Huddersfield Town digest: Stevenage preview, injury latest and predicted line-up
Plus we also look ahead to Tuesday's trip to Doncaster as the Terriers prepare for back-to-back away games
What’s been said
Coming up next
After four home games in their past five outings in all competitions, Town will now take on back-to-back away trips starting with Saturday lunchtime’s trip to face Stevenage.
Huddersfield were the only side to beat Stevenage (thanks to Alfie May’s goal in a 1-0 win) over the first ten games of the League One season as Alex Revell’s side got off to a fabulous start — but they have gone on to win just three of their past 19 league games and have slid down to 11th in the table.
However, Stevenage have remained extremely difficult to beat on their own turf. They have conceded just seven goals in 13 home league games this season, and league leaders Cardiff are the only visitors to leave the Lamex Stadium with three points. Even that result required a late winner in a hard-fought 1-0 victory for the Bluebirds back at the start of December.
Stevenage have also only scored 14 goals at home this season, mind, with nine of their 13 home games finishing either 0-0, 1-1, or 1-0 in either direction as a result.
Stevenage are used to not having a lot of the ball but are strong in the air and try to use their to their advantage by taking a more direct approach than most sides in the division. Jamie Reid leads the way in the goalscoring charts, finding the net nine times in League One this season.
We’ll have five conclusions on the game for our paying subscribers by no later than first thing on Sunday morning but more likely Saturday teatime, followed by further reaction in Monday morning’s podcast. Get signed up if you’re not already.
Town will then visit Doncaster Rovers on Tuesday evening hoping for a different result to the 1-1 draw followed by a penalty shootout defeat in the Vertu Trophy.
Doncaster have got themselves out of the relegation zone since enduring a pretty dismal run-up to Christmas, but are only one point ahead of the dotted line after suffering a 4-0 defeat away to Wycombe at the weekend.
Owen Bailey has contributed an impressive 11 league goals from midfield this season, five of them headers, and his aerial threat will need to be watched carefully.
Only three other players in the division have had more headers on goal this season, and all of them (Cardiff’s Yousef Salech, Stockport’s Kyle Wootton, and Burton’s Jake Beesley) are centre-forwards who have scored against Huddersfield.
Elsewhere in League One
The FA Cup means there is a disrupted League One schedule this weekend, but there’s a trio of games between top eight sides elsewhere in Saturday’s 3pm kick-offs:
Bradford vs Peterborough
Cardiff vs Luton
Lincoln vs Bolton
There is a full midweek round of fixtures next week, including these on Tuesday night:
Bradford vs Stockport
Cardiff vs Wimbledon
Lincoln vs Northampton
Barnsley vs Peterborough
Reading vs Bolton
And then, on Wednesday night, just the one game:
Wigan vs Luton
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
There are happily no new injury issues to report from the past two games.
Alfie May still has another two games left on his red card suspension and will miss the Stevenage and Doncaster games before being free to return against Barnsley a week on Saturday.
The Stevenage and Doncaster games will come too soon for Ryan Hardie to be involved, according to Liam Manning. The centre-forward is expected back in training with the rest of his teammates at the back end of next week.
Jack Whatmough is closing in on a return, while Sean Roughan and Antony Evans both came back from injury against Doncaster on Tuesday.
Joe Low and Bojan Radulovic are both out until around the end of March with calf and hamstring injuries respectively.
Predicted line-up to face Stevenage
3-4-2-1: Lee Nicholls; Radinio Balker, Murray Wallace, Josh Feeney; Lynden Gooch, Ryan Ledson, Marcus McGuane, Bali Mumba; Marcus Harness, David Kasumu; Dion Charles.
Substitutes: Jak Alnwick, Lasse Sorensen, Cameron Humphreys, Will Alves, Cameron Ashia, Mickel Miller, Bobby Wales.
Huddersfield Town Women
Town Women are set to visit Rotherham United on Sunday afternoon in a 2pm kick-off in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup.
Town have a rich history in this competition having reached all of the past nine finals, winning five.