve taking a few risks by committing men forward but it’s better than the alternative of endless tapping the ball about in front of their defence. In this sort of a game, Archie Collins and Cameron Humphreys will be key to getting the ball to where it needs to be and making the runs to either get in space themselves or to draw men away to create space for the forwards. 

Taylor should celebrate any goals he scores in this game

I’m still slightly baffled at the decision to loan out Joe Taylor last January to Wigan, particularly when the move was made only a matter of days before Lee Grant was sacked. I’ve heard rumours that he didn’t get on with Alfie May but every workplace has people that don’t get along having to find a way to work together. 

Regardless, Wigan were the beneficiaries of this decision, as he went out on loan to them and outscored all the Town strikers that remained at the club despite playing in a team that was battling relegation. He’s warmly thought of by the Wigan fans and should get a decent reception from them. From Taylor’s perspective, I think he enjoyed his time away on loan, as it seemed like the fresh start meant he could just focus on his football.

Regardless of the love felt between Taylor and Wigan, I sincerely hope that Taylor fully celebrates any goals he scores in this match. I’ve never been a fan of players respectfully avoiding celebrating when scoring against a former club but to mute celebrations because of a six-month loan spell would feel like complete overkill. 

I’d feel the same if a former Town player scored against us, for what it’s worth. If Leo Castledine scored against Town for Middlesbrough (if we drew them in the cup) then I’d expect him to celebrate. Professional footballers are mercenaries for hire and are loyal to whoever pays them, so there shouldn’t be any need to genuflect to former employers. 

Ryan Ledson won’t be playing in this game

In case you missed it, Ryan Ledson has picked up a three-game ban for his behaviour in the aftermath of the Sheffield Wednesday game. Given the amount of stick that referees take from players on the pitch, Ledson must have really crossed a line to receive this kind of punishment. 

Ledson is apparently back in full training following his elbow injury but won’t feature until our game against Exeter in the FA Cup on Saturday 7 November, meaning he’ll miss this game against Wigan, Bradford away and Luton at home.

In all honesty, this ban may have done Drury a favour as it means he doesn’t have to decide whether or not to break up the Collins-Humphreys partnership to make space for Ledson. Based on recent performances, I’d assume that Ledson may have to bide his time on the bench for a while before getting back into the starting lineup as both Humphreys and Collins are starting to build a solid partnership. 

Score prediction: Huddersfield Town 3-0 Wigan Athletic

Having been a bit doom and gloom about Town’s prospects in this game, I’m going to flip that and predict a convincing three-nil win to the Terriers. We’ve struggled against these types of teams earlier in the season but it’s felt like Town have lifted their game in recent matches and I think this is a game where we’ll find a way to break down a defensive team. 

League One is littered with teams that are solid, well-organised but unimpressive going forward, we have to develop an effective way to win against these teams. Wigan are currently the worst team in the league, so we should have enough firepower to find a way through them even if they try to make life difficult for us. 

Getting a win out of this game will, in some ways, be even more impressive than beating Plymouth last weekend. We seem pretty comfortable going toe-to-toe with teams that want to play but proving we can break down a stubborn defence will mean we’re learning and growing as a team.