Huddersfield Town player verdicts as Tom Iorpenda scores in friendly win over Oldham
Martin Drury kept his starters on the pitch for 77 minutes in 3-1 victory at Canalside
First 77 minutes
Jak Alnwick — Started with a positive punch clear from a high cross and solid handling throughout. Looked to strike a balance between drawing the press and finding his centre-backs quickly when available.
Lasse Sorensen — Needed to clear on the cover to prevent Oldham from opening the scoring. Delivered some dangerous crosses from the right before getting involved in a couple of minor flashpoints with an opponent. Got tempted forward before Oldham’s equaliser and didn’t reset quickly enough to contest the second ball at the back post after the subsequent attack was recycled.
Joe Low — Dominant aerially and comfortable cushioning the ball to a teammate in his own box. Mistimed a clearance in the second half that could easily have resulted in an Oldham equaliser. Able to pick passes into feet in midfield.
Ian Togo — Good strength and physical presence at the back but unsurprisingly short of polish. Handy in the air as part of an imposing back two. Also this song needs to be his chant please.
Lynden Gooch — Always willing to look for a clip in behind but played a simple game in possession, linking with Togo inside and Evans in midfield. Started to show some quality in attacking areas and produced two lovely passes to set up Iorpenda’s goal for 1-0. Helped to keep Oldham at bay by backing up the press behind Sway.
Antony Evans — Frequently dropped into the defence in possession, allowing both Gooch and Sorensen to advance. Willing to put a boot in and made a key block on the edge of the penalty area with 20 minutes left, but gave some fouls away in midfield.
Ethan Brierley — Vital connector in the middle, a clean passer and able to open out to the wings with slightly longer passes as well as linking with Sway. Forced the Oldham goalkeeper into a mistake by pressing him in his own six-yard box in the middle of the first half. Reads the game well out of possession and adept at finding space.
Sahil Bashir — Showed composure on the ball in the defensive third and looked to use his pace to burst in behind when Sorensen was driving forward. Able to carry the ball at speed and take a risk, with the inevitable result that some didn’t come off.
Tom Iorpenda — Formed a front two with Fletcher when Huddersfield didn’t have the ball. Mirrored Evans in dropping deep to pick up the ball from the defenders but carried it through the midfield rather than trying to find longer passes into the channels. Able to thread a good pass at the end of it. Terrific movement and finish to give Town the lead. Effective counter-pressing and powerful running made him a constant threat.
Jay Sway — Won a free kick on the edge of the box by stealing the ball on the press and attacking directly. Potentially a red card for the opponent in competitive football and therefore a telling contribution. Nice exchange with Gooch in the build-up to the opening goal.
Ashley Fletcher — Scrapped away with the Oldham back line and offered useful hold-up play. Looked capable of creating a chance through sheer physicality but Town were unable to get him involved as regularly as he’d have liked. Did however get the attack moving for Iorpenda’s goal.
From 77 minutes
Jak Alnwick; Max Murray, Marlie Neil, Ian Togo, Dylan Tawodzera; Luke Schofield, Dan Vost; Zac Bowker, Jamie Spencer, Michael Onyeka; Jahkyah Ebanks-Blake (Trialist)