Match Preview – Huddersfield Town v Brighton
Huddersfield – the team
Huddersfield surprised everyone by winning promotion to the Premier League last season, despite having one of the smallest budgets in the Championship and a squad made up largely of loaned players. That was testament to the work of David Wagner, who’s Liverpool-lite pressing style of football proved to be enough to see off Sheffield Wednesday and Reading in the play offs to secure top flight football for the Terriers for the first time since 1972. Huddersfield were the only side to outclass us in a game last season when they won 3-1 at the John Smiths Stadium and the Albion’s performance against Liverpool did nothing to dispel the notion that we struggle against teams that press. Might want to have that sorted by 3pm Saturday, Mr Hughton…
Huddersfield – the place
Huddersfield has a mixed record in terms of what it has given the world. It played a key role in the Industrial Revolution after the murder of mill-owner William Horsfall, which kicked the government into crushing the Luddite Rebellion, ensuring we could all stop living as peasants. For every positive there is a negative however, and it was also the birthplace of the ghastly sport of Rugby League, that much inferior version of the egg shaped ball game where you can’t even tackle. What’s the point?
Huddersfield – the people
Former Prime Minister Harold Wilson used to live in Huddersfield and is honoured with a statue outside of the station. The Terriers most famous fan is X Men leader Professor Charles Xavier, or at least the older version of him. Quite when he decided to become a Huddersfield fan remains unclear, but it must have been sometime between his change from James McAvoy to Sir Patrick Stewart. Bloody JCL’s.
A good WeAreBrighton.com memory of Huddersfield away
The John Smiths Stadium hasn’t been a good place to visit for the Albion, with only two victories in our last 10 games there. The last of those came in the 2006-07 season, when Jake Robinson hit a hat-trick to give Dean Wilkins side a 3-0 victory with a largely home grown side. It seems like madness to think that Wilkins and Dick Knight were proclaiming it as the start of a journey that would lead to an all home grown side playing in the first game at the new stadium at Falmer.
A bad WeAreBrighton.com memory of Huddersfield away
Huddersfield Town 7-1 Brighton (SEVEN). On a Tuesday night. So bad it ended up being comical as the entire away end – about 200 of us – took it in turns to have a photo with the scoreboard.
Played for both
Alarm bells should’ve been ringing regarding Micky Adam’s sanity after he decided Colin Hawkins was better than Joel Lynch, and shipped Lynch out to Nottingham Forest. Huddersfield are one of the clubs that he has subsequently played for, while Izzy Brown spent the second half of last season on loan with the Terriers.
Dangermen
Australian central midfielder Aaron Mooy signed permanently from Manchester City in the summer after a successful loan spell and he has continued to impress in this campaign. One of Wagner’s first signings who has come in and made a real difference was German defender Christopher Schindler and for that reason he has to make the list.
Betting
You have to go back to the aforementioned Huddersfield 0-3 Jake Robinson game to find the last time a side managed a clean sheet at the John Smiths when we’ve met and both teams to score at 11/10 therefore looks pretty good value.
Prediction
Its a game neither side can afford to lose and for that reason we’re plumping for the 1-1 score draw.
