Huddersfield Town renew their rivalry with Bradford City on Saturday lunchtime after over a decade since they last met. Even putting aside the fact this is a local derby, it’s third playing fifth in the League One table, so it’s a game where two of the better teams in the league face off against each other.
Town will need to be at their best to get something from this game and that means picking the right team to start the game. In recent weeks, it’s been the strength of our bench that has helped us out in games but I’m hoping for the initial selection to be a bit better in this game to reduce the need to be bailed out by the subs.
Here’s how I think we’ll line up…
Goalkeeper – Nicholls
Owen Goodman has another couple of games left on his ban, so it’s Lee Nicholls that will be in goals for us in this game. With his vast experience and quality, I have no concerns about how he’ll handle himself in this game. It was welcome but unexpected news to see that Lee Nicholls extended his Town contract this week until 2028, effectively committing the remainder of his career to Town. After being uncertain that he would even stay beyond the closure of the transfer window the other week, it’s good to see the club have shown some faith in him by extending his deal.
Defence – Sorensen, Feeney, Low, Roughan
Lynden Gooch is out injured, so for once I feel confident in predicting Lasse Sorensen to play at right-back. While Sorensen is far from perfect, he’s been improving under Lee Grant and hopefully this game will be another step along that journey. It will have helped his confidence that it was his driving run at the by line and cross that set up our opening goal last weekend against Peterborough.
Jack Whatmough is also injured for this game, so I expect it will be a toss up between Murray Wallace and Josh Feeney. While Wallace adds some composure and an old head to the back line, I think he’s also a bit of a liability when up against any sort of pace. For that reason and his comfort and skill on the ball, I’d like to see Feeney be Joe Low’s defensive partner.
I never really write much about Joe Low in these prediction articles because he’s so obviously going to play when he’s available but he does deserve some plaudits. He’s surprisingly mobile for his size, is completely dominant in the air and looks like he’s got potential to become better as he matures. My only quibble is that he sometimes looks to lose his head and make rash decisions, particularly when we’re under pressure. He is a reassuring presence on the pitch most of the time though, as he looks so comfortable when competing for balls in the air and on the ground. Being a giant helps with that sort of thing.
Sean Roughan had a really up and down game against Peterborough last week. He struggled in the early stages but sprang into life when we made our attacking subs. He linked well with Alves and Castledine as well as pushing up the field a bit more. In the wonky formation we play, with the right-back pushed up high and the left-back hanging back, it tends to be the left-back that does a lot of carrying the ball out of defence. At different times, Roughan both struggled and excelled in this job last weekend, so hopefully we’ll see him playing like he did in the final half an hour rather than in the first hour.
Midfield – Kane & Ledson
I wrote after the Peterborough game about how Ledson could do with a bit of time out of the starting eleven as he’d put in a few below par performances. The same could be said about Kane too. But I don’t think this is the game to be shaking up the central midfield axis, particularly when I think we’ll see changes in other areas of the field.
Ledson and Kane have been a consistent pairing in our midfield for league games and when they’re both on form they make the team tick. Lately, they’ve both looked jaded but after a rare week without a midweek game, I’m hoping they’ll both be fresher and more energised for this game. Though if either struggles again, I’d have David Kasumu ready to come off the bench to add a bit of bite to our midfield.
Attackers – Harness, Castledine, Alves
I don’t know who the natural competition is for Marcus Harness on the right wing. Maybe Cameron Ashia or Zepi Redmond once he’s fit. But there’s really not a like-for-like replacement in the squad that has the same kind of awareness and intelligence to play the link man role that Harness does, so I think he has to start. Though an interesting alternative would be to give Alfie May another go in this position to see if he can work as a provider for Taylor rather than being the one on the end of chances; he did play a lovely through ball for Taylor’s goal against Peterborough last weekend. That feels a bit too much like putting round pegs in square holes though, so I’d prefer Harness keeps his place.
I do think it’s time for change in the other attacking positions, with Leo Castledine potentially coming in for Ben Wiles and Will Alves for Ruben Roosken. I appreciate the role that Ben Wiles plays but I find it frustrating that he goes missing for long spells in games and needs others around him to be tuned into his play to get the most out of him. Leo Castledine is a more all-action player that pops up in deeper areas to influence the game and can create things for himself rather than waiting to be played in. After impressing from the bench lately, he deserves to start in this game.
I’m a bit torn about whether Ruben Roosken or Will Alves will play on the left. Roosken has had longer to learn Grant’s system and his history as a fullback makes him more solid defensively but he doesn’t have the natural ability of Alves when it comes to attacking in the final third. It’s early days, but my impression is that Alves has something special about him that can get fans on their feet and create chaos in the opposition box. I think we’ve really lacked a winger that runs directly at defenders and can create moments in the final third.
Striker – Taylor
It seems crazy that Alfie May would be fit and available yet not be picked in our starting eleven but Joe Taylor has scored four goals in his last three games so is hard to drop. The added advantage of having May on the bench is that we can bring him on fresh in the latter stages of games to wreak havoc against tired defences. It would be nice to find a way to play Taylor and May together in a way that keeps everywhere else on the pitch balanced but for now it looks like they either have to share the striker role or one of them has to play out of position.
For once I’m in 100% agreement with you, TS. The hope is that Lee Grant takes notice of you! On past evidence, he doesn’t.
I confess to toying with Kasumu in my perfect starting XI. I rejected him because I have a bad feeling that his usual yellow card could end up being red in the red-hot atmosphere. He might survive the last 30 minutes but not the first 60. That said, I prefer your logic, TS. By bringing in Alves and Castledine, that’s enough changes for a key match.
Scoreline with this side? So much hangs on that first 30 minutes. At worst, 0-0 at that point. I just have a feeling that Town could create something, catch out the home side and be up 0-2. With the Town bench, I’d then be confident of Town more than just hanging on. But pick the wrong XI and/or get on the back foot in that first half-hour, then it’s going to be down to the bench to try and salvage something.