Huddersfield Town digest: Team news, predicted line-up and Peterborough preview
All the latest as the League One season rumbles on
What’s been said
You can read our rough transcript of this week’s press conference with Lee Grant and Marcus Harness right here on We Are Terriers.
Coming up next
Peterborough United sit bottom of League One as one of just three sides in the division who are yet to record a victory this season, with their one and only point coming in a 1-1 draw against Bradford City. They have also lost both of their cup games so far, including a 3-1 defeat at home to ten-man Leyton Orient in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday night.
Darren Ferguson admitted after that game: “We are clearly a team bereft of all confidence and belief, we are unrecognisable. We have really started the season badly and tonight we were well beaten against ten men.
He added: “We have to try and embrace the challenge in front of us and clearly the players are struggling with it at the moment. Maybe it’s a kickback from last season as a lot of the boys that started tonight were here then.”
Peterborough have struggled at both ends of the pitch, scoring just twice and conceding 11, and have had particular difficulty keeping the ball out of their net on set pieces. Only Blackpool (six) have a worse record defending dead balls than Peterborough’s six.
That prompted the Posh to bring in four new faces on Monday’s transfer deadline day, with forward Jimmy-Jay Morgan arriving on loan from Chelsea alongside Wrexham pair Tom O’Connor and Jack Mendy, as well as young Blackburn striker Harry Leonard in a permanent deal.
Peterborough also added Tom Lees earlier in the transfer window, with the former Terriers centre-back making his debut against Exeter last weekend.
We’ll have five conclusions on that game for you first thing on Sunday morning, followed by further discussion in the podcast on Monday. Get signed up now if you’re not already to make sure you don’t miss out.
Huddersfield Town injuries and absences
Owen Goodman will serve a three-match ban for his straight red card against Barnsley last weekend and will miss the games against Peterborough, Bradford and Burton.
Jacob Chapman is still out with the ankle injury he picked up in the summer, and so Francis Hurl seems likely to take Lee Nicholls’ place on the bench during Goodman’s absence.
Dion Charles is on international duty with Northern Ireland and will miss the Peterborough game as a result.
Zepiqueno Redmond was ineligible to play in the Vertu Trophy on Tuesday evening having been registered after midday on Monday. Lee Grant says he will need to ‘think long and hard’ about whether or not to throw Redmond straight into his matchday squad this weekend, however.
Alfie May took a knock to the ankle against Barnsley but Grant indicated he could have played against Newcastle U21s on Tuesday night if he had been required.
Marcus McGuane is being assessed on a day-to-day basis after a recurrence of his groin injury, while Town are expected to be without Mickel Miller (hamstring) and Antony Evans (knee) until late September-October.
Predicted line-up to face Peterborough
4-2-3-1/3-4-1-2: Lee Nicholls; Lynden Gooch, Josh Feeney, Joe Low, Sean Roughan; Ryan Ledson, Herbie Kane; Marcus Harness, Ben Wiles, Ruben Roosken; Joe Taylor.
Substitutes: Francis Hurl, Murray Wallace, Lasse Sorensen, David Kasumu, Leo Castledine, Will Alves, Alfie May.
Huddersfield Town Women
Hot on the heels of beating York City 7-1, Town Women face a tough test as they visit table-topping Burnley from the division above in the WNL Cup on Sunday afternoon.
Both sides won their opening games of the group stage, with Burnley running out 2-0 winners away to Chorley while Town beat Blackburn 3-2.
Burnley are undefeated in the third tier so far this season and beat Loughborough Lightning 5-0 last time out.
Donate to Walk4Pounds
While I’ve got you, just want to ask if you have two minutes and a few quid to spare for a very good cause. I’ll be taking part in the shorter 10-mile route for Walk for Denis in September, which culminates at Accu Stadium ahead of the League One clash with Burton Albion.
Organised by Huddersfield Town, the walk is raising money for the Alzheimer’s Society and the Huddersfield Town Foundation in memory of the late, great Denis Law.
You can make a donation here - any amount gratefully received.
Even better, if you’re interested in signing up for the walk, details on how to sign up for the walk are here. Thanks!