Huddersfield Town digest: Michal Helik set for long lay-off and more news
Huddersfield Town digest: Michal Helik set for long lay-off and more news
Early prognosis for the centre-back is he is set to miss arounds two months with a hamstring injury, but there's good news on three others
What’s been said
— Michael Duff, speaking after Tuesday’s loss to Blackpool:
“The staff will look at it in terms of did we pick the right team? Is it the right shape? But we played three shapes there and didn't look good in any of them.
“We’ve got players that 10 days ago looked really good, set play delivery was good, first contacts were good, distances were good between the units…today we looked like we can't take a free kick, can't win a header, can't win a tackle.
“We’ve got three central midfielders in the middle of the pitch and their two are absolutely dominating them — should be the other way around.
“The game's gone. We didn't deserve to win the game, so I think this is bigger than the game today, it's bigger than the three points we didn't get. The frustration on my part is we haven't seen that in the week, so they’re Jekyll and Hyde in terms of the way they train and the quality and the energy and the intensity, and then mainly at home, whenever anything sort of half gone against us, we've sort of capitulated.
“It's a mentality. It has to be a mentality, because you don't become a good player and a bad player in 10 days. That's what we have to get some of at the football club.
“We need to earn the supporters’ trust. The supporters have watched two or three years of really, really poor performances, so it's hard to get them off their seats and we didn't do that today. It was a hard watch and there’s no getting away from that.”
Coming up next
Saturday lunchtime opponents Reading have made a disappointing start to the new League One season after being handed one of the toughest fixture lists in the league on paper: they have already gone away to Birmingham City, Wrexham and Bolton Wanderers, with just a single point to show from those three games after losing 5-2 to the Trotters on Saturday.
They did however win claim a 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic at the Madejski Stadium last month, with Sam Smith and Charlie Savage both getting on the scoresheet.
Former Town loanee Joel Pereira started as Reading’s first-choice goalkeeper, but has missed the past few games with an ankle injury.
Then Town have perhaps their toughest fixture of the season as they travel to face Birmingham City in Tuesday evening’s clash at St Andrew’s.
Chris Davies’ side currently sit behind League One leaders Wrexham on goal difference with a game in hand and are the only unbeaten side left in the division.
Summer signings Alfie May and Jay Stansfield have shared seven goals between them already — but it’s their defence that has been particularly eye-catching in the stats, with an expected goals against of just 3.65, by far the best in the division. The best expected goals for in League One so far? Huddersfield Town. (You’ll never sing that)
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
Danny Ward is available for selection again after serving his three-match ban
Michal Helik will not be available to travel to Reading after picking up a ‘fairly significant’ hamstring injury against Blackpool. Early prognosis is the centre-back is set to miss six to eight weeks.
Rhys Healey remains sidelined with a hamstring issue for an indeterminate period.
Jonathan Hogg’s groin issue that he felt in the warm-up against Blackpool is looking not as bad as feared and he may be in contention to play against Reading, depending how the final training session goes on Friday.
Mickel Miller is back in training after his hamstring injury and a decision will be made as to whether or not he can be involved at the weekend. David Kasumu has also been back in full training over the past week or so.
Chris Maxwell is also back in training after the non-serious heart issue he had following an illness.
Radinio Balker is set to be out until the new year with a fractured ankle suffered in pre-season.
Predicted line-up to face Reading
3-5-2: Lee Nicholls; Brodie Spencer, Tom Lees, Nigel Lonwijk; Lasse Sorensen, Antony Evans, Joe Hodge, Herbie Kane, Jaheim Headley; Freddie Ladapo, Josh Koroma.
Substitutes: Chris Maxwell, Matty Pearson, Mickel Miller, Jonathan Hogg, Ben Wiles, Callum Marshall, Bojan Radulovic.
Huddersfield Town Women
Town Women have back-to-back home games this week as they take on Barnsley in the league in a 7:45pm kick-off before hosting Hull City in the WNL Cup on Sunday in a 2pm kick-off.
Tickets are £6 adults, £4 concessions and free for 16 and unders, so get on down and show your support.
Our schedule
We’ll have five conclusions on Reading for our wonderfully supportive backers on Saturday evening/Sunday morning, with the podcast set to be released first thing Monday morning. Conclusions on Birmingham will be out Wednesday morning sometime — may be closer to lunchtime rather than first thing, depending on my own travel and so on.
If you want to get access to that, make sure you’re signed up!
Player ratings for the Reading and Birmingham games will be available on the final whistle for all readers as usual.
Arthur Difford’s coverage of Town Women will be available on the site after each game too.