Huddersfield Town take on Blackpool later today in a game that sees Town, with a record so far this season of three wins in three, take on Blackpool with the opposite form to Town, having lost all three of their games.
It’s possibly a good time to take on Steve Bruce’s team before they’ve properly hit their stride but Lee Grant warned in his pre-match press conference that they could be more dangerous because of their bad start.
Here’s how I think Town will line up…
Goalkeeper: Owen Goodman
Lee Nicholls was the penalty shootout hero on Wednesday night but his kicking was noticeably more reserved than Goodman’s has been, which often put Town on the back foot when building up from the back. Goodman has looked like an accident waiting to happen so far but has yet to cost us a goal with his risky approach to passing out. Despite Lee Grant telling Nicholls that he sees it as having two number ones, Goodman is literally the number one, as he took that squad number off Nicholls and will surely return to the team.
Defence: Sorensen, Whatmough, Low, Roughan
Whether Sorensen or Gooch start games seems to be a coin toss at the moment so it could well be either of them. With Gooch starting against Leicester and having a busy evening chaperoning their 16-year-old winger, I think Grant will rest him for this game.
Whatmough and Low have been very impressive so far in central defence so I can’t see either Feeney or Wallace stepping in despite both being solid against top-end Championship opposition (or Balker for that matter, who didn’t feature in midweek).
Sean Roughan played 90 minutes on Wednesday so could be rested today but given he played an enormous amount of minutes last season, I think he’s pretty fit and robust underneath the exhausted look he often has in games.
Midfield: Ledson, Kane
Apparently McGuane has a niggle that has set back his preparation for getting into the squad. He’s getting closer to fitness but I’d guess a place on the bench would be the closest we get to seeing him. David Kasumu did little wrong against Leicester but probably didn’t do enough to displace either Kane or Ledson in midfield. Though you could make a convincing argument that Kasumu would give us more bite in the middle than Kane against a potentially tricky opponent.
It wouldn’t feel fair to drop either Kane or Ledson at this stage though as both have been in fine form and are starting to build an understanding in the centre of the pitch. More time together in matches can only help to build this relationship.
Attackers: Harness, May, Roosken
The front four is the area I’m least certain of how Lee Grant will go with his selection. I mentioned in my pre-match talking points article that Aisha has arguably done enough in our last two games to justify a start in the league but I’d prefer him to be used as an impact sub.
If Harness is fit and available, I think he’ll come straight back into the team. That means either May, Wiles or Taylor need to step aside to make space for him. Ben Wiles was brilliant against Leyton Orient but below that standard against Reading and Leicester. So moving Alfie May into the number ten slot behind the main striker in place of Wiles is a simple way to accommodate Harness on the right side. It also sends a message that you’ll no get in Lee Grant’s team if you’re coasting in games, to paraphrase Mark Fotheringham.
Ruben Roosken is our only real option on left wing while Miller recovers from his hamstring issue. So he should get more chance to familiarise himself with this new role. My impression is that he’s getting better by the game as he learns the left wing position. He isn’t exactly a bag of tricks when taking on defenders but his pace and direct running are currently enough to cause issues.
Striker: Taylor
A lot has been said about Dion Charles’ failure to score for Town yet but Joe Taylor is another striker that could do with a goal or two. While Taylor has scored a few since his arrival for a rumoured £3m fee, he hasn’t been as prolific as I expected. He carries himself with the confidence of a 20-goal striker but hasn’t yet shown his best form for Town. We’ve seen his incredible pace in patches but rarely to send him through behind defensive lines and more often too wide to cause issues. He seems to have all the attributes of a top striker but needs to put it together in games. With Alfie May playing out of position to accommodate Taylor in the team last weekend, there will be limited patience if Taylor doesn’t produce because May can definitely do the business as a League One striker, as his incredible scoring record at this level shows.
