Huddersfield Town take on Doncaster Rovers tonight in a game that now feels more important to Town after their defeat to Blackpool at the weekend. And success feels less likely after Doncaster have started their return to League One in style, picking up seven points from their first three games.
Lee Grant will have to decide whether to stick with his players that started against Blackpool or bring in new players to freshen up the lineup. I talked about this dilemma, among other things, in my pre-match talking points article, so read that next if you want to hear more of my thoughts on this match.
Otherwise, here’s my predicted lineup for tonight….
Goalkeeper: Owen Goodman
While Goodman wasn’t to blame for any of the three goals we conceded against Blackpool, I think he could have stopped at least one. I also think Lee Nicholls will have watched them and thought he could have done better with them too. Having someone of Nicholls quality as backup puts additional pressure on Goodman to perform but I’ve always felt that having a consistent keeper is better than chopping and changing, so I doubt there will be a change between the sticks tonight.
Defence: Lasse Sorensen, Jack Whatmough, Joe Low, Sean Roughan
I’ve consistently got the right-back selection wrong so far this season, as Grant has rotated Gooch and Sorensen frequently and always subs one for the other fairly early too. This is the most physically demanding position in the team, as the right-back is expected to bomb up and down his flank and the left-back tends to tuck in and make a back three, so doesn’t cover quite as much ground. With Gooch playing on Saturday, I’m guessing he’ll be on the bench and Sorensen will start. I personally think Gooch is the better of the two but Grant seems to view them as roughly equal quality.
There’s no way to dress up Jack Whatmough’s performance against Blackpool as anything but a mess. He made the key error that allowed Blackpool into the game and looked rattled from that moment on. I’ve been impressed with him in all his other outings, so I think he’s allowed one blip without losing his position. Like goalkeeper, consistency in central defence helps to build confidence so I’d rather he stayed in the team. However, both Murray Wallace and Josh Feeney are good alternative options, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see one come in.
Joe Low’s mistakes weren’t quite as eye-catching against Blackpool but he had a poor outing in his own way too. Like Whatmough, he has enough credit in the bank to keep his spot. Though I’m not completely sure Lee Grant sees selection the same way and may choose to rotate in central defenders to keep things fresh.
The left-back role in Grant’s system really suits Sean Roughan, so I think he’ll start a lot of games this season. He looks to have shaken off the injury he picked up on opening day and is doing OK. His long passes down the line have been really eye-catching and give Roosken something to chase, which helps to move us up the pitch quickly and they look to be developing an understanding.
Midfield: Ryan Ledson Marcus McGuane
Both Kane and Ledson had unimpressive games against Blackpool so I think at least one of them will make way. With Marcus McGuane bumping David Kasumu out of the match day squad, I’d expect him to be the one to come in. I’m a big fan of Herbie Kane’s but I’m still aware of his shortcomings, so it may make sense to rest him for a game that’s likely to be quite combative in midfield. So I think we’ll see McGuane take Kane’s spot tonight.
Ryan Ledson, or Leddo to his teammates, was subbed early on at the weekend so should be fresh enough to start this game. He’s also an important part of the spine of the team, so I think he’ll keep his place.
Attackers: Marcus Harness, Ben Wiles, Ruben Roosken
After missing a few games after getting a knock in the Leyton Orient game, Harness came straight back in at the weekend and played the full 90 minutes. You could take this as a reason to rest him for this game or as evidence of how important he is to Lee Grant’s system. With few specialist wingers available in reserve, I think he’ll keep his spot.
Ben Wiles had one of his best performances for Town in his first game of the season but has been quiet in his last few games and could easily lose his place to Leo Castledine. I’m predicting Wiles will start mostly because he was wheeled out to face the media in the pre-match presser, so it would be a bit odd to make him do that for a game he won’t be involved in. Though there isn’t a hard and fast rule that doing the press means you’re sure to be selected, I think it’s a good indicator.
Like with Harness on the right, there aren’t really any alternatives to Roosken on the left unless we risk starting Aisha, who is still inexperienced even if he looks very promising. Thankfully, Roosken hasn’t let his standards drop despite being an automatic choice on the left while Miller is out injured. If anything, I think he’s been getting better as he becomes more familiar with the demands of playing as a winger rather than a fullback.
Striker: May
I’d like to see May and Taylor starting games together, as it seems logical to get your biggest goal threats on the pitch together. But so far, Lee Grant hasn’t found a way to fit them into his system that gets the best out of both of them. So I’d expect him to have the two of them share the lead striker role until we hit upon a way for them to play together.
Alfie May opened his account with a penalty goal on the opening day but hasn’t scored since. This wouldn’t be seen as an issue for most strikers but someone as prolific as he is will most likely be keen to get back on the score sheet. He’s such a potent threat at this level that I suspect he’ll score again for Town soon.
Want to read more about tonight’s game? Check out my pre-match talking points for Doncaster Rovers!
Whilst it’s only one game Goodman was not great for the goals and I think Nichols would have been better and saved at least one of them.
Time for a change in goals for me.
We wouldn’t have been stupid enough to guarantee Goodman starts as part of the loan agreement would we ? I’m all for giving opportunities to youngsters but not at the expense of losing or drawing games if this scenario continues.
Thoughts TS or anyone ?
Given that Goodman isn’t our youth player, he should only be playing if he’s deemed to be the best option. With Nicholls on the sidelines there’s always going to be a debate about that but Goodman has just had an excellent season with Wimbledon and has a good reputation.
Lee Grant was directly asked if he had an obligation in the loan agreement to play Goodman and categorically stated there wasn’t. Though there’s usually a break clause (typically January) that would most likely be activated by Palace if he was warming our bench most games.
Goodman has so far looked better suited to Grant’s approach than Nicholls as we’ve been playing out from the back a lot. Nicholls can do this but his distribution is his weakest quality and I think, with all his experience, he’s less likely to dogmatically follow the manager’s instructions if he thinks there isn’t a short pass available and will boot it downfield when required. Fans prefer to see this, so we’ve got our hearts in our mouths a bit less, but Grant seems to want his keepers to force a short pass even if there doesn’t seem to be one on.
Totally agree . Nicoholls for me , should start before Goodman. Goodman should definitely have saved at least 1 of Blackpool s goals. With a relatively new fairly young defensive. Nicoholls is worth his weight in goal , 🥅 solid performer . Instills confidence in the defence and rest of the team. This is were a Wiley experienced League 1/ Championship manager is worth there weight in Gold. Grant will know doubt make mistakes. Take Bruce , what ever your take on the guy. His tactics were spot on before the sending off and after. 60 minutes Huddersfield had 1 shot on goal . 🥅. Huddersfield require a big no nonsense, center forward. Plus a creative number 10/ Winger type player . Championship proven. Otherwise another year in League 1 beckons. 😭😭😭
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It’s possible we could see Nicholls start tonight but I’m not expecting it. There would be some logic to giving him some time on the pitch if the hope is to keep him beyond the transfer window. I think he’ll go if the right offer comes in but we’ll be in a better position if he stays. I can’t imagine us finding a better second option to Goodman easily if we have to replace Nicholls.
Both these guys are professional goalkeepers and both will make mistakes but the one thing that Goodman is streets ahead of Nicholls is playing out from the back. I’m afraid Nicholls is woeful and a complete liability and for that reason I would be happy to see him leave and for Grant to use one of the kids as the number 2.
I agree about Nicholls kicking but I’ve always felt he makes up for it with his other attributes. But if we play a system that relies on the keeper playing it out short then it’s probably bear for everyone that Nicholls moves on.
Jacob Chapman is currently injured (I think, the club are quite cagey about injuries these days) and Francis Hurl from the academy is completely untested. For that reason I’d hope to have an experienced pro as backup. Goodman looks good but we’ll be stuck if his form dips or he gets injured.
Good second half performance against Doncaster.
Against a better side Huddersfield would have been at least 2-0 down.
Firstly We can’t carry on with Goodman in goal . Starting each game . Give him a rest for a few games . Wallace is way too slow .
Wiles for me is a much better impact player from the bench . A wins a Win. Although against better opponents, this would have been a different result. We still require at least 2 more players coming in to the squad.
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I don’t think I’ve seen a better opponent down at our ground than Doncaster in the first half, though I suppose their failure to finish their chances was the missing piece of the puzzle. Wiles is always hot and cold but he definitely looked good against Doncaster.
Duane Holmes used to play his best when he came off the bench and was annoyed about being dropped, perhaps something similar is going on with Wiles.
While we’re wanting to mostly play out from the back, I think Goodman will remain the first choice. I’m willing to see his dodgy moments lately as a learning period and hopefully he’ll settle and get better from here. But if I’m still saying that in five games time then clearly it’s not a temporary issue.