Huddersfield Town Women: The story so far...
A recap of Town's first ten games and a look ahead at what's to come
Huddersfield Town Women currently sit fifth in FAWNL Division One North after seven league fixtures, just three points behind top of the table Middlesbrough. Three wins, two draws, and two losses keep the Terriers in the top half of the table, chasing the all-important single promotion spot.
Town’s league defeats have both come away from home at leaders Middlesbrough and third place Chorley. However, two of Town’s wins have also come on the road. A 2-0 victory at Leeds United on the first day of the season, and a recent triumph beating Durham Cestria 3-2.
The mixed bag of results isn’t something that we are too worried about for now. Town have had strong spells in all their games, playing free-flowing football and creating plenty of high-quality chances. Putting the ball in the net has been the issue.
Defeats at Middlesbrough and Chorley are the only two games where the side hasn’t managed to score. Plus, the two draws at home against Norton & Stockton and Barnsley could and perhaps should have been wins. Granted, the Norton & Stockton fixture could have also been a loss had Scarlett McMahon not come off the bench and scored a quickfire brace late on.
The fact is, though, that Town would currently sit top of the league had they managed to convert those draws into wins. At the rate they are going, they would finish on 35 points — well, 34.5714286 to be exact. According to last season’s table, that would leave them exactly where they sit currently — a fifth-place finish.
We trust that Town will kick on, and the recent form of summer signings Charlotte Stuart and Leah Embley supports this belief. They each have five goal contributions in all competitions so far, with Stuart grabbing a goal and an assist, and Embley bagging twice in the recent trip to Durham.
Stuart arrived in the summer after departing Barnsley Women and has so far played four different roles for Town. Initially starting at the base of the midfield, she then dropped into the back line for a few games before moving further forward again to play as a box-to-box midfielder.
Recently, Stuart has found form as a box-crashing, attacking midfielder. Her three goal contributions in the last two games could have been double that had some of her well-timed headers found the back of the net instead of hitting the woodwork or going narrowly wide. This role seems perfectly suited to bring the best out of Stuart and Town.
Embley is currently Town’s top scorer, with four goals in all competitions. Arriving from Burnley, the forward has featured across the Terriers front line. Embley scored a tremendous long-range volley against Doncaster Rovers Belles in the FA WNL Cup three games into the season but then struggled to get on a roll. That was until the previous few fixtures where we have seen the best of Embley.
The former Claret has excelled by drifting out to the right to receive the ball, using her pace and power to take on opponents, delivering powerful crosses, and positioning herself to arrive late at the back post when the ball comes in from the left. It feels as though Embley could be about to catch fire, but we don’t want to jinx it.
Town were recently knocked out of the FA WNL Cup by Hull City but did score seven goals in two games before that in the same competition. A 4-1 victory at home against Donny Belles and a 3-1 victory at York City — both teams that Town still have home and away this season.
The Hull City game left manager Glen Preston disappointed. Although his team were up against a side from a higher division, he was puzzled at how they hadn’t scored “four or five goals”. Having been level at half-time, the Tigresses pulled away from Town in the second period and eventually won 3-1.
There is still plenty of cup football to be played. In fact, last weekend Town went straight into the hat for the next round of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup when Barnsley couldn’t raise a side. The next round takes place on Sunday, 3rd November, as Nantwich Town Ladies travel to Storthes Hall in what is the ‘First Round proper’.
After Christmas, the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup begins. Town will be hoping to retain the trophy in a competition where they have been highly successful in recent years. We will have more to come on that as we approach the festive season.
Meanwhile, let’s look at some other notable stats and moments from other members of the squad.
Young goalkeeper Kacey Bolton-Woollam has settled into being Town’s number one since joining on loan from Manchester United Women in the summer. The shot-stopper seems to be growing in confidence and creating stronger bonds with her defence as the season goes on, producing some great saves in key moments that have earned Town points.
With over 550 appearances for Town, Kate Mallin is the Terriers’ top creator this season. Producing three assists, featuring both up front and off the left, her experience is something that shows both on and off the field.
Beth Ibbotson and Ella Duffield are the only two players to start every game in both league and cup so far. Ibbotson has played every minute — 984 to be exact — in ten games, whilst Duffield is just behind with 972 minutes. Both have been essential for Preston and the footballing style that he is implementing.
Ashley Tiripke was the FAWNL Reserve Northern Division Player of the Year last season, and the academy graduate has continued to impress in six off the bench cameos during this campaign. Without a start yet, the forward has managed to get a goal and assist in just 91 minutes of football. One for the future.
Caitlin Devins made six appearances this season before suffering a knee issue in training that will keep her on the sidelines for a considerable amount of time. The wing-back has been spotted at Storthes Hall on crutches; We Are Terriers wish her a speedy recovery, hoping to see her back on the pitch at some point in 2025.
So, with ten games played in both league and cup, Town currently have a 50% win ratio. There are five league games between now and the end of 2024, three of them at home.
York City are up next, with Town hoping to replicate their 3-1 victory in the FA WNL Cup. That is then followed by a tough trip to fourth place Cheadle Town Stingers — what a name!
Town then host Donny Belles and Leeds United, before travelling to Stockport County — all teams that Town have beaten this season. It is a crucial run of games and one that we feel could define their season. Something like three wins, one draw, and one loss would feel good, but it is entirely possible that Town can win at least four of them. Let’s hope so, eh?
Not to be forgotten is Town’s FA Cup game in early November. A victory against Nantwich would provide some serious economic benefits and put Town into the next round.