Huddersfield Town take on Cambridge United on Friday night in a game that was moved from Saturday afternoon to Friday night but seemingly won’t be broadcast on Sky Sports. I saw a comment on Facebook saying that it was moved to give players an extra day between this game and Boxing Day. Cambridge United had the option to let Sky screen the match but declined, presumably out of fear it would reduce the attendance.
Moving this fixture to a Friday then not allowing it to be screened on TV for fans who can’t make it seems bonkers to me. In a world where most forms of entertainment are making themselves as accessible as possible, it feels like football often goes out of its way to make it hard for supporters to enjoy watching their team. Something is wrong when it’s easier to watch Town from abroad or through illegal streaming systems than it is for those paying for Sky Sports.
None of the above has anything to do with predicting the lineup for tonight’s game but I wanted to both warn fans about the TV situation and have a small rant about it too. Moving on to the team prediction, here’s how I think we might line up:
Goalkeeper: Chapman
I think Chapman will lose his spot as soon as Nicholls is fully fit but until then I’m not concerned about him continuing in nets. Even though he’s old enough to be competing for being first choice, his lack of games meant that it was a gamble throwing him into League One games. He’s been remarkably consistent and has been our main keeper during our best run of the season, picking up plenty of clean sheets along the way. I think Nicholls is the better shot stopper of the two and commands his area better so deserves to come back in, though Chapman is the best with his feet of our three keepers and I think his laid back Australian personality brings a sort of calm to his play.
Defence: Turton, Helik, Lees
With Lees and Pearson both being poorly last weekend, it’s hard to know which defenders are fit enough to start. I’m making a wild guess that Pearson may not be available, so Turton will drop back to right-sided central defender from wingback. While the traditional rightback position is the most natural place for Turton, I think in Duff’s 3-5-2 he’s best suited to the right of central defence. Turton wasn’t so bad against Lincoln last weekend but the combination of him and Ruffels in the wingback positions meant we didn’t have the penetration we needed in wide areas. In central defence alongside Helik and Lees he should be both fine defensively and add a bit more quality on the ball than Pearson typically brings.
If Lees isn’t fit enough for the left central defensive role then I suspect Ruffels could be pulled back into that slot, following the same logic as I’ve mentioned about Turton. It could pay off to have more attacking threat from these defensive areas if Cambridge are likely to play with their backs to the wall, as surging runs from deep can be a good way to catch out a “low block” team.
Midfield: Spencer, Wiles, Kasumu, Kane, Koroma
Town looked so much better last weekend when Spencer and Koroma played in the wide areas, so it would be logical to start with them against Cambridge. I’m not a huge fan of Koroma as a wingback like I clean my house: halfheartedly and with no natural ability. But if we can camp in Cambridge’s half and spend most of the game attacking there will hopefully Koroma’s defensive abilities won’t come under too much scrutiny. Spencer is a more defensive option on the other flank but there’s scope for him to be a bit deeper and Ben Wiles can drift into the wide right area ahead of him.
The midfield three are the most consistent department for the team at the moment, with Kane, Kasumu and Wiles bringing a nice balance of ball playing ability (Kane), defensive work rate (Kasumu) and attacking threat (Wiles). If everyone was fit this might not be our strongest midfield trio but it’s the best blend of strengths and weaknesses. Still, with Hogg, Hodge and Evans all injured, it worries me how reliant we are on the current trio staying fit and in form.
Attack: Ladapo, Marshall
I have a feeling that some Town fans may have clicked away as soon as they saw me predicting Ladapo starting but for those that have stayed, hear me out. While he’s been unimpressive so far, I believe he’s a significant improvement on Radulovic but has had far fewer opportunities than him. It’s debatable whether Ward is better but he’s currently up and down with his form, so benching him will hopefully fire him up and also keep him fresh for this hectic period we’re entering.
Marshall should start if his bruised sternum is better because he scored the last time out and he’s a constant pest off the ball even when he’s not at his best on the ball. I’d guess we’ve got a break option in his loan, so giving him chance to prove he’s worth keeping before the January window opens seems like a smart option given the lack of other compelling choices up front.
Probably the best team we have available. Hopefully we can grind out a result.
Most our results seem to be ground out these days. I think that’s one thing that Duff had brought in, we can squeeze results out in tight games. A good habit to have but it would be nice to win handsomely for once.
Whilst you might be complaining about lack of tv coverage, it did mean that Town’s allocation of tickets (over 1,000) were sold out days ago. I’ve got mine, says he smugly. Maybe I’ll start a blog entitled ‘The Matches Terrier Spirit Didn’t See.”
I might be 70yrs old, I might have agonised over Town for over 60yrs, but I still get that tingle of excitement on match days when I know I’ll be there. The last match I saw live was Town’s 2-0 win at Orient where it should have been 5-0; I’m hoping for the latter tonight. Ever the optimist.
I hope you have a good evening. I’m sure the Town end will make a good noise. While our home support can be a bit flat at times, the fans that go away tend to be in good voice regardless of what’s happening on the pitch. Actual, a fair few are so inebriated they don’t know what’s going on in the game. On multiple occasions I’ve been stood near fans that haven’t known the score of the game when they’ve been coming out of the stadium.
Thanks for nothing to Cambridge and Sky.
Agreed. I understand clubs wanting to protect their in-person attendance but my impression is that most people who like going to live football wouldn’t stop if a match is on TV. I’d much rather be at games to watch them live but the TV is at least a backup option for games I can’t get to.
Am I the only one who doesn’t know what Lonwijk doesn’t get a mention. If so – apologies. It shows how much I rely on Terrier Spirit for my Town info.
Oops, I should have mentioned. He picked up a yellow card in the dying minutes of the Lincoln game, which was the last game before the single game ban for 5 yellows is scrapped. To make it worse, he only had to commit the foul that got him booked because the ref missed an earlier Lincoln foul.