Huddersfield Town player verdicts from first pre-season friendly at Emley
Josh Feeney scored the only goal of the first team's hour on the pitch in a game split into three lots of 30 minutes, with Emley coming from behind to win against Town's academy side in the final 30
First 30 mins
Lee Nicholls - Looks good in orange.
Lasse Sorensen - Played to his strengths with a very attack-minded full-back role. Played an incisive one-two to get to the byline and provide a sitter for Ben Wiles. A constant target for sweeping diagonals.
Josh Feeney - Big tall boy. Showed off an absolutely lovely first touch to bring it down on a couple of occasions. Scored the opening goal off a set piece, tapping home from close range off Ruben Roosken’s ball.
Eko Solomon - 19-year-old centre-back who partnered Feeney. Did just fine.
Neo Eccleston - Started at left-back, in a more conservative role than Sorensen had on the other flank — chose his moments to get forward more advisedly.
Antony Evans - Sat alongside David Kasumu in a 4-2-3-1 — a deeper role than he usually played last season. Was on set piece duty during his half-hour on the pitch and worked in a couple of new routines.
David Kasumu - Kept things simple, shielded the ball well, didn’t drive the ball forward as much as we usually get from him.
Marcus Harness - Played nominally right wing, though seemed to have license to come inside and join Charles and/or Wiles in central positions, or to drop deeper to help with the build-up from the back. Really more of a second number 10 than anything when Town were in possession. Had a shot well blocked towards the end of the first period.
Ben Wiles - Took up a very advanced number 10 role that practically became a second striker at times. Missed a sitter off Sorensen’s square ball, lifting it over the bar.
Ruben Roosken - Continued on the left wing rather than going back to left-back, intriguingly. Caused problems but was let down by his delivery for a spell, including after he made a really good interception to great an opening for Town. Did set up the opener, however, playing off Evans from a short corner and driving into the box before passing to Feeney.
Dion Charles - Had the first shot of the game, shanking it well off target from outside the box. Did his part to pitch in to attacks up the flanks with little touches around the corners of the box.
Second 30 minutes
Jacob Chapman - Also looks good in orange, which we did not really expect.
Brodie Spencer - Picked up where Sorensen left off, effectively operating as a right winger whenever Town had the ball. Had a shot saved from a set piece.
Ian Togo - 18-year-old former Stoke prospect. In awe at the size of this lad. Absolute unit. Uses it well, too.
Sean Roughan - Took over at centre-back. Put a shot not too far wide off the second ball from a set piece. Looks handy with a pass from deep.
Jay Sway - Replaced Eccleston in that defensive left-back role that basically turns the two centre-backs into a three when Town have a counter-attack to respond to and the right-back is still up the pitch. Not miles away with a long-range effort off a half-cleared corner.
Herbie Kane - Looks to have got into great shape over the post-season break. Played in a deep-lying playmaker role and didn’t drift too far away from Ledson. Kept looking to see if the switch of play was on but didn’t always get given the options he wanted. Put a curling effort wide from just outside the box late in the 30.
Ryan Ledson - Lovely ball in for Taylor early in the second period. Calm presence on the ball, but tried to play it forward whenever possible. Saw a bouncing header come back off the crossbar, and caused chaos with a difficult cross into the box off a short corner — something of a feature of Town’s in this game.
Cameron Ashia - Brimful of energy and worked hard in the high press whenever Town lost the ball in the Emley third. Stayed on for the final 30 minutes along with his academy colleagues and hit the post.
Freddie Ladapo - Played alongside Ashia in a pair of number 10s.
Mickel Miller - Took on Roosken’s role as an out-and-out left winger. Put in the cross for Ledson’s header.
Joe Taylor - Visibly fitter than last time we saw him. Nodded over the bar early on. Drifter over to the right wing on occasion but largely played up the middle — in fact, he got a big shout from Lee Grant to stay central and make more runs between the centre-backs midway through the second period.
Third 30 minutes
Town academy players played out the final 30 minutes under Michael Tonge as follows:
Francis Hurl; Max Murray, Nic Idemudia, Charlie Knowles, Eko Solomon; Jay Sway, Dan Vost; Peter Thomas, Jackson Sharrocks, Cameron Ashia; George Sebine,
After Ashia hit the post for Town, Joe Clegg smashed a brilliant equaliser into the top corner for Emley before finishing off a move up the Emley left to give the hosts a 2-1 lead on the day.
Emmaisa Nzondo rounded off Emley’s victory late on, finding the bottom corner from the edge of the box.