Huddersfield Town player verdicts as Joe Taylor scores in 1-1 draw with Young Boys
Lee Grant's Terriers shared a 1-1 draw with the Swiss side in their first friendly out in Austria on the world's slipperiest pitch
Owen Goodman — Made a couple of good stops in the first half but was soundly beaten by a header to the top corner as Young Boys took the lead.
Lasse Sorensen — Had to motor up and down the flank but kept on doing so throughout the game. Got into some promising positions when his teammates were able to spray the ball out his way.
Jack Whatmough — Got 45 minutes under his belt before going off in a planned change.
Josh Feeney — Continued to impress with his composure and reading of the game. We really like what we’ve seen of him so far. The only Town player to complete the 90 minutes.
Murray Wallace — Used his strength well to win possession and drive up the pitch. Not quite able to get to the cross first as Young Boys headed home the opener.
Ryan Ledson — Went down off the ball with a bit of a knock on minutes but was fine to continue after taking a moment to recover.
Herbie Kane — Constantly forward looking and was heavily involved in a lot of Town’s better moves. We still have some misgivings about his mobility in a high press — there’s a lot of ground in behind him for him to cover — but that may be something he or Town can learn to compensate for on the training ground.
Marcus Harness — Is clearly going to be an important player for Town in the season ahead both on and off the ball, with his work rate and energy a real asset to the side.
Ben Wiles — Really alert to any stray passes and loose balls in his vicinity when pressing, and quick to play the ball into a safer area having won it. Had a header cleared off the line in the first half and put a shot wide from a good position soon after Joe Taylor’s equaliser.
Ruben Roosken — Was involved int he best move of the first half as Kane and Wiles combined to find his run up the left — good ball in for Taylor from there too. Final cross remains inconsistent but when he gets it right it’s spot on. Should have scored late in the first half but took too long to pull the trigger.
Joe Taylor — Went close to making a chance for himself by charging down the keeper early on. Unlucky not to open the scoring as the Young Boys keeper pulled off a brilliant reflex save to turn away his shot. Wound up the opposition defence. Raced onto Antony Evans’ ball over the top and rounded the keeper to equalise for Town within a minute of the second-half restart. Went off with what looked to be a back injury after being caught in a collision on the halfway line.
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Substitutes
Lee Nicholls (for Goodman 46) — Quick to support his defensive unit when they performed well. Had to stop a headed effort that was pretty well straight at him but still left him with something to do. Very strong showing overall, stopping a few long shots and then saving the best for last as he raced off his line to pull of a brilliant one-v-one save.
Radinio Balker (for Whatmough 46) — Had a brief spell on the pitch in his first friendly outing of the summer following his ankle injury late last season, coming on at the break then going back off after 20-odd minutes in a planned change.
Sean Roughan (for Wallace 46) — Came on at left-back having previously played at centre-back this summer. Showed some nice touches and very forward looking, but teammates not always quite on his wavelength — should hopefully come with familiarity.
Antony Evans (for Ledson 46) — Made an instant impact with a perfectly weighted ball over the top to find Taylor’s run. Picked up a yellow card for a clumsy sliding challenge. Went close to a winner with a shot from just outside the box that was narrowly wide of the bottom corner. Forced off with a knock that is hopefully nothing more than a dead leg.
Dion Charles (for Taylor 62) — Still needs to watch those offsides a bit but is a good fit for Grant’s press off the ball.
Bojan Radulovic (for Harness 68) — Joined Evans in the book for a cynical foul. Looked some way off the pace to begin with but was playing in an unfamiliar number 10 role. Took a bit of coaching from Lee Grant and played a part in the move that led to Evans shooting wide.
Dan Vost (for Balker 68) — Slotted into the back line for the final section of the game.
David Kasumu (for Kane 74) — Rode a challenge to drive forward impressively and create a chance for Freddie Ladapo that ultimately came to nothing.
Freddie Ladapo (for Wiles 74) — Was closed down too quickly to make that Kasumu-made chance count.
Mickel Miller (for Roosken 74) — Always making runs hoping teammates could find him. Laid the ball off for Evans on that late chance.
Jay Sway (for Sorensen 74) — Saw out the game at right-back with Lynden Gooch watching from the stands.
Cameron Ashia (for Evans 90+2) — On the pitch for literal seconds.
Substitutes not used: Francis Hurl.