Huddersfield Town digest: Jonathan Hogg returns as four back in light training
Positive news on the injury front ahead of the double test against Charlton Athletic and Leyton Orient
What’s been said
— Michael Duff, on Thursday afternoon, on how Town have spent their international break:
“We’re too inconsistent at the moment. We show good bits and bad bits — we did it within 90 minutes against Man United. We need to eradicate it and it’s just day-to-day habits.
“I’ve never had a problem with the training. There’s been different factors in taking it from the training pitch to the match pitch, but we’ve put some work into them and that’s been the focus this week and last week.
“I said in my first interview, Saturday at 3 o’clock is a window into your working week. Sometimes it’s too inconsistent from too many people and you throw in a Tamworth performance or the first 45 last week.
“Alright is the enemy. We don’t want to be alright. Alright doesn’t get you anyway. It’s doing the right things when no-one’s looking, not cutting corners and holding each other accountable. It’s learned behaviour. I don’t know if it’s that there’s been that much change before, or that it’s been survive survive survive…I don’t know.
“We’ve lost too many games and if we turn a couple of those losses into draws it looks a lot better.“
Coming up next
Charlton Athletic will visit the John Smith’s Stadium for Saturday’s 3pm kick-off. Nathan Jones’ side are either winless in four in the league or have lost just one in eight in all competitions, depending how you look at it.
The 13th-placed Addicks have been the most aerial side in the division, contesting — and winning — more headers per game than any other side in League One.
Luke Berry and Matty Godden have been the main goal threat this season with four goals apiece. Charlton have not been particularly high-scoring with just 15 goals in their 14 games to date, but conceding the same number is a very respectable defensive record.
Town will then visit Leyton Orient on Tuesday evening. Richie Wellens’ side started the season in generally poor form, but have got two wins from their past three League One outings to keep themselves just out of the relegation zone in 20th place.
Orient have struggled for goals and creativity season with the lowest expected goals and third-fewest shots in the division, but their defensive record is reasonably solid with the tenth-best xG against and just 18 goals conceded in their 14 games so far.
Fixture news
The next round of the EFL Trophy (which, incredibly, has been renamed yet again) will be played on week commencing 10th December. Town will definitely be away from home, and will take on one of Stockport, Wrexham, Bolton or Morecambe. The draw will be made on Friday evening on Sky Sports News in the build-up to their live Championship game, so probably around 7ish we imagine.
Town’s postponed trip to Wycombe has been confirmed for Tuesday 7th January in a 7:45pm kick-off.
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
Michael Duff says Town have no new injury issues to report over the international break.
Jonathan Hogg is back in full training and is available for selection this weekend.
Joe Hodge (groin), Lasse Sorensen (hamstring), Lee Nicholls (elbow) and Radinio Balker (ankle) are all back on the grass for individual training but are not yet involved in full-contact sessions. That means all four are on the comeback trail, with varying distances still to go.
That leaves Antony Evans and his bad big toe as the lone player out of training altogether.
Predicted line-up to face Charlton Athletic
3-4-1-2: Jacob Chapman; Matty Pearson, Michal Helik, Nigel Lonwijk; Brodie Spencer, Herbie Kane, David Kasumu, Mickel Miller; Ben Wiles; Rhys Healey, Bojan Radulovic.
Substitutes: Chris Maxwell, Tom Lees, Ollie Turton, Jonathan Hogg, Tom Iorpenda, Callum Marshall, Josh Koroma.
Huddersfield Town Women
Town Women claimed a 4-2 home win over Doncaster Belles with goals from Beth Stanfield, Beth Ibbotson, and a brace from Charlotte Stuart on Sunday afternoon, keeping them fifth in the FA WNL Division One North. They are however just four points off the top with a game in hand over league leaders Cheadle.
Town will visit Accrington Stanley in the second round of the FA Women’s Cup on Sunday afternoon.
The game will be played at Accrington men’s stadium, the Wham Stadium, with kick off set for 1pm. Tickets are priced at £2.50 per person, while matchday hospitality is also available in for £20 per person, including both a match ticket and a one-course meal.
Our schedule
The usual: ratings on the whistle for all readers on Saturday and Tuesday, with conclusions on the Charlton and Leyton Orient games out the following day for paid subscribers.
The podcast should be out first thing Monday morning, all being well.
If you’re not already a paying backer, you can get access to that with a seven day free trial - or if you’re trying to think of an early Christmas present for someone, why not gift a We Are Terriers subscription? They’ll be delighted.